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Two men and a woman holding a big golden ticket

Skåne recognised as global life science hub

Life sciences

London, Boston, Chicago, and now Lund! World's 2nd largest pharmaceutical company, AbbVie, selects Lund’s SmiLe Incubator for its 2023 Golden Ticket programme, where an upcoming start-up will get the chance to grow their business. We asked AbbVie & SmiLe a few important questions.

Why have you selected Lund, Sweden?

We have made a thorough process to choose an incubator that we think we can form a fruitful partnership together with and SmiLe has proved to be the perfect match for us with their extensive experience, knowledge and network in life science.

"Lund and the southern part of Sweden is a highly vibrant and important region for Life Science.  There are several stakeholders in the forefront of driving medical innovation in this region, including Medicon Valley Alliance, Medicon Village, where we also are active members." – Matthew IlesGeneral Manager, AbbVie Scandinavia

What could the successful start-up look to gain from this opportunity?

The start-up that we select for the Golden Ticket, will gain a full year access SmiLe´s incubator programme, which includes laboratory and office facilities and also, access to their business and research mentorship and coaching. In addition, the winner will gain access to a network of senior business and research leaders within AbbVie's global and local organisation. 

How has the golden ticket helped other start-ups in the past?

The AbbVie Golden Ticket programme began in the United States in 2018 to support innovative early-stage biotech companies in their efforts to accelerate the development of new therapies to improve human health. The Golden Ticket programme is a natural extension of the company’s business development: being true partners by providing not only funding but also mentorship and scientific expertise as these early-stage companies develop. This effort shows the company’s commitment to the life sciences sector new innovative treatments to improve lives. Up till now Golden Tickets have been launched in several parts of the world, including Heidelberg, London, Boston, Cambridge, Chicago and San Francisco/Silicon Valley. The Golden Ticket collaboration with SmiLe in Lund is the first in Scandinavia.

How does the golden ticket help lift up various cities/regions as hubs of lifescience & innovation.

We start with a highly integrated approach to developing and sustaining our partnerships. We work as one connected unit with a commitment to establishing collaborations across the development continuum that will ultimately benefit patients and fuel scientific progress. Our goal is to create long-term mutually beneficial relationships. With a shared vision, we align our collective capabilities in service of a joint mission to bring innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow.

What does the AbbVie Golden Ticket mean to SmiLe & what are the benefits for Skåne?

Portrait photo of a woman looking in to the camera

"Having been chosen as the first incubator in Scandinavia to launch the AbbVie Golden Ticket is an acknowledgement of our strong track record of working with high-quality, innovative life science startups to bring new therapies and solutions to the market. This will also help promote Skåne as a hot spot for life science innovation,” says Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO of SmiLe