Biotech and pharmaceutical areas receive most support from Højteknologifonden (The Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation). But the energy and environment area is right behind pharmaceuticals and may take over the first position in a few years, well served by the global agenda, estimates the managing director of the foundation.

Nanotechnology, biotech and IT are the basis of the foundation. This was determined when Højteknologifonden was established in 2005 to increase hightechnology research and innovation in Denmark, writes ErhvervsBladet.

And even though the biotech field after three years of distributions also proved to be the foundation’s favourite by 27 per cent of the distributed research money, the energy and environment field as the dark horse has charged forward to a second position by 26 per cent with a good gap down to IT by 21 per cent, shows the foundation's annual report.

Altogether the foundation distributed EUR 87 million whereas the participating companies and universities have contributed EUR 91 million in three years.

The second position was not all. The energy area may go all the way to the top, estimates the managing director of the foundation.

“With the important global and national agenda on the climate and energy areas and with the number of discussions about where we need to concentrate it is obvious that it has rubbed off on the interests of the companies as well as the researchers. When looking at our distributions, I would not be surprised if energy will be more important than biotech before long,” says Carsten Gaarn-Larsen.

He points at Denmark’s major and innovative companies within the energy and environment areas as well as on the strong research environments within energy as the reason why the energy take up so much of Højteknologifonden’s portfolio.