Press Release  Governor Healey Welcomes Delegation from Denmark to Strengthen Scientific, Technological and Commercial Ties

Boston — Today, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey welcomed a delegation from Denmark for a series of meetings focused on strengthening the scientific, technological and commercial ties between Massachusetts and Denmark. During the visit, Governor Healey and Denmark’s Ambassador to the U.S. Jesper Møller Sørensen signed an economic partnership agreement, committing to work together to grow their leadership in life sciences, health care, biomanufacturing, advanced manufacturing, robotics and artificial intelligence.  

“Massachusetts and Denmark have long enjoyed strong economic ties – especially when it comes to our leadership in cutting edge industries like life sciences and technology,” said Governor Healey. “It was great to welcome Ambassador Møller Sørensen and his delegation to the State House today to commit to strengthening this partnership and express our support for the Danish people.”

“Denmark and Massachusetts share a deep commitment to innovation and solutions that improve lives,” said Ambassador Sørensen. “By bringing together Denmark’s decades of expertise in life sciences and public-private partnership and Massachusetts’ world-leading innovation ecosystem, today’s agreement translates our shared ambition into a partnership that will benefit both Denmark and Massachusetts.”

This agreement formalizes a shared commitment to advance research, foster business cooperation and accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies. Additionally, the agreement builds on longstanding ties between Massachusetts and Denmark, uniting two globally recognized innovation hubs known for their strengths in life sciences, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. 

“Massachusetts and Denmark are both global science and innovation leaders and this agreement gives us a strong framework to deepen collaboration between our companies, research institutions, and entrepreneurs,” said Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. “Denmark is already one of Massachusetts’ top trading partners, and we’re excited to build on that foundation and grow our partnership in critical sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and AI.”

The agreement builds on robust economic ties between Massachusetts and Denmark. Massachusetts trades nearly $240 million with Denmark, which marks a 134 percent increase since 2010. Massachusetts primarily exports medical devices, organic chemicals and industrial machinery and imports pharmaceutical products, industrial machinery and medical devices. Substantial trade and investment, particularly within life sciences, between both jurisdictions has enabled companies to thrive.

Members of the Denmark delegation included Ambassador Møller Sørensen, Consul General Ann-Christina Petersen Lange, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Research of Novo Nordisk Jacob Petersen, Vice President & Head of External Innovation of Lundbeck Klaus Simonsen, Chief Investment Officer of EIFO Erik Balck Sørensen, Aalborg University Professor Brian Vad Mathiesen, Chief Scientific Officer of LEO Foundation Anne-Marie Engel, CEO of Danish Biotech Hans Schambye, and CEO of Healthcare Denmark Jakob Skaarup. 

Attendees from the Healey-Driscoll Administration included Governor Healey, Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, Undersecretary of Business Strategies Zenobia Moochhala, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment Jeevan Ramapriya, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Kirk Taylor, Interim CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Dr. Jennifer Le Blond, and Director of Massachusetts Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub Sabrina Mansur. Former United States Ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford also attended.

The delegation’s visit was coordinated by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science and the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment. Massachusetts has similar agreements with numerous countries and international regional governments, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Taiwan. 

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