Denmark’s Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF), which controls its namesake pharmaceutical giant, has announced that it awarded grants in 2024 totaling DKK10.1 billion ($1.39 billion) in support of nearly 1,800 new projects.

The awards, which represent a more than 11.5 percent increase in funding year over year, were directed to efforts in Denmark and around the world focused on accelerating the green transition, engaging with new technologies, and advancing the treatment of heart disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through an open grant competition, more than DKK2.8 billion ($386.8 million) was awarded to recipients, including the University of Copenhagen’s Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability project (DKK500 million, $69 million), which is working to enhance crop resilience; the Technical University of Denmark (DKK1 billion, $138 million), which aims to accelerate the transition to a green economy through the proliferation of sustainable materials, foods, and net-zero agriculture; and the University College Absalon’s Campus Kalundborg (DKK202 million, $27.9 million), which provides research and workforce development opportunities for Denmark’s biomanufacturing sector.

NNF also committed $100 million to a $300 million collaboration with the Gates Foundation and Wellcome to advance accessible and affordable health care in LMICs. In addition, NNF opened a new office in Nairobi, Kenya and launched its Partnership for Education of Health Professionals—working with African-based institutions and Kenya’s ministry of health—to strengthen the education of health professionals in the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases.

“It is a great privilege to be able to contribute to science and innovation that will help create better lives and a more sustainable future,” said Novo Nordisk Foundation CEO Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen. “By engaging in public and private partnerships in Denmark and abroad, we aim to ensure that our efforts are in line with societal needs.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/poba)