The Future of Finnish Health Industry Relies on (International) Talents
- The Finnish health sector is uniquely enabled by cooperation between the corporate, the academic and the public sector
- The HealthTurku cluster is the largest, oldest and most impactful concentration of health sector expertise in Finland
- Globally and locally, the lack of skilled employees hinders health sector growth, but internationalisation is a potential solution
Health and wellbeing is the world’s biggest industry, growing at more than 5% annually. Finnish companies can take a significant slice of this growth, as Finland offers unique foundations for success: Not only is there a massive amount of health data and samples ready for use in research, Finland also offers extensive possibilities for cooperation between the corporate, academic and public sector. Examples of this include the cooperation of Bayer Pharma and Roche with Auria Biobank in cancer and genetic research, or the availability of test beds that allow the development of products and services in authentic hospital environment, just to name a few.
The success is already taking place: Health technology is one of the fastest growing high-tech export sectors in Finland. In just over 20 years, exports have increased five-fold with 13 billion euros in trade surplus. The sector employs more than 13,000 people in Finland. The companies engage in extensive research and development activities, and they also manufacture most of their products in Finland.
In Turku, the HealthTurku cluster is home to the largest and oldest concentration of health sector companies and businesses in Finland. Examples of local companies and Turku-located branches of large corporations include PerkinElmer, Bayer and ArcDia International. The HealthTurku cluster is so significant, in fact, that 20 out of the 21 drugs developed in Finland are developed here.
One of the biggest hurdles to success the companies are pointing out, is the lack of skilled employees. And the problem is not limited just to HealthTurku but extends throughout the country and abroad, points out Tero Piispanen, Senior Executive of HealthTurku, the leading health cluster in Finland.
Funding options, support services and growth opportunities proliferate in the Finnish life science and health industries, yet not much can be done without the right talent. The right talent, in turn, help bring in more funding, and round and round we go: thus, “The Money and the People”.
The Money and the People – How Internationalisation Helps Health Companies
Join us for the first Talent Boost Breakfast of 2021 where we will be discussing the importance of internationalisation in finding the right talent and securing the best possible funding. From large corporations branching out into new markets to promising start-ups realising their potential with the right people, internationalisation benefits everyone involved.
Talent Boost Breakfast: The Money and the People aims to bring to the fore how internationalisation has helped health sector companies grow, and what steps your start-up, company or business can take to make sure you are not missing out.
The event is free of charge and will be held in English. Join us on April 16th from 8.30 am to 10 am. The full programme and sign-up can be found by clicking here
The regional development company Turku Science Park Ltd. offers a variety of free-of-charge services to help companies grow and internationalise. Turku Science Park Ltd. is also home to the Talent Turku team which helps companies find and attract the talents they need. Read more on how the Talent Turku team can help your business grow by clicking here!