ANNUAL

STABILITY3
STABILITY3
&
& POLICY
POLICY
2
2
FOUNDATIONS
FOUNDATIONS
17 17
EDUC./WORKFORCE
EDUC./WORKFORCE
19
19
PRODUCTIVITY
PRODUCTIVITY
Finland
SAWV SC rank: 7
Population: 5,268,799
GDP: 267
R&D/GDP: 3.42
ENT.
ENT.
SUPPORT
SUPPORT
12
12
IP
IP
PROTECTION
PROTECTION 1 1
INTENSITY
INTENSITY
30
30
180.51
180.51
Despite a very low performance in the
SC’s Intensity measurement, which
basically ranks a country’s efforts
in innovative biotechnology, Finland has
placed in the top 10 overall since our
ranking began in 2009. When it comes to
article output, though, its standing slips—
taking the 25th spot on the Nature Index
2015 Global and having none of its institutions
make the top 200. Still, indicators
suggest that Finland keeps growing as a
biotechnology leader. In November 2015,
ThePharmaLetter reported: “Among the
Finnish chemical industry, the pharmaceutical
industry was the exports growth driver
sector.” It continued: “Between January
and August [2015], medicine exports grew
by 4% compared with the same period
in the preceding year, according to a
web posting by the trade group Pharma
Industry Finland (PIF).” In addition, Finnish
companies have an international appeal.
For instance, in January 2016, Accorda
Therapeutics, a U.S.-based biotechnology
company, agreed to pay US$363 million
for Finland-based Biotie Therapies, which
is developing drugs to treat Parkinson’s
disease—including tozadenant, which is in
Phase III clinical trials. With the world’s
aging population, such treatments could
be needed more and more, especially since
Biotie Therapies claims that tozadenant
“may also have utility in other CNS disorders.”
United Kingdom
SAWV SC rank: 8
Population: 63,742,977
GDP: 2,523
R&D/GDP: 1.63
Overall, the United Kingdom performs
relatively stably on the SC, with
an average ranking of 10.1. It also
achieved a fourth-place ranking on the Nature
Index 2015 Global, and 14 of its institutions
made the top 200. The top-placing
University of Cambridge finished ninth,
and the University of Oxford took 11th.
Among the UK’s noted publications, Paul
Jarvis of the University of Oxford and one
of his colleagues reported in a 2015 issue
of Current Biology that a gene, SP1, might
be used to help plants survive in stressful
environments, such as drought conditions.
The United Kingdom fared even better
on the 2015 BCI, where it ranked second,
with the report stating: “In the view of
local executives, an active and ongoing
POLICY & STABILITY 16
FOUNDATIONS 20
EDUC./WORKFORCE 3
PRODUCTIVITY 3
ENT. SUPPORT 11
IP PROTECTION 6
INTENSITY 12
POLICY & STABILITY 16
FOUNDATIONS 20
EDUC./WORKFORCE 3
PRODUCTIVITY 3
ENT. SUPPORT 11
3,278.07
IP PROTECTION 6
INTENSITY 12
commitment to biomedical innovation on
the part of the UK government, on top of
a robust and well-established legal and
regulatory framework, are among key factors
that have allowed the economy to continue
to compete for high levels of global
biopharmaceutical 3,278.07 investment.” Financial
indicators also depict a strong biotechnology
industry in the country. In October
2015, the UK Bioindustry Association
reported: “2014 was the best year to date
for investment in the UK bioscience sector,
underpinned by government support in
early stage life sciences R&D.”
38 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN | WORLDVIEW