Claus Meyer has spent 30 years improving Danish food culture. Now, the founder of The New Nordic Cuisine will be chair of the advisory board for a new career and innovation programme for the food sector, supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. “We must nurture the most talented people of the new generation,” he states.
Claus Meyer is taking up the role of chair of the advisory board for the BioSustainability Design Fellowship Programme. A new career and innovation programme run by Danish Technological Institute and supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation with DKK 73 million. From September 2026, the programme will train experienced professionals each year to bring lasting change in the food sector, focusing on reducing food waste, plant-based foods and the utilisation of sidestreams.
I have spent much of my life working hands-on on specific projects. It is hugely satisfying to be able to contribute in a more strategic capacity. The Danish Technological Institute brings together talented people and develops their skills in needs-driven innovation. It is a platform with enormous potential.
– Claus Meyer, Gastronomic Entrepreneur
Focus on long-term systemic change
The programme stands out with its long-term perspective on systemic change in the way we produce and consume food. Rather than focusing on quick fixes, the BioSustainability Design Fellowship Programme invests in building a generation of change agents. Agents who can bring systemic improvements in the food sector.
Claus Meyer emphasises that the greatest potential in the programme is in its long-term perspective:
“I have always been concerned with where to direct my efforts to bring about the strongest possible positive change to the food system. The BioSustainability Design Fellowship Programme is about nurturing some of the most talented people in the generation that will drive change over the next 10–20 years. That is the kind of long-term systemic change I want to contribute to.”
Needs-driven innovation in practice
The BioSustainability Design Fellowship Programme is a 10-month programme in which experienced professionals are brought together in multidisciplinary teams to jointly design, test and implement sustainable solutions for the food sector. Through fieldwork at host companies, participants work directly on specific challenges in the food value chain and develop solutions using the needs-driven innovation method, which aims to minimise food waste, strengthen value chains for plant-based foods and utilise by-products.
“The method requires the industry to have the courage to open its doors and let in a fresh perspective. We are currently looking for host companies for the first round, starting in mid-September, who would like to try out the method to gain a fresh perspective on their challenges and identify potential solutions for the sector,” says Louise Krogh Johnson, programme director for BioSustainability Design at the Danish Technological Institute.
She also highlights the programme’s broader ambition:
It’s not just about solving specific problems here and now. We’re training change agents. When you understand the real need rather than the visible problem, you can find solutions that really make a difference.
– Louise Krogh Johnson, Programme Director
The programme’s objective is to develop new talent capable of driving the green transition. Either by joining existing companies with their new skills or by starting out as entrepreneurs. There were 115 applicants for the programme’s first cohort. 12 applicants were selected and starts 1st of September 2026.
Press contact
Programme Director Louise Krogh Johnson, Danish Technological Institute
Mobile / email: +45 7220 3553 / lkrj@dti.dk
