With commitments and letters of intent totaling more than DKK 500 million, the partners behind the Danish Neuroscience Center (DNC) – Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital, and the Central Denmark Region – can now realize a new research building in Skejby. The ambition is for the center to become a pioneer in brain research that bridges psychiatry and somatic medicine.

The project is funded by a broad group of contributors, including KIRKBI A/S, Købmand Herman Sallings Fond, the Lundbeck Foundation, the Aarhus University Research Foundation, the Central Denmark Region, and private donors.

The center will be located on the hospital grounds between the neurological departments and Psychiatry, bringing together research, treatment, and prevention of brain diseases – close to the patients.

The building will also feature a new “Brain Universe,” where citizens, school classes, and patients are invited inside.

From basic research to patient care

DNC was established in 2009 by the Central Denmark Region and Aarhus University and has since achieved major breakthroughs in the treatment of brain diseases.

Researchers from DNC have developed a streamlined stroke treatment with rapid diagnostics, which is now used in hospitals worldwide.

They are now working to further improve early diagnostics, including through the use of biomarkers.

The Lundbeck Foundation Parkinson’s Disease Research Center (PACE) will also be housed in the new building. Here, researchers will study the causes of neurological diseases and, in the long term, lay the groundwork for new treatments that can slow down or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

New opportunities for innovation

The need for new knowledge is enormous. One in three Danes will at some point be affected by a mental or physical brain disorder – including major public health conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, ADHD, and depression.

Anne-Mette Hvas, Dean of Health at Aarhus University, emphasizes that the new facilities will strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and promote the transition from research to treatment:

“Strong research facilities and a vibrant research environment make it easier to attract leading international researchers and strengthen collaboration between the university, hospital, and private sector. This creates new opportunities for innovation, faster access to knowledge, and the best possible conditions for translating basic scientific discoveries into new treatments. That’s what patients – and society – need,” she says.

Interdisciplinary collaboration creates new solutions

The 12,000-square-meter building will include research clinics, laboratories, an auditorium, conference rooms, and office spaces.

Currently, DNC researchers are spread across multiple locations in the city, making interdisciplinary collaboration more difficult.

Professor and Chief Physician Jens Christian Hedemann Sørensen, Chair of DNC, stresses that proximity between researchers from different fields is key to creating innovative solutions:

“The brain holds our personality and controls our senses, movement, thoughts, and emotions. That’s why we must conduct research across both the physical and mental domains. This integration is a core principle of the center’s work – and it will thrive in a modern building where we can bring together researchers and clinicians across specialties,” he says.

He adds:

“I hope and expect that this will allow us to translate some of the vast knowledge we have gained about neurological and mental illness into new treatments that make a real difference for patients. I also hope that the new DNC will establish a unique research environment that attracts top international talent and elevates neuroscience in Aarhus to an even higher level.”

Major impact for patients and society

Leaders in both the region and the hospital see great potential in the new center and extend their gratitude to the donors who made the project possible.

Regional Council Chair Anders Kühnau (S) highlights the importance of uniting research across psychiatry and somatic medicine:

“This will give us the best possible foundation in Denmark for improving the treatment of brain diseases across the old divides between psychiatry and somatics. I’m confident that by taking a holistic approach to brain health, we can advance research, prevention, and treatment – to the benefit of future patients, brain health, and the economy,” he says.

Thomas Balle Kristensen, CEO of Aarhus University Hospital, also thanks the contributors:

“A heartfelt thank you to all the donors who recognized the potential of this project. A center for brain health is almost a manifestation of the healthcare reform’s vision that hospitals should take greater responsibility for the entire healthcare system – from prevention to treatment. This will make a real difference for patients, research, and our ability to prevent disease and improve quality of life for millions of people,” he says.

Dialogue with the public

The building will also feature facilities for public outreach and prevention. The main entrance will host a BRAIN UNIVERSE, where citizens, patients, and school groups can meet researchers and explore the brain through interactive exhibitions and events.

The goal is to strengthen public brain health, reduce stigma surrounding mental illness, and let citizens’ perspectives inspire research.

Facts about the Danish Neuroscience Center

• Established in 2009 by the Central Denmark Region and Aarhus University
• The new building is expected to be completed in 2031
• The building covers 12,000 m² and will be located between Psychiatry and the somatic neurological departments at Aarhus University Hospital
• It will be the first research center in the world to integrate psychiatric and somatic research on the same site as both a psychiatric and somatic hospital
• The building will include research clinics, laboratories, an auditorium, conference facilities, and office spaces
• The ground floor will feature a BRAIN UNIVERSE open to the public with exhibitions, lectures, and events
• The Central Denmark Region is the developer

Funding

• KIRKBI A/S: DKK 60 million
• Købmand Herman Sallings Fond: DKK 120 million
• Lundbeck Foundation: DKK 100 million
• Aarhus University Research Foundation: DKK 120 million
• Central Denmark Region: DKK 120 million

Contact

Dean Anne-Mette Hvas
Aarhus University, Health
Tel: +45 8715 2007
dean@health.au.dk