As of 1 April 2023, Lars Bo Larsen is the director of the newly established NFC that brings together the research and development on defence technology of the Danish universities and GTS institutes. He comes from a position as Denmark's ambassador to Indonesia and Malaysia and was previously the ambassador for defence and security policy for Denmark’s Representation to the European Union.
At a time when Russia's attack on Ukraine has upended the Danish and European security situation, actors across the Danish research and development sector have made an unprecedented move: all the Danish universities and five GTS institutes have formed the National Defence Technology Centre (NFC), and in parallel have begun dialogues on intensified cooperation with the Danish Armed Forces and the defence industry.
New CEO has the whole package
An agreement has now been made with Lars Bo Larsen to be director of the NFC. Dean Mogens Rysholt Poulsen, Aalborg University, is delighted to have succeeded in hiring an individual with such a strong profile, solid knowledge and good relationships with the Danish Armed Forces, industry and the political level.
“By putting Lars Bo Larsen in charge of the NFC we get the 'whole package'. The centre gets off to a good start with a widely recognised person, who has good relationships and great insight in the relevant areas, becoming the central profile of the newly established centre,” Mogens Rysholt Poulsen says.
Pro-rector Rasmus Larsen of the Technical University of Denmark and chair of the NFC steering committee adds:
“Lars Bo knows both the political and business side of defence industry development. Our conversations have made clear that he also has the right sense of what it means to act on behalf of the research and development sector, including a watchful eye for both the civilian and military applications of research, the need for education and the connection to the labour market.”
Experience from the very highest level
As director of the NFC, Lars Bo Larsen brings extensive experience from several positions with specific strategic management linked to security policy at the very highest national and international level:
"As ambassador to Indonesia and for the Danish EU representation, I have been deeply and directly involved in security policy development, support for the Danish defence industry and dialogue with the Danish Armed Forces. I look forward to using this experience to make the NFC a strong partner for developing Danish competencies in defence technology. It is a huge advantage for Denmark that the universities have joined forces in a common platform. It provides a solid starting point for the work needed to strengthen Danish security and growth", explains Lars Bo Larsen, who also highlights his time at the Danish Embassy in Beijing:
"There I experienced firsthand the technological competition between the US and China with all that entailed, and that gave rise to the European – and Danish – build-up in the technology area."
Lars Bo Larsen officially starts in the position on 1 April 2023, and based at Aalborg University, he will work closely with NFC stakeholders, the Danish Armed Forces and industrial companies across Denmark and the EU.
