12 leading research areas in Greater Copenhagen

Pharmaceuticals, foods, social big data, sound and acoustics, quantum physics and bioenergy. These are 6 of 12 highly promising research areas with great investment potential in Greater Copenhagen, according to a new report.

Copenhagen is much more than 'hygge', award-winning Scandinavian TV series and thousands of bicycles.

Greater Copenhagen is also top class research. A new report singles out 12 research areas with great business and investment potential in which Greater Copenhagen are world-leading. These include food and additives, medical research, sound and acoustics, social big data, quantum physics and bioenergy.

Highly enterprising research at universities

Since November 2014, pharma giant Bristol Myers Squibb has invested more than 2.37 billion US dollars in biotech research in Denmark, which is about 25% of the company’s total budget for drug research and development.

“Our investments in Denmark obviously reflect that the level and quality of Danish research is very high. We will be working to expand our relations with Danish researchers, biotech companies as well as universities because universities in Denmark are becoming increasingly enterprising and more focused on turning basic scientific discoveries into new treatments, much like in the US”, said Global Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Donnie McGrath.

The world’s first super computer

Microsoft is another multinational who has declared Denmark its love and recently announced a collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen to build the world’s first quantum computer.

With effective quantum hardware and software, quantum experts could create vast computing power to address the world’s most pressing problems such as climate change and food shortage. The computers could outdo physical systems, speeding up lengthy processes such as drug development.

“With the report, we have identified 12 research areas in which our universities and researchers are not only highly skilled, but among the very best in the world, and which have great potential for commercial R&D and business investments”, says Claus Lønborg, CEO Copenhagen Capacity, who assists international companies, investors and talent in identifying and realising business opportunities in Greater Copenhagen.

Do you want to know more?

Read more about the 12 research areas here.

The report is commissioned by the Capital Region of Denmark in partnership with Copenhagen Business School (CBS), University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Copenhagen Science City, Municipality of Copenhagen, Lyngby-Taarbæk Science City, Frederiksberg Municipality and Copenhagen Capacity.