Management dialogue strengthens partnership with Cytiva

Uppsala University and Cytiva have collaborated for several decades. Research from the University has contributed to the development of several Cytiva products used in the development and production of medicines, and over the years Cytiva has been an attractive employer for former students from Uppsala University.

The strategic partnership was established in November 2024 and builds on the long-standing collaboration between the two organisations. Cytiva, formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Amersham Biosciences and Pharmacia Biotech, has strong links to Uppsala and to the University’s research and education, particularly in life sciences.

Leadership representatives follow up shared goals

The annual management dialogue is an opportunity for Uppsala University and Cytiva to follow up on the partnership and set the direction for the coming years. At this year’s meeting, the organisations were represented, among others, by Charlotte Platzer Björkman, Vice-Rector of the Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology at Uppsala University, and Inga Ljung, Managing Director of Cytiva Sweden.

During the meeting, they presented developments over the past year and what is under way in their respective organisations. Participants also received a report from the partnership year and discussed future plans for 2026 and 2027.

The partnership is followed up by looking at study visits, Master’s theses and joint doctoral projects. At the same time, the dialogue also addresses broader goals, such as developing joint applications to industry-academia calls and creating more points of contact between research, education and industry.

More areas for collaboration

The partnership covers research, education and skills supply. Collaboration takes place through guest lectures, degree projects, the AM4Life competence centre and contacts between researchers, students and employees at Cytiva. Another example is Testa Center, a public-private initiative in which both Uppsala University and Cytiva participate.

Traditionally, collaboration between Uppsala University and Cytiva has been strongest in life sciences, chemistry, biology and biotechnology. Since the partnership covers the entire University, additional areas of education and research are now being explored where the two parties may have shared interests.

One example is automation. During the management dialogue, Erik Hultman, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering, presented how Uppsala University provides education in the field. Automation is an area of expertise that Cytiva is seeking, partly because developments in advanced manufacturing, bioprocesses and laboratory environments place increasing demands on technical expertise.

Joint projects and external funding

The meeting also addressed funding opportunities for joint projects, interaction with the University’s other strategic partnerships, and forms for evaluation and follow-up. Clearer follow-up can help the parties make results visible, identify new needs and develop the collaboration as new opportunities arise.

Looking ahead, the ambition is to continue developing established collaborations while exploring new areas for cooperation. The partnership aims to contribute to knowledge exchange, skills development, external funding and joint initiatives on strategically important issues for both academia and industry.

“It was great to see the positive engagement from both parties, and especially encouraging that so many representatives from Cytiva’s different areas of operation wanted to take part. This bodes well for the continued development of the collaboration,” says Helena Danielson, Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Chemistry, BMC and partnership coordinator at Uppsala University.

Peter Westman