A farmer planting./PHOTO ;Pexel
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded up to DKK 97 million to the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) and the World Food Programme’s IGNITE Innovation Hub to launch the BioSustainability Design Novo Nordisk Foundation Fellowship Programme (BSD).
Announced on 19 November 2025, the initiative will train nearly 100 fellows over five years to design and implement solutions that strengthen sustainable and resilient food systems in both Denmark and East Africa.
Agri-food systems worldwide are under intensifying pressure due to climate change, resource scarcity, and population growth, but the challenges differ across regions.
Denmark’s advanced agri-food sector faces the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting environmental impacts.
East Africa, meanwhile, contends with structural barriers such as food insecurity, malnutrition, low agricultural productivity, fragmented value chains, and limited access to technology, markets, and infrastructure.
Intensive Training Across Borders
The BSD aims to address these region-specific challenges by offering an intensive 10-month, full-time fellowship that blends hands-on innovation training, mentorship, and cross-disciplinary collaboration in both Denmark and East Africa.
Over five years, nearly 100 fellows will be trained using a model that combines practical problem-solving with entrepreneurship.
In Denmark, the programme will be administered by the Danish Technological Institute.
“The BSD is a game-changer for Denmark’s agri-food sector. At Danish Technological Institute, we are proud to provide the facilities, expertise, and industry networks that enable fellows to turn bold ideas into real, scalable solutions. This is about building the talent pipeline we need to lead the green transition and ensuring Denmark remains at the forefront of sustainable food innovation,” said Juan Farré, CEO of the Danish Technological Institute.
The programme is built on two core pillars: a need-based innovation methodology and an interdisciplinary approach to tackling systemic problems.
Fellows will work in teams to identify and respond to challenges such as reducing food waste and loss, strengthening plant-based value chains, and valorising side-streams.
For East Africa specifically, the focus will also include improving local food production and processing, and addressing food safety and quality concerns.
The BSD is expected to generate new entrepreneurs and high-potential innovation projects from supply-chain upgrades and marketing innovations for plant-based products to AI-driven forecasting tools for food waste management, new processing and storage technologies, and solutions to support more sustainable farming practices.
Shared Framework Inspired by Proven Innovation Models
Modelled on the Foundation’s successful Biomedical Design Fellowship, based on the Stanford Biodesign methodology, the BSD uses a structured, experiential learning approach that has already proven effective in driving innovation in the agri-food sector.
Fellows will be hosted by organisations across the agri-food value chain, creating opportunities for collaboration with industry experts, cluster organisations, and local partners in both regions.
In East Africa, the WFP IGNITE Innovation Hub will lead programme implementation.
“ Through IGNITE, WFP supports local enterprises that improve market access, crop storage, and adaptability to extreme weather. The Novo Nordisk Foundation partnership will further train and resource local entrepreneurs to reduce hunger and strengthen communities,” said Eric Perdison, WFP Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
The Foundation emphasized the value of connecting regional expertise.
“By combining Denmark’s technological expertise with the entrepreneurial capacity in East Africa, the BSD supports the development of solutions that are both locally relevant and globally applicable.
It strengthens innovation across borders, and we are proud to support a programme that connects networks across the value chain in a way like this,” said Mikkel Skovborg, Vice President for Innovation at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
The Denmark chapter, led by DTI, will run from 2025 to 2030 with a budget of DKK 73 million, while the East Africa chapter, led by WFP IGNITE, will run from 2026 to 2029 with a budget of DKK 24 million.
