MedTech Science & Innovation centre, Uppsala opened

This year’s MedTech Week got off to a successful start with a very well-attended, festive opening of the new MedTech Science & Innovation centre in Uppsala. It was a summer-green Uppsala that welcomed us to this distinguished seat of learning. Uppsala University is Sweden’s oldest university and several speakers at the ceremony mentioned tradition, but the focus was on the future. For example we learned that the number of job opportunities in Life Sciences is increasing by about 2% per year.

This rate of growth is not likely to fall off now the new MedTech Science & Innovation centre has opened. Among other things, a number of research posts will become available, including a post as lecturer in Implementation Research. Hopefully there will also be a new course in Medical Technology as a good number of hospital medical technicians are approaching retirement.

For people who were unable to be present in person – or who couldn’t get into the room for all the crowds of attendees – it was possible to follow the opening ceremony via a link. The ceremony took place in the Blue Cross Restaurant at Uppsala University Hospital. An appropriate venue. It is at the hospital that the MedTech Science & Innovation is based, something that will make life easier for those involved at the centre who are also employed in the Hospital. Uppsala University staff are more mobile and can cycle here, as Board Chairperson Marika Edoff joked. Like Britain’s Oxford and Cambridge, Uppsala is a city of bicycling students and professors.

The day began with an historical overview of medical technology. The centre’s manager Fredrik Nikolajeff reminded us that “medical technology” once meant a saw. Improvements meant better saws (illustrated with a motor-saw) but also completely different ways of working.

Tying the knot

Above: Vice-Rector Stellan Sandler, Vice-Rector Johan Tysk and Hospital Manager Per Elowsson tied the ribbon in the official opening ceremony.

See more photos from the event and read (in Swedish) in this article by Kristina Svensson.