NN ☞ MIT

Live a long and healthy life? That’s why we’re working with MIT.

MIT School of Engineering is home to some of the brightest researchers within AI and data science. Here’s how Novo Nordisk is working with them to provide a platform for buzzing new discoveries within this captivating field of research.


The trend is clear: As life expectancy increases, so does the prevalence of serious chronic diseases. We live longer – and the longer we live, the more diseases we have to live with. And this makes it one of the most pressing global health challenges.

Can that trajectory be changed by investing in AI and data science research? Is it possible to use AI to predict the structure of proteins and then apply that knowledge to develop new treatments or even a cure? Is it possible to create better and more efficient testing models using Machine Learning Operations? Could Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis utilize Random Forest and Decision Tree algorithms for predictive modelling? Is it possible to enhance drug development by modelling intricate bio-systems with GANs?

Maybe we’re about to find out. 

With the establishment of the MIT-Novo Nordisk Artificial Intelligence Program, initiated in August 2023, Novo Nordisk will fund up to $10 million in a programme to support life science research initiatives at the intersection of AI and data science. It provides the opportunity for up to 10 postdoctoral fellows annually, each with a two-year fellowship, to focus on exploring the above questions and many others.

Some of the potential research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• ☞ Generative AI-enabled drug discovery and drug design

• ☞ Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) Analysis

• ☞ Translational Modelling and Simulation

• ☞ Data Augmentation and Synthetic Data

• ☞ MLOps, LLMOps, AI Marketplace, and Reusable AI Capability Blocks and Blueprints

And a whole lot more. See the complete list here.

Only time – and the postdocs themselves – will tell what exciting results will spring from this collaboration.

One thing, however, is certain: This is just the beginning of a long-term partnership between life science companies and academia, where Novo Nordisk supports the exploration of how to use AI and data science to solve some of the world’s most pressing health problems. Let’s crack the code to living longer without having to live with more diseases. We’d be happy with that. 

See what else we do with the top universities around the globe.