The program was launched in 2008, with the objective to improve collaboration and information exchange with leading life science clusters in the world.

The Life Science Ambassador Program is based on the idea of exchanging representatives (Ambassadors) between Medicon Valley and other leading life science clusters around the world.

Midicon Valley will send an Ambassador to a participating cluster, and that cluster will in return send one to Medicon Valley. The exchange will  last for a period of 2-3 years and the Ambassador will be integrated into the day-to-day operations at the clusters.

The Ambassadors will work together to develop new relations by scouting for science and business opportunities and by promoting networking between the participating clusters.

When the program is fully implemented, Medicon Valley expects to be home to representatives from 12 of the world’s leading life science clusters. The Ambassadors will work daily in the same environment to form productive win-win alliances between cluster organizations and clusters stakeholders.

The concept in short:

• Build a strategic network of contacts and active collaborations with 10 of the leading and emerging life science clusters in the world.
• Representatives from the these leading and emerging regional clusters will call Medicon Valley “home” for a period of 2-3 years
• Foreign Ambassadors will be embedded into day to day operations at Medicon Valley Alliance
• Medicon Valley’s representatives will be embedded into the host organizations abroad.
• Creation of a global life science “Hub” in Medicon Valley where ”The world meets for life science.”

The program strives to achieve the following goals:

• Increased business-to-business interactions
• University/hospital collaborations with the purpose of defining and executing complementary research programs
• Cross-sector initiatives combining the skills and competences of the private life science sector, the universities and health care sectors
• Cross-exploitation of accumulated knowledge between the regional organizations of the bio clusters
• Actively promote opportunities for private Venture Capital investments in either regions.

Three Ambassador Programs/exchanges have been signed as of today. These are with Kobe-Kansai cluster in Japan, Life Science British Columbia, Seoul Life Science Cluster in Korea.

Despite the approach, establishing alliances is increasingly critical to the successful growth of the cluster, and depending on the maturity stage of the cluster, can become a major driver for economic development and the cluster’s growth.

The article is available in the Life Science Clusters journal.