Encubator AB has entered a new collaboration with AstraZeneca to facilitate the technical development of an AstraZeneca invention. The invention will be developed by Encubator together with Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship, and run as an innovation project with the aim of creating a new growth company.

- We see this as a pilot project to evaluate possibilities of sharing our business ideas that will not be utilized within our company, but have the potential to be used in areas outside our own core businesses, says Claes Ahlneck, Director Science & Technology, Pharmaceutical Development, AstraZeneca.

Encubator is a venture creation incubator that realises ideas, by combining advanced entrepreneurial education and real business incubation in a model named Encubation®. The ideas often originate from industry and academia, both national and international. During the last 15 years Encubator and Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship have incorporated more than 50 new ventures.

- Throughout the years our model has proven itself also to be well suited for spin-off initiatives like this and previously we have been collaborating with Volvo Technology, SAAB Group, ABB and Smith & Nephew. It is very exciting that AstraZeneca wants to collaborate with us. We now hope even more players will see the advantages of our model and the value in our offer, says Morgan Skarin, CEO, Encubator (+4631-7728833).

The collaboration is well aligned with the conclusions in the report ”Life Science in Region Västra Götaland – Opportunities and Challenges”, which was produced by former Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson in the spring of 2011 on behalf of the Region Västra Götaland.

For more information, please contact:

AstraZeneca, Ann-Leena Mikiver, Director Media Relations (+468- 55326020)

AstraZeneca, Claes Ahlneck, Director Science & Technology, Pharmaceutical Development (+4631-7064312)

Encubator, Jan E. Liljeqvist, Senior Business Advisor, Venture Creation & Industrial Relations (+4631-7722005)