“MedTechLabs will Promote the Development of Tomorrow’s Medical Technology”

Andreas Scheutz is the new Chair of the Steering Group at MedTechLabs. We met him at his regular workplace at Region Stockholm’s Executive Office on Lindhagensgatan 98, where he works as Director of Research and Innovation.

Hi Andreas, could you tell us a bit about your background?

“I’ve essentially worked with research and innovation throughout my entire career—often with a focus on life science or healthcare. This has taken place in various types of organisations, from universities to companies and government institutions—and now, regionally.”

And a bit further back?

“Well, when I finished secondary school, I was interested in technology and development and imagined myself working in an international context someday. I studied Engineering Physics in Lund and gradually became fascinated by the intersection of technology and life. For instance, I learned about laser technology and realised there were many exciting applications in healthcare. My thesis was in in-vivo NMR spectroscopy within diagnostic radiology. A course in physical chemistry led me to study the molecules of life using biophysical methods. That later led to a PhD focusing on blood coagulation proteins using high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). After that, I did a postdoc at the Department of Biochemistry in Oxford.”

And then you chose to leave academia for the private sector?

“Yes, although I continued working as a researcher. For eight years I worked in product development in life science, developing industrial applications for purifying biological drugs. Initially as a researcher, later as section head and product manager. But I was also eager to gain international experience, and when an opportunity arose, I took a job as Science and Innovation Counsellor at the Swedish Embassy in New Delhi. We moved there as a family—the children were small at the time—and we had a great experience. It was an exciting role in many ways. We ended up staying for seven years.”

Did you learn any Indian languages?

“I picked up a bit of Hindi, which was helpful, but English was the working language.”

After their years in India, the family returned to Sweden and Uppsala, where Andreas was offered the position of Director of Research and Innovation—the same role he now holds at Region Stockholm.

How did you become Chair of MedTechLabs?

“I inherited several roles from my predecessor Clara Hellner, the former Director of R&I at Region Stockholm, and this was one of them. I find it especially exciting, not least because it’s such a strong research centre. Even during my time in Uppsala, I heard it was the best-functioning medtech centre in the country — with well-run collaborations and good results. But I hadn’t visited it in person before.”

Do you see any differences between the approaches to research and innovation in Stockholm and Uppsala?

“There are of course many fundamental similarities, but the system in Stockholm is larger—both in overall volume and organisational complexity. There are more hospitals, primary care centres, and private actors here. A big similarity is the close cooperation between the medical faculty and the region in clinical research, education, and healthcare development. Karolinska is the largest and oldest partner in this collaboration, but the other hospitals also have university healthcare units and high ambitions for clinical research.”

You spent six years in India as the Swedish representative and Head of the Office of Science and Innovation. What did you take away from that experience?

“Here in the region, we develop with our own system in mind, of course. But medtech product development applies to all of Sweden—and indeed the global market. We need products that can be used in different countries, including both high-income nations and those with more limited resources. For the latter, simpler and more robust technologies are needed, but they still need to be quality assured. This applies to countries like India, China, and parts of Africa, where populations are growing rapidly and the need for quality healthcare is constantly increasing.”

Previous Chairs have had a medical background. You’re a Doctor of Physical Chemistry and an Engineering graduate. How will that influence MedTechLabs?

“For the past seven years, I’ve worked to strengthen the conditions for clinical research. Combined with my technical background, I believe this provides a valuable perspective on R&D in medical technology. I represent the region on the steering group and I think the development aspect is crucial—we want cutting-edge research that benefits patients and healthcare, supports growing companies that create jobs in Stockholm, and attracts other actors to establish themselves here. Skills development is also vital, so that we can translate technology into products—products that can be commercialised.”

You’ve just started your role as Chair, but can you already say something about what role MedTechLabs should play?

“We need cutting-edge research that advances all of medical diagnostics and treatment—research that enables things previously considered impossible. That requires entirely new forms of collaboration. Here I think of Mats Danielsson’s contribution—his visionary thinking led to the collaboration between KI, KTH, and Region Stockholm that eventually became MedTechLabs. I believe visionaries who are grounded in practical research and healthcare needs can help drive deep change in how we collaborate. All partners must see the value of that collaboration. Even participating researchers need to see the benefits of being affiliated with such a cross-disciplinary research environment—beyond just research funding. With MedTechLabs, we also see that many affiliated researchers receive large grants from other funders, and I’d like to believe that their association with MedTechLabs plays a part in that. The environment itself also strengthens their ability to conduct research through access to infrastructure and a broad network of fellow researchers. In English, we call this a “conducive environment”—a favourable setting where the right conditions exist for research to grow and thrive. That’s what I want MedTechLabs to continue being.”

What are you doing right now as the new Chair?

“I’ve had my first meeting with the steering group and am now trying to learn as much as possible about the centre to understand its potential. There are amazing opportunities here — which became very clear when I listened to the researchers at our Research Day in January. The many diverse projects, research questions, and methodologies left a strong impression.”

Finally, which stakeholders would you like to see become more aware of MedTechLabs?

I’m not sure how well-known MedTechLabs is within the system. But I imagine more researchers at both KI and KTH, clinicians, patient representatives, industry, and policymakers need to understand what the centre represents and what value it creates for them. When these groups see what can be achieved with the current funding the centre receives, it should open their eyes to the future possibilities of accomplishing great things in medical technology. Our regional ambition is to become one of the strongest life science clusters in Europe and the world—and medtech research is a crucial part of that.