Policymakers, business leaders and academics gathered at the University of Cyprus on 2 March to examine the role of healthcare innovation in strengthening European competitiveness, with discussions taking on added significance ahead of Cyprus’s upcoming presidency of the EU Council.
The event, titled “Healthcare Innovation as a Catalyst for EU Competitiveness,” was co-organised by the Cyprus Swiss Business Circle, Novartis Cyprus and the UCy School of Economics and Management, under the auspices of the Swiss Embassy in Cyprus.
Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry Michalis Damianos and former EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou both addressed the forum, underscoring the strategic importance of health and biotechnology for European growth and competitiveness.
Also among those who spoke at the opening session were Swiss Ambassador Christoph Burgener, Cyprus Swiss Business Circle President Kyriacos Metaxas and Novartis Cyprus and Malta President Fabio Sperandei.
The keynote address was delivered by Wojciech Nowak, Executive Director for Global Public Affairs at Novartis International, who spoke on “The Competitiveness of the European Biotech Sector – Navigating Polarities.”
Nowak examined challenges and opportunities facing Europe in research funding, clinical development, regulatory frameworks and patient access to innovation, highlighting biotechnology’s contribution to the economy, employment and R&D investment.
A roundtable discussion followed, with Prof. Sofronis Clerides, Dean of the UCy School of Economics and Management, and Dr Marianna Prokopi Demetriades, a biotech entrepreneur, joining Nowak to explore how healthcare innovation can support sustainable development, social cohesion and EU competitiveness. The event concluded with an open exchange of views among participants.
