Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Landspitali University Hospital deepens collaboration

Sahlgrenska University Hospital has been serving as the transplant centre for patients from Iceland for several years. The two hospitals are now taking an important step to deepen and develop their collaboration by entering an additional strategic partnership. The partnership aims to establish a range of joint initiatives in which Sweden and Iceland can benefit from both their similarities and, not least, their differences in order to strengthen healthcare.

The strategic partnership is intended to support efficient and predictable patient flows, optimise the use of specialised healthcare resources, and enable coordinated planning across institutions. The two hospitals seek to enhance access to highly specialised care while maintaining quality, sustainability, and public healthcare principles. Collaboration within the strategic partnership further provides a foundation for long-term competence development and knowledge exchange, supporting resilient and integrated specialist care within the Nordic public healthcare context.

“By deepening our already successful collaboration, we will create new opportunities to further advance healthcare. We face many of the same challenges, and there is much we can learn from each other when we work together with innovation, clinical trials, infrastructure and more. This partnership will strengthen both our hospitals and help us provide even better care for patients in Sweden and Iceland”, says Boubou Hallberg, CEO Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

“Collaboration with Sahlgrenska University Hospital has long been of great importance to Landspitali University Hospital and to Icelandic patients. We are now expanding this partnership into new avenues that will benefit both institutions. Landspitali expresses its sincere appreciation to Sahlgrenska and welcomes the opportunities for continued cooperation and joint development made possible by this agreement.“ says Runolfur Palsson, CEO Landspitali University Hospital.

The healthcare at Landspitali, which is the university hospital in Iceland, has an enormous breadth of expertise, whereas Sahlgrenska has highly specialised expertise. Iceland also has a very international profile, and many healthcare professionals have trained abroad in diverse specialized university hospitals. This means that Landspitali has a vibrant and versatile culture, as many people bring their international experiences back home. Healthcare in Iceland is also characterized by robust leadership and governance, and by short decision-making paths.

Sahlgrenska University Hospital is Sweden’s largest hospital, located at four sites, providing an exceptionally broad range of specialist services – spanning more than 35 clinical specialties and covering the full continuum of care alongside clinical education and research. Sahlgrenska University Hospital is recognised as Sweden’s leading university hospital for clinical research by the Swedish Research Council.

The two hospitals have agreed to deepen their collaboration in five areas:

Education and training

The aim is to strengthen long-term workforce sustainability by jointly expanding opportunities for clinical rotations, structured placements, and competency‑based training across both institutions. By aligning educational pathways and creating formalized mechanisms for recognition of training and completed learning objectives, the two hospitals seek to build a more resilient skills pipeline and support high‑quality professional development for a broad range of healthcare professions.

Clinical research and innovation

This partnership will foster knowledge-sharing and further our shared commitment to advancing healthcare through clinical research and innovation.

Care

Landspitali University Hospital and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, together with Icelandic Health Insurance (Sjúkratryggingar), have a long-standing collaboration in organ donation and transplantation.

Building on this foundation, the partners will broaden the clinical cooperation and explore additional highly specialised therapeutic areas and facilitate structured support for complex or rare clinical cases where cross-border expertise adds value.

Future-Focused Development of Clinical Environments and Hospital Infrastructure

The two hospitals face similar challenges in planning and constructing major new hospital facilities, such as Landspitali’s largest national hospital development project and Sahlgrenska’s developments such as Sahlgrenska Life, the new children’s hospital, and the upcoming maternity hospital. This focus area aims to pool expertise to support joint learning and the development of future‑proof and flexible clinical environments.

Preparedness and collaborative resilience

Landspitali University Hospital and Sahlgrenska University Hospital will collaborate to enhance preparedness and build resilient healthcare environments in response to evolving global health risks and societal challenges. Through coordinated efforts, knowledge exchange, and engagement with national and international partners, the two hospitals aim to strengthen their collective capacity to respond effectively to both civilian and, where relevant, broader emergency healthcare needs.