The agreement to establish the new Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen at Herlev was celebrated on Friday, 24 June at a reception at the Novo Nordisk Foundation attended by 120 guests.
The Center will become a reality following a decision by the Regional Council of the Capital Region of Denmark and through a grant of DKK 2.945 billion (€396 million) from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to the Capital Region, which will own the Center.
“Today we can celebrate the agreement being concluded. This is a culmination of excellent collaboration during the past few years. In addition to the Foundation, the Steno Diabetes Center and the Capital Region, the collaboration has involved many actors, stakeholders and consultants. On behalf of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, I am pleased to thank everyone involved for their tremendous collaboration and great efforts,” said Sten Scheibye, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Novo Nordisk Foundation.
“The Capital Region of Denmark, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and especially the talented employees of the current Steno Diabetes Center will now embark on a long journey involving several exciting years in jointly fulfilling the ambitions for world-class diabetes treatment and research,” he added.
Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, Chair of the Regional Council of the Capital Region of Denmark, also spoke. She said it was “a day of joy”.
“Our goal is a health care system that is based on each individual’s situation, preconditions, resources and motivation. I am therefore also very pleased that the vision the Capital Region of Denmark and the Novo Nordisk Foundation have produced together is based on the fact that we want to put people who have diabetes at the centre of everything we do. The key objective is that we can offer treatment and prevention at a top international level,” said Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, Chair of the Regional Council.
“We want our Center to be an intersectoral knowledge and education centre for health personnel,” said Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, who also spoke to the many employees who will switch employers: from Novo Nordisk A/S to the Capital Region.
“We are looking forward to having you onboard on 1 January 2017 and to welcoming you as colleagues.”
NORTHERN EUROPE’S LARGEST DIABETES CENTER
The exact location of the new Center was also announced at the reception: the current site of the Arkaden building of Herlev Hospital, which will be demolished.
Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen will be northern Europe’s largest and most modern diabetes centre when it opens in 2020. The Center will innovate the treatment and prevention of diabetes by bringing together competencies under the same roof for the treatment, health promotion, research and education within diabetes.
“Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen is a major milestone. But we are not stopping here. Ultimately, our goal is to expand the treatment of diabetes to the rest of Denmark so people in the other regions can also benefit from the extra treatment,” said Sten Scheibye.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information about the event, please contact:
Novo Nordisk Foundation: Christian Mostrup Scheel, Press Officer, Novo Nordisk Foundation, [email protected], +45 3067 4805
Capital Region of Denmark, press desk, +45 7020 9588
