Annemarie Munk Riis

Annemarie Munk Riis has spent her career at the intersection of research, innovation, business development and public policy, and she has seen that intersection from every side of the table. She has held leadership roles at Innovation Fund Denmark and The City of Copenhagen, strategic positions at The Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, and she was a co-founder of the consulting and analysis firm IRIS Group.

She holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Copenhagen and a PhD from Copenhagen Business School. As CEO of Innovation District Copenhagen, she leads the office charged with turning an ambitious, government-backed vision into development on the ground - from securing space for growing companies to building a culture of innovation inside and between institutions that are, in some cases, more than five centuries old.

Innovation District Copenhagen is a leading European innovation district with ambitions for joining the global elite. The district spans two square kilometres in the heart of the Danish capital and is home to two hospitals, three universities, five start-up communities, ten incubator- and accelerator programmes and several hundred start-up companies.

In September 2025, the Danish Government, the City of Copenhagen and the University of Copenhagen - together with a broad partnership - published a vision plan for the district. Its ambition is to make Innovation District Copenhagen a world-leading innovation district for life science and quantum technology strengthening Denmark's ability to turn research into growth, companies and solutions to national and global challenges.

The vision plan rests on five principles which the partners commit to in all development projects: building an epicentre for life science and quantum technology connected to the rest of Denmark and the world; developing a coherent and vibrant urban quarter; attracting international talent, companies and investment; creating identity-defining public spaces and better connections for pedestrians and cyclists; and establishing an organisation of actors capable of implementing the vision over the long term.

With so many start-ups, it is becoming a struggle for the young companies to find space in the district and to attract sufficient funding for scale-up. At the same time the partnership behind it has a strategic goal of attracting more corporate companies.

All five research institutions in the district have long histories. The institutions only started adding innovation to their core missions in recent years. They now all see innovation as mission critical, and the Innovation District Copenhagen office has been instrumental in pushing this agenda.