Danish Innovation Centres abroad

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Danish Innovation Centres AbroadAAU Matchmaking partners with Innovation Centres in Silicon Valley, USA; Shanghai, China; and Munich, Germany.

The collaboration aims to offer companies, researchers

and other interested parties access to international

markets and partners in environments where innova-

tion and creative thinking are top priorities.

Each innovation centre has certified matchmakers who

are in close contact with the Matchmaking secretariat,

and can provide support and assistance in developing

contacts.

What is an innovation centre?

An innovation centre is a Danish agency abroad, assist-

ing Danish companies and researchers who would like

access to international sources of innovation. Thus far,

innovation centres have been established in Silicon Val-

ley, USA; Shanghai, China; and Munich, Germany. The

centres are established through the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs Trade Council and the Ministry of Science, Tech-

nology and Innovation. The centres are staffed with

employees from the two ministries as well as a number

of local employees in research, innovation and invest-

ment promotion.

Who can get assistance from the

Danish Innovation Centres abroad?

Danish companies, researchers, organizations, networks

and others can use the Danish Innovation Centres

abroad to obtain access to international sources of in-

novation. The centres will assist with finding partners,

networks, technology, knowledge and venture capital.

The centres will also do market analysis, assess busi-

ness plans or consult on establishment. The centres

provide assistance in the planning and implementation

of customized delegation visits. Innovation centres

are especially aimed at Danish companies, research

institutions and organizations/government authorities

who are prepared to launch innovation driven activities

abroad in ICT, Life Science and Clean Tech.

What does it cost?

Payment for the individual commercial services that in-

novation centres provide is calculated in accordance with

the Trade Council guidelines for user fees, (DKK 815 per

hour, as of January 1, 2011). The centres also offer a range

of free services - particularly in relation to the activi-

ties of Danish research institutions. For example, they

assist with contacts to international research networks,

organizing workshops and conferences with the partici-

pation of Danish and foreign researchers in promising

research areas, as well as disseminating information on

the latest trends and opportunities for collaboration,

free of charge. This occurs in particular through outreach

visits at Danish universities and the publication of free

newsletters and blogs. The centres also organize various

events to attract talented international researchers and

students to Denmark.

Can the purchase of innovation centres services be

subsidized?

It is possible for small and medium-sized enterprises

(SMEs) to subsidize the purchase of consulting from

innovation centres. Grants are provided through Innova-

tion Packages or Innovation Camps.

Grants through Innovation Packages

Companies with fewer than 50 employees and an an-

nual turnover below DKK 50 million can apply for grants

through Innovation Packages. An Innovation Package

could for example include:

› Assessment of a business plan through sparring,

review boards and networks

› Market assessment of technologies, inventions and

competitors

› Mapping of and matching with potential research and

innovation partners

› Access to venture capital through introductions, map-

ping, consulting and networking

An Innovation Package includes 25 hours of consulting

on a specific market, subsidized at 50%. Read more on

Innovation Packages on um.dk/en/tradecouncil/ under

The Trade Council: Services > Get off to a good start >

Innovation or contact the Trade Council at tel.

+45 3392 0500 for further information.

Grants for joint Innovation Camps

An Innovation Camp is a focused consulting and net-

working activity for a group of small and medium-sized

companies. The camp can be planned and implemented

in conjunction with innovation centres or other agencies

of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs abroad.

Innovation Camps are directed at businesses, public or

private organizations or to a single company that can

act as the coordinator of a specific camp on behalf of

a group of at least five companies. The Trade Council

subsidizes an Innovation Camp at up to 50% of the joint

costs connected to conducting the camp.

Preparation of applications and participating Danish

companies’ individual costs such as their own marketing

material are not subsidized. There is also no financial

support for travel and accommodation costs.

Contact the Trade Council at tel. +45 3392 0500 for

further information on Innovation Camps.

What have others done?

Several Danish companies have already used innovation

centre services. See a few examples below – and more on

the Trade Council website um.dk/en/tradecouncil/

Danish pharmaceutical company finds innovation partner in China

The innovation centre in Shanghai assisted a Danish

pharmaceutical company with the following:

A partner search for contract research institutions in

China to assist with basic research and preclinical test-

ing.

Result:

The pharmaceutical company has now established a

long-term collaboration with two partners from Shang-

hai.

The company notes that working with the innovation

centre saved a lot of time and allowed for peace of mind

in the process because the centre has a good sense of

the Chinese market. The director further notes that he

will definitely use the centre again.

Danish electronics company finds investors in the U.S.

A Danish company that develops acoustic products for

private homes found investors with assistance from the

innovation centre in Silicon Valley. The innovation centre

helped with the following:

Assessment of the company’s business plan and pre-

paring the company for presentation of the business

plan to potential investors as well as introduction of the

company to networks.

Result:

The company’s previous investors became convinced of

the company’s potential and offered follow-up invest-

ment.

The company notes that without the help of the innova-

tion centre it probably would have waited with the U.S.

market and might have never really gotten into it.

Innovation race in Shanghai

Activity:

In 2009, the innovation centre in Shanghai

conducted a 48-hour “innovation race” where

a number of Chinese students competed with

researchers from a large Danish company’s local

development unit to find solutions to a range of

problems in water and energy.

Purpose:

The project was the final part of the innovation

centre´s Chinese Talent Development program

launched in 2008 and was designed to test the

skills that the program participants were intro-

duced to in two previous modules.

Result:

The process generated approximately 200 ideas

that eventually resulted in two proposals for

solutions. The Danish company ended up making

use of the two solutions and also established

contacts to relevant universities in China as part

of the project.

Contact

For innovation centre consulting, contact the centres directly.

Contact information is available on the centres websites:

Innovation Centre Denmark, Silicon Valley:

http://icdk.um.dk/en/about-us/innovationcentres/siliconvalley/

Innovation Centre Denmark, Shanghai:

http://icdk.um.dk/en/about-us/innovationcentres/shanghai/

Innovation Centre Denmark, Munich:

http://icdk.um.dk/en/about-us/innovationcentres/munich/

For general information regarding the innovation centres,

contact the Trade Council at tel. +45 3392 0500 or the Danish

Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation at tel.

+45 3544 6200.

General information regarding the centres is also available on the

Trade Council website um.dk/en/tradecouncil/ under The Trade

Council: Services > Get off to a good start > Innovation