March 24 (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb said on Tuesday it had agreed to acquire rights to a Novo Nordisk immune system research programme, which the Danish company is divesting as it focuses further on diabetes care.

The project aims to modulate the innate immune system as a therapy for autoimmune diseases and the U.S. drugmaker said it fitted with its long-standing commitment to immunoscience. Financial terms of the licensing agreement were not disclosed.

Novo, the world's No. 1 insulin maker, expects sales from diabetes will become an even bigger part of its business in the coming decade, deputy chief executive Kaare Schultz told Reuters last week.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Pravin Char)