MICROBIOME SIGNATURE PROJECT

The Greater Copenhagen metropolitan region, spanning eastern Denmark and the southernmost part of Sweden, is home to 4.4 million inhabitants. With 44,000 employees in the life science industry and 14,600 university researchers spread across nine universities based in the region, Medicon Valley is the strongest life science cluster in the Nordics.

The vision is for Greater Copenhagen to be the leading metropolis in Northern Europe in terms of attracting and retaining international investments, companies and talent.

The Microbiome Signature Project

This project seeks to build on the cluster’s strengths by positioning it as a global centre for microbiome research. It is a three-year project (2019-2022) financed by Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak and is jointly led by Copenhagen Capacity, Invest in Skåne and Medicon Valley Alliance.

The project aims to strengthen entry into the Greater Copenhagen region’s research environment within microbiome research through enhancing collaboration and synergies cross border and cross disciplines. It also seeks to boost private investments in research and innovation, through establishing international research facilities and activities, as well as attracting talent to both publicly and privately funded research environments.

The human microbiome comprises of microorganisms (or microbiota) that live on and in humans. More specifically, it is the collection of microbial genomes that contribute to the broader genetic portrait of a human. Research in the microbiome is a relatively new interdisciplinary field that takes place across several established research fields and has gained high interest in recent years due to its links to a number of conditions, ranging from IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) to diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain types of cancer.

Microbiome research is expanding in Greater Copenhagen with companies like, Biogaia, Chr. Hansen, Ferring, Novozymes, Probi and SNIPR BIOME investing in its continuous development. Microbiome research is also being investigated by the academic world with both University of Copenhagen, Lund University and Technical University of Denmark - DTU researching how microbiome influences illnesses such as asthma, diarrhea and obesity and how microbiome can help women’s health or improve food security of aid in sustainable food production. 

Additionally, fermentation research is a core competence for both businesses and universities in Greater Copenhagen and this has resulted in the region being a market leader within this technology. Companies like Chr. Hansen and Novozymes are on the forefront when it comes to fermentation facilities and production. 

CONTACT:
Micael Györei, Invest in Skåne, E: micael.gyorei@skane.com, T: +46 724 67 28 72


Responsible for talent attraction within the project:

Dan Rosenberg, Copenhagen Capacity, E: dro@copcap.com, T: +45 60851560

Project partners: