University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund Denmark’s Industrial Researcher Programme
The universities are increasingly focusing on ensuring that research and education benefit society. This can be achieved by researchers and students setting up companies that convert new knowledge into growth. But to what extent is this happening?
Together with CSB, DTU, KU and SDU, AU has commissioned a study of the impact of university-based entrepreneurship. It showed that 600 new companies have been established per year in the period 2008-2019. These companies typically do well. They have a higher turnover and hire more employees that other start-ups. In 2019 the university-based companies employed 9,300 full-time employees and had a total turnover of just under DKK 13 billion.
You can read more about the study/survey and find the report on: https://dkuni.dk/pressemeddelelser/flere-tusinde-ivaerksaettere-er-udsprunget-fra-landets-universiteter/
If you have a good idea and are thinking about starting a company, help is available at The Kitchen, AU’s start-up hub: https://thekitchen.io/.
Our research and study programme can also benefit from collaboration on Industrial PhD and Industrial Postdoc projects. Innovation Fund Denmark has an industrial research programme, and there is currently a call for funding for collaboration with both the public and private sectors (application deadline is 12 September).
The student will be employed by the external party, who will have approx. 50% of payroll costs paid. The university receives a fixed amount of DKK 360,000 (incl. overhead), and Innovation Fund Denmark covers the cost of courses or travelling up to DKK 100,000. An Industrial PhD student follows the same study programme as the PhD students employed at the university, and the assessment requirements are the same.
The Industrial Researcher is directly involved in the activities of the company/agency. In this way, the university and the company build a close relationship with each other, but an Industrial PhD project can be challenged by the fact that the researcher is working in two different environments. In return, the researcher gets to work with a relevant subject and becomes part of everyday life at the company/agency. Innovation Fund Denmark holds joint meetings for Industrial PhD students to give them the opportunity to establish a network within other subject areas and gain insight into several types of companies.
You can read about an Industrial Postdoc collaboration between Nordic Seed and AGRO on: