Vertical Life Science – How Convergence is Erasing Silos Interviews with Helena Strigård CEO/Director General Michael Schön Volvo Cars R&D Innovation (Open Innovation Arena) Volvo Cars Anders Persson Executive director Ecosystem Strategy and Innovation AstraZeneca Volvo Cars + AstraZeneca, that’s quite an unconventional combination of speakers to bring together at a partnering conference for life sciences! Two industrial giants, both with Swedish roots and a heavy investment in Sweden being made as of today, however active in completely different sectors. How did your paths cross? " We came in contact with each other as AstraZeneca reached out and wanted to explore what we could gain from an exchange of ideas. At Volvo Cars, we are constantly looking for new technology, from all parts of the world. AstraZeneca being a close-by neighbor geographically speaking, nevertheless we have been far apart historically in terms of what we develop. But the gap is closing, as we are increasingly bound to tackle the same challenges while we look into the future.We are two companies dedicated to safety and sustainability that are rethinking how to address those needs," says Michael and underlines how there are no defined deliverables associated so far with the collaborative talks with their big pharma neighbor.Anders Persson at AstraZeneca agrees. " Indeed, had we known what the final output would be, then it would be pointless embarking on this kind of potentially transformative innovation journey together. We do not know exactly what will come out of it, but we do know we are up against similar needs, not least when it comes efficient ways to measure and handle human-generated data and insights " says Anders as he is referring to one of the challenges simultaneously constituting an asset for both Volvo Cars and AZ; the massive amount of data that could be generated from the car as well as from pharmaceutical development and how to handle it, in relation to both regulatory requirements and technical boundaries. " The trend when developing new therapies and where technology for sure is an enabler way drug is that we are moving towards a more holistic approach to understanding the patient’s environment and behavior " says Anders. Sector convergence is blurring the lines between what we have traditionally seen as different industries. Clearly, business partners can be found in new fields when companies are looking to innovate. What does it take for representatives of multinationals to work out the forms of such a collaboration, apart from the usual legal paperwork? " I would say that sharing values and an open-minded approach to innovation is imperative, says Anders, we recognize that transformative and potentially disruptive ideas usually originates from bringing creative minds, that usually don´t meet, together and we are willing to try. Yet, the ambitions and values we both share when it comes to safety and sustainability has functioned as a starting point. " " It certainly helps to share thoughts and visions to each other as there is no real competition, " Michael adds. The theme of this year’s Nordic Life Science Days is ’Power up through partnerships’ and we have chosen to illustrate this through numerous examples of how B2B partnerships between SMEs and multinationals strengthens both sides of the partnership. It is a mutual interdependency these days, as external innovation is increasingly important for big companies to access. Do you agree? " Very much so. The days when you could shut the blinds around the R&D of your own company are over, as you would at the same time shut out the majority of the innovation going on outside of the company’s walls " says Anders. Thank you so much and see you in Malmö! Super Session 2 28 September 2022 Vertical Life Science – How Convergence is Erasing Silos