Denmark is among the world leaders in diabetes treatment and insulin production. One of the people behind all this is Hans Christian Hagedorn. As the captain of Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium, he led the journey that changed the then-deadly disease, diabetes, from a disease you died from to a disease you could live with. His life became extremely turbulent – guided by a strong moral compass – which often led him into the eye of the storm. Stay tuned every week in December for three more episodes on the extraordinary life of insulin pioneer Hans Christian Hagedorn.
https://legacy.novonordiskfonden.dk/en/videos/novo-nordisk-foundation-strategy/
News and media
12 Apr 2022
Novo Nordisk Foundation Strategy
08 Apr 2022
Novozymes Prize 2022
08 Apr 2022
Novo Nordisk Prize 2022
08 Apr 2022
Novo Nordisk Prize 2022 – Interview
08 Apr 2022
Novozymes Prize 2022 – Interview
19 Jan 2022
Green transition
Together with Novo Holdings, the Novo Nordisk Foundation has embarked on a journey to make biotechnology a spearhead for the green transition of society. The ambition is to help remove the roadblocks wherever they are, so promising biologic discoveries can be translated into applicable solutions as quickly as possible. We are supporting research and innovation that can help us drive the green transition of agriculture and industry with biology. And we are committed to doing our part – all the way from ground-breaking ideas to delivery of solutions.
17 Dec 2021
Hans Christian Hagedorn – Captain for life – Episode 4 – “Stranded”
Nordisk’s victory over Novo in the Supreme Court in 1941 and the Allied victory over Germany in 1945 gives Hans Christian Hagedorn what he wants. However, the victories are bittersweet. The war has pulled the rug from under Nordisk’s finances, and the victory over Novo has unexpectedly put wind in their sails. The time has now come to change course. Follow the story in the last episode of our series on Denmark’s diabetes pioneer Hans Christian Hagedorn.
12 Dec 2021
Hans Christian Hagedorn – Captain for life – Episode 3 – “Keelhauled”
In 1933, with Hans Christian Hagedorn as the undisputed captain, Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium seems unstoppable. Although arch rival Novo is a constant impediment, in the 1930s Hans Christian and Nordisk continue their relentless quest for better insulin – and better treatment for diabetes. What he does not realise is that his uncompromising course is leading him directly into a perfect storm that even the best captain cannot withstand. Follow the story in Episode 3 of our series on Denmark’s diabetes pioneer Hans Christian Hagedorn.
06 Dec 2021
Hans Christian Hagedorn – Captain for life – Episode 2 – “Mutiny”
When Hans Christian Hagedorn and August Krogh revolutionised the treatment of diabetes in 1923, the profits from sales made by Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium would not benefit individuals but would benefit society. Although competitors quickly emerged focusing more on price than quality, one competitor, Novo Terapeutiske Laboratorium, was more determined and also more innovative than all the others. Follow the story in Episode 2 of our series on Denmark’s diabetes pioneer Hans Christian Hagedorn.
29 Nov 2021
Hans Christian Hagedorn – Captain for life – Episode 1 – “Setting sail”
28 Sep 2021
John Andrew Todd is receiving the 2021 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence
22 Sep 2021
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen and Alfred Spormann
22 Sep 2021
The Novo Nordisk Foundation CO2 Research Center
17 Sep 2021
The Novo Nordisk Prize 2021
17 Sep 2021
The Novozymes Prize 2021
15 Sep 2021
Novo Nordisk Foundation and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard launch new research center for genomic mechanisms of disease
Supported by a $47.5 million commitment from the Foundation, the Center will facilitate close collaborations between the Broad Institute and Danish researchers investigating the genetics and gene regulation of common complex disease, with an initial focus on type 2 diabetes and obesity.
20 Dec 2020
The Pedersen Brothers – Episode 4: “To manage is to anticipate”
When Thorvald Pedersen gives his New Year’s speech in 1955, Novo is on a roller-coaster ride. Having hit rock bottom in the 1940s, the company has hit new heights with its Lente insulins. Opportunities in an expanding European Community are growing, but so is international competition. However, the factory on Fuglebakken has become too cramped. The brothers, who hate spending money they do not have, are now forced to invest more money than they can afford.
13 Dec 2020
The Pedersen Brothers – Episode 3: “Together we will win”
The end of the Second World War heralds a new era for Novo. World markets are reopening. With hard work, Harald and Thorvald have put the defeat at the hands of rival Nordisk in the patent case behind them. The commitment of the workforce is a decisive foundation on the journey back to the top, which culminates in an explosion of inventiveness in the company.
09 Dec 2020
The Pedersen Brothers – Episode 2: “We must be able to do better”
The discovery of insulin in 1921 rapidly changes diabetes from being a deadly disease to a disease you can live with. In Denmark, insulin also kick-starts a long-running feud between two companies: Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium, led by the powerful doctor Hans Christian Hagedorn – and the breakaway group of Harald and Thorvald Pedersen, who surprisingly make a success of Novo Terapeutiske Laboratorium.
29 Nov 2020
The Pedersen Brothers – Episode 1: “They will never manage to do that”
Family above all. This was never more true than for the 10 children of schoolmaster Niels Christian Pedersen and his wife Karen Marie, who grew up in especially straightened circumstances in Himmerland, north Jutland in the late 19th century. It would have been hard to predict that two of their children, Harald and Thorvald, would found a business that today is the most valuable company in the Nordic countries.
Here, we tell the story of how two brothers from Øster Hurup in North Jutland, Harald and Thorvald, created Novo Therapeutic Laboratorium, about the enmity and the 65-year battle against the rivals in Nordisk and not least about the fantastic inventions and the unique commitment that the two brothers succeeded in creating.
Despite their incredible history and contribution to Danish company history, Harald and Thorvald Pedersen are virtually unknown to the Danish population – perhaps because from the very beginning they focused on the employees rather than themselves. Respect, quality and commitment were the values the two brought from their family home in Øster Hurup, which they passed on to their new Novo family.
Here, we tell the story of how two brothers from Øster Hurup in North Jutland, Harald and Thorvald, created Novo Therapeutic Laboratorium, about the enmity and the 65-year battle against the rivals in Nordisk and not least about the fantastic inventions and the unique commitment that the two brothers succeeded in creating.
Despite their incredible history and contribution to Danish company history, Harald and Thorvald Pedersen are virtually unknown to the Danish population – perhaps because from the very beginning they focused on the employees rather than themselves. Respect, quality and commitment were the values the two brought from their family home in Øster Hurup, which they passed on to their new Novo family.
28 Nov 2020
August Krogh – Episode 4: “A companion for life”
28 Nov 2020
August Krogh – Episode 3: “When even the best is not good enough”
28 Nov 2020
August Krogh – Episode 2: “The clearest vision”
28 Nov 2020
August Krogh – Episode 1: “The Unrelenting Search for the Truth”
27 Nov 2020
The story about Steno Diabetes Center – Episode 4 “The Battle”
27 Nov 2020
The story about Steno Diabetes Center – Episode 3 “The Name”
27 Nov 2020
The story about Steno Diabetes Center – Episode 2 “The Vision”
27 Nov 2020
The story about Steno Diabetes Center – Episode 1 “The Miracle”
26 Nov 2020
What is the money used for?
The Novo Nordisk Foundation awards around DKK 5 billion each year for scientific, humanitarian and social purposes.
In recent years, we have extended our range of grants considerably, and today we support many different areas, especially in Denmark and the Nordic countries.
But what is the money used for? Which activities do we support? You can learn more about that in this video.
22 Sep 2020
The 2020 Novo Nordisk Prize is awarded to Merete Nordentoft and Preben Bo Mortensen
Voices that talk to you. They encourage you to kill yourself, stab somebody or contemplate how to kill yourself. This is reality for 1 of 100 people. Most often they do not know that the voices are not real, and 1 in 4 actually try to commit suicide. 2020 Novo Nordisk Prize recipients Merete Nordentoft and Preben Bo Mortensen have dedicated their lives to studying suicide prevention and schizophrenia.
21 Sep 2020
Jens C. Brüning is receiving the 2020 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence
Hunger can be one of the most urgent needs to tame. The secretion of hormones and the emission of nerve signals can be so massive that people must eventually surrender. The violent interplay between the forces of the body – especially the interaction between the stomach and the brain – has become the main focus in recent years in the struggle to understand the escalating epidemics of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Jens C. Brüning is receiving the 2020 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence for his outstanding contributions.
16 Jul 2020
Detlef Weigel is receiving the 2020 Novozymes Prize
The current trajectory of global climate change will strongly affect how well plants can adapt to their environment. Contrary to what one might think, however, the plants in the hottest regions may not be those immediately hit hardest. Experiments in central and southern Europe show that especially the plants in central Europe lack the proper genes to survive a drier and warmer climate. According to Detlef Weigel, who has studied plant development and adaptation for three decades, evolution cannot keep up and therefore needs help. To recognize outstanding research or technology contributions that benefit the development of biotechnological science for innovative solutions, Detlef Weigel is receiving the 2020 Novozymes Prize.
28 Apr 2020
New Danish national test centre – COVID-19
05 Nov 2019
CPH BIOSCIENCE – Lecture
Copenhagen Bioscience Cluster is a Novo Nordisk Foundation initiative with the ambition of establishing world-class centres and research infrastructure within biomedicine and biotechnology and create an innovative framework for collaboration and synergy.
18 Sep 2019
Daniel J. Drucker – 2019 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence
Three decades ago, only a small number of researchers talked about gut hormones. Today, many people view these hormones as building blocks for developing new therapies to confront the obesity and diabetes epidemics that are sweeping the world. Daniel J. Drucker has studied the molecular mechanisms and physiological functions of hormones for 35 years. His studies unravelling their biological actions have led to several discoveries and the development of life-changing therapies. For his outstanding contributions, he is receiving the 2019 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence.
10 Aug 2019
Research Leader Programme 2019
15 Mar 2019
Dame Carol Robinson – The Novozymes Prize 2019
The myriad processes that take place in our body’s cells are the basis of life as we know it. Since cells are filled with fluid, British chemist Carol Robinson created a lot of attention by setting out to investigate life’s processes in a vacuum. Despite massive resistance, she persevered. Now she is receiving the Novozymes Prize for founding a new subfield of mass spectrometry to investigate the shape of proteins and how they interact. Today, this technique is used to identify brand-new targets for drugs.
15 Mar 2019
Hans Bisgaard – The Novo Nordisk Prize 2019
Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood and the most common reason children are hospitalized. The 2019 Novo Nordisk Prize recipient, Hans Bisgaard, found that giving fish oil to women during pregnancy reduces the risk of their children getting asthma by 30% and significantly more if they have a certain genetic profile. His latest result shows that fish oil also influences the development of the child’s nervous system, including cognition.
14 Mar 2019
Where does the money come from?
Of all the foundations in Denmark, the Novo Nordisk Foundation donates the most money for scientific, social and humanitarian causes.
But how do we get the money? And how does everything fit together? Here’s how.
14 Jan 2019
Impact of research
Karsten Vrangbæk receives DKK 10 million to investigate impact of research on health and disease.
30 Oct 2018
Novo Nordisk Foundation Strategy 2019-2023
The Novo Nordisk Foundation will broaden its scope and increase grant payouts.
02 May 2018
Maria Theresa Norn – Reseach Impact 2018
02 May 2018
Torben Tranæs – Research Impact 2018
02 May 2018
Dorte Gyrd-Hansen – Research impact 2018
02 May 2018
Mickael Bech- Research impact 2018
02 May 2018
Carter W. Bloch – Research Impact 2018
22 Mar 2018
Gunnar Von Heijne
The 2018 Novozymes Prize recipient has achieved breakthroughs in studies of membrane proteins.
22 Mar 2018
Jørgen Kjems
The 2018 Novo Nordisk Prize recipient has shown that RNA plays a key role in regulating cells.
12 Sep 2017
Philipp Scherer
The 2017 EASD-NNF Diabetes Prize for Excellence recipient has increased our knowledge on diabetes.
17 Aug 2017
Impact of research
Mette Gørtz has received DKK 10 million to investigate the impact of research on health and disease.
17 Aug 2017
Impact of research
Mickael Bech receives DKK 10 million to investigate the impact of research on health and disease.
21 Mar 2017
Emmanuelle Charpentier – The Novozymes Prize 2017
Recipient of the 2017 Novozymes Prize for her contributions to developing the CRISPR-Cas9 tool.
21 Mar 2017
Poul Nissen – The Novo Nordisk Prize 2017
Recipient of the 2017 Novo Nordisk Prize for his studies of the structure and function of ion pumps.
21 Mar 2017
Virginijus Siksnys – The Novozymes Price 2017
01 Feb 2017
Tilmann Weber – Challenge 2017
26 Sep 2016
2016 EASD-Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence – Professor Andrew Hattersley
26 May 2016
A cluster of research centres
Learn about the cluster of research centres in Greater Copenhagen supported by the Foundation.
22 Mar 2016
Christian Torp-Pedersen – Novo Nordisk Prize 2016
21 Mar 2016
Jens Nielsen – Novozymes Prize 2016
19 Feb 2016
Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme (2016)
25 Sep 2015
2015 – Novo Nordisk Foundation Laureate Research Grants
25 Sep 2015
Ole Kiehn – Novo Nordisk Foundation Laureate Grant Recipient 2015
10 Mar 2015
2015 recipient of the Novozymes Prize – Professor Bernard Henrissat
10 Mar 2015
2015 recipient of the Novo Nordisk Prize – Professor Jens Bukh
18 Jul 2013
Kenn Gerdes – Novo Nordisk Foundation grant reciever (English 2013)
18 Jul 2013
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (English 2013)
18 Mar 2013
Stephen Cohen – Novo Nordisk Foundation grant receiver (English 2013)
01 Jul 2012
Copenhagen Bioscience Conference (English 2012)