In 2013, the first steps towards creating DTU Skylab represented a breakthrough in the Danish university sector. Instead of establishing the framework for innovation and entrepreneurship in a single department based on one field, DTU created a non-departmental meeting place for bringing together students, researchers, start-ups, and investors to empower them to develop new and innovative technologies.
Since then, thousands of students and researchers have used DTU Skylab to develop ideas, inventions, prototypes, apps, and technologies. And a significant number of them have worked late nights to create new businesses.
“It’s no surprise that universities are where great ideas are born, and where we see many theoretical or fundamental scientific breakthroughs significantly impacting society, but the path to that point is long and winding. As such, the idea underpinning DTU Skylab is to democratize idea conception and give students and researchers the opportunity to quickly test ideas that they believe are important and may solve problems they have identified in society,” says Director Mikkel Sørensen, who has been in charge of DTU Skylab since its inception.
Inspired by makerspaces
In the early days, DTU Skylab comprised a prototype workshop where students were able to work with equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters, and electronics while also receiving assistance with the business side of things. This was largely inspired by what are known as “makerspaces” which were popping up all over the place in the early 2010s—although the intention right from the off was always to work in partnership with businesses. Making this link within an academic setting was a new approach in Denmark, although there were foreign examples to draw upon including MIT and Stanford in the USA, as well as Aalto University in Finland.
“Great ideas aren’t in and of themselves enough, which is why we place such emphasis on maturing an idea into a full innovation project or start-up supported by a strong team that can raise funding. For an engineering university like DTU, it is an obvious move to focus on ideas that can change our lives for the better through the use of technology. I’m incredibly proud of how DTU Skylab has helped support the creation of some 850 new businesses at DTU over the last ten years,” says Mikkel Sørensen.
5,000 m2 of innovation power
Since the establishment of DTU Skylab in 2013, its physical presence has expanded on multiple occasions meaning that its workshops, meeting spaces and the like now occupy more than 5,000 m2. In addition to the classic makerspace elements, four laboratories have been established where it is possible to work on sustainable foodstuffs, biotechnology, chemistry, digital technologies, and many other things. Projects range from vegan cheese to the treatment of chronic wounds and building rockets.
What’s more, DTU Skylab provides support to students and researchers who want to take an idea forward. This includes help with business development, technological development, mentoring programmes, office space, attracting investors, and other funding opportunities. By way of example, 365 start-ups received coaching from DTU Skylab in 2022. This is all to support the ambition of bringing together knowledge, research, and new technology and putting these to work in wider society.
“It is DTU’s ambition to offer the best engineering programmes in Europe, and innovation is a key element in those efforts. As such, we have maintained a constant focus for the past 15 years on breaking down the traditional boundaries between the university and society. DTU Skylab is a textbook example of the importance of this approach in terms of the innovative force that our students and researchers represent,” says Marianne Thellersen, Director for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Senior Vice President.
“We take pride in educating engineers who—regardless of their programme of study—gain genuine and practical experience of working in a creative and problem-solving-oriented manner, while also maintaining a good grasp of public utility and business. Against this backdrop, hundreds of candidates have moved out into the wider world taking with them a strong link between deep academic competencies, ingenuity, and enthusiasm.”
