Collaboration with industry ensures faster application of new knowledge – and that’s essential for the green transition
Overall, collaboration between universities and industry is important because it promotes knowledge exchange, drives innovation and entrepreneurship, provides skilled employees, and can contribute to long-term partnerships that form the foundation for joint projects and research. Many of the funding programs available for research and development, such as Innovation Fund Denmark, Green Development and Demonstration Programme (GUDP), and AgriFoodTure, require collaboration with industry.
Collaboration between universities and businesses can lead to a faster implementation of new knowledge. This can happen through:
- Direct application of research: Companies can quickly adopt the latest research and technology developed at universities in their products and processes. This is especially relevant in the development of green technologies.
- Joint projects: Collaborative projects between universities and businesses can accelerate the development and implementation of innovative solutions. These projects can be organized so that the university conducts foundational and detailed investigations, while the company handles practical testing.
- Industry-related experience: Through industrial postdoc and industrial PhD programs, the candidate gains deep insight into challenges that are central to the company and experience of what it’s like to work in a business environment. The same applies to students who carry out project assignments—they get the opportunity to work on real-world problems and witness the process of applying new knowledge in practice.
- Networks and resources: Solving complex challenges—such as those we face in the green transition—requires access to knowledge across different disciplines and expertise. Networks that include representatives from industry provide valuable connections to real-world practice. We must also recognize that there may be innovative initiatives already taking place in practice that we can integrate into our research!
The green transition in agriculture presents many complex challenges, and it must happen quickly. That’s why collaboration with industry makes especially good sense in this area.