BioInnovation Institute (BII), a non-for profit Foundation known for incubating and advancing world-class life science research, has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate efforts to discover translational world-class research to identify new technologies and solutions that can improve the health of women and girls across the world, including low-income countries.
The grant supports BII’s vision to strengthen the European ecosystem for research and start-ups that addresses unmet medical needs within women’s health and family planning. The grant will allow for sufficient resource allocation to drive the Initiative and BII will contribute by applying its expertise in project scouting in combination with a strong scientific and investor network.
As part of this Joint Initiative, BII will conduct a thorough landscape analysis and identify leading research and start-up opportunities for women’s health, with the potential for future funding from BII and partners. BII will also undertake community building and awareness creating activities with selected key partners within the ecosystem.
Commenting on the grant award, Jens Nielsen, BioInnovation Institute CEO, said: “BII is delighted to have secured this prestigious grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It enables us to put in place the resources needed to scout and support important initiatives to accelerate improvements in Women’s Health – a priority for society and an area of strategic interest for BII. We are excited to drive innovation in this important field, and we will strive to deliver novel solutions for a global unmet medical need.”
BII already focuses on women’s health and has an existing portfolio of promising women’s health and family planning projects. However, the new initiative, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, paves the way for BII to accelerate existing efforts to discover translational world-class research that can improve women’s health.
Katrine Thor Andersen, Deputy Director, Global Health, Gates Foundation, said: “The BII team’s capabilities and strong commitment to Women’s Health has impressed us. We are excited to have BII as a strategic partner to complement our efforts in catalyzing innovation, with the goal of improving the health of women and girls, especially in low-income countries —bringing us closer to a more gender-equal world.”
