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Novo Nordisk Foundation awarded close to DKK 7.5 billion for purposes benefitting society in 2022

In 2022, the Novo Nordisk Foundation awarded DKK 7.464 billion for 695 new initiatives. While the total amount is not as high as in 2021, we still expect to be increasing our level of grant giving in the coming years.

 

One of the largest initiatives in 2022 was the Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme, for which we allocated up to DKK 1.5 billion. The Programme, which aims to develop Denmark’s first fully functional and generally applicable quantum computer and includes establishing a fabrication facility, is anchored at the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, with the involvement of research groups from leading universities and industries around the world.

Many of the Foundation’s major mission-driven initiatives in 2022 are built around strong partnerships with multiple stakeholders and collaboration across disciplines.

“It requires a concerted effort to tackle the societal challenges the world is facing today. Forming partnerships with national and international actors is therefore vital, and this is something we will continue to rely on in the coming years,” says Professor Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Another major partnership was the establishment of the Centre for Childhood Health, which the Foundation has supported with a grant of DKK 1 billion over 10 years. The mission of the Centre is to contribute to reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity and improving the well-being of children in Denmark. The Centre is being established in close collaboration with the municipalities and educational institutions and will be co-financed by the Danish Government with DKK 10 million annually from 2023 to 2032.

Strong focus on innovation

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has a strong focus on ensuring that Danish research is translated into new products and solutions that benefit society. Among other things, in 2022 we allocated DKK 127 million to Plant2Food, a new Open Innovation in Science platform focusing on research collaboration across the various sectors within plant and food science, with the purpose of accelerating the overall development of plant-based foods. 

“More than ever, we rely on innovation within the life sciences to improve global health and contribute to the development of a sustainable society. By stimulating research across the natural sciences and by improving the technology for generating and utilising data, we believe it is possible to create a world-class life science ecosystem that will play an instrumental role in driving this development,” Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen says.

In addition to its major mission-driven initiatives, the Foundation awarded a total of DKK 2.5 billion in open competition grants based on the Foundation’s annual application rounds.

“There will always be changes from year to year in the amount being distributed for grants,” Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen notes. He continues: “In 2022 it was lower than in 2021, but our expectation is that in 2023, our grants will exceed DKK 9 billion.”

The Foundation’s grant-awarding activities are enabled by the financial results of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S and successful investments made by the Foundation’s fully owned investment company, Novo Holdings A/S.

Novo Nordisk Foundation grants 2022 divided into areas

The Grant Report gives an overview of the different areas the Foundation supports.

Read the full report here.

Further information:

Christian Mostrup, Senior Lead, Public Relations, +45 3067 4805.