The Danish Startup Ecosystem Guide - Magasin - Side 10
STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP + UNIVERSITIES
Sponsored: This article is published in collaboration with Open Entrepreneurship
Unique collaboration creates
startups across universities
Open Entrepreneurship invites experienced entrepreneurs to collaborate across all
Danish universities. It creates new startups based on research and new technology.
E
xperienced entrepreneurs
should enter universities to unlock the potential for the commercialisation of research and
the development of entrepreneurship in
research. This is the idea behind Open
Entrepreneurship (OE), which also aims
to foster collaboration across research
fields and universities.
OE has therefore established business
units at all Danish universities, where staff
have both an entrepreneurial background
and academic insight into the research
fields on which the initiative focuses.
Open Entrepreneurship
OE was established as a pilot project in 2017
with the help of the Danish Industry Foundation, which has continuously supported it
with approximately DKK 50 million. The grant
from Industriens Fond runs until the end of
2023. Since its inception and at an accelerating pace, the programme has created:
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+100 research-based companies
75 cases with commercial potential
annually
Raised +175 million DKK for new
companies.
Established +150 collaborative
relationships between research
environments and industry.
Implemented +60 learning and
capacity-building programmes in
universities.
Involved +650 researchers in various
Open Entrepreneurship events.
Research can only really make a difference to major societal challenges such as the green
transition if it is effectively brought to market. How best to do this was discussed at the Open
Entrepreneurship Annual Conference 2022.
Foto: Kaare Smith
These business unit managers act as
catalysts and links between researchers, university culture and the business
community. For example, by putting
together the right teams to mature
research into commercial business teams with representatives from both
industry and academia.
“With OE, Danish universities have
created a unique ecosystem of budding
research-based startups, entrepreneurs
and researchers. An initiative that has
developed into one of the most important
strategic collaborations across Danish
universities and that promises the commercialisation of university research,”
says Helle Nielsen-Elgaard, Head of Innovation at Open Entrepreneurship.
Read more at www.open-entrepreneurship.dk
“Technology is not the solution in itself”
OE was established as a pilot project in
2017 with the help of the Danish Industry
Foundation, which has provided ongoing
support of DKK 50 million. To continue
in the current national setup, the project
10
needs an annual grant of 20 million DKK.
“A fixed grant is important as experience shows that projects like OE otherwise might fizzle. That would be a shame,
as OE is an effective engine for succeeding
with societal challenges like the green
transition. New technology is not the
solution in itself, but needs to be produced
and brought to market to make a difference,” says Helle Nielsen-Elgaard.
With more than 100 research-based
companies and 75 cases with commercial
potential per year, OE has already proven
to be a catalyst for growth, prosperity and
jobs in Denmark.
Helle NielsenElgaard
Head of Innovation
at Open
Entrepreneurship
Foto: Carl Johan Dahl
The Guide
