Umeå Biotech Incubator named Europe's most innovative biotechnology incubator

Global Health and Pharma Magazine has named Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) as Europe's most innovative biotechnology incubator in recognition of the positive changes it is making to the biotech industry.

“We are delighted to have been given this award, and that word of our innovative way of working has spread from Umeå to the whole of Europe. It's really cool”, says Jennie Ekbeck, CEO of Umeå Biotech Incubator.

The annual award is open to all companies, individuals and organisations operating in the medical technology industry. It is the third year in a row it has been held, and the award will be formally presented to UBI at the MedTech Awards in March.

“Innovations in medical technology help us to improve quality of care so that we can make earlier diagnoses, develop less invasive treatment alternatives and shorten care and rehabilitation times. It is an important area of research that benefits people all over the world,” says Jennie Ekbeck.

In 2019 the European Patent Office (EPO) received 14,000 patent applications for medical technology, which corresponds to a growth of 0.9% compared to the previous year. In addition the European MedTech industry employs more than 730,000 people.

“During the Coronavirus pandemic, as companies have intensified their efforts to help doctors and nurses treat patients, we have seen even more clearly the vital importance of medical technology. It is also inspiring to see how countries, companies and individuals have come together to help stop the pandemic and reduce its harmful effects,” says Jennie Ekbeck.

Jennie Ekbeck has been CEO of Umeå Biotech Incubator since 2012, and was named ‘Innovation Angel of the Year’ by Veckans Affärer and Vinnova back in 2015. She was also nominated for the ‘Ecosystem Hero of the Year’ at the Nordic Startup Awards in 2020. Umeå Biotech Incubator has also won several awards, including ‘Sweden's Best Accelerator Program or Incubator Program’ at the 2019 Nordic Startup Awards.

“I think one of the reasons why we have been recognised is that we always work with a ‘pay it forward’ approach. We believe we can all learn from one another, instead of competing with each other. It is important to always consider national, regional and local perspectives and how we can best collaborate,” says Jennie Ekbeck, and continues:

“By encouraging and enabling researchers to commercialise the research results they have collected at universities we can help people around the world achieve better health and a better quality of life. It isn’t always easy, but when we succeed it’s incredibly satisfying”!

Umeå Biotech Incubator is ranked as one of Europe's best life science incubators, and is classified as Excellent by Vinnova.

For further information, please contact:

Jennie Ekbeck
CEO, Umeå Biotech Incubator
+46 90-15 49 77
jennie.ekbeck@ubi.se