Good news for anyone who wants more science to make it out of the lab and into real life. On January 15, 2026, the Novo Nordisk Foundation announced it is allocating up to DKK 5.5 billion (about EUR 736 million) to Copenhagen’s BioInnovation Institute (BII) for the years 2026 through 2035.
That kind of long runway matters. Early-stage research and deep tech companies often fail not because the ideas are bad, but because they run out of time, money, or support before they can prove what works. The foundation says this funding is meant to help BII expand into new strategic areas and geographies and to support more entrepreneurs and start-up companies over the next decade.
BII is already known for helping build young companies and for giving teams access to a mix of funding, mentoring, infrastructure, and networks. The new grant is designed to scale that model, so more projects can move from “promising paper” to “real product,” whether that’s in human health, planetary health, or technology that makes societies more resilient.
It’s a hopeful bet on the slow, practical work of innovation: backing people early, giving them room to iterate, and keeping the focus on solutions that can actually reach patients, communities, and the wider world.