Lord Kamall, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Innovation at the Department of Health and Social Care, and Anna Ekström, Swedish Minister of Education, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) pledging continued collaboration in the life sciences between the UK and Sweden.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence in London in the presence of King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia. George Freeman, the Minister for Science and Innovation, was also present.
The two countries will promote joint progress in policy development, industry collaboration, technical standards, research, and the implementation of innovative technologies and treatments under the Memorandum of Understanding, building on a long history of Swedish-UK collaboration, including groundbreaking work by the Anglo-Swedish company AstraZeneca in developing the coronavirus vaccine.
Sweden and the United Kingdom are both global leaders in life sciences, and the Memorandum of Understanding commits our two countries to strengthening government cooperation and galvanising the life sciences ecosystems to collaborate on our mutual strengths and priorities, which include precision medicine, antimicrobial resistance, clinical trials, and pandemic preparedness as well as sector sustainability, investment, and trade.
The United Kingdom and Sweden are responsible global actors addressing global challenges, and the Memorandum of Understanding will open the way for increased business growth and collaborative opportunities while also meeting the integrated review and the Life Sciences Vision.