Novo Nordisk Foundation funds new national cryoEM infrastructure
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded DKK 215 million to establish DANCEM (DAnish National CryoEM Infrastructure), enabling researchers to study biological processes inside cells in unprecedented detail. This will pave the way for new discoveries in areas such as neurology, infectious diseases, cell biology and drug development. The grant is shared between University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and Aarhus University (AU).
“We are very grateful, as this novel investment will strengthen the entire Danish and Nordic cryoEM ecosystem – from technology and expertise to collaboration and discovery”, says Tillmann Pape PhD, Facility Manager at CFIB, UCPH.
DANCEM: Supporting collaboration between leading cryoEM centres.
DANCEM is a new national distributed cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) infrastructure based upon existing core facilities and expertise at the Core Facility for Integrated Bioimaging, University of Copenhagen, and at EMBION, Aarhus University. The project is supported by generous Novo Nordisk Foundation funding that allows the addition of new state-of-the-art electron microscopes, consolidating important IT upgrades, as well as the support of specialist staff.
The facilities will allow researchers to visualise proteins, viruses, and other biological structures at atomic and molecular resolution. A key focus will be cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET), an advanced imaging method that enables scientists to study molecular organisation directly inside cells rather than in isolated samples. This helps researchers understand how biological processes work in their natural environment and how they might change during disease.
The new infrastructure will provide open access to researchers from universities, hospitals, and industry across Denmark and the Nordics while strengthening collaboration between the country's leading cryoEM centres.
The DANCEM vision is to develop into:
“A flagship national cryoEM research infrastructure, built on strong synergies between leading institutions, aiming to empower the Danish research community to visualise the architecture of molecular systems – from atomic to cellular anatomy,” says Thomas Boesen PhD, Scientific Director at EMBION, AU.
New drug targets, therapies, and understanding
The scientific and societal potential of DANCEM is significant. By enabling researchers to observe biological systems from the atomic level to entire cellular environments, the infrastructure will allow researchers to target pressing questions in all major research fields in the life sciences with unprecedented precision.
The knowledge generated through the facilities may help researchers to improve our understanding of how diseases develop and progress, develop more effective therapies and identify potentially new drug targets. Beyond healthcare, the infrastructure is expected to strengthen Denmark's position as an international leader in structural biology, attract top scientific talent, and train the next generation of cryoEM specialists.
“Investing in DANCEM is an investment in the research infrastructure that tomorrow’s biomedical breakthroughs will depend on, and in Denmark’s ability to develop and attract the researchers behind them”, says Nicholas Heelund Sofos PhD, cryoEM Application Specialist at CFIB, UCPH.
The DANCEM infrastructure will be launched officially with a mini symposium on the
22nd of October 2026, at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen (Please follow this link for information & registration - DANCEM Launch)
Contact: Senior Researcher Thomas Boesen