Innovation District Copenhagen joins our 'Global science cities' discussion

Image: view over river to IDC, courtesy of...

Future Cities Forum is delighted that Lene Rasmussen, Head of Secretariat at Innovation District Copenhagen (IDC) will join our 'Global science cities' discussion this April - which will be held at the The Oxford Science Park.

Before her current role Lene was a Team Leader in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and this included project and funding support.

Five research institutions ensure that Innovation District Copenhagen has one of Europe’s highest concentrations of education and research in the fields of medicine, health and natural sciences: University College Copenhagen, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Bispebjerg Hospital, Danish Technical University (DTU) and University of Copenhagen.

Innovation District Copenhagen is a partnership between University of Copenhagen, Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, BioInnovation Institute (BII), Bispebjerg Hospital, City of Copenhagen, Danish Building and Property Agency, Danish Industry Foundation, Danish Technical University (DTU, LEO Foundation, Lundbeck Foundation, Ministry for Higher Education and Science, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Symbion, The Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO), University College Copenhagen (Københavns Professionshøjskole), and University Hospital Rigshospitalet.

Innovation District Copenhagen describes the ambitions of the science city:

'With elite research institutions, leading hospitals, a thriving start-up ecosystem, and a central location in one of the world’s most attractive cities, Innovation District Copenhagen has enormous potential to tackle many of society’s challenges – including those related to security, climate and human and planetary health.'

In January 2025 The City of Copenhagen announced a plan outlining the Danish capitals’ development until 2036. The plan was adopted unanimously by Copenhagen’s governing body, the Borgerrepræsentation, at a meeting on 12th. December 2024. A major point in the plan is that the city will partner with the Danish government to develop Innovation District Copenhagen to be a world leading innovation district within life science and quantum technology.

'Development opportunities for knowledge-based industry is a central issue in the city plan . The aim is to create an area with attractive residential, academic and business properties. Innovation District Copenhagen is already home to over 500 start-ups and scale-ups. With the new strategy, the city hopes to attract more global businesses. For example, in the form of R&D facilities or strategic partnerships.

'The district is home to world-leading research communities and lies within walking distance of some of the capitals most attractive residential neigbourhoods. With the plan, the City of Copenhagen aims to create a body of new commercial real estate, where start-ups as well as established businesses can co-locate with researchers. The City will also accelerate its work to attract foreign talent, companies and direct investments which will support the transition of inventions from lab to market.

'Innovation District Copenhagen builds on a decade of effort to create Copenhagen Science City, which was an initiative by University of Copenhagen, University Hospital Rigshospitalet and University College Copenhagen (KP). In the continuation of the project, the City collaborates with the original partners and the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs as well as Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

'The innovation district is a two square-kilometre area in the heart of Copenhagen. 40,000 researchers, students and staff work here within science, health and care and 500 innovation intensive start-ups have chosen to launch in the area. Many of them in order to collaborate with researchers or clinicians.

'Denmark is already a global hot spot for life science. Research as well as business. With University of Copenhagen the City of Copenhagen also has a history of contributing to the development of quantum technology. In fact, the university is the world’s seventh biggest publisher of quantum research-papers while Denmark educates the highest number of quantum-related graduates per capita.

'City and state have now convened a larger group of innovation-ecosystem stakeholders including property developers and investment-specialists. Together, this group will create a unified plan for the district to ensure strong urban qualities and an overall concept for its on-going development.

Innovation District Copenhagen is a non-profit association with representatives from academia, the health sector, industry, innovation ecosystem actors, legislative bodies, and funding bodies.