Globe Institute

What Globe Institute does

Globe Institute is a public research institute within the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science, headquartered at Oester Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen K, Denmark. It operates as a federated platform of 13 research groups and specialized centers spanning GeoGenetics, GeoBiology, Macroecology/Evolution/Climate (CMEC), Star and Planet Formation (StarPlan), the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (CEH), the Centre for Ancient Environmental Genomics (CAEG), the Centre for Glacial Rock Flour Research, the Research Centre on Ocean, Climate and Society (ROCS), and the AEGIS initiative. Its core technical competencies are ancient DNA (aDNA) sequencing, environmental DNA (eDNA) extraction directly from soil, sediment, and moss, paleogenomic reconstruction, population genomics, molecular geobiology, and Quaternary climate modeling, with the institute having pioneered eDNA-from-soil as a foundational methodology.

The institute's business model is non-commercial: it is funded through University of Copenhagen institutional support and competitive research grants from foundations including the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Lundbeck Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation, Villum Foundation, and the Danish National Research Foundation. It does not sell products or charge customers; outputs are open-access peer-reviewed publications, open-data releases (notably through AEGIS), graduate-level teaching through UCPH degree programs, and applied collaborations with conservation agencies, agricultural stakeholders, and international research partners. Customers in the practical sense are funders, academic collaborators, graduate students, and applied users (breeders, policymakers, conservation bodies) who consume its datasets and methodologies.

The institute is led by Head of Department Anders Johannes Hansen, with section and center heads including Kurt H. Kjær (GeoGenetics), Tue Hassenkam (GeoBiology), David Bravo Nogues (Macroecology/Evolution/Climate), Martin Bizzarro (StarPlan), Carsten Rahbek (CMEC), Minik Thorleif Rosing (Glacial Rock Flour), Tom Gilbert (CEH), and Katherine Richardson (ROCS). Professor Eske Willerslev, who also directs CAEG and the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre and holds a dual Cambridge appointment, is the most internationally recognized figure and was awarded the 2025 Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award. Globe maintains active research collaborations across Greenland, France, Russia, Canada, Iceland, and Ivory Coast, and published landmark findings in 2025–2026 including the world's oldest RNA extracted from a woolly mammoth, a 37,000-year disease-history map, and 5,500-year-old plague genomes.

Name

Globe Institute

Legal name

Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen

Website

https://globe.ku.dk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Globe Institute is a University of Copenhagen research institute that pioneers ancient and environmental DNA analysis across 13 specialized centers, funded by major foundations and serving academic, conservation, and applied agricultural stakeholders worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genomics Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint) (EDAHABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Ancient DNA sequencing
• Environmental DNA research
• Paleogenomics research
• Evolutionary biology studies
• Climate genomics science

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research grants and foundation funding: Major research funding from foundations including Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome Trust for AEGIS program (DKK 585 million over 7 years), Lundbeck Foundation for GeoGenetics Centre, Villum Foundation for various projects, Carlsberg Foundation for genome infrastructure, and Danish National Research Foundation for CAEG.
2. Government university funding: Core operational funding through University of Copenhagen as a public Danish university institution.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Globe Institute is a non-commercial research institute at the University of Copenhagen conducting advanced research in ancient DNA, environmental DNA (eDNA), paleogenomics, evolutionary biology, climate science, and planetary formation. It houses 13 specialized research sections and centers, including GeoGenetics, GeoBiology, CMEC, StarPlan, the Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the AEGIS climate-resilient agriculture initiative, and the Centre for Glacial Rock Flour Research. The institute also delivers BSc, MSc, and PhD academic programs in genetics, ecology, evolutionary biology, and climate science through the university.

Product overview

Globe Institute is a research institute at the University of Copenhagen comprising multiple specialized research centers and academic programs focused on environmental genomics, evolutionary biology, and Earth system science. The institute operates as a platform of interconnected research sections including GeoGenetics, GeoBiology, Macroecology/Evolution/Climate, and StarPlan, alongside dedicated centers like AEGIS (climate-resilient agriculture), Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, and Centre for Glacial Rock Flour Research. The institute offers undergraduate through PhD academic courses in genetics, ecology, and climate science. Rather than commercial products, the institute provides research services, scientific collaborations, and educational programs through these interconnected centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AEGIS (Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability) International research consortium using ancient environmental DNA and biomolecules to develop climate-resilient crops and sustainable farming systems. Targets breeders, farmers, policymakers, and industry through an open-data release policy.
• Section for GeoBiology Research center exploring how interactions between Earth's lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere have shaped planetary evolution, using field geology, Earth system modeling, and nano-geochemistry.
• Section for GeoGenetics Section operating at the intersection of genetics, geology and archaeology, using genomic and metagenomic approaches to study evolution, human-environment interaction, past climate, diseases, speciation, and ecological processes.
• Section for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CMEC) Center studying fundamental evolutionary and ecological principles generating and maintaining biodiversity, examining past, present and future patterns in biological diversity and species interactions under climate change.
• Center for Star and Planet Formation (StarPlan) Center using multidisciplinary approaches including isotope studies of meteorites, stellar evolution theory, astrophysical models and astronomical observations to understand planetary system formation and habitable worlds.
• Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (CEH) Research center using evolutionary and computational approaches to understand host-microbe interactions and their role in evolution, health and disease across diverse species.
• Centre for Glacial Rock Flour Research Research center investigating the use of Greenlandic glacial rock flour for carbon capture through enhanced rock weathering, with applications in agriculture and marine systems to counter ocean acidification.
• Academic Courses and Graduate Programs Graduate-level academic programs including BSc, MSc and PhD courses covering genetics, evolution, ecology, climate science, and bioinformatics offered through the University of Copenhagen.
• Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre Centre studying the origins of human brain disorders and infectious diseases through evolutionary genomics and paleogenomics, with sequencing technology supported by Illumina partnership.
• Centre for Ancient Environmental Genomics (CAEG) Centre for Ancient Environmental Genomics (CAEG), funded by the Danish National Research Foundation, supporting research into ecological and evolutionary phenomena over extensive temporal and spatial scales using ancient eDNA and biomolecules.
• Research Centre on Ocean, Climate, and Society (ROCS) Interdisciplinary research centre on ocean, climate, and society with novel application of ancient sedimentary DNA analysis on marine and lake sediment cores.

Quantifiable outcome

• Developed methodology enabling DNA extraction from just 2 grams of soil
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• IlluminamajorTechnology or IntegrationGenerous partnership providing sequencing technology and support for Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre research platform.
• University of CambridgemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration with Cambridge Evolutionary and Computational Genomics group (Prof. Richard Durbin) and Professor Eske Willerslev holds dual appointment.
• University of GothenburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Prof. Kristian Kristiansen in European Archaeology research.
• University of BernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Prof. Laurent Excoffier in Evolutionary Genomics and Bioinformatics.
• CNRS France (National Centre for Scientific Research)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration with CNRS researcher Laure Salanova on Stone Age population collapse study in France analyzing 132 individuals.
• Greenland Institute of Natural ResourcesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution partnership on narwhal research investigating two-tusked narwhals and their ecology using museum collections.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Institut Pasteur: Paris-based private non-profit research institute focused on infectious diseases, genomics, and global health. Overlapping focus on disease evolution research (parallel to Globe's plague genome work) and global health relevance.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: UK genomics research institute funded by Wellcome Trust with extensive genomic sequencing capabilities and population genetics programs. Overlapping funding source (co-funder of AEGIS) and comparable scale of genomic research infrastructure.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental research organization for molecular biology with multiple sites across Europe. Overlapping focus on molecular biology research and serves as umbrella organization for similar European life science research consortia.
• Broad Institute: MIT/Harvard-affiliated genomics research institute with major programs in genomic sequencing, population genetics, and disease genomics. Comparable scale, interdisciplinary research model, and connection to major foundations.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): Large US biomedical research organization supporting investigator-driven research at multiple host institutions. Comparable model of supporting world-class researchers and similar scale of research funding and talent concentration.

Direct peers

• Harvard Medical School Department of Genetics: David Reich's lab at Harvard is a leading competitor in ancient human DNA and population genetics research, with parallel methodology development and high-impact publications in Nature and Science.
• Australian Centre for Ancient DNA: University of Adelaide research center specializing in ancient DNA, environmental DNA, and paleogenomics. Direct peer in core methodology, extinction studies, and environmental applications.
• Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology: Leipzig-based research institute conducting parallel ancient DNA and evolutionary genomics research, including Svante Pääbo's Nobel Prize-winning lab on Neanderthal genomes. Direct competitor in paleogenomics talent, methods, and publication record.
• Centre for Palaeogenetics: Stockholm University and Swedish Natural History Museum joint research center focused on ancient DNA analysis. Direct peer in paleogenomics methodology, applications, and competing for the same talent pool.
• Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research: Berlin-based research institute focused on wildlife and biodiversity genomics. Overlapping focus on eDNA, environmental genomics, and biodiversity monitoring with comparable methodological approaches.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/globe-institute-ucph

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Globe Institute