Water turbines that generate electricity and clean drinking water, fast and heavy-lifting cargo drones and headbands that can monitor brain activity.
These are just three of the startups represented at 70 different stands in DTU Skylab at DTU Startup Day. Over a thousand students, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors are gathered to make new connections and celebrate innovation. Here they circulate and listen to pitches about concepts and inventions in everything from health to sustainable construction.
From the main stage, Minister for Higher Education and Science, Christina Egelund delivers the opening remarks. And although DTU Startup Day is a day of celebration, the Minister emphasizes the importance and seriousness of strong innovation ecosystems:
"We need good ideas in Europe right now. Mario Draghi's report on European competitiveness was a wake-up call for Europe."
The Minister refers to the former President of the European Central Bank's report, which points out that Europe needs more innovative companies and massive investments in technology and green transition if it is to keep up with global markets.
Deep tech solutions to things that are difficult
And this is followed up by today's keynote speaker, the chair of DTU's Board of Directors, Margrethe Vestager. She sees deep tech innovation as the way forward in Europe, and as something that is not so far removed from European core competences:
"In Europe, we have an industrial culture, an engineering culture and a culture of finding solutions to things that are quite difficult. That's why deep tech is a European focal point. Deep tech makes it possible to solve even the most difficult questions. Because it is built on science."
The science on which the deep tech solutions of the future will be based can be found in many examples at DTU Startup Day.
