A broad group of 17 partners, including DTU, is behind a new association called Innovation District Copenhagen. The association will realize the visions for the initiative of the same name and utilize the capital region's concentration of research and talent to create an internationally oriented test and development zone centered around the area around Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen.
Innovation Center Copenhagen will be an epicenter for innovation, bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, and companies to develop new solutions in areas such as life science and quantum technology. DTU Provost Christine Nellemann sees great opportunities in the new collaboration:
"We are incredibly pleased to be partners in this new collaboration, where we can leverage DTU's strengths in health technology, digitalization, and quantum technology to develop new solutions that benefit patients, the healthcare system, and society as a whole. In addition, DTU is entering into the collaboration with an internationally recognized innovation ecosystem—and as the university in Denmark that incubates most new companies," says Christine Nellemann.
Innovation District Copenhagen will work to:
- Promote the development of the innovation district through a broad partnership between universities, hospitals, companies, investors, and public actors.
- Strengthen collaboration on innovation across five academic partners and the healthcare sector so that research is translated into solutions that create value for society.
- Developing the area physically and organizationally, including building commercial space for deep tech companies and creating a framework that promotes encounters between different competencies.
- Improving conditions for innovators, both culturally and practically, so that it becomes easier to start and run businesses in the district.
The vision for Innovation District Copenhagen was first presented in September 2025, when the government, the City of Copenhagen, and the University of Copenhagen presented a political agreement on the physical and organizational development of the innovation ecosystem.