New Uppsala BIO study underlines technology- and IT- consultants' importance for Sweden's life science

A new study from the Center for Research on Innovation and Industrial Dynamics, CIND, Uppsala University, shows how important life science industry and technology and IT consultants are for each other. Approximately half of Uppsala's technology and IT consultants today have customers in life science. According CIND's estimate, this means an additional 300 to 600 jobs in Uppsala that directly relate to life science companies. But the indirect impact is much greater. A large portion of these service companies would not have activity here were it not for the life science customers.

CIND has at Uppsala BIO's mission, in cooperation with the analyst Intersecta AB, conducted a study of the relationship between the life science sector in Uppsala and the region's IT and Technology consultants.

- Research suggests that knowledge-intensive services have an impact on the region's international competitiveness, says PhD Daniel Hallencreutz, analyst at Intersecta AB. Therefore, the relations between the life science industry and technology and IT consultants in Uppsala are interesting to investigate.

In total, IT- and technology consultants operating in Uppsala county employ about 3 000 persons today, according to Statistics Sweden, SCB. Their combined net sales amounted to 3.5 billion in 2007. IT and technology consultants therefore represent a large part of the region's economy.

The study indicates that about half of all IT and technology consultants have had clients from the life science sector over the past year, and that these are important customers. About 10% of technology consultants' sales to life science companies represented as much as 75 % of turnover according to the most recent financial statements. Life science sector is an important reason for many consultants for operating from Uppsala today. The significance of the life science sector in Uppsala's economy is therefore greater than previous studies have shown.

IT and technology consultants are an important resource for the life science sector's innovation and growth force. CIND's study shows that service providers will help with both the breadth and excellence, and often can maintain excellence in the region. Via the service providers, knowledge spread between organizations, as well as between sectors, while they also contribute to labor mobility. The fact that people change jobs - from life science companies, service providers, government agencies and universities - is considered essential for any sector's competitiveness.

"We can now clearly see the dependence between service providers and life science sector is very high," commented Erik Forsberg, Director of the Uppsala BIO, CIND's study. "Collaboration is very positive for all parties, not least to spur the life science sector's competitiveness and strengthen Uppsala region's labor market."

The full report can be downloaded from Uppsala BIOS website, www.uppsalabio.se (in Swedish).

For further information: 
Dr. Erik Forsberg, Managing Director, tel. 070-350 41 43, erik.forsberg @ uppsalabio.se 
Madeleine Neil, Director of Communications, tel. 0768-29 77 77, madeleine.neil @ uppsalabio.se