Rasmus Thomsen

Lundbeckfonden / Lundbeck Foundation

The Lundbeck Foundation is an active industrial Foundation. Hans Lundbeck founded the company H. Lundbeck in 1915. In 1954, his widow, Grete Lundbeck, established the Lundbeck Foundation and transferred her shares in H. Lundbeck to the Foundation as the couple had no heirs. Today H. Lundbeck is a world leader in the development and sales of drugs to treat brain disorders, and the Foundation owns 70% of the company. In 1989 The Lundbeck Foundation acquired its second subsidiary, and today owns 40% of the capital (67% of the votes) in ALK, the world leader in allergy vaccines. In 2011, the Foundation bought 57% of the leading international rescue and assistance company, Falck. In addition to the three subsidiaries, the Foundation owns and manages a portfolio worth approx. DKK 13,9 billion via Lundbeckfonden Invest, as well as a portfolio of biotech investments managed by Lundbeckfonden Ventures. Lundbeckfonden Emerge, is a strategic initiative to accelerate commercialization of early scientific opportunities through investment and active project involvement. The Foundation annually grants DKK 400-500 million to independent scientific research of the highest international quality. Euro 1 million goes to "The Brain Prize"​ awarded by Grete Lundbeck's European Brain Research Foundation. It is the Foundation's vision to create better lives through new knowledge.