Deep Green Innovators wins award
The newly launched innovation program Deep Green Innovators won the 'Best Cross Collaboration Initiative' award at the National Startup Competition 2024.
JUNE 14, 2024
BY KAROLINE VALENTIN RY
Let’s paint a picture: The room buzzes with anticipation. The audience is a mix of business suits and hoodies. Investors, academics, and entrepreneurs have gathered at Venture Cup Denmark's National Startup Competition 2024, Thursday - June 6th, at IDA in Copenhagen. One by one, the winners are announced. Spotlights highlight the entrepreneurs as they step onto the stage: big smiles, arms raised, the atmosphere is electric as Danish university entrepreneurship is celebrated.
An award-winning program
Present in the audience is Jeppe Dørup Olesen, Head of Innovation at Aarhus University's startup hub, The Kitchen. He is not just here to mingle. The agenda includes the presentation of a brand-new award: Best Cross Collaboration Initiative, awarded by DUEN (Danish University Entrepreneurship Network).
“And the winner of 'Best Cross Collaboration Initiative' is...” announces Morten Ugelvig Andersen, CEO of Venture Cup Denmark.
“Deep Green!”
Jeppe Dørup Olesen heads towards the stage. The Deep Green Innovators program has just started and has already won its first award.
Matching research with entrepreneurial talent
“We are proud and delighted to receive this recognition for 'Deep Green Innovators,'” says Jeppe Dørup Olesen.
He continues: “This confirms that we are on the right track by focusing on how we can bring more groundbreaking research results in green transition to life in society.”
The innovation program aims to match research results in the green transition with entrepreneurial talent, aspiring to create solutions to industry challenges related to sustainability. It was kickstarted at the beginning of 2024 and is funded by nearly 10 million DKK from the Danish Industry Foundation.
In connection with the award show, Thomas Hofman-Bang, CEO of the Danish Industry Foundation, writes on LinkedIn:
“An issue very dear to me is that, as a society, we become better at translating knowledge and research from Danish universities into commercial solutions,” and he continues, “Danish universities are leaders in green technology, where demand will rise significantly - and as a society, we invest heavily. That's wise. But technologies need to reach the market faster than they do today. The challenge is well-known, but together with the project 'Deep Green Innovators,' we are now approaching the issue in a new way."
In the packed room at IDA, the atmosphere is high, and the ambitions for Deep Green Innovators are just as high.
Facts about Deep Green Innovators
Deep Green Innovators is a pilot project running over three years. Five cohorts of entrepreneurial talents will go through a six-month program with workshops, team formation, innovation sprints, and incubation. The aim is to match research results in the green transition with entrepreneurial talents to create solutions to industry challenges related to sustainability. It was kick-started at the beginning of 2024 and is funded by nearly 10 million DKK from the Danish Industry Foundation. The program is run by Aarhus University in collaboration with Aalborg University and Copenhagen Business School.
