Growth Environment for the Next Generation of Innovators

Like plants, new companies and innovative technological creations require optimal growth conditions to break through the asphalt and grow large. Compared to just a few years ago, innovators have significantly better tools, which are more accessible than ever—increased computing power, 3D printing, AI tools, vast amounts of data. But before all this can be useful, it requires two things: a spark from a good idea and strong initial growth potential.

Director Mikkel Sørensen explains, “At DTU Skylab, we help ideas, knowledge, and inventions enter the real world by supporting innovation, researchers, and students. As a technical university, we promote projects with a technical focal point and provide access to laboratories and much more, but it’s also essential to add a commercial perspective. This happens e.g. in collaboration with our partners.”

The Innovation Hub of DTUs 5,500 Dedicated Square Meters 

First some facts: DTU Skylab is located on the DTU Campus (Technical University of Denmark). Here, 5,500 m² of modern laboratories, auditoriums, workshops, open office facilities, project rooms, and much more are available to students and innovators who contribute to creating a learning and development environment across technical disciplines.

For DTU students, the doors to Skylab are wide open, and if a student has the idea and the commitment, they can book a startup program and a startup coach to help get a better handle on the project, systematize it, and steer it in the right direction. With programs like Skylab Ignite, Skylab Funding, and Incubator, there are various resources available that can boost the development curve.

Valuable Sparring with Experts and Industry

“DTU has a tradition of being very open to the outside world, organisations, and businesses, and this also characterises DTU Skylab,” states Mikkel Sørensen. “It’s a fruitful startup environment, and the whole idea is that the projects should be developed, stress-tested, and, if possible, realized and scaled. Here, funding is key. Small grants can make a huge difference for a project in its infancy. The same goes for access to data, domain-specific know-how, and interaction with experts.”

To maintain momentum regarding project maturation, DTU Skylab collaborates with several foundations and companies that can contribute the vital funding and the infusion of know-how as well as market and materials knowledge. One of these companies is Hans Følsgaard A/S.

“On the occasion of Hans Følsgaard’s 100th anniversary in 2022, we wanted neither flowers nor bottles, but rather contributions to a significant engagement in DTU Skylab, for it was more in our spirit and could also result in exciting projects,” says Ronney Kjærulff Small, Field Application Engineer, Hans Følsgaard A/S. “This call to action was well received, and we have therefore become an active sparring partner for the innovative students at Skylab.”

100-Year Celebration with Far-Reaching 

SignificanceDirector Mikkel Sørensen at Skylab is pleased with everyone who engages in getting ideas off the ground: “We have both foundations and businesses attached, and all provide invaluable support. The foundations can support financially, while companies like Følsgaard also add professional knowledge that helps optimise the ideas. I think it was a great initiative the company took for its anniversary.”

How does this support work in practice?

“Følsgaard comes into play when there are relevant projects underway where we can contribute insights from, for example, business life, specific sectors, or specialized manufacturers of equipment and components,” explains Ronney Small. “We are a Technical Partner within manufacturing industry, renewable energy, cables, infrastructure, Telecommunication, Powertech, and Marinetech, so it’s primarily projects within these areas that we naturally have an interest in.”

“With support from Følsgaard, LogiScan takes a major step toward smarter warehouse management. A DKK 40,000 investment brings our first onsite prototype to life — thank you for believing in our vision!”

Pitching Much Like “Dragon’s Den”

If you’ve seen Dragon’s Den, it’s not unlike the way students pitch their projects at DTU Skylab. They present their ideas, unfold the potential, and describe the collaboration they envision, or what they need to proceed. This has led to concrete sparring on projects including:

• Development of IoT devices for logging at e.g. construction sites, where Følsgaard could contribute knowledge about multi-plugs, among other things.
• Groundbreaking hardware and software for underwater monitoring of biodiversity in lakes, seas, and streams, which has won an award as the best university startup.
• Smart hardware for outdoor precision tracking and a device that uses the battery capacity of electric cars to balance the electrical grid’s power supply.

Several of the projects are already moving beyond the ‘sandbox,’ and that’s one of the key goals with DTU Skylab. Another goal is the mutual benefit that the students and participating sponsors derive.

Ronney Small explains: “The traffic certainly doesn’t go just one way. We have domain-specific knowledge and close contact with the market and manufacturers that the students need. But engaging in DTU Skylab is also a unique opportunity for us to keep our finger on the pulse, experience the latest technological trends, and maintain close contact with the new generation of innovators.”

He continues: “In the end, it also benefits Hans Følsgaard's customers that we keep a door open to the coming generations, and that we help build a bridge between established technical companies and creative students. This openness stimulates curiosity and can lead to new business opportunities.“