A global centre for microbiome research
Discover why our region is a growing hub for microbiome research and how the framework conditions for establishing a research facility here are among the best in the world.
Collaborative approach
80+ companies, organisations and institutions are a part of the regional microbiome ecosystem in Greater Copenhagen. Together they cover industry, academia, and healthcare, providing a strong triple helix ecosystem.
Hear it from the microbiome companies
Learn why BioGaia, Chr. Hansen and Ferring are all benefitting from being placed in the Greater Copenhagen region.
Leveraging the microbiome across disease areas
The Greater Copenhagen region takes an extensive approach to leverage the microbiome across a broad range of segments, offering multiple perspectives.

Metabolic diseases
Impressive academic achievements from researchers based in research centres such as Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research and Clinical Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen as well as Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Lund University.

Autoimmune diseases / immunology
Leading research environments include COPSAC Herlev-Gentofte Hospital, DTU Bioengineering, and University of Copenhagen’s Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. Probiotic companies such as BioGaia, Chr. Hansen, ImmuneBiotech, and Probi are increasingly focusing in this area.

Women & infant health
There is a strong industry commitment from regional players such as Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Gedea Biotech, and Viramal, who seek to maintain and improve women and infant health through microbiome-based solutions.

Nutrition & functional food
Long engagement by industry players such as Chr. Hansen, Arla and Dupont. An active research environment through academic groups such as DTU Food, University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food Science and Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, and Lund University’s Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition.

Probiotics & pharmabiotics
Presence of several industry players like BioGaia, Chr. Hansen, LactoBio and Probi, focusing in nutrigenomics in prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and post-biotics health effects. High level of regional clinical trial activity within dietary supplements related to probiotics and pharmabiotics compared to the global average.

Non-human: Plant, animal, and environmental microbiomes
Leading research environments include COPSAC Herlev-Gentofte Hospital, DTU Bioengineering, and University of Copenhagen’s Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. Probiotic companies such as BioGaia, Chr. Hansen, ImmuneBiotech, and Probi are increasingly focusing in this area.

Bioinformatics & therapeutics
Innovative and scientifically robust scaleups and organisations such as Bioneer, Clinical Microbiomics, and SNIPR Biome. Research groups and infrastructure focused on bioinformatics are present in, amongst others, the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Immunology and Microbiology, BRIC Bioinformatics Core Facility, and the NBIS - National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, which Lund University is a part of.

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Strong industry engagement
40+ companies develop microbiome-based therapies and solutions in Greater Copenhagen – including microbiome champions such as Ferring, Chr. Hansen, Novozymes, BioGaia and Probi.
Cutting-edge research environment
Greater Copenhagen has a solid, scientific, and interdisciplinary life science environment. Again and again, this unique environment leverages cutting-edge microbiome research within the region.

Close to 900 microbiome-related research publications, affiliated with Greater Copenhagen, were published between 2014 and 2019 and involved collaborations with more than 80 countries.
Source: PubMed database search 2020.

Researchers affiliated with Greater Copenhagen were behind 7% of all microbiome-related research publications in the British Scientific Journal Nature and its sister journals during the past 5 years.
Source: PubMed database search 2020.

139 microbiome-related clinical trials based in Greater Copenhagen since 2001 (80+ of them since 2015), involved collaborators from 24 countries.
Source: clinicaltrials.gov, Jan 2020.

The number of clinical trials within dietary supplements conducted in the Greater Copenhagen region is significantly higher than the global average.
First movers in fermentation
Role model for sustainability
The Greater Copenhagen region is home to several world-renowned sustainability champions.
Reliable data infrastructure
The Greater Copenhagen region has access to unique regional and national biobanks and cohort studies that enable high-quality microbiome research.
Access to extensive healthcare data
Data registries contain population-based extensive healthcare data and socioeconomic information. Biobanks are organised at different levels nationally, regionally, and locally at hospitals, but interconnected through the unique civil registration system in Denmark and Sweden. This enables linking biological samples with the data registries in research projects.
Cross-link between lifestyle, disease, and environmental factors
All Danish and Swedish citizens have a personal identification code - a system that has been in place for more than 50 years. This ID code allows for different registries to be cross-linked for the individual citizens, allowing for relevant associations between lifestyle, environmental factors, and disease to be discovered in order to provide optimal treatment for the patient.
Biobanks for high-quality microbiome research
The long history of the registries, and the continuous improvement of the data, which often spans generations, create value for researchers.
Biobanks and cohort studies such as COPSAC, TEDDY, and MOS (see below) are used as a base for high-quality microbiome research. For example, COPSAC has two mother-child cohorts with detailed clinical phenotyping and profiling of various microbiomes. It is linked to the Danish National Biobank, one of the world's largest biobanks storing more than 25 million biological samples. It is a unique resource for the benefit of research on the causes of disease, their prevention and treatment. - The world’s largest stem cell biobank is located at Lund University, further enabling basic research.


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Funding opportunities
Foundations and public funding bodies are cornerstones for funding microbiome research in the Greater Copenhagen region.
Photo credits:
KU Science Lab - © Photograper Nicolai Perjesi, COBIS - © Photograper Ty Stange, Botanical Gardens - © Photograper Christian Lindgren, Apple - © Photograper Food Nation, Novo Nordisk Gladsaxe - © Photograper Nicolai Perjesi.
Website administrated by
Invest in Skåne and Copenhagen Capacity are the official Investment Promotion agencies supporting foreign companies in making a successful start in Greater Copenhagen.
The content on the website was developed by the Microbiome Signature Project, a 3-year project financed by Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak.