With 130+ startups launched and over €938 million in follow-on funding, BII’s Venture Lab, Bio Studio, and Quantum Lab scale support up to €3 million per project.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has allocated up to €736 million (DKK 5.5 billion) to BioInnovation Institute (BII), a leading institute for life science and deep tech innovation in Copenhagen.
The funding will enable BII to expand its activities into new strategic areas and geographies, and support even more entrepreneurs and startups, strengthening innovation in Denmark and Europe.
The BioInnovation Institute (BII) accelerates world-class innovation through its programmes: Venture Lab, Bio Studio, and BII Quantum Lab. It supports life science and deep tech startups with access to expertise, networks, infrastructure, and funding of up to €3 million per project and €1.8 million per startup.
The new funding frame runs from 2026 to 2035. Europe faces a critical challenge:
Europe produces world-class science, but lacks behind other leading regions in translating discoveries into groundbreaking innovations that create jobs, drive economic growth and address urgent societal challenges.
Now, the Novo Nordisk Foundation empowers BII to take a leading role in Europe’s response to pressing issues within human health, planetary health and societal resilience.
With BII’s proven platform that has already helped create and develop more than 130 companies and attracted more than €938 million (DKK 7 billion) in external funding, the aim is to ensure that Denmark’s innovation engine can scale in a way that supports broader European competitiveness.
Over the coming years, BII expects to scale its activities by significantly increasing the number of start-ups supported each year. While supporting life science and biotech start-ups will remain key, the new long-term support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation enables BII to venture into new scientific and technological fields, such as AI and quantum.
“We are giving BII the opportunity to expand its reach and further strengthen its position as a European powerhouse for innovation. This will prove instrumental in securing that even more science is translated into new companies, jobs and solutions benefitting people and our planet – and ultimately driving the growth and entrepreneurial culture that will benefit European competitiveness,* says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
According to Jens Nielsen, CEO of BII, none of this would be possible without the long-term support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which provides exceptional conditions for bringing more scientific breakthroughs to the market to address global challenges:
“We have proven that our innovation platform is successful, but we cannot push the boundaries of innovation alone. Strengthening partnerships will remain a top priority as we continue to develop Denmark’s innovation ecosystem and help ensure Europe’s competitiveness.”
BII’s platform has already attracted major commercial and philanthropic partners. Notable collaborations include joint initiatives with Ferring and the Gates Foundation to advance women’s health innovation, and more recent partnerships with the Villum Foundation and the Lundbeck Foundation to support early-stage start-ups in Power-to-X technologies and brain disease treatment.
The new funding will further strengthen BII’s position as an attractive destination for investors, enhance its ability to collaborate with academic institutions across Denmark and Europe and support the formation of new partnerships with industry and foundations – all of which are critical elements in sustaining a vibrant innovation ecosystem.