CEO Anette Steenberg followed with a review of key highlights from 2025, including the launch of MVA’s new strategy and a range of strategic activities and initiatives delivered throughout the year.

CFO Sofia Amin presented the Annual Report, which was approved without comments.

During the Board elections, Ulf G. Andersson stepped down as Vice Chair after many years of dedicated service. Gabriel Johannessen, Head of Sanofi Denmark.
and Sofia Wallström, CEO of Lif Sweden, were elected new Board Members, and Sofia Wallström was moreover elected as new Vice Chair.

A minor amendment to the Articles of Association was proposed and approved by the General Assembly.

At the end of the General Assembly, Ulf was given the title of Honorary Member of MVA by the Chair.
We thank all members who participated in the General Assembly.

The post Highlights from The MVA General Assembly 2026 appeared first on MVA.

• Establish a national, risk-based screening programme for children
• Launch a temporary “catch-up” detection programme for at-risk youth and adults
• Develop national clinical guidelines for early detection, follow-up and treatment
• Strengthen counselling and support for families
• Initiate a national awareness and information effort

During the political panel, there was broad recognition that early detection is prevention. Several elements were identified as ready for implementation at both regional and national levels, while discussions continue on the optimal framework and funding for a national programme.
At the same time, developments across Europe show that progress is already underway. Countries such as Italy have introduced national legislation, and others are advancing screening initiatives. The question now is whether Denmark will follow.
The conference made one point clear: the knowledge and tools are already in place. The next step is to translate momentum into concrete action within the healthcare system.

The post Early Detection of Type 1 Diabetes Moves Up the Political Agenda appeared first on MVA.

While we say thank you for his time on the Board, we are truly delighted that this is not a goodbye. We are proud and honored that Ulf will continue as an Honorary Member of Medicon Valley Alliance, remaining a valued part of our network.

At our General Assembly on April 9, 2026, we had the great pleasure of officially recognizing and celebrating Ulf for his outstanding contributions.

Thank you, Ulf, for everything you have given – and for continuing the journey with us.

We look forward to many more moments together!

The post Ulf G Andersson Appointed Honorary Member of MVA appeared first on MVA.

Founded in Lyon, France, in 1880, Gattefossé is a leading provider of specialty ingredients and formulation solutions for the beauty and health care industries worldwide.​

Specialists in lipid and plant chemistry, we design and produce effective natural actives and functional lipid excipients. ​

Our history is based on our founders’ deep-rooted commitment to sustainable development, innovation and the quality of our relationships with all the players in our ecosystem. We give our customers and partners all the attention and resources they need to develop expert, tailor-made and responsible solutions. Thanks to us, they can provide their own customers with solutions that meet the same standards worldwide. 

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The new board supports MVA’s ambition to strengthen its role as a key hub for Nordic collaboration, alongside its continued focus on positioning Medicon Valley as a leading European life science cluster.

Read the full article in MedWatch here.

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The new board composition supports MVA’s strategic focus on strengthening collaboration across the Nordic region, while continuing to develop Medicon Valley as a leading European life science cluster.

Read the full article in Life Science Sweden here.

The post Life Science Sweden: Sofia Wallström joins MVA Board as Vice Chair appeared first on MVA.

While the Danish Chair of the Board, Niels Abel Bonde, and the Finnish Matthew Iles, General Manager for AbbVie Scandinavia, were both re-elected, the Board now also includes Sofia Wallström, CEO of the Swedish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Lif) and Board Member of EFPIA, as well as Norway’s Gabriel Johannessen, Country Lead at Sanofi Denmark A/S.

Sofia Wallström was elected as the new Vice Chair of the Board, succeeding Ulf G. Anderson, former CEO of the Malmö-based Medeon Science Park, who steps down from the Board after nine years.

”The newly elected MVA Board of Directors with representatives from four Nordic countries testifies to the ambitions of the organization to not only represent regional Danish and Swedish companies in the Medicon Valley geography, but also to embrace the Nordic dimension and explore the potential for strengthened collaboration with the clusters in the other Nordic countries” says MVA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Niels Abel Bonde

“On behalf of the existing board, I would like to extend a warm welcome and congratulate both Gabriel Johannessen, Country Lead, Sanofi Danmark A/S, and Sofia Wallström, CEO of Lif Sweden with the election to the new MVA Board.  I look forward to working closely with Sofia Wallström in her new capacity as vice chair and in doing so firmly anchor and extend the Swedish – Danish axis of the organization,” says MVA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Niels Abel Bonde

 “At a time of increasing global competition and shifting rules of the game, we need to strengthen collaboration across countries, systems, and stakeholders. Medicon Valley Alliance is a unique platform for this, and I want to contribute to further enhancing the region’s attractiveness for research, innovation, and investment”, says Sofia Wallström, CEO of Lif Sweden.

“My motivation is to help ensure that the Nordic region takes a stronger and more coordinated position in a rapidly changing global landscape. I look forward to working with the rest of the Board to further develop collaboration within Medicon Valley Alliance, with a focus on translating our strengths into concrete competitiveness, improved patient access, and innovation” Sofia continues.

” Being elected to the MVA Board is a privilege, and I am excited to help expand the alliance’s Nordic reach, says Gabriel Johannessen, Country Lead of Sanofi Danmark A/S. As a Norwegian based in Denmark and working across borders every day, I see enormous potential in building even stronger links between the Nordic ecosystems. Together we can create a more unified, competitive, and patient‑focused life science region that stands even stronger globally. This is even more essential now, given the geopolitical situation we find ourselves in and the balance we must strike with Europe and the US, particularly considering the strong focus on MFN.”

Although Medicon Valley Alliance remains firmly committed to strengthen, position and represent Medicon Valley as the leading, most competitive, innovative and vibrant life science hub in the European Union, as highlighted in the updated strategy from last year, the vision is also to become the center of gravity of increased Nordic life science collaboration and as such the slightly more all-Nordic composition of the new board is aligned with this focus. 

The post PRESS RELEASE: New all-Nordic board of Medicon Valley Alliance appeared first on MVA.

Novonesis CEO Ester Baiget spoke to Danish financial Børsen on this topic:

“Novonesis has a total of 10,000 patents, demonstrating the strength of our biosolutions portfolio and the science behind it. Patents protect our unique solutions and enable us to stand out in the market. Of course, they only really shine when they are converted into growth, product launches and strong relations with our customers,” she said.

We’re proud that our colleagues contributed to so many patent applications while launching new biosolutions in the past year.🙌 With these patent filings, Denmark was placed 4th overall in Europe on patent applications per capita.

Top companies in patent filings from Denmark (2025):
Novonesis 178
Vestas 132
Topsoe 114

In general, the picture is somewhat more gloomy, according to the most recent press release from the EPO.  Some of the health-related sectors actually declined, including pharmaceuticals (-6.3%) and biotechnology (-3.3%). This highlights the importance of further strengthening Europe’s innovation framework for companies and researchers working in life sciences, including progress on the proposed Unitary Supplementary Protection Certificate and the EU Biotech Act.

The post MVA member Novonesis is recognized as the top innovation company in Denmark appeared first on MVA.

In collaboration with Københavns Kommune and the BioInnovation Institute (BII), we invite you for three hours of engaging conversations, valuable insights, and meaningful networking. You will have the chance to meet representatives from companies and organizations such as Novonesis, Genmab, and Pharmadanmark. More will be revealed soon!

Apply to this exclusive event and take the next step toward building your professional network and discovering opportunities in Denmark’s life science industry.

Cilck here to apply.

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