Orion strengthens Finland’s pharmaceutical research through Veturi Research Ecosystem

As global hubs such as Asia and US push ahead with data-driven and AI-enabled pharmaceutical research, the challenge is clear: keep pace or risk losing relevance.  

That’s according to Sammeli Liikkanen, Director of Digital Medicine at Orion, who says that the pharmaceutical company views this not just as a corporate issue but a national one.  
If Finland cannot “run fast enough”, he says, academic groups, startups and biotech companies will struggle to stay competitive in the race for new treatments.

An expanding ecosystem transforming research and development

That urgency is the driving force behind the Orion Pharma Veturi Research Ecosystem. Led and steered by Orion and supported by Business Finland, the ecosystem brings together almost 50 entities in Finland and abroad – from startups and larger companies to academic partners. It continues to expand.  

The ecosystem initiative was launched in 2023 after Orion invited more than 100 potential partners to an Ecosystem Day, signalling its intent to make the ecosystem a genuinely cross-sector effort. Its purpose is to speed up Finland’s transformation in pharmaceutical research and development (R&D), particularly around data and AI, and ensure Finland remains visible and credible as the global shift accelerates.

Three themes that define the ecosystem

Three pillars underpin the work of the Veturi Research Ecosystem: 

The first pillar is data. Finland has strong healthcare data assets, and the ecosystem focuses on connecting and integrating them, says Liikkanen. Innovation depends on collaboration with hospitals, biobanks, and research bodies that hold real-world patient data.  

He stresses that collecting data only creates potential, but the value comes from analysing and using it.
 
“Data is a rare raw material whose worth grows as it is applied.”  

Finland’s records and biosamples offer major promise, but without practical use that promise remains unrealised, he adds.  

The second pillar is the “Active learning laboratory”. Modernising pharmaceutical R&D is not simply a technical upgrade: it is a complex process and bringing in data and AI changes how evidence is produced, how decisions are made and how scientists contribute. When research moves in new ways between in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods, organisations must rethink workflows and culture, says Liikkanen. Transformation works best when scientists learn, test, and adapt together. 

The third pillar is connecting data science providers and consumers. Orion notes that most effort goes into collecting, storing, harmonising, and preparing datasets, while AI analysis comes later. Without the groundwork, the “magic” cannot happen. In practice, the ecosystem is nurturing co-innovation through themed scientific days – for instance, in biological imaging, where data-rich techniques can accelerate research and decision-making – so partners can meet, compare methods and begin joint projects. The ecosystem aims to make preparation more systematic and scalable across partners. 

National initiatives are testament to the ecosystem  

Two national initiatives show the ecosystem’s potential impact. The Finnish Health Data Space aims to combine hospital and biobank data into a shared framework. If achieved, it would strengthen Finland’s capacity for research and development across industry, academia and healthcare, and position Finland well within future European health-data structures.  

Orion also sees Nordic-level cooperation as vital: scale and diversity of data help attract international research and investment. 

FinTrials is the second initiative, focused on keeping Finland a relevant location for clinical trials and access to the latest medicines. Orion emphasises that if trials and modern treatments drift elsewhere, Finnish patient data may become less current and less useful for future R&D. For patients, more trials mean earlier access to new therapies, including in areas such as cancer where timing can be critical. 

Underlying all of this is a larger economic opportunity. Strengthening pharmaceutical research is not only about scientific prestige; it is also an export pathway and a driver of long-term prosperity. Orion’s ecosystem is a platform where partner successes build a more innovative, globally connected Finnish life-sciences sector.  

Finland already has world-class expertise and the ability to develop treatments reaching millions worldwide. With deeper collaboration, smarter use of data and a shared pace of change, that strength can grow resulting in better healthcare, stronger research, and a significant export engine for Finland and for Europe.