France and Sweden join forces for life science innovation

Held under the patronage of H.E. Thierry Carlier, Ambassador of France to Sweden, and with the participation of State Secretary Petra Noreback, the event continued the strategic dialogue initiated in October 2025. Its main objective was to turn bilateral discussions into concrete directions for Europe’s innovative capacity.

Three strategic priorities at the heart of the discussions

Moderated by Jenni Nordborg, Executive Director Strategy & Public Affairs, Swedish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (LIF), the working session brought together 28 leading national stakeholders.from the public and private sectors on three key topics:

• Geopolitics and European competitiveness: How Sweden and France can jointly strengthen Europe’s life science base in a changing global landscape.
• Securing investments and incentive structures: Framework conditions, reimbursement models, and how we retain research, development (R&D), and manufacturing.
• Accessibility and resilient healthcare systems: To complete introduction from innovation to implementation through person-centered, digital health and care close to the patient.

Bringing together representatives from industry, healthcare and public institutions, the event highlighted the shared commitment of France and Sweden, alongside leading healthcare companies such as Sanofi and Nordic Infucare, to accelerate innovation, strengthen European competitiveness and improve patient access to new treatments and technologies

More collaboration for Resilience and to actively innovation

During the roundtable the Ambassador of France to Sweden, H.E Thierry Carlier, who hosted the discussions, emphasized the importance of collaboration: ”This collaboration between France and Sweden is essential for building a more resilient European life science base. By joining forces in broad partnerships, strategic autonomy can be protected and citizens’ stable access to both tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs and innovative medical technology solutions can be ensured.”

The discussions highlighted the importance of taking actions to preserve Europe’s attractiveness for investment and accelerate the path from innovation to real patient access.

From dialogue to action

The discussions highlighted the importance of taking action to preserve Europe’s attractiveness for investment and to accelerate the path from innovation to real patient access.

Petra Noreback, State secretary to Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health in Sweden, summarize the roundtable in those words: “we have to move from discussions to action. Few takeaways from me is that we have to start viewing our care system in order to implement new treatments. We have to make sure we review lie science and clinical trials and precision medicine not as a side task but as something very integrated in everyday health care. We have also to start viewing our reimbursement system as not as public spending but as investments in human capital when it comes to spending on health, pharma and medtech’’.

Daniel Sandgren, General Manager, Sanofi in Sweden concluded that way: ‘’What we have done (…) [during the roundtable] is to provide a next step in how to make sure that Sweden is investing more and more in Life Science.’’

In other words, according to Madeleine Wallding, Nordic Business Unit & External Affairs Director : “We have reached a consensus in a clear collaboration needed within partnerships, person-centered care and also prevention. I am looking forward to turning these discussions into concrete action points.”

Press release of the event: https://news.cision.com/se/nordic-infucare/r/france-and-sweden-join-forces-for-life-science-innovation,c4341546

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Written by Soline Rémond