Business Mission to Washington, DC and Maryland strengthens Nordic-Baltic health innovation ties

A delegation of Nordic and Baltic health innovation companies and ecosystem partners gathered in Washington, DC and Maryland last week for a four-day business mission focused on accelerating transatlantic market entry and strengthening international collaborations.

The mission was organized as part of Interreg Health3-2-1, an EU-funded initiative supporting Nordic and Baltic health innovators in expanding into the US and UK healthcare markets. The program combined policy insights, market intelligence, networking opportunities and meetings with key stakeholders across the US health innovation ecosystem.

The agenda included:

• Briefings on US policy and innovation at the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, DC.
• Discussions on federal innovation and commercialization opportunities, including sessions with NIH Technology Transfer, the US Department of Defense and the Federal Laboratory Consortium.
• Participation in the BioHealth Capital Region Forum, providing access to industry leaders, investors and strategic partners.
• Visits and meetings in Maryland, including sessions on soft-landing support, regulatory pathways, entrepreneurship and innovation infrastructure, with a tour of the Rockville Innovation Center.
• Investor pitches and one-to-one meetings designed to facilitate future partnerships and business opportunities.

The mission highlighted the importance of collaboration between Nordic-Baltic innovators and the US life science ecosystem, while providing participating companies with practical knowledge and valuable connections to support future expansion.

The organizers extend their appreciation to BioHealth Capital Region, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Maryland Department of Commerce and Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation for their contributions and support throughout the program. Their expertise and guidance on navigating the US market played a key role in the mission’s success.

The business mission was carried out within the framework of the Interreg Health3-2-1 project, which continues to support international growth opportunities for health innovation companies across the Nordic-Baltic region.