Life Sciences Baltics as a contributor to Lithuania’s innovation ecosystem

Life sciences in Lithuania have been a priority for the government for over a decade. Accelerating faster than almost anywhere else in Europe, the sector aims to contribute 5% to Lithuania’s GDP by 2030. The close cooperation between actors of the ecosystem is one of the reason for success.  

Creative collaboration takes place in Lithuania’s innovation ecosystem in a variety of ways, including events, cross-promotion, and sharing of resources. The leading life sciences Baltics event in the region – Life Sciences Baltics – is one of the best examples of these collaborations.

Since its initiation in 2012, the forum has aimed to create as many opportunities as it is possible for deeper cooperation between the growing life sciences ecosystems in the Baltics and international partners.

Held every two years, the forum has grown from a 300-person assembly to a community of up to 800 key participants from around 40 countries: corporate CEOs, startup founders, tech scouts, investors, researchers. It is the largest life sciences event in the Eastern and Central Europe.

The event will take place in the Lithuania’s capital city of Vilnius on September 20-21. The pre-registration is already open for participants and exhibitors.

Whether there is a need to kick off the project, generate leads, or engage in valuable partnerships, Life Sciences Baltics offers a diverse range of interactions for its participants: international conference, exhibition, networking spaces, pitch challenge for startups.

It also hosts business delegations and offers an opportunity for side visits to Lithuania’s organizations and institutions.

The program of the international conference is divided into sessions with the most trending topics worldwide that are also breakthrough areas in the Baltic countries: gene editing, CRISPR diagnostics, AI and digital health innovations, nanomedicine, microbiome, reinvention of clinical trials, digital biomarkers and many more.

Many big names have attended Life Sciences Baltics, among them Thermo Fisher Baltics, Johnson&Johnson, Clarivate, Novartis, Abbvie, AstraZeneca, and others. Nobel prize winners Richard Henderson, Brian Kobilka, Dan Shechtman, CRISPR pioneer Prof. Dr Virginijus Šikšnys were among top conference speakers.

The event will keep tabs on the fastest growing startups in the region, but only 10 hand-picked startups will have an opportunity to showcase who they are in front of a panel of investors.

The event is organized by Innovation Agency Lithuania, an official public agency responsible for the Lithuanian innovation ecosystem and is supported by Lithuania’s local ecosystem actors – Lithuanian biotechnology association, universities, hospitals, business angels and Lithuania’s life sciences enthusiasts. 

The Baltics, and Lithuania in particular, – the next big thing in life sciences 

Life Sciences Baltics make it possible to assess the attractiveness of the Baltic countries in close-up – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania show their distinct, but strong potential in the sector.

Three Baltic countries are particularly seeing a growth in life sciences startups. While average funding per startup is decreasing globally, it’s increasing in the region.  Lithuania attracts growing VC interest into global solutions produced by local entrepreneurs and scientists.

Focused on nurturing the next generation of talents, the local life sciences enterprises in the Baltics excel at creativity and entrepreneurship. In 2021 alone, Lithuania’s life sciences sector grew by almost 87% and generated revenues of 2 billion euros.

90% of the output of Lithuania’s life sciences are exported to more than 100 countries worldwide. Lithuanian-made medical and pharmaceutical equipment and other products are trusted by customers in the USA, Germany, France, and elsewhere.

One of the most prominent players in Lithuania is Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics, which has stimulated the development of Lithuania’s industry during the last decade. This company, along with other international players in the market, work with local actors for various R&D projects and supply chain.