Life Sciences

Denmark has developed into one of the strongest clusters in life sciences in Europe. It is a dense cluster of universities, hospitals and companies within biotech, medtech and pharma, numerous of which are R&D based.

Denmark’s Life Science Cluster Provides Value and Knowledge

Life Science is a thriving business sector in Denmark. The country is home to major pharmaceutical companies as well as many small- and medium-sized biotech enterprises with a strong position in R&D. The Life Science sector in Denmark also comprises a medical technology industry known abroad for its large, global companies manufacturing disposables, assistive and diagnostics devices. The medical technology industry also comprises a vast number of small- and medium-sized companies, several of them being highly innovative.

It all started with agriculture

A longstanding agricultural tradition starting with beer, cheese and pork created a research industry in Denmark 150 years ago. Since then, research and research methods have developed and become more sophisticated and today, e.g. within cancer research, Denmark is comparable to Boston and Washington D.C. internationally.

The Danish biotech cluster is spearheaded by Medicon Valley, one of Europe’s strongest life science regions, comprising a dense cluster of universities, hospitals and companies. Denmark has a long tradition of close collaboration between basic research institutions, academic and commercial researchers and a number of highly skilled and very strong companies. The country is one of the European leaders in terms of drug development – Denmark has the third largest commercial drug development pipeline in Europe in absolute numbers.

Innovative solutions for medical technology companies

A leading knowledge and growth industry with a sustained focus on research and development and a substantial export share amounting to more than 90% of the total medical technology production in Denmark that is - briefly described - the characteristics of the Danish medical technology industry.

Skilful and visionary companies, universities and a public health sector in a continued process of designing new products and solutions for diagnostics, therapy and care have resulted in the industry experiencing a continued growth. Due to a particular focus on research and development, design and innovation, market testing, high-tech production and strong user-producer linkages, Denmark has become one of Europe’s leading medical technology industry nations.

last updated: 2010.03.24