CASE

From research to the future: BioInnovation Institute’s new digital universe ignites the spark in the founders of tomorrow

LIFE SCIENCE & MEDICAL

How do you create a website that both decodes complex incubation programs and at the same time ignites a spark in those who don’t yet know whether they dare take the leap from idea to product — from research to reality? That was the question BioInnovation Institute faced — and the answer became a digital platform that doesn’t just communicate, but engages and shows the way.

From startup mentality to global ambition

BioInnovation Institute Foundation (BII) is a Danish non-profit foundation with global ambitions and a clear purpose: to bring world-class research and knowledge out of the laboratory and into the real world. Since 2018, it has served as a catalyst for life science and deep tech startups still at their very earliest stages. BII helps researchers and first-time founders translate world-class research into actual products and solutions — for the benefit of society, people, and the planet.

But as the organisation grew from a handful of dedicated pioneers to nearly 100 employees, it became clear that the digital platform was no longer keeping up.

The old website worked in practice — but it didn’t communicate who BII is today, or where the organisation is headed. It was a classic example of “inside-out” communication, where internal needs took priority over the external user journey. And, most importantly, it made it difficult for startups, universities, journalists, and job applicants to understand what BII actually does.

This isn’t tech for tech’s sake. It’s science that needs to get out and be used. And with as many as 56% of founders in BII’s programmes being first-time founders, it isn’t only funding that’s missing, but also the right support and information to take the leap.

A value proposition that has to be read — and felt

BII’s ambition was clear: they wanted a new website that could both clarify the mission and structure the many programmes and opportunities the foundation offers. In this way, the new site would make it easier for researchers and early-stage startups to understand how BII’s programmes can help them bring their science to life.

But it’s no easy task to distil a complex value proposition into something easy to grasp. Especially not when you also have to communicate across fields like quantum technology, women’s health, and biotechnology — and have a tone that speaks to both world-leading researchers and complete first-time entrepreneurs.

That meant saying goodbye to fragmented narratives and welcoming one BII — a shared brand platform with one voice and one place where the entire story could be told.

It required not just a new structure, but a new mindset.

From fragmented to focused — from functional to inspiring

Together with BII, we created a new digital universe built on Umbraco Cloud — future-proof and scalable — a choice that provides flexibility and the ability to scale in step with the foundation’s international growth ambitions.

We started by laying the foundation: understanding the target audience, user journeys, wireframes, content priorities, and information architecture. Not as theoretical exercises, but as practical tools to decode what BII’s different audiences (first-time founders, researchers, partners, and professionals) actually need — and how we can best help them find it.

The design shouldn’t look like a typical research site, or a corporate site for that matter. It needed to create a wow effect. That’s why the new design was developed based on BII’s new brand identity and communication strategy — and became visible proof of the transformation BII has gone through. The goal was to spark the audience’s curiosity and mirror the feeling of: This is something I want to be part of.

At the same time, we kept an eye on editorial reality. We built a flexible module library where the editors can create new pages for different purposes themselves — without compromising on branding or user experience.

The result was inspiring design, strategic architecture, and technology with direction.

From sprint to launch in record time

The project’s creative phase started in November 2024, and the development itself was completed in three sprints from January to March. BII was ready for launch in May 2025. During the first weeks, we had weekly touchpoints with BII, where design direction, page types, and content were tested and refined. No decisions were made in a vacuum — everything was validated together.

In the middle of it all, we also had to balance one important premise: BII is not an organisation that stands still. New ideas, new needs, and new programmes emerge continuously — and that required a solution that could keep pace. That’s why we placed great emphasis on flexibility in both architecture and design. In other words, it has been a collaboration with pace, flow, and a shared direction.

At BII, we are very pleased with our collaboration with Knowit, which has been professional from start to finish. In an organisation like ours, where new ideas and projects often emerge, it’s important that we have partners who understand our needs and are agile as new initiatives arise. In our work on the new website, Knowit has also helped us create a sustainable foundation that we can keep building on, as we continue to build BII.

Katrine Villarreal Villumsen

Head of Communication at BioInnovation Institute

A partnership that continues

Knowit and BII have entered into a service agreement, so we can ensure further development, operations, and optimisation — and continually support BII’s mission: bring science to life.

The goal is to see an increase in the number of applicants to BII’s programmes. But, most importantly, we have created a platform that’s ready to inspire more people to take the leap from idea to product, from research to reality.

Facts about the solution

Design and UX: Knowit
CMS: Umbraco Cloud
Technical flexibility and modular design
Launch: 5 May 2025
Development time: 3 sprints of 2 weeks
Focus: International scaling, improved user experience, a clearer value proposition, an updated brand identity, and a better editor experience.