On Dec. 18, 2023, the Novo Nordisk Foundation announced it was committing up to DKK 1.8 billion (USD $260 million) to establish a state-of-the-art research and vaccine development initiative. The aim is to create new or improved vaccines for some of the deadliest respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis (TB) and influenza.

Developed in partnership with the University of Copenhagen, it is the first vaccines initiative globally to focus solely on understanding how to generate immunity in the airway itself. A key partner in the initiative will be Denmarkﾒs Statens Serum Institut