In June 2023 ReproUnion was awarded 6.7 million euros to promote innovation in research and treatment of infertility, by establishing an innovation platform with new opportunities to reduce the risk of involuntary childlessness and improve fertility treatment.
“The funding will go towards helping more involuntary childless couples. Today, infertility is one of the most frequent chronic diseases for couples between 20 – 45 years! We want the infertility research to also result in the creation of new companies with a focus on developing innovative forms of treatment. The aim is to help couples who have difficulty conceiving or carrying out a pregnancy, says Lars Gaardhøj (S), Chairman of the Capital Region of Denmark whose colleague on the Swedish side continues: “The grant will be used to implement many years of research results in innovative solutions that will contribute to the development of new preventive methods, improved diagnostics and more effective treatment of infertility. It increases competitiveness while benefiting the Region’s health and medical care,” says Anna Mannfalk (M), chairman of the health committee in Region Skåne.
For more than a decade, ReproUnion has built a unique public-private project in which academia, healthcare and the life science industry collaborate in the field of reproductive medicine. An important aspect to the continued success of the project is to create a joint and strong Danish-Swedish entrepreneurial environment within reproduction.
“ReproUnion is an excellent initiative, strengthening innovation within reproductive health by facilitating collaboration between academia, the public health care sector and businesses. As the leading company within reproductive medicine we can play an important role in supporting smaller life science entrepreneurs within the ReproUnion framework, says Kelle Moley, Vice President, Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health, Ferring Pharmaceuticals.
The innovation platform will have a strong focus on new technology and precision medicine, but also on strengthening the unique fertility biobank (RUBIC), which in the future will be an important tool in the development of new innovative solutions.
“Involuntary childlessness currently affects every 4-6 couple, and there is a tremendous need for new innovative treatments. The opportunities have been greatly increased thanks to the funding ReproUnion has now received. It enables us to continue building on the cross-regional fertility research that ReproUnion has been a front runner for the past ten years and it supports the translation to new treatments and innovative start-ups, underline the professors Jens Sønksen, University of Copenhagen, and Aleksander Giwercman, Lund University, who both serve on ReproUnion’s Executive Board.
The EUR 6.7 million comes from the EU programme Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak, the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Skåne and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The EU programme supports projects that aim to solve societal challenges across borders in Southern Scandinavia.
The news has been featured by Danish and Swedish news (subscriptions required):
EU giver dansk-svensk fertilitetsforskning tocifret millionindsprøjtning — MedWatch
