Ambassador White gives keynote speech at healthcare conference

December 6, 2012

Ambassador White and Mrs. White with Oslo Medtech CEO Kathrine Myhre and Chairman Carl Christian Gilhuus-Moe at the Nordic Healthcare Conference Venture Sessions (Photo: U.S. Embassy)

In support of President Obama’s Select USA investment initiative, Ambassador Barry B. White gave a keynote speech entitled “Business and Investment Opportunities in the U.S. Healthcare Sector” at the DNB Markets and Oslo Medtech Nordic Healthcare Conference Venture Sessions held at DNB Markets new headquarters in Bjorvika on December 6, 2012.

This gave Ambassador White an opportunity to speak about topics close to his heart, namely innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, international cooperation, and bilateral business opportunities and highlight that our two countries have a $16 billion per year bilateral trade relationship (including trade in services). U.S. Foreign Direct Investment into Norway is roughly equivalent to Norwegian FDI into the United States – approximately $28.5 billion in 2011, and with the exception of the United States and Switzerland, Norway spends more of its GDP on healthcare than any other country in the world.

Ambassador White argued that we certainly have a shared interest in developing and utilizing not only cutting edge, but also cost-cutting, cost effective medical technology and that we can do much together to make our companies more competitive and innovative.

The Embassy’s Commercial Section, representing the U.S. Commercial Service, partnered with Oslo Medtech and DnB Markets and invited leading conference participants, including investors and members of the Oslo Medtech cluster, to a kick off reception hosted by Ambassador White at his residence on December 5 where over 100 guests attended. In addition, Ambassador White gave an interview with the Oslo Medtech Magazine, a new monthly publication, encouraging Norwegian medtech and life science businesses to seek out opportunities to cooperate with the most successful financial resources, companies and academia in the United States. Direct people-to-people contact is the best way to create new business opportunities.