Senior Associate – CardioMetabolic Bridge in London
Are you motivated to use your scientific and/or clinical background to help translate promising research into new therapeutics tackling cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), and excited to help shape the next generation of impactful life science start-ups in this field?
Then we might have the perfect opportunity at BioInnovation Institute (BII), where we are looking for a Senior Associate to join our UK hub and CardioMetabolic Bridge initiative to source promising CMD discoveries and support their translation towards in vivo proof-of-concept.
Your Opportunity to Join BII
The BioInnovation Institute (BII) is a non-profit foundation established by the Novo Nordisk Foundation in 2018. Its mission is to accelerate research and startups to bring forward bold solutions that improve human and planetary health. BII supports collaborative, interdisciplinary innovation across Life Sciences, Quantum Science, and Deep Tech, helping transform cutting-edge research into viable companies so that new discoveries can deliver real impact for people and society.
BII recently launched CardioMetabolic Bridge, a pan-European initiative dedicated to translating early-stage academic discoveries in cardiometabolic disease (CMD) into validated pre-clinical candidates. Through a network of interconnected hubs across Europe, the initiative aims to accelerate the development of next-generation therapeutics for patients living with diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and related conditions.
The first hub, based at Victoria House in London's Knowledge Quarter, serves as the operational anchor for the European network. While strategy and governance are led from BII's headquarters in Copenhagen, the hubs drive day-to-day project and operational activities across Europe.
The Role
As a Senior Associate, you will join a passionate UK hub team dedicated to building and operating a world-class incubator that enables life science innovations and early-stage startups to thrive.
In this role, you will be responsible for scouting promising CMD research in Europe, evaluating early-stage opportunities, and supporting projects as they mature toward venture creation. You will play a central role in establishing systems and processes to ensure smooth onboarding, governance, and the translation of projects into spinout companies.
You will engage closely with stakeholders across the innovation ecosystem to identify new opportunities and ensure that projects have the needed support on their paths towards generating next-generation CMD therapies.
You will:
- Scout and identify promising pre-commercial CMD research through engagement with universities, research institutions, and hospitals across Europe, with a specific focus on the UK.
- Promote and support BII open calls and outreach activities, strengthening awareness of CardioMetabolic Bridge among academics and innovation stakeholders.
- Perform initial project evaluation and due diligence, assessing scientific quality, technical feasibility, commercial potential, IP position, and team capabilities.
- Prepare material about project opportunities for BII’s CMD Strategic Advisory Group and BII’s Board of Directors.
- Support the establishment and implementation of project reporting and portfolio governance structures.
- Support CMD projects toward venture creation by providing feedback, facilitating activities relating to BII’s Acceleration Platform, and connecting them with relevant expertise and resources.
- Build and maintain a strong network across academia, CROs, venture capital, industry partners, and innovation ecosystems to support BII’s CMD portfolio.
This is a full-time, on-site position in London, at Victoria House (Bloomsbury), however, with close collaboration with other European locations. You will become part of a small on-site UK team, reporting to Louise Clemmensen (Director) at HQ in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Professional and Personal Qualifications
We are looking for an experienced professional with a strong CMD research background and an interest in transforming life science research into real-life impact. Ideally, you bring the following experience and competencies:
- PhD (or equivalent) level in Medicine, Biomedicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bioengineering, or a similar field with a CMD focus.
- Minimum of 6 years (post-PhD) experience in facilitating life science innovation within the funding or innovation ecosystem. Experience in venture capital, university tech transfer office, accelerator/incubator, drug discovery, and development within the pharmaceutical industry or biotech environments is relevant.
- Solid understanding of drug discovery and development processes and/or direct experience with the commercialization of life science research.
- Knowledge about research intelligence databases and a strong ability to scout for new scientific trends.
- Experience with conducting detailed due diligence reviews of scientific research or innovation proposals.
- Demonstrated project management experience, preferably by leading drug discovery projects towards IND-enabling stage.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with researchers and/or start-up founders to facilitate developing their research ideas towards commercialization.
- Experience in establishing professional networks within the public and private sectors.
- Proficiency in both spoken and written English.
Working at BII
At BII we offer a purpose-driven community where science and innovation create meaningful change and impact in society. BII’s entrepreneurial environment is shaped and nurtured every day by our employees, start-ups, and everyone who joins us in bringing science to life. This role offers a unique opportunity to join Europe’s largest innovation and incubation initiative within life sciences and deep tech.
BII is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, at Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen N. From Copenhagen, the Secretariat supports strategy, governance, and coordination across BII’s international activities.
As Senior Associate at our UK hub, you will join a small, dedicated team at Victoria House in London's Knowledge Quarter and play a key role in identifying, evaluating, and supporting promising cardiometabolic research projects across the UK and the broader European CardioMetabolic Bridge network
See our open positions at BII on our career page or on LinkedIn.
Equal Opportunities
At BII, we believe innovation starts with people. As a community of changemakers, we believe the best ideas emerge when people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences come together around a shared purpose.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace built on equal opportunities, where everyone can thrive and where pay is fair, equitable, and based on the principle of equal pay for equal work. We welcome all applications regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or socio-economic background.
Curious for more?
For more information, please contact Louise Clemmensen, Director via email lcl@bii.dk.
To apply, please send your CV and academic certificates as well as answer the screening questions by clicking the “Apply now” button. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible and no later than September 16, 2026.
The interview process is expected to take place in October. The preferred start date is around December 2026; however, we are flexible and will consider individual notice periods and availability.
