{"id":6132,"date":"2022-05-18T14:32:31","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T12:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ki.se\/rektor\/?p=6132"},"modified":"2022-05-18T14:36:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T12:36:49","slug":"visions-for-life-science-reflections-after-a-joint-ki-scilifelab-symposium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ki.se\/rektor\/2022\/05\/18\/visions-for-life-science-reflections-after-a-joint-ki-scilifelab-symposium\/","title":{"rendered":"Visions for Life Science: reflections after a joint KI-SciLifeLab symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Life Science is about moving effortlessly across disciplines and sectors, about reaping the benefits of excellent research for the betterment of health, and for creating an ecosystem that is attractive to talents and conducive to the development of new treatments, diagnostics, and medicines. As I see it, Life Science is also very much about reciprocal inspiration: <\/em> breakthroughs in basic research inspire innovation, and the fruits of innovation inspire basic research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life science is typically defined as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe life sciences can be defined as the science of all living things. They deal with research into how living organisms function, interact, and affect their surroundings.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my introductory speech at the joint KI \u2013 SciLifeLab symposium<\/a> last week, I challenged the audience with a rhetorical question: what is missing from this definition, given the lessons learned through the current pandemic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create some suspense, I will defer my answer onto the end of this blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High ambitions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Karolinska Institutet has high ambitions for life science. In our Strategy 2030<\/a> we state that \u201cKI shall be a driving force in realising Sweden\u2019s potential in life science and in bringing together relevant actors.\u201d To make headway and speed up progress we have to work on many different levels. Obviously, promoting excellent research is key \u2013 this is the platform on which everything else must be built. On the regional level we need to maintain and strengthen the interactions between SciLifeLab, partner universities, the health care system, patient organizations, and industrial actors. We have come far in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we must also engage on the national and international levels. Many obstacles \u2013 such as those that came to the fore during the current pandemic \u2013 cannot be tackled in our own region but require the attention of the Swedish government. One example is having adequate access to health data. It was a relief to learn last week that the government will look into the possibility of improving the use and availability of such data<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suggestions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The government’s\u00a0advisory partnership group for health and life sciences<\/a>\u00a0of which I am a member will soon put forward a number of suggestions on how to adjust national policies and remove obstacles that currently stymie the development of life science. One of these suggestions is that current life science initiatives should be made more robust with long-term financial support. A life science strategy based on short-term projects rather than more permanent structures are unlikely to stand as attractive for national or international talents and diverts energy from where we need it the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my speech at the joint KI \u2013 SciLifeLab symposium last week I concluded by bringing to the table the following five visions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n