Background
The Joint Committee of the Nordic Medical Research Councils (NOS-M) is a cooperative body for the medical research councils of the Nordic countries. The organisation aims to coordinate and promote medical research in the Nordic countries, to monitor its progress, and to facilitate information exchange among the countries. NOS-M has published two white papers (2011 and 2014) with recommendations on actions needed for the Nordic region to maintain a competitive global position in medical research by responding to scientific, health care and economic challenges. In the NOS-M white paper from 2014, personalised medicine was identified as one of the areas where cooperation can enable the Nordic countries to become world leaders. The theme was explored further in a workshop organised by NOS-M in November 2016 and by a mapping exercise aimed at providing an overview of current strategies and initiatives related to personalised medicine in the Nordic countries.

White Papers on Personalised Medicine
In the white paper from 2014, NOS-M gave several recommendations for advancing the added value of Nordic cooperation in medical research and put forth several suggestions for concrete actions. Utilisation of biobanks and registers as well as personalised medicine were identified as areas where the Nordic countries have an opportunity to become world leaders through cooperation. As a result of the recommendations of the white paper, NOS-M arranged a workshop on personalised medicine in Stockholm on November 2016.