Danish University hospitals with the Copenhagen Science City partner Rigshospitalet in the lead have received a 128 million DKK grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The grant goes to a 5-year pilot project to strengthen innovation efforts at Danish hospitals.

Integrated and worthwhile innovation

Innovation needs to become a fully integrated part of the Danish healthcare system. In culture as well as in action. Developing new methods and solutions for better patient care should also be worthwhile for hospital researchers. This is the vision for a coming 5-year pilot project to be run by innovation centers at university hospital Rigshospitalet and Aarhus University Hospital and with local innovation staff at the university hospitals in Aalborg and Odense.

With this investment, we at the Novo Nordisk Foundation want to contribute to the development of an infrastructure for healthcare innovation and bring world-class Danish research to the benefit of patients. In Denmark, we have a top-class clinical research force, but we see an opportunity to channel more research results into specific products and treatments. It is our ambition to give life to this untapped potential by removing some of the current barriers to clinical innovation and thereby get far more new solutions out to patients, much faster than today”: Mikkel Skovborg, Senior Vice President, Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Collaboration with hospitals and businesses

The project aims to ensure that more research results turn into new treatments or products that are rapidly disseminated in the healthcare system for the benefit of patients, staff and society, so that the healthcare system is better able to meet the challenges of the future. A very important part of this effort is the planned collaboration with university hospitals and businesses across the country.

We hope to see many new companies born out of this initiative. For the good of patients and for the good of the Danish economy”: Kristoffer Klebak, Head of Secretariat, Copenhagen Science City.

Annual grants for clinicians and researchers

The project targets Danish clinicians and researchers. The aim is to raise the level and speed of the journey from idea to implementation. Through a number of annual grants, it will be possible to apply for money for, for example, prototype development, validation and business development.
The projects will be assessed on their ability to be realized, probability of implementation, whether they can be expanded and scaled, and on the extent to which they create value for patients.

Innovation is crucial for the healthcare system of the future. We are looking into a future where we will need to treat more patients closer to home. It requires new digital solutions that must be developed and tested in collaboration with staff and patients. At the same time, data and algorithms are helping to power the development of personalized medicine and other new forms of treatment. With support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, we as hospitals can now test a model to accelerate the spread of innovative solutions for the benefit of patients, staff and society, says hospital director Per Christiansen, Rigshospitalet.

Grant programme and innovation academy

The pilot project will launch in February 2022. In addition to the grant programme, the project will include an innovation academy that will offer courses and training in innovation tools. Here, researchers and clinicians will be equipped to understand and analyze market potential and global scaling capabilities. The projects selected to receive a grant will be supported with both finances, resources and networks within innovation, business and technology development.