Supports Scholarships for Danish Students to Attend Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
Biogen, Inc. (NASDAQ/BGEN) announced today that it will contribute $25,000 annually to the Crown Prince Frederik Fund, a scholarship program that supports Danish students studying at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Biogen, which has an office in Denmark, will make this annual donation for an initial period of three years.
Biogen will formally present its first annual contribution to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik in a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 23. The event will be hosted by His Excellency, Ulrik Federspiel, Denmark’s Ambassador to the United States, at the Royal Danish Embassy located at 3200 Whitehaven St., NW, Washington, D.C.
Biogen President and Chief Executive Officer James C. Mullen said, “Biogen is pleased to support the career development of outstanding Danish students. One of the major reasons we chose to expand in Denmark was the strong presence of skilled and educated workers, and this Fund plays an important role in enhancing the educational enrichment of Danish students. As Biogen builds its presence in Denmark, we look forward to creating jobs and opportunities for Danish citizens.”
The Crown Prince Frederik Fund was established in 1993 to promote relations between Denmark and the United States. It was presented as a gift by a group of Danes, Americans and Danish-Americans to commemorate His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik’s 25th birthday and his year of study at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The first Crown Prince Frederik Fund student started in September 1994. Since then, the fund has supported two students’ tuition each year for a total of 17 students. During their year at Harvard, scholarship recipients study American public policy, and use their experiences in their future careers in Denmark.
Gustav Christensen, President of the Board of Trustees of the Crown Prince Frederik Fund said, “We are grateful to Biogen for its generous support of the Crown Prince Frederik Fund. Biogen’s contribution is a significant investment in the future of Danish students who are gaining skills essential for today’s global economy. We look forward to the continued success of the Fund, which not only provides many bright Danish students with the opportunity to study at Harvard, but also strengthens ties between Denmark and the United States.”
Biogen plans to build its first major European manufacturing facility in the Municipality of Hillerød, on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The Company is also a founding member of the American-Danish Business Council.
About Biogen
Biogen, Inc., winner of the U.S. National Medal of Technology, is a biotechnology company principally engaged in discovering and developing drugs for human healthcare through genetic engineering. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, the Company’s revenues are generated from U.S. and European sales of AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a) for treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (Please see full prescribing information at http://www.avonex.com.), and from the worldwide sales by licensees of a number of products, including alpha interferon and hepatitis B vaccines and diagnostic products. Biogen’s research and development activities are focused on novel products to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, cancer, fibrosis and congestive heart failure. The Company maintains active clinical research programs in protein therapeutics, small molecules, genomics and gene therapy. For copies of press releases and additional information about the Company, please consult Biogen’s homepage on the World Wide Web at http://www.biogen.com.
Media Note
Any member of the press who wishes to attend the ceremony on Thursday, May 23 at the Royal Danish Embassy must contact Ms. Marianne Bro, Vice Consul, at e-mail: marbro@um.dk; tel. 202-797-5361 or tel. 202-234-4300 by the close of business on May 22. Those attending must arrive at the Embassy no later than 10:45 a.m. the morning of the event.