On May 21, biotech companies, pharmaceutical groups, and other healthcare industry players gathered together in Malmö, Sweden for a Partnering Day hosted by Servier. The event focused on innovation, interaction, and synergy. It also marked the launch of our first Golden Ticket in the Nordics, reflecting the Group’s commitment to actively supporting the region’s most promising start-ups.
Working together drives innovation: Highlights from a day of vibrant interaction
Designed as a crossroads for idea sharing, Partnering Day attracted a wide range of healthcare industry players (pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, incubators, venture capitalists, academics, and specialized media) with a common goal: driving therapeutic innovation through collaboration. All this took place in the heart of Medicon Valley—an ecosystem of excellence in oncology, neurology, and bio-therapeutics—a particularly fertile environment for forging lasting scientific partnerships.
“Our approach at Servier is decisively science driven. By putting scientific innovation front and center in everything we do and in our partnerships, we are blazing a trail for new therapeutic solutions that address unmet needs. This day is a testament to our commitment to cultivating synergy to speed up the development of treatments that will transform patients’ lives.”
Claude Bertrand, Executive Vice President, Research & Development, Chief Scientific Officer at Servier
25 years of expertise in antibodies
Servier is present in Denmark through Symphogen, a center of excellence in next-generation antibodies. As a strategic component of our R&D, and in close cooperation with the Group’s other R&D hubs, Symphogen provides a source of ongoing innovation and pipeline enrichment in the interest of patients.
“Symphogen is more than a company, it’s 25 years of scientific perseverance. What was once a start-up focused on antibody innovation has now grown to become a cornerstone of Servier Group’s ambitions, particularly in the field of oncology.”
Malin Carlsson, Director of Symphogen
The Golden Ticket, a key to kickstarting innovation
Partnering Day was also highlighted by the presentation of the very first Golden Ticket in the Nordics. It was awarded in partnership with SmiLe Venture Hub, Sweden’s leading life sciences incubator, recently ranked among “Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs 2024”1 by the Financial Times.
Winner of the 2025 Golden Ticket is 2N Pharma, a start-up specializing in neurology, who will now have privileged access for one year to the SmiLe laboratories in Lund, as well as to their world-class facilities and infrastructure. The award also includes support from Servier and SmiLe networks, as well as coaching and mentoring to help drive their projects forward.
2N Pharma is a biotechnology company with a novel approach to treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s or Charcot’s disease. This could herald a paradigm shift in our understanding of the medical condition. Building on a decade of research, the company has shown that it is possible to treat several neurological disorders, including ALS, by targeting a specific common pathogenic mechanism.
A Ticket to boost innovation!
As part of an open innovation approach, the Golden Ticket program gives start-ups a place in an incubator, as well as essential resources to advance their R&D projects. Based on a win-win principle, the initiative creates unique opportunities for collaboration between agile start-ups and pharmaceutical expertise, giving rise to innovative therapeutic solutions that will deliver benefits to patients.
[1] https://rankings.ft.com/incubator-accelerator-programmes-europe/ranking/europes-leading-start-up-hubs, consulté le 05/05/2025