Imperial welcomed Denmark's Minister for Higher Education and Science, Christina Egelund, to its White City Campus.
The visit, hosted by Imperial's President Professor Hugh Brady, signals the growing strength of Imperial's partnerships with Danish institutions and the wider strategic importance of UK-Denmark scientific collaboration.
At Imperial's White City Deep Tech Campus, the Minister took part in high-level discussions and a showcase of pioneering research collaborations at the heart of Imperial's thriving innovation ecosystem.
The Minister met with leading Imperial researchers and Danish collaborators working across critical areas including public health and medtech, clean technologies, and defence and resilience. Discussions focused on joint research in digital health systems, innovations in sustainable materials and energy systems, and emerging technologies in quantum and secure communications.
White City: a hub for European science and innovation
Visiting Imperial and experiencing their dynamic ecosystem has been both exciting and inspiring. Christina Egelund Minister of Higher Education and Science of Denmark
The delegation, which also included Professor David Dreyer Lassen, Rector of the University of Copenhagen, toured Imperial's White City Deep Tech campus – a rapidly growing innovation district home to world-class research, industry partnerships, and startup activity. The visit showcased the campus' role as a focal point in Europe's scientific landscape, connecting academia with business, investment and international collaboration.
With its cutting-edge facilities and proximity to major partners, White City is helping to drive scientific discovery and tech translation not only for the UK, but also for key European partners including Denmark.
Christina Egelund, Denmark's Minister for Higher Education and Science, said: "It is truly encouraging to be in London these days seeing with my own eyes that the UK is re-engaging actively in the European community. The British commitment to turning cutting-edge research into innovation and business is impressive, and their dedication to contributing to Europe's security through technological advancement is deeply valued.
"Visiting Imperial and experiencing their dynamic ecosystem has been both exciting and inspiring. There is enormous potential in deepening our collaboration — particularly in areas like quantum, space, AI, biotech, and life sciences — for the benefit of all of Europe."
Quantum, resilience and Europe-wide cooperation
A key topic of discussion was international collaboration through Horizon Europe, with a particular focus on quantum technologies. Leaders from Imperial's Centre for Quantum Engineering, Science and Technology (QuEST) showcased collaborations happening with counterparts from the University of Copenhagen, exploring opportunities for joint work in quantum sensing and secure communication systems.
President Hugh Brady said: "Our collaboration with Danish partners reflects a shared ambition to tackle global challenges through science and innovation. I was pleased to host the Minister to show how Imperial's ecosystem is advancing discovery and translating it into real-world impact, and how this can be furthered by deepening collaboration with Danish partners."
Professor David Dreyer Lassen, Rector of the University of Copenhagen said: "Our visit to Imperial's White City Campus has highlighted the immense potential of UCPH-Imperial collaboration in driving forward scientific and technological innovation. By working together, we can leverage our combined expertise to address some of the most pressing global challenges, from sustainable energy solutions to advancements in quantum technologies."
Imperial and Denmark
Over the past five years, Imperial has worked with 46 partners in Denmark on 3,275 co-publications, with the top partner being the University of Copenhagen.
Imperial has 46 Horizon Europe collaborations with Danish partners, with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) the most frequent partner thus far with 12 collaborations. Topics collaborated on range from sustainable aviation fuels, circular economy, and critical raw minerals to diabetes and infectious disease.
- Dr Firat Guder (Bioengineering) is the Imperial lead on a major Horizon Europe consortium project in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark that is working to transform the European aquaculture industry, improving aquatic animal health and welfare, and supporting the environmentally friendly, inclusive, safe and healthy production of seafood.
- Professor Majid Ezzati (School of Public Health) is the Imperial lead on a Horizon Europe project focused on the biological, sociocultural, and environmental risk trajectories of obesity, in partnership with the Capital Region of Copenhagen.
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) is an international partner of Imperial's Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein, led by Dr Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro (Bioengineering).
- Professor Chris Chiu (Infectious Disease) leads an Imperial-led study with Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Vaccines and Immunity (NCVI) to investigate how people develop resistance to the flu.
Images: Fergus Burnett
