About the Program

 
 

Why?

  • Would you like to experience & learn entrepreneurship hands-on by Spending five months in a Silicon Valley-based startup?

  • Live in California for a semester with ambitious & like-minded students?

  • Build a strong global network to use in your future career?

 
 

What?

The Program will enroll six top talented students per semester in a 5-month research project in a Silicon Valley-based startup.

  • The scientific projects will all be designed to accommodate the Danish universities’ requirement of 30 ECTS points.

    Each project will include relevant STEM scientific content and research equivalent to the academic curriculum level of a master's.

    The scientific project will be based on a match between the chosen scholars and a startup, so each project is tailored to 1) the academic abilities and relevant experience of the scholar, 2) the interest of the scholar, and 3) the need and offering of the startup.

    All start-ups will have a bioinnovation and/or bioentrepreneurship focus. The exact description of the desired requirements and skills for the candidate will be specified in the individual project post.

    It is the scholars’ own responsibility to request and ensure approval/transfer of credits. The Scholarship Program nor the Novo Nordisk Foundation can be involved in obtaining academic credit.

  • Aside from the full time in the start-up as a scholar, you will participate in a entrepreneurship course with 6 tailed sessions developed to ensure a great understanding of how to build your own startup from idea to pitch.

  • Scholars are given a unique opportunity to network with industry-leading partners, startups, and fellow students in the world’s leading entrepreneurial ecosystem.

  • As a scholar you will live with five other scholars in a shared house. In this way you have the opportunity to share your Silicon Valley experience with like minded individuals and build a both personal and professional network.

    After the program you will be part of a strong alumni network.

 

How?

financial support

  • Visa, housing, flight, and health insurance costs are covered by the scholarship sponsored by The Novo Nordisk Foundation.

  • Scholars will be given a monthly stipend to cover day-to-day living expenses, such as food and transportation.

Support to hit the ground running

As a scholar, you are supported throughout the program by dedicated advisors from Innovation Centre Denmark in Silicon Valley:

  • Help through the visa process, find and set up housing, and health insurance.

  • Local point of a contact person to help answer questions regarding living in Silicon Valley and support your mental- and physical wellbeing.

  • Social and professional events.

Since 2019, ICDK has successfully hosted 21 scholars in The International Bioinnovation Scholarship Program and has been engaged in scholarship programs since 2015, here among the DARE Fellowship program for medical students.

Application Process

You apply in a few easy steps:

  1. Research the various startups* that offer scientific projects here
    (*In case you have any questions, please contact ICDK and do not reach out to the companies directly)

  2. Make a short video where you Reflect on why you are motivated to join the program in general or specifically one of the listed companies. Consider what you would like to gain from the scholarship. Explain how you can contribute to a start-up.

  3. Apply using the formula here before the deadline

Deadlines for the spring cohort

  • Deadline for applications, September (see date on application page)

  • Chosen applicants can expect to be invited for an interview within approx. 2 weeks from the application deadline.

  • February 1st - June 30th: Scholarship in Silicon Valley.

deadlines for Autumn cohort:

  • Deadline for applications, March (see date on application page)

  • Chosen applicants can expect to be invited for an interview within approx. 2 weeks from the application deadline.

  • August 1st - December 31st: Scholarship in Silicon Valley.

 
 

What our scholars say

"The program gave me a unique opportunity. I wanted to apply the methods and theory of the lecture halls to real-world problems, experience a milieu focused on applied science, and learn about small cooperation R&D in medical technology. If you want to get a first-hand view on what Silicon Valley is and which ideas are nurtured in the San Francisco Bay area then the program is your window to a larger perspective.”

— Lauge Naur Hansen (2019)
 Student @ Copenhagen University
& Denmark’s Technical University
Startup: Juvena Therapeutics

read more quotes from alumni