The Research-, Innovation- and Business Committee

Innovation is rightly gaining more attention in the Danish university sector. Society is calling for solutions that can be scaled and create value in the field and across the entire value chain. But innovation must go hand in hand with research. Without solid, curiosity-driven research, we risk short-term solutions. Without targeted innovation, our knowledge does not reach the outside world and make a difference. Our ambition should therefore be to do both: to conduct research that translates into meaningful improvements in practice.

In many areas, we are already strong in innovation, but are we making full use of the potential? Could we become more systematic in identifying ideas early, strengthening our work with IP and spinouts, and making it easier to establish partnerships with industry and public authorities? We may also need to become sharper at documenting impact and scalability, so that good solutions can move more quickly from protocol to practice. There is more we can bring across the innovation threshold without compromising research quality.

For this to succeed, the university system must recognise innovation as a merit-giving core task on a par with research and teaching. This requires clear criteria that reward, for example, patents, spinouts and industry collaborations in recruitment and career pathways. Without clear merit and incentives, implementation will be difficult.

The time is right. Innovation is now widely recognised as a necessary part of the university’s role. With clear frameworks and commitment, we can turn this into practice. Let us get started.