Arctic engineers support the development of Greenlandic society

For 25 years, DTU has educated Arctic engineers in Greenland together with the Government of Greenland, KTI (Tech College Greenland), and other partners. At the same time MSc students have specialized in Arctic technology during their long-term study periods in Sisimiut.

But we need even more engineers with Arctic competences according to Niels Hoedeman, Chief Consultant at Arctic DTU, who—for the past 15 years—has played a key role in the collaboration with Greenland on the Arctic engineering programmes. He says that there is a lack of Arctic specialized engineers who can contribute to maintaining and further developing a sustainable and future-proof fishing industry, which accounts for over 90 per cent of the country’s exports. And there is also a lack of engineers for building and construction projects.

Not least because two new international airports will open in Nuuk and Ilulissat—as well as an airport in Qaqortoq—by the end of 2026. This allows for more flight routes from destinations other than Denmark. At the same time, it will be faster to travel around Greenland. This creates expectations of increased tourism and the need to build housing, expand infrastructure, provide water and energy, and remove waste.

In addition, there is an increasing need to mitigate and adapt to the major climate changes that affect, in particular, Greenland and the rest of the Arctic region—as well as to support the work on a green transition, security, and surveillance in the Arctic and the North Atlantic.

Contributing to development

“We would like to educate more Arctic engineers and contribute to the development that Greenland is facing. There is, among other things, a need for engineers with insight into how to carry out construction work in the Arctic and ensure a sustainable fishing industry. We do this by educating MSc Eng and BEng students at DTU Sisimiut Campus and by being involved in a wide range of research activities and projects in Greenland and the Arctic region,” says Senior Vice President Carsten Orth Gaarn-Larsen, who is responsible for DTU’s involvement in public-private partnerships with partners in Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.

At DTU Sisimiut Campus, DTU and its partners offer the two business-oriented Bachelor of Engineering programmes in Fisheries Technology and Arctic Civil Engineering. In addition, the two international MSc programmes Arctic Mineral Resources and Cold Climate Engineering are offered in collaboration with universities in the Nordic countries.

On the programmes, students learn, among other things, how to deal with special climate and natural conditions that are necessary to plan, cooperate, and carry out tasks in Arctic areas. In addition, they will gain general engineering competences in areas such as civil engineering, construction, energy, fishing and hunting, as well as food production and sustainable management of fish and shellfish. This provides the students with a general engineering education specializing in Arctic conditions. And they can use it all over the world.