The Lundbeck Foundation and BII allocate over 40 million EUR to develop groundbreaking treatments for brain diseases

A new partnership between the Lundbeck Foundation and BII aims to ensure better and more effective treatments for brain diseases. Together, the parties are allocating more than EUR 40M through 2030 to support the establishment of promising start-ups in this field.

More than one in three Danes lives with a brain disease, according to a study from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, which highlights a significant societal problem and the need for new solutions. Several brain-focused initiatives are already underway as part of the Lundbeck Foundation’s ambitious 2030 strategy to address this challenge. With the new partnership, the foundation is taking another significant step by investing around EUR 21M in collaboration with BII, which will match with an equivalent amount.

The choice of BII as a partner is deliberate. Since its establishment in 2018, BII has supported more than 130 start-ups, including several with potential new drugs in clinical phase 1 and 2 studies.

“BII is recognized in Denmark and internationally for translating research into successful start-ups. Together with the Lundbeck Foundation’s deep knowledge of the brain and its diseases, we are creating a platform that can make a real difference for brain health,” says Lene Skole, CEO of the Lundbeck Foundation.

Denmark as a global frontrunner

BII also expresses satisfaction that the Lundbeck Foundation sees great potential in entering a partnership that could be decisive in commercializing even more brain research to benefit of patients and society.

“The Lundbeck Foundation has a strong knowledge base and network within brain diseases. At the same time, we are witnessing a burgeoning Danish innovation ecosystem with skilled universities and a highly regarded industry. The partnership will enable Denmark to be positioned even more strongly on the global stage in brain research, bringing talent and knowledge to the country and further strengthening innovation capacity,” says Jens Nielsen, CEO of BII.

He emphasizes that the ambition is to identify and support the most promising projects that can ultimately deliver new and better treatments for patients with brain diseases.

Likewise, the Lundbeck Foundation has high expectations for the partnership with BII:

"The Lundbeck Foundation's goal is to support research that can be translated into new treatments for patients with brain diseases. The journey from discovery to patient is complex and requires many competencies working together. With the collaboration with BII, we can accelerate this journey and strengthen the development of groundbreaking discoveries within brain research," says Jan Egebjerg, Director of Research at the Lundbeck Foundation.

As part of the partnership, BII and the Lundbeck Foundation, expect to support a total of 20-22 companies over a period of 5.5 years.