Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group

What Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group does

Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group (Swiss HLG) is a Basel-based non-profit industry association founded in 2001 that serves business development and licensing (BD&L) professionals across the healthcare and life sciences sector. The organization operates as a community platform, delivering annual flagship conferences (~100 attendees), regional networking events across Switzerland, educational webinars, and structured best-practice frameworks. With approximately 160 active members—over 86% Swiss-based, with the remainder from Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, and South Korea—Swiss HLG functions as a neutral convening body for dealmakers in European pharma and life sciences.

The organization's core intellectual property is the Good Partnering Practices (GPP) framework, structured around the ScENIC series covering Scouting & Prospecting, Evaluation and Due Diligence, Negotiation & Execution, Integration & Alliance Management, and Conflict Resolution & Termination. The framework was developed from "talking tables" with over 500 business development executives and is disseminated through a free downloadable booklet and five educational videos. The GPP initiative has been presented at international conventions including the German PLCD and IPLS, positioning Swiss HLG as a thought leader in BD&L methodology. Complementary offerings include the Start-up Initiative (complimentary workshops delivered with Johnson & Johnson and BaseLaunch) targeting emerging biopharma companies.

Swiss HLG's revenue model combines recurring membership subscriptions, per-event conference registration (€130 for members, €150 for non-members), and corporate sponsorships from major healthcare firms including Roche, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, IQVIA, Ropes & Gray, Debiopharm, Tillotts, and Winhealth. The organization is governed by a member-elected Board and is not owned by any parent company or institutional investor. The go-to-market is event-driven and relationship-mediated, with marketing conducted primarily through LinkedIn, email newsletters, the company website, and partner co-organized events. Cross-border partnerships with peer licensing groups in France (PLCF), Italy (IHLG), and Europe (PLG Europe), plus startup ecosystem partners (Biopôle, Inartis, Agire, Venturelab, BioAlps), provide geographic and segment reach beyond Switzerland.

Name

Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group

Legal name

Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group

Website

https://swisshlg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group is a Basel-based non-profit industry association serving healthcare business development and licensing professionals through conferences, networking events, and the Good Partnering Practices framework, with approximately 160 active members across Europe and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Industry Association Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Global Supply Chain, Procurement & Market-Shaping Partnerships (Medicines/Diagnostics/Vaccines) (HLAJAOAK)

Keywords

• Healthcare licensing
• Business development
• Pharma partnering
• Professional association
• Industry conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Swiss HLG generates revenue through membership fees from its approximately 160 active members in the healthcare and life sciences industries.
2. Conference registration fees: Revenue from conference attendance, with different rates for members (€130) and non-members (€150) for events like the Summer Conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group is a non-profit industry association serving business development and licensing professionals in the healthcare, biopharma, and life sciences sector. It delivers an annual flagship conference, regional networking events, educational webinars, and structured best-practice initiatives — most notably the Good Partnering Practices (GPP) framework with its ScENIC video series and downloadable booklet — as well as a complimentary Start-up Initiative for emerging European biopharma companies.

Product overview

Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group is a non-profit professional association serving healthcare business development and licensing professionals. It offers a portfolio of services centered around its annual Flagship Conference, the Good Partnering Practices (GPP) Initiative with its ScENIC framework and accompanying video series and booklet, and a Start-up Initiative providing workshops. The organization also delivers educational webinars and networking events throughout Switzerland. The association does not provide a software product but rather serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing, networking, and professional development in the healthcare dealmaking community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Flagship Conference
• Good Partnering Practices (GPP) Initiative
• ScENIC Video Series
• GPP Booklet
• Start-up Initiative
• Educational Webinars
• Networking Events
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 business development executives contributed to developing the GPP framework through talking tables
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered supporters/sponsors, core partner and supporters.

• Ropes & Gray LLPsupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Winhealthsupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Rochesupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Debiopharmsupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Iqviasupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Johnson & Johnsoncore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson to develop startup workshops. Johnson & Johnson is thanked for its valued support in the Start-up Initiative.
• Novartissupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• OMpharmasupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Substipharmsupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Tillottssupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• TRBsupporters/sponsorsStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogo sponsor visible on the Swiss HLG website as part of supporter recognition
• Biopôlecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint summer conference co-organized with Biopôle SA in 2017, focusing on start-up needs and financing challenges. Biopôle is a life sciences community based in Lausanne bringing together industry and academia.
• Pharma Licensing Club France (PLCF)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint summer conference co-organized with Pharma Licensing Club France in 2018, featuring success stories of innovative companies in Switzerland and France.
• BaseLaunchcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerA dedicated sub-team of the Swiss HLG Board worked with BaseLaunch to develop the startup workshops. BaseLaunch is a startup-friendly organization supporting emerging biopharma companies.
• Venture ValuationsupportersStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned as a partner supporting the Start-up Initiative
• SIX GroupsupportersStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned as a partner supporting the Start-up Initiative
• Inartiscore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for joint start-up conference in Lugano in 2016 and subsequent events. Inartis is a startup-friendly organization.
• Agirecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint start-up conference organized with Agire in 2016 in Lugano, focusing on start-ups, life science and business in Ticino.
• CP Start-upcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint start-up conference organized with CP Start-up in 2016 in Lugano, focusing on start-ups, life science and business in Ticino.
• BioAlpssupportersStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup-friendly organization mentioned as partner for 2017 summer conference.
• VenturelabsupportersStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup-friendly organization mentioned as partner for 2017 summer conference, coordinating startup pitches.
• Italian Healthcare Licensing Group (IHLG)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint summer conferences organized with Italian HLG, including 2015 conference in Lugano on 'Crossing National and Cultural borders within the Healthcare Industry'.
• Pharmaceutical Licensing Group (PLG) Europecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on pre-conference B2B meetings for the 8th EPLS in Brussels in 2016.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pharma Licensing Group Germany (PLG-D / PLCD): German pharma licensing discussion group for BD&L professionals. Directly comparable national-association peer; GPP framework has already been presented at PLCD events, evidencing overlap in audience and content focus.
• Pharmaceutical Licensing Group (PLG) Europe: Pan-European association of pharmaceutical licensing and business development professionals. Directly comparable to Swiss HLG in mission, member profile (BD&L executives), and event-driven GTM; the two organizations already co-organize pre-conference B2B meetings.
• Italian Healthcare Licensing Group (IHLG): Italian counterpart association focused on healthcare BD&L. Highly comparable in scope and audience; Swiss HLG has co-organized summer conferences with IHLG, indicating direct overlap on cross-border European licensing topics.
• Pharma Licensing Club France (PLCF): French pharma licensing club serving BD&L professionals with events and networking. Closely comparable to Swiss HLG by structure and audience; the two have co-hosted the joint Swiss HLG/PLCF Summer Conference.

Regional players

• BioIndustry Association (BIA): UK trade association for biotech and life sciences. Comparable as a national/regional industry body serving BD&L and partnering functions in biopharma, but anchored in the UK rather than continental Europe.
• BioAlps: Swiss life sciences cluster supporting biotech, pharma and medtech in the Lake Geneva region. Already a Swiss HLG supporter; comparable as a regional ecosystem enabler for BD&L networking in Switzerland.
• Swiss Biotech Association: National industry association for Swiss biotech. Comparable in serving Swiss-based life sciences stakeholders with networking and partnering support, but broader across the entire biotech value chain rather than focused on BD&L.

Broad incumbents

• Licensing Executives Society (LES International): Global professional society for licensing executives across industries including healthcare. Larger and broader in scope than Swiss HLG, but overlaps heavily on the BD&L persona and licensing-dealmaking education.
• EuropaBio: European biotech industry association representing the broader sector to EU policymakers and stakeholders. Comparable at the industry-association level, though broader in scope and policy-oriented rather than dealmaking-focused.
• BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization): Largest US-based biotech industry association running BIO partnering events that are core to global biopharma BD&L. Comparable in serving the same dealmaking persona, with a much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swiss-hlg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group