Our goal is to empower you to become a key change agent in the global agri-food sector. Through this programme, you will gain the entrepreneurial skills and deep industry insight needed to lead the green transition.
The BioSustainability Design Novo Nordisk Foundation Fellowship Programme (BSD) is a transformative 10-month, full-time innovation programme hosted by the Danish Technological Institute (DTI). It is designed to cultivate a new generation of change agents equipped to tackle urgent sustainability challenges and drive systemic change across the global agri-food sector.
The BSD immerses cross-disciplinary teams of experienced professionals in a hands-on learning environment. We bring together diverse talents from fields such as engineering, agronomy, food science, business, and technology to focus on need-driven innovation and design thinking.
Through direct engagement with industry leaders, you will gain a systemic understanding of the entire agri-food value chain—from farm to fork—and develop innovative, commercially viable solutions.
The programme is built around three critical themes that represent key challenges and opportunities for impact:
Reduce food waste
A third of our food is wasted. Your mission is to tackle this inefficiency at every stage of the value chain, from production to retail. You will design innovative processes, technologies, and business models that ensure our resources nourish people, not landfills.
Strengthening plant-based value chains
Consumer demand for plant-based food is booming, but the supply chain can’t keep up. Your challenge is to build a more robust system from the ground up. You will identify and solve the critical bottlenecks that hold back the transition to a sustainable, plant-based future.
Transforming By-products into Value
In the food industry, by-products are an untapped resource. Your challenge is to see side-streams not as a practical end economic inconvenience, but as the raw material for your next innovation. You will design the commercially viable processes that transform these streams into high-value products, while building a circular economy.
Four phases will guide you and your team from understanding the industry to launching a validated transformative solution:
Bootcamp: Your journey begins with foundational training in design thinking, need-based innovation, and the agri-food value chain. You will form your cross-disciplinary team and build a shared mission.
Need Identification: You will engage in “field immersion,” working directly with at least two host organizations—such as farms, food processors, or retailers. Here, you will observe processes, identify critical needs, and validate your insights with industry mentors.
Innovation: Your team will transform the most compelling needs into tangible solution concepts. This phase involves intensive ideation, prototyping, and rigorous validation with stakeholders, consumers, and technical experts.
Implementation: Your team will select one primary concept to develop further. You will build an early prototype, create a comprehensive business model, and map out a full implementation strategy, preparing your solution for commercialization.
*The fellowship amounts to a monthly pay of DKK 40,000.00, payable at the beginning of each month. The fellowship is defined as A-income (income taxed at source), and no holiday allowance is paid of the amount. No Supplementary Pension Fund means or other pension contributions are included.
This is more than a programme—it’s your launchpad. You will leave with a validated solution concept, ready to make a real impact through industry implementation or your own start-up.
Go to our How to apply-section and send your application.
