How interested are foreign companies in establishing themselves in the Stockholm-Uppsala region? How can we become even stronger? Ylva Hultman from Stockholm Business Region meets many international representatives and answers these questions here.
Stockholm Business Region (SBR) is Stockholm's official business and destination agency, showcasing one of the world’s most innovative, sustainable and creative capitals. Ylva Hultman is the Head of Life Science at SBR. To support the 55 municipalities that are part of SBR, she works to attract more foreign investments, company establishments, and collaborations between, for example, pharmaceutical companies and academia. One key municipality is Uppsala, which is due to the large number of pharmaceutical companies located there, she explains.
Life science is a prominent focus in SBR’s communications. Some tools include international investor meetings, publications, and global marketing campaigns.
– We attracted the BIO-Europe investor meeting, which was held here last autumn and resulted in 30,000 meetings over four days! says Ylva Hultman.
How interested are foreign companies in setting up here?
– Things rarely happen by themselves – we’re small by international standards. Through proactive efforts, we reach out to investors at events like BIO-Europe, which this year takes place in Vienna. We also work with 'multipliers,' i.e. organisations that advise foreign companies on where to invest. We benefit greatly from our network, both in Sweden and abroad, and we sometimes get helpful tips through these channels. We market ourselves with videos and reports on social media, she says.
In 2024, Business Sweden received ten investment inquiries, and so far, in 2025, there have been eight. These inquiries cover various fields, including life science, advanced manufacturing, and the green transition, Ylva Hultman explains.
This autumn, two groups of foreign journalists will visit the region, and a U.S. venture capital firm recently came here. Together with KI Science Park and Redeye, SBR showcased Stockholm’s strengths. They also collaborate with Stockholm Science City, Business Sweden, Flemingsberg Science, and all municipalities involved. Ylva mentions four specific cases she is currently working on attracting:
- One project within ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products)
- A manufacturing company with 600 employees
- A U.S. venture capital firm considering investments in local companies
- A foreign university
What are our strengths in life science?
– I believe it’s our high level of innovation, which we invest heavily in, both through public funding and private industry, she says.
According to multipliers, the Stockholm-Uppsala region’s strengths include:
- World-leading academia
- Innovation
- Top-class hospitals
- Global companies, ICT firms, and startups (e.g. in Hagastaden, one of the Nordics’ strongest innovation districts)
- Availability of land, electricity, and talent — which some municipalities can still offer
– This combination and this ecosystem are almost impossible to find elsewhere in Europe. In addition, we have the infrastructure for lifelong learning. We’ve also come a long way in the green transition, which is an advantage for companies where sustainability impacts funding,” says Ylva Hultman.
How can we become even stronger?
– We work proactively with PR and will bring more journalists here during the year. It’s important to get the story — Stockholm-Uppsala’s strengths — to the right audiences, and we need to work together, she says.
Speaking of PR and the “product” Stockholm, Ylva Hultman emphasises the importance of communicating the product rather than just focusing on improving it.
– We need more actors thinking of giving Stockholm-Uppsala a focus, and it would be great if we could increase the sense of ambassadorship. In international settings, it would help if more people talked about the Stockholm-Uppsala region, even if it’s not their main task. We must be more proud and think: “If we want more investment here, we have to spread the word about our strengths and our collaboration”, she says.
Ylva Hultman is part of the operational working group for the intensified Stockholm-Uppsala collaboration.
– At SBR, we’ve just released a report on ATMP in the Stockholm-Uppsala region, with interviews from key players at Karolinska ATMP Center, NorthX Biologics, SmartCella, Pfizer, and Testa Center.
Link to report "Stockholm Uppsala Life Science Cluster: A Leader in ATMP Manufacturing"
The report has generated great interest, and Dagens Medicin, Läkemedelsmarknaden, and Digital Hälsa — all part of Bonnier News Business — have published articles. Dagens Industri also published a summary on May 17.
Seven films highlighting our strengths
Identifying, packaging, and communicating the strengths of the Stockholm-Uppsala life science sector is a continuous effort by SBR. Over the past year, they have produced seven films on the topic, which are shared through international networks. The films feature interviews with key representatives from AstraZeneca, Bioarctic, Cellcolabs, Healthcap, Karolinska Institutet, and KTH Innovation (links to the films further down the page).
What’s coming up for SBR this year?
– The next big event is BIO-Europe in Vienna this autumn. We’ll be looking for new ways to communicate the strengths of Stockholm-Uppsala. We're exploring how to build relationships with those who can help us spread our message. The journalists visiting us this autumn are one such example.
The films showcasing Stockholm-Uppsala’s strengths in life science:
Help to spread the word and share them in your network!
Anna Martling, Karolinska Institutet >>
Fredrik Ringvide, AstraZeneca >>
Johan Christenson, Healthcap >>
Matti Sällberg, Karolinska Institutet >>
Lisa Ericsson, KTH Innovation >>
Text: Christina Jägare