Innovation conference under the Danish EU-presidency

In a world where technological innovation defines global influence, Europe must act decisively to stay competitive against major powers like the U.S. and China. This session explores how Europe can strategically position itself in the global innovation race by investing in critical technologies.

Speakers in session

• Jean-David Malo, Acting Director for ERA & Innovation, DG Research & Innovation
• Anders Overgaard Bjarklev, President, DTU
• Margrethe Vestager, Chair of DTUs Board of Governors, Prev. European Commissioner for Competition and Executive Vice President of the European Commission; World Leaders Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
• Stephen Ezell, Vice President for Global Innovation Policy, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)

Moderator

• Mikkel Sørensen, Director, DTU Skylab

Co-organised with Innovation Fund Denmark and EIFO – The Export and Investment Fund of Denmark.

Scaling deep tech requires patient, large-scale capital that goes far beyond traditional venture funding. Europe’s innovative startups often struggle to secure the financing needed to bridge the gap from early-stage promise to global market leadership. This session will examine how a dedicated Scaleup Europe Fund could transform the financing landscape by mobilizing public and private investment at scale.

Speakers in the session

• Lars Frølund, Deep tech investment expert and executive, MIT Lecturer & EIC Board Member
• Jean-David Malo, Acting Director for ERA & Innovation, DG Research & Innovation
• Erik Balck Sørensen, CIO, EIFO – Export and Investment Fund of Denmark

Moderator

• Cecilie Brøkner, CEO, Innovation Fund Denmark 

Co-organised with IDA – The Danish Society of Engineers and GTS – The Danish Research and Technology Organisations.

This session explores the critical role of technological infrastructure in enabling SMEs and scaleups to achieve large-scale diffusion of innovation. By examining strategies for rolling out technologies while preparing markets – building the road as we pave it – the session will uncover how innovative approaches can accelerate the adoption of transformative technologies and drive impactful change.

Speakers in the session

• Christian Clausen, CTO, Bioneer 
• Muriel Attané, Secretary General, EARTO – European Association of Research & Technology Organisations

Moderator

• Laura Klitgaard, President, IDA – The Danish Society of EngineersTo be announced.

This forward-looking session explores what Europe’s past can teach about its future in an era of shifting global power and rising multipolarity. Drawing on historical insights, it examines how great powers lose influence—not through sudden collapse, but through gradual institutional stagnation and failure to adapt. The discussion will highlight how innovation and technology can serve as strategic levers for Europe to remain resilient and relevant, offering lessons from past empires to guide bold, deliberate action today.

Speakers in the Session

• Peter Heather, Professor at King’s College London 
• Stéphane Ouaki, Acting Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)

Moderator

• Steen Andersen, Senior Researcher, The Danish National Archives

Co-organized by IDA - The Danish Society of Engineers.

Building global tech champions requires exceptional talent, but is Europe equipped with the right skills and expertise to compete on the world stage? This session will explore Europe’s talent landscape, examining challenges such as attracting top-tier global talent, retaining skilled workers, and addressing critical skill gaps in areas like green tech and AI. Panelists will discuss strategies for fostering a robust talent pipeline and leveraging diversity to enable tech leaders to thrive globally.

Speakers in the Session

• Ricardo Marvão, Co-founder and Board Member of Beta-I

Moderator

• Laura Klitgaard, President of IDA

Co-organized by DI Danish Industry – Confederation of Danish Industry.

Rebuilding Europe’s manufacturing capacity is essential for scaling up and creating global tech champions. This session will explore how investing in advanced manufacturing capabilities and talent can support the growth of European scaleups in key industries like green tech and semiconductors. Panelists will discuss strategies to enhance production competences, close critical gaps in manufacturing expertise, and align industrial policy with the needs of scaling firms. By fostering world-class manufacturing ecosystems, Europe can strengthen its position as a global leader in innovation and technology.

Speakers in the Session

• Ulrik Hedegaard Brorson, Group Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Grundfos Holding A/S, and Chairman, Manufacturing Academy of Denmark (MADE )

Moderator

• Laura Klitgaard, President of IDA

How can green reindustrialization enable deep tech scaleups in Europe? This session explores how to build the manufacturing capacity, supply chains, and investor readiness needed to scale green tech.

Speakers in the Session

• Laurits Bach Sørensen, Senior Partner and co-founder, Nordic Alpha Partners 
• Cornell Ban, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School 

Moderator

• Jes Broeng, Director and Professor, DTU Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship

Co-organized by DIREC – Digital Research Centre Denmark.

Europe is especially lagging behind the US and China in the field of digital technology. We do not and will probably not get a unified market or the same venture capital anytime soon. Maybe we need to rewrite the rules for creating digital startups.

In this session, we will discuss how to learn from global tech companies, extract the best practices from them, and apply these insights to create scalable tech companies in Europe that leverage our strengths and research positions. If we need to get ahead, we need to strengthen our ability to envision a new future, where we define the rules and the playing field.

Further, we will learn from seasoned entrepreneurs and discuss how to create more digital startups in Europe, as well as how the Commission can support this vision.

Speakers and moderator

• TBA

Co-organized by Open Innovation in Science (OIS) Centre, Aarhus University.

Open precompetitive public-private partnerships have gained traction in e.g. biomedical research. These partnerships forego IP to research outputs and share outputs freely in the public domain. Such partnerships seek to accelerate the progress and use of science and have been argued to lay a stronger foundation for early-stage deeptech startups. But what is the real potential of open partnerships for stimulating the development of new startups with scaleup potential?

Speakers in the Session

• Markus Perkmann, Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Vice-Dean (Research & Faculty), Imperial Business School; Academic Director, Imperial Enterprise Lab
• Iiro Eerola, Policy Officer, Knowledge Valorisation and Technology Infrastructures Unit in the Directorate General for Research and innovation (RTD)
• Karina Fog, Senior Director, H .Lundbeck A/S
• David Hulcoop, Executive Director, Open Targets 
• Lone Ryg Olsen, Director of Enterprise & Innovation, Aarhus University

Moderator

• Marion Pötz, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School
  
   

Co-organized with DE – The Danish Chamber of Commerce, Lif – The Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry, Akademikerne – The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations, DM, DJØF, ATV – The Danish Academy of Technical Sciences, and Universities Denmark.

Across Europe, governments, institutions, and industry have long invested in strategies to enhance competitiveness through innovation, talent, and technology. As global competition intensifies and crises multiply, the urgency of reinforcing Europe’s economic and technological edge has never been greater. This session asks: how can we harness the lessons from past initiatives to design smarter, more effective policies today? What enduring insights can guide us as we mobilise research and innovation for sustainable growth, resilience, and global leadership?

Speakers in the session

• Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Founding Chairman, Rasmussen Global (Former Danish Prime Minister 2001-2009 and Former Secretary General of NATO 2009-2014)
• Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO, Novo Nordisk Foundation

Moderator

• Ditte Brasso Sørensen, The Think Tank EUROPA

Delivering on Europe’s deep tech ambitions requires more than visionary strategies – it depends on coordinated action across Member States. National governments play a pivotal role in shaping the conditions for innovation: from education and research investment to startup support, industrial policy, and regulatory environments. This session will bring together ministers, business leaders, and innovators to explore how Member States can align their efforts with EU initiatives to unlock Europe’s collective potential. The discussion will focus on how national policies can complement European frameworks, how best practices can be shared, and how cross-border collaboration can accelerate Europe’s deep tech scaleup journey. 

Speakers in the Session

• Michiel Scheffer, Chairman, EIC Board 
• Cheryl Martin, CEO, Harwich Partners, and former Acting Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) at the United States Department of Energy
• Tommy Ahlers, Investor, Giant Ventures, former Danish minister of Higher Education and Science

Moderator

• Jes Broeng, Professor, Director, DTU Entrepreneurship  

The official conference dinner takes place at “Wallmans Cirkusbygningen”, it is located a mere 500 metres from the conference location. All participitants are automatically registered, and the dinner is free of charge.

Address

Jernbanegade 8, 1608 Indre By

Co-organized by Lif – The Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Europe’s is losing ground within biopharma innovation, with R&D spending and new drug introductions lagging the US and rising competition from China. Once on par with the US, European companies now launch only half as many new chemical and biological entities. The Draghi report highlights a declining market share from 2012 to 2022 and an expanding innovation gap. This session focuses on what policies can revitalise Europe’s life science ecosystem: How can we boost R&D, foster more start-ups, attract investment and shorten time to market to restore Europe’s role as a global life science leader?

Speakers and moderator

• Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Corporate Vice President, Novo Nordisk 
• Jacob Pontoppidan Thyssen, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, LEO Pharma 
• Steffen Thirstrup, Chief Medical Advisor, European Medicines Agency
• Angelika Fretzen, Chief Operating Officer & Technology Translation Director, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
• Jens Nielsen, CEO, BioInnovation Institute

Moderator

• Ditte Brasso Sørensen, Vice Director, The Think Tank EUROPA

Co-organized by Royal Academy of the Sciences and Letters; DNRF Danish National Research Foundation; The Carlsberg Foundation.

Cutting-edge deep tech breakthroughs originate from frontier research, yet translating them into scalable ventures remains a challenge. This session will explore how fundamental science fuels the next wave of deep tech startups and industrial innovation, ensuring Europe remains at the forefront of global technology leadership. The session will also address concerns raised regarding European aims to focus research spending more on strategic priorities. How should the EU balance curiosity-driven research with long-term economic and strategic interests?

Speakers in the Session

• Hans Wandall, Professor, Group Leader, Deputy Head of Department (Innovation), University of Copenhagen

Moderator

• Niels Mejlgaard, CEO, DNRF

Speakers in the Session

• Stefan Drüssler, Chief Operating Officer, UnternehmerTUM

Moderator

• Mikkel Sørensen, Director, DTU Skylab 

Co-organized by The Danish Chips Competence Centre (DkCCC).

Europe has invested heavily in flagship R&I programs like the Graphene Flagship, successfully seeding semiconductor- and materials-based spinouts. However, scaling these companies, and companies like them, into global leaders, remains a critical European challenge. This panel brings together founders, capital providers, and EU actors to ask: What do high-potential semiconductor ventures emerging from EU R&I actually need to scale? What role should flagship program design, capital markets, and strategic policy instruments play in enabling their growth? And how do we ensure that chips companies born in the EU - also stay and grow in the EU?

Speakers and moderator

• Simone Lavizzari, Investment Manager, JOIN Capital
• Ben Jensen, CEO, CamGraPhIC / 2D Photonics 
• Lars Frølund, Deep tech investment expert and executive
• Jari Kinaret, Director of Chips JU, former Director of the Graphene Flagship

Moderator

• Claus Friis Pedersen, Head of The Danish Chips Competence Center (DkCCC), National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization

Co-organized by The VILLUM Foundation.

Towards more effective coordination of European innovation ecosystems – what can we learn from sectorial models? Sectorial models as known from e.g. the Netherlands offer a means of coordinating and prioritizing research and innovation efforts within a sector (typically on a national level). What are sectorial models? Could such models be lifted to the European scale to support more effective innovation at the collective level (and, if so, what would that take)?

Speakers in the Session

• Bert Meijer, Distinguished University Professor in the Molecular Sciences, Professor of Organic Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology

Moderator

• Thomas Bjørnholm, Chief Scientific Officer, The VILLUM Foundation

Co-organized by DI Danish Industry – Confederation of Danish Industry.

European universities play a central role in promoting innovation and creating ecosystems for deep tech startups. This session will explore how universities can support and scale these startups by offering tailored programs, collaborating with investors, and providing specialized infrastructure. The discussion will also focus on essential tools, resources, and training, as well as how universities can transform into active participants in the growth journey of deep tech startups. Emphasis will be placed on the need to reassess university ecosystems to ensure sustainable and accelerated growth.

Speakers in the Session

• Laura Smoliar, CEO, Quantum Denmark 
• Angelika Fretzen, Chief Operating Officer & Technology Translation Director, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
• Stefan Drüssler, Chief Operating Officer, UnternehmerTUM
• Ahmed Ammar, Co-founder of Lotus Microsystems and Postdoc, Business & Community Developer, DTU Electro 
• András G. Inotai, Acting Head of the Taskforce on Startups and Scaleups and Head of the Innovation Policy and Access to Finance Unit in the Directorate General for Research and innovation (RTD)

Moderator

• Sine Linderstrøm, Director of SMEs and Entrepreneurship, DI

• Christina Egelund, Minister of Science and Higher Education, Denmark
• Margrethe Vestager, Chair of DTUs Board of Governors, Prev. European Commissioner for Competition and Executive Vice President of the European Commission; World Leaders Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
• Anders Overgaard Bjarklev, President, DTU
• Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Founding Chairman, Rasmussen Global (Former Danish Prime Minister 2001-2009 and Former Secretary General of NATO 2009-2014)
• Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO, Novo Nordisk Foundation
• Michiel Scheffer, Chairman, EIC Board
• Jean-David Malo, Acting Director for ERA & Innovation, DG Research & Innovation
• Keith Sequeira, Head of EIC Unit in Directorate General for Research and Innovation
• Stéphane Ouaki, Acting Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
• Jari Kinaret, Director of Chips JU, former Director of the Graphene Flagship
• Jens Nielsen, CEO, BioInnovation Institute
• Jacob Pontoppidan Thyssen, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, LEO Pharma
• Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Corporate Vice President, Novo Nordisk
• Lars Frølund, Deep tech investment expert and executive, Adjunct Professor, MIT & EIC Board Member
• Thomas Bjørnholm, Chief Scientific Officer, The VILLUM Foundation
• Niels Mejlgaard, CEO, The Danish National Research Foundation
• Lone Ryg Olsen, Director of Enterprise & Innovation, Aarhus University
• Thomas Riisgaard Hansen, Director, DIREC
• Marianne Thellersen, DTU Senior Vice President for Innovation
• Stephen Ezell, Vice President for Global Innovation Policy, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
• Angelika Fretzen, Chief Operating Officer & Technology Translation Director, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
• Albert Bravo-Biosca, Director, Innovation Growth Lab (IGL), Nesta
• Stefan Drüssler, Chief Operating Officer, UnternehmerTUM
• Laura Smoliar, CEO, Quantum Denmark
• Laurent Samama, Managing Partner, Jolt Capital
• Laurits Bach Sørensen, Senior Partner and co-founder, Nordic Alpha Partners
• Simone Lavizzari, Investment Manager, JOIN Capital
• Tommy Ahlers, Investor at Giant Ventures, former Danish minister of Higher Education and Science
• Bert Meijer, Distinguished University Professor in the Molecular Sciences, Professor of Organic Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology
• Markus Perkmann, Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Vice-Dean (Research & Faculty), Imperial Business School; Academic Director, Imperial Enterprise Lab
• Peter Heather, Professor at King’s College London
• Hans Wandall, Professor, Group Leader, Deputy Head of Department (Innovation), University of Copenhagen
• Cornell Ban, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Marion Pötz, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Erik Balck Sørensen, CIO, EIFO
• Karina Fog, Senior Director, H .Lundbeck A/S
• Peter Trillingsgaard, Director, DI Manufacturing
• Ulrik Hedegaard Brorson, Group Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Grundfos Holding A/S, and Chairman, Manufacturing Academy of Denmark (MADE)
• Sine Linderstrøm, Director of SMEs and Entrepreneurship, DI
• Claus Friis Pedersen, Head of The Danish Chips Competence Center (DkCCC), National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
• Mikkel Sørensen, Director, DTU Skylab
• Jes Broeng, Professor, Director, DTU Entrepreneurship
• Ditte Brasso Sørensen, Vice Director, The Think Tank EUROPA
• Muriel Attané, Secretary General, EARTO – European Association of Research & Technology Organisations
• David Hulcoop, Executive Director, Open Targets
• Ahmed Ammar, Co-founder of Lotus Microsystems and Postdoc, Business & Community Developer, DTU Electro
• András G. Inotai, Acting Head of the Taskforce on Startups and Scaleups and Head of the Innovation Policy and Access to Finance Unit in the Directorate General for Research and innovation (RTD)
• Iiro Eerola, Policy Officer, Knowledge Valorisation and Technology Infrastructures Unit in the Directorate General for Research and innovation (RTD)
• Ben Jensen, CEO, CamGraPhIC / 2D Photonics
• Ricardo Marvão, Co-founder and Board Member of Beta-I
• Steen Andersen, Senior Researcher, The Danish National Archives