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Enabling excellent data science and computational sciences with the potential to solve some of society’s greatest challenges

Data scientists are in great demand from the public and private sectors. They often hold the key to a better understanding of complex issues, which is why the education, attraction, and retention of talent are critical for Denmark to stay at the forefront in science and innovation. 

The Novo Nordisk Foundation aims at stimulating excellent research within data science, computational sciences, and artificial intelligence in Denmark by offering attractive funding opportunities and career paths and supporting the education of more specialists in the field. 

Data science drives progress across all scientific disciplines, from the design and discovery of new materials and new and improved diagnoses and treatments in healthcare to developing more sustainable agriculture and new climate solutions. 

The Foundation supports the larger data science field through strategic awards as well as open competition grants. All supported research must have a current or potential future application and impact within the Foundation’s focus areas: Health, sustainability and the life science ecosystem. 

Further information about the funding opportunities within data science can be found here. 

The full list of the recipients can be found here. 

Danish Data Science Academy
Complementary to the open competition programmes, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and VILLUM FONDEN have awarded a combined grant totalling DKK 184.3 million to the Danish Data Science Academy. 

The aim of the Danish Data Science Academy is to strengthen the training of researchers and interdisciplinary collaboration within data science and help move Denmark up into the global elite in this field. The Danish Data Science Academy covers activities throughout Denmark and is based at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). 

Danish Data Science Academy promotes collaboration, education, and awarding of travel and fellowship grants for PhDs and Postdocs in open competition. Calls are announced via the Academy’s website. 

Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence
The Novo Nordisk Foundation is also co-funding another national research centre: the Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is Denmark’s first Pioneer Center and is established in close collaboration between (and with co-funding from) the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Danish National Research Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation, VILLUM FONDEN, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the five participating universities. 

The Pioneer Center for AI will use human-centered artificial intelligence to solve some of society’s greatest challenges. The ambition is to create societal impact through the application of artificial intelligence in areas such as health and biotech, energy, infrastructure, climate, and biodiversity. 

A total of more than DKK 350 million has been allocated to the Pioneer Center for AI over the 13 years. 

Find more information about the Pioneer Center for AI here. 

Pioner Center for Accelerating P2X Materials Discovery – CAPeX 
The Pioneer Center for Accelerating P2X Materials Discovery (CAPeX), is a major, long-term research initiative dedicated to pioneering research aimed at advancing the field of Power-to-X. Within a transdisciplinary framework, CAPeX develops innovative methodologies, tools, and infrastructures essential for accelerating material discovery processes for the production of hydrogen, liquid fuels, and chemicals from renewable electricity.
Find more information about CAPeX here.  

The Pioneer Centre for SMARTbiomed
The Pioneer Centre for Statistical and computational Methods for Advanced Research to Transform Biomedicine (SMARTbiomed) is the fourth and final Pioneer Centre with a grant of DKK 30 million from NNF, DKK 80 million from the Danish National Research Foundation, DKK 30 million from Carlsbergfondet, DKK 30 million from Villum Fonden, and DKK 80 million from Lundbeckfonden and total budget of DKK 250 million over a period of 13 years. SMART-Biomed focuses on cardiometabolic diseases, reproductive health, and brain disorders with a vision to reduce the societal burden of common complex diseases. SMART-Biomed will analyse big biomedical data and will develop advanced statistical and computational methods to address relevant questions and has the purpose of enabling meaningful transformations in clinical practice. With Aarhus University as its primary Danish anchor, SMART-Biomed is also anchored at Oxford University and University of Copenhagen. 

Danish Centre for AI Innovation (DCAI) and the Gefion Supercomputer
Danish Centre for AI Innovation (DCAI) is a company established to run and operate Gefion, Denmark’s first AI supercomputer. Their mission is to lower the barrier to access the most advanced computing capabilities, and they work with customers from academia, startups, and enterprises to accelerate AI research and innovation. DCAI is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and by EIFO. 

Find more information about DCAI here.  

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has granted 37 vouchers to use Gefion the AI Supercomputer for research projects. The recipients are affiliated to six Danish universities and four hospitals. The funded projects span a wide range of fields, including medical science (e.g. image analysis, vaccine development, women’s health), DNA sequencing and protein engineering, quantum simulation and sustainability, ecology, and material science. 

The full list of the awarded projects can be found at: recipients. 

NNF AI Grand Challenge
The purpose of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Challenge Programme is to make a substantial contribution to the development of Danish research ecosystems within strategically relevant research areas. The aim is to give leading researchers the opportunity to assemble a strong team that can collaborate in a centre-like structure with a unifying vision and mission to develop solutions to major challenges. The Programme provides long-term funding to enable scientific depth and focus and facilitate synergy between the research partners. 

One of the themes for 2025 was the NNF grand AI Challenge and the following three projects were granted: 

  1. AI-driven trustworthy foundation models for personalized and effective cancer radiotherapy
  • Main applicant: Stine Sofia Korreman, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University
  • Co-applicants: Harini Veeraraghavan, Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Jens Petersen, Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen; Ivan Vogelius, Department of Oncology, Rigshospitalet
  • Grant amount: DKK 53,315,207 over 6 years
  1. AI-driven materials optimization for light trapping in thin-film solar cells
  • Main applicant: Mikkel Schmidt, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark
  • Co-applicants: Andrea Crovetto, Nanolab, Technical University of Denmark; Søren Raza, Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark; Kristian Sommer Thygesen, Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark
  • Grant amount: DKK 39,742,364 over 6 years
  1. IcyAlert -Intelligent Climate Early Warning Alert for Arctic Ice-Free Summers
  • Main applicant: Tian Tian, National Center for Climate Research, Danish Meteorological Institute
  • Co-applicants:  Stéphane Vannitsem, Meteorological and Climatological Information Service, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium; Tommy Sonne Alstrøm, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark
  • Grant amount: DKK 39,428,138 over 6 years

Full descriptions of the projects here. 

Global Pathogen Analysis Platform (GPAP)
The Global Pathogen Analysis Platform (GPAP) is a pathogen-agnostic global digital infrastructure for genetic sequence data analysis, integrating a comprehensive suite of bioinformatics capabilities. These include genomic characterization and assembly, metagenomic analysis, infectious disease modelling, and scenario planning, along with secure storage and controlled data sharing. GPAP is envisioned to be hosted at DTU with satellites at the University of Copenhagen and State Serum Institute and at international research institutions, including but not limited to Imperial College London, University of Oxford, The Kenya Medical Research Institute and National Centre for Disease Control India. The total funding is DKK 200 million over 6 years. 

National Health Data Platform - Better use of health data  
A grant of DKK 200 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation enables a new national “one point of entry” gateway to health data to be established in Denmark. Denmark has a unique and well-established tradition of collecting and storing high-quality health data across many public authorities. However, until now, these data have been dispersed across the healthcare system, with limited opportunities for linking to other health data. The national health data infrastructure will include a single point of access which is a new portal that will be the focal entry point for health data in Denmark. This will streamline application processes and ensure that requests for access to data across public authorities are more consistently managed. It will additionally include a national analysis platform which is a unified information technology platform that will l be designed to provide secure access to health data within dedicated analysis environments. It will also support the use of supercomputing capacity – including Gefion – enabling advanced analysis.   

SmartField 
SmartField is an innovation platform aimed at 1) field-scale testing and validation of nitrous oxide (N2O) mitigation solutions, 2) developing models for accurate emissions estimation from agricultural fields, and 3) knowledge exchange in an agile science-policy-practice interface. Overall, SmartField will minimize environmental N-losses (N2O) by developing accurate accounting models of N2O emissions useful for government, industry, and farmers. The overall funding is DKK 134 million over 5 years (2024-2029) to the Danish Technological Institute who will distribute funds to partners from the LandCRAFT pioneer centre, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, Colorado State University, and SEGES Innovation. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities (MCEU) will be observational non-funded partners engaged through topic experts from the Danish Agricultural Agency and MCEU. 

Find more information about SmartField here.  

Robotic Intercropping 
Autonomous robots could help farmers reduce the use of pesticides and grow food more sustainably. A new project led by University of Copenhagen aims to pave the way for robotics in agriculture by exploring how multiple crops can be cultivated efficiently on the same plot of land. The Novo Nordisk Foundation is supporting the project with a grant of 75 million DKK (10 million EUR).  

Find more information about Robotic Intercropping here. 

AEGIS – Ancient environmental genomics initiative for sustainability 
Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability (AEGIS) is a globally unique and cutting-edge research program within environmental DNA (eDNA) to explore and understand ecosystem responses to past environmental and anthropogenic perturbations, both at the ecosystem, species, and genetic levels. AEGIS aims to develop bioinformatics, genomic tools and strategies for improving resilience, sustainability, and biodiversity of cropping systems in future climates of Global North and Global South, including improved crops and agroecosystem engineering in alignment with the NNF strategy. Professor Eske Willerslev leads AEGIS as a global hub within environmental genomics at University of Copenhagen with significant activity in Cambridges´ research ecosystem and with research groups around the World. Using the AEGIS´ approach, knowledge and insights from the analytical workflow will be translated into selected crops and microbiomes e.g. to improve drought resilience. AEGIS is co-funded by NNF and Wellcome Trust. 

Find more information about AEGIS here. 

CAPTURE
CAPTURE is a seven-year nationwide research project (started in 2025) aiming to generate new knowledge about heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a complex and widespread condition affecting millions of people worldwide. The project is anchored at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital and involves hospitals and researchers from all five Danish regions. By using cutting-edge technology for deep phenotyping in combination with innovative ways of reaching individuals with early stages of HFpEF, CAPTURE aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the disease and revolutionise how we identify, understand and treat HFpEF in the future. The project is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation with a grant of DKK 473 million. 

Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease – research centre at the Broad institute 
With a USD 47.5 million commitment over a five-year period (started in 2021), the Foundation supported the establishment of a centre for genomic research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Boston (US). A key activity of the centre is to launch and facilitate close collaborations between the Broad Institute and researchers at Danish universities, with initial focus on understanding type 2 diabetes and obesity and mapping human gene regulation. By exploring human gene regulation in connection with common complex diseases, e.g. through computer modelling, the aim is to pave the way for better diagnostics, improved treatments, and the development of precision medicine. 

Find more information about the centre here. 

Multigeneration Register (MGR) 
The Danish Multigeneration Register – Data Science was initiated in 2021 with a grant of DKK 37.7 million for a 4-year period (2021-2025) and received a no-cost extension for one more year, resulting in a 5-year project. The MGR aims to enhance the Danish Civil Registration System by extending it backwards to include individuals born as far back as 1920. By digitising and linking historical Parish Registers (church books) with the Civil Registration System, the MGR will enable researchers to link data across multiple generations.   

The generation of the MGR is based on two parallel data resources, the electronic Danish Civil Registration System and the analogue Parish Registers. Established in 1968, the Danish Civil Registration System contains information on all Danes resident in Denmark in 1968 or later along with information on personal identifier (CPR-number), parish of birth registration, date of birth, name, vital status, parents’ personal identifiers including their names, and marital status and partners’ personal identifier and name.   

Find more information about here. 

More information
For more information about the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s work within the field of data science, please contact [email protected]