Copenhagen Centre for Health Research in the Humanities (CoRe)

What Copenhagen Centre for Health Research in the Humanities (CoRe) does

CoRe (Center for Humanistisk Sundhedsforskning / Copenhagen Centre for Health Research in the Humanities) is a humanities-based health research center housed at the Saxo-Institute within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet), located at Karen Blixens Plads 8, 2300 København S, Denmark. The center applies ethnographic methods, qualitative research approaches, and cultural-historical analysis to health-related topics including lifestyle and intervention, aging, disease, food culture, and volunteering. Its core methodological differentiator is an 'engaged research' approach that involves continuous interaction with citizens, municipalities, healthcare providers, trade unions, and NGOs throughout the research process, generating co-created outputs rather than purely academic deliverables.

The center operates a portfolio of six active research programs rather than a unified product platform: Fra arbejdsliv til seniorliv (FATS) on work-to-retirement transitions; Seniorpraksis on senior mental health in workplaces; Den sunde hud (Healthy Skin) on skin health as a biocultural phenomenon; Borgersensitive og helhedsorienterede sundhedsindsatser on citizen-sensitive care for socially marginalized citizens; Støtte i den offentlige digitalisering on digital support for elderly citizens in public self-service systems; and NUVIS on curiosity, development, and wisdom in senior work life aged 60+. Underlying 'technology' consists of qualitative research methods (ethnography, interviewing, fieldwork) rather than software or data infrastructure.

CoRe is a non-commercial entity and operates no revenue-generating pricing model. Its 'business model' is institutional: the center is sustained by the University of Copenhagen's institutional funding and by competitive research grants from Danish philanthropic foundations, most notably Velux Fonden (5M DKK for NUVIS 2025-2027 and 5.7M DKK for Borgersensitive 2024-2029 via the HUMpraxis program), Carlsbergfondet (Semper Ardens Advance for Den sunde hud 2025-2029), Nordea Fonden, and Velliv Foreningen. Its customer base comprises Danish municipalities (Vordingborg, Vejle, Aarhus, Copenhagen), healthcare providers (Flexklinikken Bispebjerg Hospital, Region Hovedstadens Apotek), trade unions (Danske Fysioterapeuter, DJØF, DM), and academic partners (Center for Sund Aldring, LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center, Caltech, Touchlab Edinburgh, AOBiome Therapeutics). Dissemination occurs through academic publications, conferences, podcasts, LinkedIn, and public outreach events such as the Bloom Festival.

Name

Copenhagen Centre for Health Research in the Humanities (CoRe)

Legal name

Københavns Universitet

Website

https://core.ku.dk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CoRe is a humanities-based health research center at the University of Copenhagen that applies ethnographic and cultural-historical methods to topics including aging, disease, food culture, and volunteering, co-creating research outputs with Danish municipalities, healthcare providers, and foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Health Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Institutes & Programs (EDAHAGAM), Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC)

Keywords

• Humanities health research
• Ethnographic health studies
• Qualitative health research
• Cultural health studies
• Engaged research methods

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CoRe is a university-based research center at the University of Copenhagen that conducts humanities-oriented health research, applying ethnographic and cultural-historical methods to study health, illness, and care practices. The center produces qualitative research outputs, develops engaged research partnerships with citizens and practitioners, and collaborates with Danish municipalities, regions, and healthcare organizations on applied health research projects. It bridges humanities disciplines such as ethnology, anthropology, and history with public health research.

Product overview

CoRe is a humanities research center at the University of Copenhagen conducting high-quality research on cultural and historical aspects of health. The center operates as a portfolio of interconnected research programs rather than a unified product platform. Current active research includes Fra arbejdsliv til seniorliv (FATS) examining transitions to retirement, Seniorpraksis focusing on senior mental health in workplaces, Den sunde hud exploring skin health as a biocultural phenomenon, Borgersensitive sundhedsindsatser developing citizen-sensitive healthcare models, Støtte i den offentlige digitalisering studying digital support systems, and NUVIS investigating wisdom and development in senior work life. The center also maintains completed projects in areas such as Arctic aging, volunteering, food culture, and obesity governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sundhedsfremme, etnologi og ulighed (Health Promotion, Ethnology and Inequality)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vordingborg KommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Fra arbejdsliv til seniorliv (FATS) project for senior life transitions research.
• Vejle KommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Fra arbejdsliv til seniorliv (FATS) project for senior life transitions research.
• Aarhus KommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Fra arbejdsliv til seniorliv (FATS) project and Støtte i den offentlige digitalisering project.
• Flexklinikken, Bispebjerg HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner in Borgersensitive project, providing care for socially marginalized patients.
• Region Hovedstadens ApotekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner providing clinical pharmacy expertise for Borgersensitive project.
• Danske FysioterapeutercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner union in NUVIS project for developing initiatives supporting senior work life.
• DJØFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner union in NUVIS project for developing initiatives supporting senior work life.
• DMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner union in NUVIS project for developing initiatives supporting senior work life.
• Center for Sund Aldring (CESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner center at University of Copenhagen for Fra arbejdsliv til seniorliv (FATS) project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Danish Aging Research Center (DARC): Cross-university Danish collaboration (SDU, AU, UCPH) dedicated to aging research with epidemiological and societal perspectives. Closest Danish peer in aging research methodology and national coverage of the senior population segment CoRe serves.
• The Saxo-Institute, University of Copenhagen (Faculty of Humanities): CoRe's parent unit within the same Faculty of Humanities at UCPH. The Saxo-Institute houses the ethnology, anthropology, and history researchers whose methods CoRe applies to health, making it the closest disciplinary and organizational peer.
• King's College London Centre for Humanities and Health: University-based research center dedicated to humanities-informed health research, with a similarly engaged approach to questions of illness, care, and aging. One of the few international centers that combine humanities disciplines with health research in a structurally analogous way to CoRe.
• Center for Sund Aldring (CESA), University of Copenhagen: Sibling research center at the University of Copenhagen explicitly named as a CoRe partner on the FATS project; both centers focus on aging-related research themes within the same institution, making CESA CoRe's closest structural and topical peer.
• VIVE – The Danish Center for Social Science Research: Denmark's national applied social science research center covering health, welfare, and vulnerable populations. The shared focus on socially marginalized citizens, citizen-sensitive services, and policy-relevant social research makes VIVE CoRe's most comparable Danish national peer.
• Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institutet: Nordic university-based research center focused on aging, health, and societal transitions — closely aligned with CoRe's senior work life, retirement transitions, and aging society focus.
• Maastricht University Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML): European faculty known for engaged, participatory, and society-facing health research traditions. Its profile-based research approach and societal impact orientation make it methodologically comparable to CoRe's engaged-research model.

Broad incumbents

• CRASSH (Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities), University of Cambridge: Established interdisciplinary humanities research center with strong societal engagement orientation; comparable thematic portfolio and host for humanities-health research collaborations, though with a much wider disciplinary footprint than CoRe.
• NIHR School for Public Health Research: UK-based research school covering complex public health interventions and engaged research with practical tools, broadly comparable in mission to embed research in practice — akin to CoRe's municipality-facing model but with a much larger funding umbrella.

Regional players

• Aarhus University Department of Public Health: Danish public health research department operating in the same national policy and municipal context as CoRe, with overlapping interests in aging, municipality partnerships, and intervention research. Closest regional peer in terms of Danish health research ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/core-ucph

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Copenhagen Centre for Health Research in the Humanities (CoRe)