Five Nordic life science organisations from Sweden, Finland and Norway have joined forces to make life science learning more accessible in the Nordics and to boost innovation and medical development.

The Nordic life science industry is booming, and medical developments have never been this rapid. Nonetheless, in small countries like the Nordics, educational resources may not always be easy for the life science community to access.

A collaborative project has sought to make life science learning more accessible in the Nordics and to boost innovation and medical development. As part of the Nordplus Horizontal programme, educational events, training workshops and practical courses directed towards the life science industry have been made available online.

The project has run from May 2019 until May 2022 and the five partners have shared project activities and other activities important for life science professionals via their networks, websites, newsletters, and social media channels.

The five partners are:

• Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Läkemedelsakademin), Sweden
• The Pharmaceutical Information Centre (Lääketietokeskus), Finland
• Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Sweden (Lif), Sweden
• Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Norway (LMI), Norway
• Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator (OCC), Norway

The partners have made a complete overview of their existing education activities, and their continuous development training activities. They have also made an overview of both the current and the upcoming learning needs in each respective organisation and country, and identified courses and professional development activities. Eventually they made these courses and activities available for Life Science professionals in the Nordic and the Baltic region.

The partners have utilized live streaming technology and recording of training material and adapted and developed the material of both physical and online courses to better fit the Nordic and Baltic target group.  The pandemic situation has of course affected the possibility of physical activities during 2020-2022.

The life science professionals could participate via a live video stream or pre-recorded material, making learning accessible to those on-site and also those on remote locations, both nationally and in other countries.

Next step of the project involves engaging new partners in the Baltic area.

The activities performed are e.g:

• Nordic-Baltic HTA Forum – what’s happening nationally, regionally and in EU? (Will be continued)
• Nordic-Baltic Regulatory Forum – Drug development a collaborative affair?
• Nordic Medicines Sustainability Forum 2021 (Will be continued)
• Drug Development – 3 day course adapted with Nordic examples
• Translations and adaptation of e-learnings regarding Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Good Distribution Practice (GDP)

Thanks to the project there have been established several Nordic and Baltic forums, e.g. Nordic Baltic HTA Forum and Nordic Sustainability Forum.

And thanks to the project the Nordic and the Baltic countries have moved closer on the important life science area.