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The Lundbeck Foundation has partnered with the Capital Region of Denmark to establish a national research centre in clinical psychiatry. The goal is to create ground-breaking results in clinical psychiatric research and thereby make a difference for people living with mental illness.

The Lundbeck Foundation aims to help elevate Danish psychiatric research and has initiated a collaboration with the Capital Region of Denmark, to explore the possibility of establishing a world-leading nationwide research centre in clinical psychiatry.

The long-term objective is to provide Danish research in clinical psychiatry with a historic boost that can lead to a better understanding of why and how mental illness develops, and at the same time improve treatment for people affected by mental illness.

“The establishment of a new Danish research centre in clinical psychiatry should resonate both nationally and internationally. It is our ambition that, within a 10-year period, the research centre will be able to achieve such significant breakthroughs in clinical psychiatry, that it fundamentally changes our understanding of why and how mental illness develops, thereby improving treatment options,” says Jan Egebjerg, Director of Science at The Lundbeck Foundation.

Improved conditions for psychiatric research

In the agreement on the 10-year plan for psychiatry and mental health in Denmark, which was concluded by a broad majority in the Danish Parliament in September 2022, a strengthened research effort is one of five prioritised areas, with the aim of creating ‘better conditions for research into the prevention and treatment of mental disorders’.

Compared to other disease areas, psychiatric research has not historically been prioritised or allocated the same level of resources in Denmark. However, with recent political agreements aimed at strengthening the area of psychiatry, funds have now also been allocated to implement the national research strategy for the benefit of people with mental health conditions.

Satellite centres across Denmark

Prior to the ongoing dialogue with the Capital Region of Denmark, the Lundbeck Foundation has over the past year engaged a wide range of key stakeholders—including patient associations, central government bodies, universities, hospitals, and hospital managements—in discussions around the vision of establishing a future research centre.

The aim has been to explore how a research centre best contributes to advancing clinical psychiatric research on a national level and interact with existing research infrastructure, initiatives, and political agreements in a way that is balanced in terms of resource use.

“It is our ambition that the new research centre should have its epicentre in the Capital Region of Denmark, where there are already strong clinical psychiatric research environments to capitalize on. At the same time, it must encompass the entire country through decentralised research satellites in all Danish regions. By combining a national epicentre with regional satellites, the goal is to raise the overall level of clinical psychiatric research across - and for the benefit of all of - Denmark,” emphasises Jan Egebjerg.

Anchoring the research centre at a national level, combined with a regional satellite structure, will help strengthen research and engage patients across the country. Furthermore, the satellite structure supports the ambition of ensuring that research findings can be better implemented and adapted to clinical practice across the regions.

Making a true difference for patients

The long-term goal of the research centre is to achieve breakthroughs in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of people with mental illness. In recent years, the Lundbeck Foundation has conducted interviews, meetings, and workshops with researchers from across Denmark and with leading international scientists to discuss relevant scientific focus areas to meet this objective.

Two areas have been identified as having the potential to make a significant difference for patients. The first focuses on gaining a better understanding of how mental illness develops from the pre-natal stage through to adulthood, with emphasis on early detection, prevention, and treatment. The second area focuses on treatment options after illness onset, and targets the large group of patients who do not currently respond adequately to existing therapies. This also includes understanding the underlying disease mechanisms and conducting research into treatment in its broadest sense.

The two areas partially overlap, and a research strategy will therefore be developed to guide the centre, setting out both short-term and long-term objectives. The research strategy will be prepared by the future director of the centre.

Reaching an agreement 

The Lundbeck Foundation and the Capital Region of Denmark are now engaged in close dialogue to explore the specific possibilities for establishing the research centre.

“Our goal in the coming period is to develop a cooperation agreement that outlines the framework to establish and set up the operation of the research centre,” says Jan Egebjerg.

The cooperation agreement must be approved by the regional council of the Capital Region of Denmark and by The Lundbeck Foundation. Once both parties have reached agreement, the process of recruiting a director for the research centre will begin.