Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Denmark

What Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Denmark does

The Department of Chemistry and Bioscience (Institut for Kemi og Biovidenskab) is a constituent academic department of Aalborg University (AAU), a Danish public state university founded in 1974 (CVR 29102384). Operating across two Danish campuses — Aalborg Øst (main) at Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H and Esbjerg at Niels Bohrs Vej 8 — the department delivers research-based education and conducts interdisciplinary research spanning biology, chemistry, biotechnology, bioengineering, environmental science, and chemical engineering. Its core research infrastructure is organized into eight research sections plus administration, with two dedicated research centers: the Center for Membrane Technology (CMT, 15+ years, 100+ publications) and the Center for Microbial Communities (CMC, founded 2013). Notable technical capabilities include self-cleaning thermocatalytic membranes, flexible graphene oxide membranes, super-hydrophobic silicon carbide membranes for membrane distillation and crystallization, self-monitoring/fouling-detection membranes, and the Microflora Danica nationwide catalog of soil microorganisms.

The department serves multiple customer segments. Primary educational customers are ~775 bachelor and master students enrolled in Biologi, Bioteknologi, Kemi, Kemiteknologi, Miljøvidenskab, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Bioengineering, and related programs, plus approximately 75 PhD students (per the 2025-2029 strategy). Industry and institutional partners — including Novo Nordisk, Grundfos, Rockwool, Royal Greenland, Fibertex Personal Care, DSM Glycom, COWI, and Lyras — participate in an annual Aftagerpanel employer advisory board and in research collaborations, student projects, and internships. International research partners include University of Vienna and Nanyang Technological University Singapore (SCELSE), and the department has a knowledge-collaboration partnership with IPBES Denmark.

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: Danish government block funding (the predominant source for a public university), Danish/German research council grants, EU framework program funding, and industry/foundation collaboration funding, with non-EU student tuition providing a marginal stream (EU/EEA students study free of charge). Total staff stood at approximately 230 as of 1 March 2026, up from ~150 employees per the strategy document. The department describes its growth profile in the 2025-2029 strategy as "rapid growth in research activities largely supported by external funding," while flagging that teaching uptake is expected to stabilize or decline, a financial sustainability concern. Marketing and recruitment channels include Facebook (@bio.aau.dk), LinkedIn, YouTube, email newsletters, on-campus events/open days, participation in national education fairs, the Hands On Biotech gymnasium outreach program, and earned-media coverage (e.g., DR, Watertech, Jydske Vestkysten). The department's commercial positioning is anchored on its problem-based learning (PBL) model, the AAU brand for STEM education, and its specialized centers, with sustainability framed as a cross-cutting research and education focus.

Name

Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Denmark

Legal name

Aalborg Universitet

Website

https://bio.aau.dk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Department of Chemistry and Bioscience at Aalborg University is a public academic department delivering interdisciplinary research-based education and applied science in chemistry, biology, biotechnology, bioengineering, environmental science, and chemical engineering, serving roughly 850 students and multiple industry partners across its Aalborg and Esbjerg campuses in Denmark.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Academic Research in Chemistry and Bioscience

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Agriculture, Environmental & Earth Sciences (EDAGABAL)

Keywords

• Higher education programs
• Chemistry and biology research
• Membrane technology research
• Microbial ecology studies
• Biotechnology degree programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Aalborg Øst

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Public funding from Danish government for research activities. The department has experienced rapid growth in research activities largely supported by external funding from Danish and German Research councils, EU, and industry.
2. Tuition Fees: Limited tuition revenue as EU/EEA students generally study free of charge. Non-EU students pay tuition fees.
3. Research Grants and Contracts: External funding from Danish and German Research councils, EU funding, and additional support from industry and foundations. Research collaborations generate project-based funding.
4. Industrial Partnerships: Collaboration funding and support from industry partners for applied research projects, technology development, and student training.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The department delivers research-based higher education programs (bachelor, master, PhD, and Diplomingeniør professional engineering) in biology, chemistry, biotechnology, bioengineering, environmental science, and chemical engineering at campuses in Aalborg and Esbjerg. It also conducts fundamental and applied research through two dedicated centers — the Center for Membrane Technology and the Center for Microbial Communities — and engages in contract-based knowledge collaboration with industry partners and public institutions. Research and education follow Aalborg University's Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model, with focus areas including sustainable food production, clean water, environmental protection, resource recovery, and biotechnology.

Product overview

The Department of Chemistry and Bioscience at Aalborg University operates as a unified academic institution offering research-based education and conducting fundamental/applied research. The portfolio consists of research centers (Center for Membrane Technology and Center for Microbial Communities), collaborative research projects (Microflora Danica mapping Danish soil microorganisms, Hands On Biotech educational outreach), and research focus areas (Future Foods). The department provides bachelor's, master's, and PhD programs in biology, chemistry, biotechnology, bioengineering, environmental science, and chemical engineering, using a problem-based learning approach. The institution also produces educational offerings across multiple disciplines including Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, and Biology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Membrane Technology (CMT): Research center developing novel membrane technologies through interdisciplinary collaboration between academia and industry.
• Center for Microbial Communities (CMC)
• Microflora Danica
• Hands On Biotech

Products and services

• Bachelor Degree Programs (Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science)
• Master Degree Programs (Bioengineering, Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science)
• PhD Programs in Chemistry and Bioscience
• Professional Engineering Program (Diplomingeniør) in Chemistry and Biotechnology
• Research and Knowledge Collaboration Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Teaching activities and student uptake expected to stabilize or potentially decline, posing challenges to financial sustainability (strategy 2025-2029)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Vienna, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Close collaboration with researchers from Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science at University of Vienna, Austria, as part of the Center for Microbial Communities. Collaboration on microbial ecology research.
• Nanyang Technological University Singapore (SCELSE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Close collaboration with Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Collaboration on microbial ecology and environmental life sciences engineering research.
• IPBES Denmark (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe department has entered into a partnership with IPBES in Denmark, the Danish coordination office for IPBES. In the partnership, the department contributes to anchoring IPBES' knowledge and resources in Danish research environments and political decision-making processes, as well as implementing IPBES in Denmark's work.
• Center for Membrane Technology Industry PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembrane product development and solutions created in collaborations with leading universities and companies worldwide working on different aspects of membrane technology from production of membranes, process design, monitoring and control and large scale membrane systems.
• Aftagerpanel (Employer Panel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual advisory panel meetings with industry representatives including Novo Nordisk, Grundfos, Rockwool, Royal Greenland, Fibertex Personal Care, DSM Glycom, COWI, Lyras, and others to ensure education quality and graduate employability.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wageningen University & Research: Major European life-sciences and food-technology university; a broader incumbent with overlapping alternative-protein, microbial, and environmental science research relevant to AAU's Future Foods and microbial programs.
• ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences: Leading European chemistry/bioscience department at a top research university; relevant comparator for research output, publication scale, and international competition for PhD talent in chemistry and biotechnology.

Direct peers

• DTU Chemical Engineering (Technical University of Denmark): Department at Denmark's other technical university delivering chemistry, chemical engineering, and biotechnology education and research; the closest domestic peer for student recruitment, faculty competition, and Danish research-council funding.
• SCELSE, Nanyang Technological University Singapore: Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering; AAU's existing international partner on Center for Microbial Communities and a directly comparable microbial-ecology and wastewater-treatment research centre.
• Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna: Long-standing AAU partner in the Center for Microbial Communities; a closely comparable microbial-ecology research department with overlapping metagenomics, wastewater, and bioengineering expertise.
• Department of Biology, Aarhus University: Danish bioscience department competing for students, postdocs, and grants in microbiology and environmental science; comparable in scale and mission to AAU's chemistry and bioscience department.
• Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen (CHEM): Large Danish chemistry/biochemistry university department competing for the same domestic student pool and Danish/EU research funding in chemistry, catalysis, and biotechnology, with overlapping membrane and bio-research themes.

Regional players

• Department of Chemistry, Lund University: Swedish university chemistry department with overlapping membrane and biochemistry research; a Scandinavian comparable on education scale, grant capture, and talent competition.

Others

• SINTEF (Norway): Nordic applied research organization with overlapping applied biotechnology, membrane, and environmental science work; comparable non-university research counterpart in the Nordic ecosystem.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish applied research institute with relevant biotech, food, and membrane technology research; a regional applied-research analogue for evaluating Nordic knowledge-collaboration models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUVYyfEAb8WZDQZB3omLGkA
• Facebookfacebook.com/bio.aau.dk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bioaau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Denmark