New report confirms Denmark’s standing as a science nation

Denmark continues to hold its own among global research leaders, according to a new international report that points to high quality in Danish research, strong international cooperation and close links between research and business.

The report, titled Denmark as a Science Nation, was launched at an event co-hosted by Elsevier and the Innovation Fund Denmark on 19 February.

The event brought together leading voices from academia, industry, and government to explore how Denmark can contribute to Europe’s transition “from a continent of innovators to a continent of innovation”, as called for by the Draghi Report, The Future of European Competitiveness, published in September 2024 and commissioned by the European Commission.

It was a timely discussion and followed closely the end of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the close of last year.

“Denmark stands at a pivotal moment in shaping its research and innovation (R&I) landscape. As Europe continues to grapple with the challenge of translating world-class science into tangible societal and economic impact, Denmark’s new Agreement on Research and Innovation 2026–2029 sets out a forward-looking vision for supporting key research areas and select critical technologies,” a press release announcing the report’s launch stated.

Denmark as a Science Nation analyses Danish research in a European and global context and looks at, among other things, the impact of research in companies, in political decisions and in the development of new technologies.

The report was produced by Paola Barr, Elsevier’s research networks analyst, Federica Rosetta, vice-president for academic relations and public affairs (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and Miguel Santinhos, global strategic networks associate at Elsevier.

Citation impact

According to the report, Denmark is among the world's leading research nations as measured by citation impact. Among nations producing more than 50,000 papers annually, it is second only to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Sixty-seven per cent of Danish research publications have international co-authors, compared with 62% for the Nordics, 43% for the EU, and 21% globally. Beyond the G7 and China, other notable figures include Australia (59%), Africa (53%), the Middle East (44%), Latin America (39%), India (22.5%), and Russia (21%).

Internationally, co-authored papers achieve an average Field Weighted Citation Index (FWCI) of 2.13, nearly doubling the citation impact of purely national research.

It notes that 12.3% of Danish publications are cited in national and international policy documents and 39% of Danish research relates to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Clinical and health science research is Denmark’s largest and most impactful research area, representing 27% of Danish scholarly output compared to the EU average of 20% and achieving the highest citation impact among all disciplines.

Research in quantum technology is Denmark’s most international research area, with 81% international co-authors on Danish research articles.

Biotechnology is an emerging Danish strength, with 14% of all research articles being published in collaboration with companies. At the same time, the field has one of the world's highest citation rates in patents at 18.4%, the report notes.

Longstanding legacy

The executive summary notes that Denmark has a “longstanding legacy of scientific excellence, with notable contributions from pioneering minds like Niels Bohr, a Nobel laureate in physics whose groundbreaking work helped shape our understanding of the atom”, the report states.

It notes: “Today, Denmark’s innovation landscape is globally recognised through influential companies such as Novo Nordisk, a leader in diabetes care, and Vestas, a pioneer in sustainable energy solutions. Building on this foundation, Denmark’s research ecosystem continues to play a vital role in driving technological and societal progress.”

It goes on to explore how the country’s strategic focus on key sectors, combined with its strong global connectivity, translates into scientific performance, particularly in an increasingly competitive international research environment.

Overall, the report notes, publication volume has grown at a higher rate than the EU average, and Danish authors are, on average, more prolific than their European peers.

Academic-industrial collaboration

The report notes that academic-corporate collaboration is a cornerstone of the Danish research and innovation system, with both the volume of co-publications with industry and their citation impact being higher than those observed in G7 countries and China.

Novo Nordisk is by far the most prolific corporate partner, playing a central role in interconnecting academia with the business sector. Danish research is also frequently highly cited in patents, with patent citation rates above both the global and EU averages.

The Technical University of Denmark stands out, with 7% of its research cited in patents (compared with the national average of 4.5%).

Danish research has a particularly strong influence on policy, the report notes, with 12.3% of Danish publications being cited in policy documents, nearly twice the EU average.

Sustainability is another area of strength, according to the report: 39% of Danish research relates to at least one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, compared with global and EU averages of 34%. SDG-related research also achieves higher impact (FWCI 2.10) than Denmark’s overall average (FWCI 1.77).

In the category of key strategic technologies, Denmark performs strongly in research related to artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biotechnology, space technologies and clean energy, with citation levels consistently and significantly exceeding both global and EU averages.

The success here is underpinned by collaboration. Denmark records the highest rates of international partnership among comparator countries, particularly in fields like quantum research (81%) and AI (72%).

The report also argues that strong academic-corporate partnerships – such as 14% of biotechnology and 9% of AI publications co-authored with industry – drive rapid knowledge transfer.

Gender and diversity

In terms of disciplines, while clinical and health sciences are the largest and most impactful fields in Denmark, diversity and gender equality are also important drivers of innovation in Denmark, 44% of active researchers are women, placing the country within the gender parity range (40–60).

However, under-representation remains in certain areas, particularly in STEM fields and at senior career levels, highlighting opportunities for further progress, the report states.

In response to the report, Cecilie Brøkner, director of Innovation Fund Denmark, said: “To maintain and expand Denmark's strong knowledge position, we need to strengthen scale, talent, test environments and the path from research to application.

“Within new critical technologies such as AI and the quantum field, this requires new tools, new alliances and the courage to prioritise harder. In global competition, movement is a prerequisite for staying ahead.”

It also quotes Minister of Education and Research Christina Egelund, who said it was good to have confirmation from international experts that Danish research “has high quality, great international impact and good cooperation with the business community”.

“In return, we must become even more skilled at translating research into solutions and companies. Because we are in fierce global competition to develop the technologies and solutions that create the foundation for our economy – but also the green transition, safety and health.

“That is why the government is working purposefully to remove barriers on the research path to concrete solutions,” Egelund is quoted as saying.

European partnerships

Frede Blaabjerg, distinguished professor of energy technology at Aalborg University and chair of the Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy, told University World News the report confirms that Denmark is growing as a science system.

“The number of authors from Denmark increased by 12.5% from 2020 to 2024.

“Also, I note the high-quality collaborations with countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and France. It prompts us to ask whether we have fully realised the potential of European partnerships.

“Finally, all Danish universities punch way above the global average in field-weighted citations. Our country is home to eight universities that produce world-class science,” Blaabjerg said.