Sweden-India Health Talks end with session on challenges hindering growth of startups in India

Successful end to Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week 2020, reinstate longstanding partnership between the two nations

The 13th edition of the high-level multi-activity annual event, Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week 2020 (SINMW’20), concluded with health talks on ‘Transformation of a Startup to a successful enterprise – Challenges that hinder the growth of Startups in India’.

The Health Talks were organised in partnership with Team Sweden – Ministry of Health & Social Welfare of Sweden, Embassy of Sweden and Consulate General of Sweden in Mumbai, Swecare and Business Sweden.

Last year, AIIMs Delhi and AIIMS Jodhpur, together with Business Sweden, launched the India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre, to create a cross-country ecosystem of open innovation and to provide the opportunity for startups and health workers to resolve current and future challenges in healthcare. This year was the first anniversary of the India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre.

At the final session of the India-Sweden Health Talks, Anna Lekvall, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai said, “As we conclude the ‘Sweden-India Nobel Week’ digital programme this year, we are glad to connect and commit yet again on common interests and synergies. The India-Sweden Health Talks in its second year was a unique series focusing on innovations, infection control, oncology and health ecosystems. Through these dialogues, we are reinstating Sweden’s longstanding partnership with India for innovative health solutions employing the triple-helix model engaging the Governments, academia and private enterprises. The COVID-19 situation this year has only strengthened this engagement. We look forward to many more opportunities to collaborate, co-create and strategise on key values of innovations, sustainability, and gender equality to derive solutions to global challenges.”

During the event, R Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission said, “These uncertain times have paralysed nations across the world and have created many other healthcare challenges. The global crisis has raised the urgency for innovation, entrepreneurship and creative thinking to address challenges that we are facing now and likely to face post-COVID-19. The solution to all such health-related issues is driven by technology which is becoming affordable, accessible and available.”

He further added that the development of Indo-Swedish Healthcare Center in Jodhpur has brought together multiple stakeholders like the private sector, academia, global institutions and incubators and startups in a vibrant eco-system that is very fast developing in India.

“We are striving to create an innovative eco-system that not only helps startups to ideate, develop and deploy test solutions but also help them in scaling up the entire mechanism in India, Sweden and across the globe. Startups must be given an environment and mechanism where their product or solution gets scaled up because that would truly be a parameter to measure the success of that startup and also how innovative a particular eco-system and a country is,” said Shubhang Vikas, Senior Project Manager, Business Sweden.

Besides these office bearers, some of the eminent speakers who were present in the event are Noshir Colah, Partner, Aavishkaar Capital, Dr Sandeep Singh, Associate Director, Stanford-India Biodesign, AIIMS Delhi, Shilpy Kochhar, Manager, Entrepreneurship Development, BIRAC, Sunil Dhami, Second Secretary, Embassy of India in Sweden and Dr Kuldeep Singh, Dean – Academics and Dr Pankaj Bhardwaj, Dean Committees, AIIMS Jodhpur and senior representation from AstraZeneca among others.

With the focus on best practices between the countries and within the Indian eco-system, the last session also witnessed discussions on a broad set of challenges, best business practices and different stages of the business cycle of healthcare startups.

The event concluded with Dr Kuldeep Singh, Dean – Academics, Dean Committees, AIIMS Jodhpur delivering the vote of thanks and encouraging the stakeholders to take on more future collaborations and to strengthen cooperation and deepen relations between both the countries.