BioInnovation Institute (BII)

The Power of a Strong Women's Health Ecosystem 💪 Back in 2022, we received a significant grant from the Gates Foundation to identify and support promising start-ups and projects in women’s health — an area that, at the time, accounted for only about 4% of global R&D funding. 🙋♀️ At first, few discussed the issue. But thanks to the collective efforts of many dedicated individuals, organizations, and partners across the ecosystem, awareness and action have grown.🙏 💡Now, the Danish Government has decided to allocate funding to establish a National Center for Research in Women’s Health - an important step toward ensuring that women’s health receives the attention, innovation, and investment it deserves. Better late than never! This milestone shows that the hard work and collaboration between philanthropy, public institutions, researchers, innovators, and industry are paying off. 👏 Still, our work is far from done. We’re committed to continuing the momentum and supporting start-ups and companies that can help close the gender gap in healthcare and showcase the area's immense business potential. OvartiX, GynQura, FimmCyte, Sulis Therapeutics, Beech Biotech SA, XY Therapeutics, Notify Therapeutics, Probmet Therapeutics, dawn-bio, oasicare, Pharmista Technologies, Prenaital, Monix, HEI Therapeutics , Cirqle Biomedical , Nima Life, Rapidemic, and Model-MI – you are the real proof of the potential and the true changemakers.🚀 We can’t wait to support the next generation of start-ups and projects in the field to enable them to drive a much-needed change!💜

💚 Matr Foods nets EUR 40M to scale fungi-fermented meat production💚 We’re thrilled to share that BII alumnus Matr Foods has just announced the completion of the investment round they began with Novo Holdings and continued with the European Investment Bank (EIB) last year. 👏 With doubled support from Novo Holdings and EIFO also coming on board, Matr Foods is now well-positioned to scale up the production of their next-generation fermented plant-based products and bringing them to customers, consumers, and professional kitchens. At BII, we salute this fantastic achievement led by CEO Randi Wahlsten and her brilliant team. We supported the company in 2022 through our Venture Lab program, and in 2023 provided additional financial backing to help the team along their entrepreneurial journey.🌱 We couldn’t be prouder of their progress and are delighted to see Matr continue to give back to our community as a true success story from our portfolio.🙏 And as it says on the slides from our Venture Housewarming last year — peers are gold, stay naïve, and gain confidence from the market. We can’t wait to follow your next steps!🚀 Thomas Grotkjær Sara Sande Efraín Hernández Morales Nikolaj Madsen Eric Heilig Leonie Johanna Jahn Rasmus Elm Morten O. A. Sommer Claus Meyer Rasmus Vendler Toft-Kehler DTU - Technical University of Denmark DTU BiosustainJens Nielsen Trine Bartholdy Christian Brix Tillegreen Arnoud Klokke Maria Henriques de Jesus Petar Todorov Julie Riisgaard Cordes Benjamin Hamelmann Antonia Zoric Anders Østerby Mønsted

Showcasing the potential of Life Science and Deep Tech innovation🚀   We were delighted to host representatives from the European Research Area Committee (ERAC) for a visit to BII.🙏   Our CEO, Jens Nielsen, opened the session with an introduction to BII’s mission and model, followed by a lively Q&A. Three startups from our current Venture Lab 9 cohort then took the stage to pitch their innovations — each representing one of BII’s three focus areas:   🌍 TERGY SAGAVA – Planetary Health 🧬 PanTarg – Human Health 💡 QVersion – Societal Resilience   The visit concluded with a tour of our facilities, offering a glimpse into how our community and space help bridge the gap between academia and entrepreneurship.   As the ERAC provides early advice to the Council, the Commission, and the Member States on research and innovation policy issues, we truly appreciate the opportunity to exchange insights on how innovation ecosystems like BII can strengthen Europe’s capacity to translate excellent research into solutions that benefit people and the planet.🌱 📸Scroll through below to see photos from the visit.   Jan Wilske Mikkel Torrild Hansen Virginia Metrangolo Lars Engelholm

Are you our next Grand Prize Winner?🤷♀️ Last year, Marlena Fejzo and Xiaojing Gao were celebrated as winners of the 'BII & Science Translational Medicine Prize for Innovations in Women’s Health' and the 'BII & Science Prize for Innovation'. 🌟 Now, it’s your turn. We’re looking for visionary researchers and entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of women’s health and translational science - people whose discoveries can make a true impact for people and society. 🚀 These prizes are more than awards, they’re about recognizing impact, accelerating innovation, and giving global visibility to groundbreaking research. 💡 Could that be interesting for you or one in your network? The deadline of November 1 is approaching, so grab the chance and take your scientific innovation to the next level: 🔗 Apply for the BII & Science Translational Medicine Prize for Innovations in Women’s Health → https://bit.ly/42CV8Hl 🔗 Apply for the BII & Science Prize for Innovation → https://bit.ly/4qcDELV We can’t wait to receive your applications! Science Magazine AAAS Orla Smith Bill Moran Michael Funk Roger Goncalves Erika Gebel Berg Jens Nielsen Markus Herrgård Trine Bartholdy Angela Ibler Sanne Brun Jensen Katrine Villarreal Villumsen Anders Østerby Mønsted

Introducing a new Bio Studio project!👏 We are excited to support paradigm-changing research from EMBL Barcelona by welcoming the project 'Model-MI' into our company creation program, Bio Studio.🚀   Led by Entrepreneur in Residence Pernille Singer, Model-MI is translating the world-class work of Dr. Kristina Haase’s lab into a revolutionary safety tool that could reshape how medicines are developed and tested. 🏥   Here’s the challenge: 🔹 91% of drugs approved between 1980–2000 lacked sufficient data on birth defect risks. 🔹 Most pregnant women take at least one medication during pregnancy, yet many stop treatments unnecessarily due to weak or incomplete evidence — losing critical months of care.   💡Regulators like the FDA and EMA call for more data on drug safety during pregnancy, including data from robust, human-relevant safety models. Model-MI is answering that call with an in vitro placenta model designed to predict drug transport and fetal exposure more accurately than traditional animal models. By improving our understanding of drug safety in pregnancy, this could help drive smarter, safer drug development across all drugs and indications.   We look forward to supporting Model-MI in growing their research from the lab into a fully validated tool for drug development that upholds regulatory standards.💪   Marta Cherubini Angela Ibler Shivani Joshi, Ph.D. Katja Brunner Terhi Minkkinen Johanna Roostalu Trine Bartholdy Markus Herrgård Anders Østerby Mønsted EMBL Laurène Ramos Martins Carla Manzanas

𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐛 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 Do you have a great idea?💡Are you ready to start or accelerate your entrepreneurial journey? 🚀 Or just primed for a challenge? 🧗🏿 We just opened the call for our Venture Lab program, which includes a EUR 500,000 founder-friendly convertible loan and an exclusive follow-up funding opportunity of EUR 1,3M. The program combines business acceleration, scientific development, and founder+team development and is designed to support start-ups within planetary health, health tech, therapeutics and quantum. 💡Within quantum there are also possibilities to be accepted into the program as an international startup. ➡️ Sign for a webinar with Jakob Svagin, Director in Venture Creation - Quantum, to hear more: https://bit.ly/4q22Q7J The application deadline is January 28, 2026, but don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or are just curious about the program. Link to the program can be found in the comments ⬇ Antonia Zoric Hannah Ochala Anne Almind Vind Christian Brix Tillegreen Maria Henriques de Jesus Tony Cheng-Fu Chang Trine Bartholdy Matthias Wulf Iben Egebæk Nikolajsen Sanne Brun Jensen Angela Ibler Johanna Roostalu Petar Todorov Arnoud Klokke Umar Adegoke Julie Riisgaard Cordes Benjamin Hamelmann

🔬Mission BioCapital backs Skape Bio — BII continues support with a convertible loan We're thrilled to see Skape Bio, a spin-out from our three-year Bio Studio program, selected for the Platinum Program by U.S. venture fund Mission BioCapital. This is a strong endorsement of their scientific vision and startup potential. As they take this next step, BII also supports Skape Bio with a DKK 3M convertible loan.💸 “Our loan reflects more than just financial support. It's a vote of confidence in their potential to translate cutting-edge academic research into therapies with real impact,” says Trine Bartholdy, Chief Business Officer at BII. Congratulations to the whole team, and a warm welcome to Mission BioCapital on the continued entrepreneurial journey!🚀 💡Read more about Skape Bio and the company's scientific foundation that builds on the groundbreaking work of co-founder, Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baker https://bit.ly/4ofkseY Christoffer Norn Marina Pancic Mohr Emil Peter Thrane Hertz Mads Jeppesen Paula Rivera Ana-Maria Bratovianu Pia Peceli Amrita Nallathambi Lance Stewart Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington Henrik Stage Robert Blazej Jakob Pallesen Johanna Roostalu Katja Brunner

Exciting news for brain health innovation!🧠 We’re proud to join forces with the Lundbeckfonden / Lundbeck Foundation in a new partnership that will allocate over EUR 40M through 2030 to support groundbreaking start-ups developing better treatments for brain diseases.🤝 At BII, we work tirelessly to turn world-class research into tangible impact. By combining our innovation platform with the Lundbeck Foundation’s deep expertise in brain science, we’re taking a big step toward making that happen. Together, we aim to position Denmark as a global leader in brain health innovation and improve treatments for millions of patients worldwide.👏 💡BII and the Lundbeck Foundation expect to support 20-22 companies over 5.5 years as part of the partnership. You can read more about the partnership here: https://bit.ly/4h17mzu Jens Nielsen Lene Skole Jan Egebjerg Trine Bartholdy Pui Ling Lau Markus Herrgård Katja Brunner Sofie Singbrant Söderberg Johanna Roostalu Anne Sophie Tønnesen Anders Østerby Mønsted Katrine Villarreal Villumsen

🔋 Supporting Power-to-X innovation in challenging times At BII, we’re proud to partner with Villum Fonden to back startups in the Power-to-X sector — a field facing significant global and technological challenges. Together, we’re supporting companies like Pura Futura, which, based on world-class research from Aarhus Universitet, developed a 'plug-and-play' solution that can easily be connected to Denmark’s superior biogas network without the need to build new and expensive infrastructure. By supporting these startups now, we aim to: 🌱 Strengthen sustainable energy solutions ⚙️ Help early-stage innovators navigate a challenging landscape 🌍 Position Denmark as a global leader in clean-tech innovation We believe that strategic support from foundations such as BII and Villum Fonden is highly needed, especially when a technology finds itself in a difficult and challenging environment. You can read more in Børsen here: https://bit.ly/3WbuO3z Christian Brix Tillegreen Petar Todorov Trine Bartholdy Jens Nielsen Thomas Bjørnholm Jorn Rosenlund Jeppe Hjuler Mikkelsen

⚡Big news for Denmark and Europe’s quantum future!⚡ Copenhagen-based 55 North has announced the first close of its record-breaking €300M Quantum Technology Fund, the world’s largest VC fund dedicated to quantum. A major step for Denmark and Europe in building technological leadership in this important strategic field. At BII, we are glad to welcome 55 North into our building, where they will join our growing community of innovators across life sciences and deep tech👏 Their presence will most definitely strengthen Denmark and Europe’s quantum ecosystem and foster even stronger opportunities for bringing scientific innovation to the market.🌍 It’s true to say that the future of quantum is being built right here in Copenhagen, and at BII we are pleased to be a part of that journey. 🚀 You can read more about 55 North here: https://bit.ly/3IQwexa Owen Lozman Helmut G. Katzgraber Kai Hudek EIFO Novo Holdings Peder Lundquist Søren Møller Novo Nordisk Foundation Erhvervsministeriet Danish Quantum Community Accelerace Jens Nielsen Cathal J. Mahon Jakob Svagin