The growth plan will support a positive development of the life science industry launching 36 specific initiatives targeted barriers and opportunities for the Danish life sciences industry across the entire value chain – from research to commercialisation, approval and sales in the international export markets.
Danish life science companies are leading in the global markets for medicines and medical devices, and life science has become one of Denmark's strongest business areas. Denmark also has the opportunity to strengthen its position in the field of life science in the future. This requires a constant focus on strengthening innovation, research and product development. The development seen in recent years points to a major growth potential, provided we continue the great work within the field of life science.
With its growth plan, the government is also following up on the recommendations made by the Growth Team for life science as well as the agreement on business and entrepreneurship initiatives between the government, the Danish People's Party and the Danish Social Liberal Party of 12 November 2017.
Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Mr Brian Mikkelsen:
”The Danish life science industry is doing well, but the international competition is extremely fierce. New life science businesses in particular are finding it hard to get a foothold on the market. Our growth plan therefore reduces some of the most significant barriers for businesses while also strengthening the entrepreneurship and investment culture. More start-ups and digital transformation will strengthen the growth layer of scale-ups within life science, allowing Denmark and Danish companies to be digital and technological forerunners in the future as well.”
Minister for Health, Mrs Ellen Trane Nørby:
”Improving the growth conditions for the life sciences industry in Denmark is all about health policy. Danish patients should be among the first to benefit from new, life-improving treatments and care. To ensure this, we will introduce risk sharing in the subsidy system, evolve our strong cooperation between the public health service and the private health sector, make clinical research more attractive in Denmark, strengthen our efforts within medical devices and promote a strong and European-oriented Danish Medicines Agency.”
Life science has become a growth engine for the Danish economy. During the last 20 years, life science has become one of our largest and most competitive export trades.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Anders Samuelsen:
”Winning global market shares is essential to ensuring continued growth within the Danish life science industry. Therefore, I am pleased that our growth plan will boost our efforts towards ensuring businesses easy access to local authorities, especially in markets with the biggest growth potential. At the same time, we shall increase our efforts to attract foreign life science investments. Foreign investments represent a major contribution to growth and employment in Denmark and provide us with new technologies and know-how.”
The Danish life sciences industry not only produces impressive export figures. The same positive development is also reflected by the number of new employees in the industry. Between 2001 and 2015, full-time employment within life science has gone up by 45%.
Minister for Higher Education and Science, Mr Søren Pind:
”Denmark is definitely one of the world's elite research nations. We intend to improve this ranking even further by establishing an innovation centre in Boston to make it easier for Danish companies to get in touch with leading international scientists and highly skilled key workers. At the same time, we need to examine whether the funds we spend on research in this field are being spent optimally, enabling us to create fundamental, game-changing innovations that will benefit all of humanity.”
The overall responsibility for following up on the growth plan will be rooted in the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs's new life science unit, which represents the business policy efforts in relation to the life science industry. This unit will be established as a follow-up to the agreement on business and entrepreneurship initiatives.
Read The Growth Plan for Life Science (in Danish).
Read The Growth Plan fact sheet (in Danish).
Read The Growth Plan fact sheet (in English).
For additional press, please contact:
René Gyldensten, Press Officer of the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, tel. +45 91 33 70 15/ rgy@em.dk.