City of Turku has entered the competition of re-locating European Medicines Agency. Turku has filed their application at the Department of Health and Human Services on June 2nd, 2017.

Due to Britain’s resignation from the European Union the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and The European Banking Authority (EBA) in London are to be relocated to other member states. Finnish EU Committee of Ministers decided on March 3rd 2017 that Finland will be pursuing the relocation of Medicines Agency in Finland.

Finland has solid expertise in the medical industry, especially within fields that are vital in the future. Turku, in particular, has a strong rationale to be chosen as the Agency’s new location.

Drug development in Turku is world-renowned.

Pekka Sundman

– Drug development in Turku is world-renowned. Almost half of the Finnish pharmaceutical industry’s turnover originates in companies operating in the Turku region. In addition to drug discovery, Turku has high-end know-how in disease determination diagnostics, describes Pekka Sundman, director of the city development group in Turku.

In the 1970’s Turku was the major catalyst in Finnish proprietary drug development. Twenty out the total 21 of Finnish molecular entities launched in the market were developed by companies based in Turku.

Approximately half of the jobs in Finland’s drug and diagnostics sector are located in the Turku region. Additionally, Fimea – the Finnish Medicines Agency – has an office in Turku. Both the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi have defined drug development and diagnostics as their strategic priorities.

Turku is able to offer the sector significant potential in know-how and manpower.

Tero Piispanen

– The infrastructure of investigatory medicine industry has an unbroken chain in this region, ranging from companies that provide research and expertise to the service units in universities. The importance of the industry is considerable for the Turku area. In return Turku is able to offer the sector significant potential in know-how and manpower, says Tero Piispanen, director of BioTurku at Turku Science Park.

Relocation of the EMA in Turku is also motivated by the diverse and vibrant city.

– The international airport of Turku is only 10 minutes away from the city centre. We already have excellent connections to Helsinki both by motorway and railway, says director Pekka Sundman.

Travelling time between Turku and Helsinki is expected to drop to one hour as the new planned railway connection is complete. Hotels in the Turku region accommodate approximately one million guests annually.

Turku is an international city with a comprehensive supply of services and an inviting residential environment for the Agency staff. The city is compact, but large enough to offer high-class services in any walk of life, for instance Agency staff families are able to enroll their children in the international school in Turku.

Keywords: