What if the next gateway to UK health innovation wasn’t a place, but a virtual office, one that connects the Nordics and Northern Germany directly to the UK’s world-class clinical trial and research ecosystem?

That bridge now exists. With the launch of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Nordic Virtual Office, companies and researchers in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Northern Germany can now gain direct access to the UK’s vast clinical and care infrastructure, research networks, and innovation pathways, all without leaving home.

Who’s behind the initiative?

The NIHR’s Nordic Virtual Office is powered by a collaboration between the NIHR and four life science focused cluster organisations, each a HALRIC partner, who share the mission of driving international health innovation. The four organisations are:

• Medicon Valley Alliance (Denmark-Sweden)
• Medicon Village (Sweden)
• Life Science Nord (Germany)
• Life Science Cluster (Norway)

These partners will coordinate the activities of the NIHR’s Nordic Virtual Office, promote the offering within their networks, and help companies prepare for their one-on-one meeting with the NIHR’s Industry Team.

This collaboration is not accidental. HALRIC was established to do more than fund pilot projects, it was created to build a long-term platform for collaboration across the life science ecosystem in the Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak-Hamburg region. With the NIHR partnership, HALRIC’s vision now stretches across the North Sea.

Why this matters?

For companies, especially startups and SMEs, the path to clinical validation, user feedback, and market entry is complex and often inaccessible. The NIHR’s Nordic Virtual Office will open a direct line to NIHR and its Industry team and its vast research ecosystem, including NHS clinicians and testbed environments. The initiative offers companies:

• Guidance on how the UK research system works
• Direct introductions to NIHR experts and centres
• Tailored guidance on clinical trials and health economics
• Help finding collaborators or testbeds in the UK
• Insights into what’s needed for UK market readiness

For researchers, the benefits are equally compelling. Many academic groups and translational research units in the HALRIC region are working on diagnostics, digital health, or therapeutic innovations that could scale with the right clinical partner. The NIHR’s Nordic Virtual Office will provide them with a partner to engage UK research leaders, develop research plans, identify trial opportunities, and explore co-development partnerships.

How it works?

From September 2025, the NIHR will host open group sessions online, where companies will learn about the services and collaboration opportunities available through the UK’s health and research infrastructure. These sessions will serve as a first step in understanding how the NIHR can support clinical validation, evidence generation, and UK market access.

Following the group sessions, interested companies are invited to schedule free one-on-one advisory meetings with the NIHR Industry Team. These tailored consultations offer companies the opportunity to present specific needs and explore potential collaboration and access to the UK healthcare system.

Join the launch webinar

Meet the NIHR team, get an introduction to the UK research ecosystem, and ask your questions about how the Virtual Office can work for you.

📅 Thursday 9 September 2025 14:00 – 15:00 (CEST)
📩 Register here: www.brighttalk.com/webcast/6833/651513

Discover more and learn how NIHR partners with the life sciences sector: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/industry