Health and Life Sciences as Drivers for Regional Development and Prosperity in the Baltic Sea Region

This article describes the role of health and life sciences as drivers for regional development and prosperity in the Baltic Sea Region. The rapid development of new technologies in combination with steadily increasing data mining capabilities revolutionizes prediction, prevention, and treatment of illnesses. Together with the demographic change, this will challenge the sustainability of regional and national health systems across the BSR. Furthermore, globalization potentially leads to major threats to the health of citizens by pandemic incidents. Due to their dimension and the fragmentation of health care systems and markets, these challenges can be met only with new, multidimensional, cross-sectoral, and innovative approaches involving a broad range of actors and stakeholders. Furthermore, there is a growing need to incorporate health concerns and innovation issues into all policy levels. For the Baltic Sea Region this is both a challenge and an economic opportunity.