University alliance to strengthen Danish growth 09.09.2011 PRESS RELEASE
If Denmark must continue to be a rich country, we need to secure growth through more and better innovation within and across the knowledge intensive research areas where Denmark is in the lead. This challenge is now accepted by the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School, who are creating the alliance Copenhagen Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab (CIEL), which is officially inaugurated on 12 September. CIEL shows that the universities both have the will and the power to cooperate to create the best solutions to a significant social problem; that we have too few entrepreneurs to invent new concepts and products for a global market, says Prorector Thomas Bjørnholm from the University of Copenhagen.
Close cooperation with the business community The alliance focuses on making entrepreneurship a natural part of the universities' work by initiating research, education and student activities to promote the students' abilities and wishes to transfer their academic skills into social value. This must take place through an increased professional collaboration that prepares the ground for new business-oriented and innovative programmes and research results in close cooperation with the business community. Individually, the universities are international beacons for the humanities, the natural and social sciences and commerce. The solution to many future problems must be found across the disciplines, which is why CIEL represents them all and creates connections between them. With CIEL, we have created a solid base to ensure several successful joint ventures such as the start-up company Abeo A/S, says Prorector of the Technical University of Denmark, Anders Bjarklev.
Professor from the Technical University of Denmark, Kristian Hertz (left) and three CBS students, Peter Hertz, Alexander Sonne Wulff and Mads Løntoft (right) have together managed to establish a business on the basis of research results. A glorious future within international construction has been predicted for Abeo A/S, who have invented super-light structures for the industry. Download high-resolution photos. Photo: T. Kaare Smith
From research to super-light building structures The company Abeo A/S was established last summer as a result of research conducted at DTU. Today, Abeo A/S has won international innovation competitions. The company is just one of many concrete examples of potential to be exploited far better. The collaboration between the three universities is unique and supports innovation research. The combination of technical, natural and social scientific disciplines is what creates the growth potential of the future, says Alan Irwin, Acting President of CBS. CIEL will be opened on Monday 12 September. The participants will be transported by bus around Copenhagen to visit the three universities. The event ends with a reception at CIEL's headquarters at the Green Lighthouse at Tagensvej. Everybody is welcome - read more in the calendar .
Contact information Manager Mikkel Trym, Copenhagen Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab (CIEL) Mobile: +45 51 80 15 66 Professor Søren Salomo, DTU Tel.: +45 45 25 61 10 Lektor og prodekan for entrepreneurship Mette Mønsted, CBS Tlf. 25 61 14 64