Government backing

Finland strives for a leading position in Personalised Medicine and is also one of the world's leading developers of health technology.

It is predicted that in the next few years, the use of genomic data in healthcare and healthcare related decision making, will increase considerably. The benefits of using genomic data include more effective prevention of diseases, more effective diagnosis and treatment, safer medication, research that is more productive and increased economic activity.

Finland strives for a leading position in Personalised Medicine. Utilising the biobank and health data wisely, also provides an opportunity for Orphan drug research despite a rather small population. Collaboration between the Nordic countries and EU 1+ Million Genome project, makes it even more interesting.

Finland is also one of the world's leading developers of health technology. Both of these aspects indicate that Finland has the capability and means to increase new research and business activities substantially and can become a sought-after collaborative partner for international businesses.

The Finnish Government is science-loving and has had key projects, such as the Health Sector Growth Strategy and related legislation preparations, to strengthen the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry.

To achieve a competitive advantage, the government has strived to build a Cluster of Excellence, which includes national centres: genome centre, cancer centre, neurocentre, vaccine centre and drug development centre and the harmonization of biobank operations. There is also pressure to reform the current legislation to accommodate the changing needs, as well as further develop information systems, data sources and healthcare operations related to the use of genomic data.

Enabling legislation and growth strategies:

Biobank Act 2013
National Genome Strategy
Health Sector Growth Strategy for Research and Innovation Activities – Roadmap for 2016-2018.
National Finnish eHealth and eSocial Strategy

Click for more information: 

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Improving health through the use of genomic data
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Personalized medicine – Overall project description