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Professor from Aalborg University in Denmark receives Vodafone Award within mobile technology

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:20:00 +0200

The German mobile operator Vodafone promotes the development of new mobile technology through the Vodafone Innovation prize which gives honour and a prize money of 25,000 Euro to a front mover within research in mobile technology. This year the prize was given to Professor Franz Fitzek, head of the Mobile Device Group at the Deparment for Electronic Systems at Aalborg Universitet.

Franz Fitzek has been a driving force in establishing user cooperation as a research area. User cooperation enables mobile users within a limited geographical area to share data. The research has already shown concrete results with a startup company named Steinwurf founded by two of Franz Fitzek’s P.hd. students. Steinwurf provides applications that allow users to share resources locally between mobile devices.

- We in Europe have lost the production of mobile hardware to other continents, but an area, where we can beat e.g. Asia, is the innovation part. We need to improve ourselves continuously, “ says award winner Frank Fitzek in a press release from Aalborg University.

Danish mobile and wireless industry among the world’s strongest

A strong and unique interplay between Danish universities and the industry, both domestic and abroad, has resulted in Denmark maintaining its top position within communication technology and software engineering. Corporations such as Motorola, Microsoft, Ericsson and Google have already chosen to benefit from this favourable location and invested in research and development facilities in Denmark.

Learn more about wireless and mobile technology in Denmark.

Watch award winner Franz Fitzek at the prize ceremony in Dresden below (in German).

Invest in Denmark embarks on ambitious design tour in Asia

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:15:00 +0200

Asian companies wanting to upscale on design and innovation should consider investing in Denmark, as its world-leading designers, design schools and design companies have a wealth of experience to offer.

That will be the key message on the Industrial Design Asia Tour arranged by Invest in Denmark, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, which will take place from 8-18 May in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Qingdao, Seoul and Tokyo.

Danish innovation and design increase sales

The aim of the tour is to put more focus on strong Danish competencies within industrial design and innovation. As companies are facing increasing pressure to reduce their costs of productions, they have to think of new ways to create more innovative and creative products offering more value to their customers. And this is where Asian companies can learn from Denmark, says Henrik Brandt Jensen, Asian-Pacific Director of Invest in Denmark, who is leading the tour.

- Global companies can learn from the power of Danish design and use it in their business strategy to become more successful. Denmark is globally renowned for its long and proud design tradition, and it is a powerful hub for business, organisations and academic institutions in the creative fields, says Henrik Brandt Jensen.

Top industrial designers speak at Danish Design World Tour

Eskild Hansen, who is part of a new generation of internationally recognised Danish designers, will be a key note speaker on the tour which will consist of a mixture of workshops, VIP lunches and client meetings. Eskild Hansen is Global Director of Design at Coloplast and former Head of Cisco's European Design Center.

The five other key note speakers are Vinay Venkatraman and Brian Rink from Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID), Jesper Brehmer, Lenovo Innovation Design Center, Torsten Valeur, Chief of David Lewis Designers and Bo Linnemann, Kontrapunkt.

About Danish design

Modern Danish Design emerged in the 1950s as a design movement stressing the idea that beautiful and functional everyday objects should be affordable to the masses. This renaissance in thought was the culmination of 100 years of design and industrialization sweeping Denmark, beginning mid-19^th century.

Today, Danish design is recognized and acclaimed around the globe. Architects, designers and business flock to Denmark each year to study the Danish approach to design and Copenhagen is now viewed as one of the leading design capitals in the world.

Samsung led tv. Samsung systematically brings their designers and strategic leaders to Denmark and say that Danish design is highly apparent in their products.

Skilled Danish labour raises productivity

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:21:00 +0200

Despite the higher wages, trained workers turn out to be cheapest at the end of the day. This is the conclusion of a study by Copenhagen Business School including 2252 Danish production companies. The main reasons are that skilled workers can make use of advanced technology and are more likely to solve problems quickly and independently.

“If production makes use of advanced technology, you get a higher benefit in Denmark,” says Professor Jan Rose Skaksen from Copenhagen Business School in Børsen yesterday.

Global companies choose Denmark for production

Alfa Laval, a global leader in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling is one of the international companies that knows the advantages of the Danish labour market, also when it comes to production:

“The flexible labour market makes Denmark a very attractive country to operate in, but the main reason for our presence here is the talent pool that we see in Denmark,” CEO Lars Renström said to Ingeniøren, when the company chose to increase their activities in Denmark.

Denmark not only holds a self-motivated and productive workforce and a flexible labour market, but also offers great international accessibility and national infrastructure.

Read more about the Danish labour market and setting up a production centre in Denmark her on the website.

Kinectrics to open new Danish testing facility

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:52:00 +0200

In a European operation expansion, the Toronto-based engineering, testing and certification company Kinectrics will open a new Danish R&D testing facility.

The new Kinectrics European location will serve to enhance and expedite qualified technical support for Denmark’s transmission and distribution infrastructure. This important initiative reflects Kinectrics continued capital investment in the transmission and distribution industry worldwide, as well as the company’s ongoing commitment to facilitate the availability of advanced engineering and testing services for a growing European client base.

- Kinectrics has identified Denmark as a leading European market utilizing transmission, distribution, wind generation, and environmental technologies, said Harris.

- We look forward to developing our Danish operation and furthering our objective to support both existing and future clients in the Nordic region—as well as expanding into the greater European Union from our Danish platform, he added.

- I welcome Kinectrics’ expansion in Denmark and their establishment of a new facility in Jutland. Foreign investments are essential to creating growth and jobs in Denmark. Kinectrics’ competencies fit well into Denmark’s new energy strategy and as a category leader within transmission and distribution, Kinectrics brings valuable industry expertise and experience to Denmark, said Pia Olsen Dyhr, Denmark's Minister for Trade and Investment.

Kinectrics is an independent engineering, testing and certification company with 100 years of proven success in the power industry. With over 400 laboratory and field specialists in generation (nuclear, hydro and fossil), transmission, distribution, and environmental technologies, the company uses innovative science and engineering to help clients improve business performance.

Gates Foundation is on the lookout for Danish innovation and research

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:26:00 +0200

In the battle to improve people’s health all over the world, the Gates Foundation has previously invested in Danish medical research.

Now the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private philanthropic foundation in the world, is looking for applications for its Grand Challenges Explorations initiative, a USD 100 million grant initiative encouraging innovation in global health and development research. Anyone, from Denmark as well as the rest of the world, with a transformative idea is invited to submit an application. Grants are awarded against a set of specific topics such as new approaches for the interrogation of anti-malarial compounds and design of new approaches to optimize immunization systems. Read all topics here.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works “to help all people lead healthy, productive lives”, has previously invested in Danish research within vaccines against tuberculosis - a disease which still poses a major threat to health in developing countries.

Last year, at a global tuberculosis conference taking place in Denmark, the Gates Foundation invited world-leading researchers to brainstorm on how to solve the challenge of creating a vaccine for tuberculosis.

Denmark is already a European leader in drug development and has the third largest commercial drug development pipeline in Europe in absolute numbers. Medicon Valley, one of Europe’s top three sites for biotech innovation alongside Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Basel in Switzerland, spearheads the Danish biotech cluster with a strong presence and close collaboration between universities, hospitals and companies.

Proposals are being accepted at www.grandchallenges.org/explorations through 15 May 2012.

Personalised medicine in Denmark

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:17:00 +0200

Danish biotechnology and its long tradition of close collaboration between research institutions, academic and commercial researchers are at the center of focus in the latest issue of the acclaimed scientific publication European Biopharmaceutical Review (EBR).

The article is written by Invest in Denmark's Regional Project Manager Rasmus Beedholm-Ebsen, who holds a PhD in Medicine from Aarhus University and an MSc in Molecular Biology.

Read the article here (opens PDF).

EWEA 2012

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:05:00 +0200

If you are in the wind business, Denmark is the place to be.

That was the key message when Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment Pia Olsen Dyhr met with foreign investors at EWEA 2012 – the largest wind event in Europe – taking place in Copenhagen.

Watch web-tv from EWEA 2012 here.

Copenhagen is a leader in human capital

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:58:00 +0200

Universities of high quality are among the reasons why Copenhagen has been ranked the third richest city in the world in terms of human capital, writes the Danish daily MetroXpress.

A new survey from The Economist Intelligence Unit has benchmarked the global competitiveness in 120 of the world’s largest cities, acknowledging that cities are more important than ever to the world’s societal and economic development.

In connection with this, the survey ranks the human capital of each city on a variety of parameters such as the educational system, population growth, quality of healthcare system and entrepreneurship, among others.

In this category, the survey finds Copenhagen to be number three – only surpassed by Dublin and Hong Kong.

Copenhagen leads in international surveys.

It is far from the first time that Copenhagen takes the lead in international surveys.

Recently, Greater Copenhagen was ranked as the third best region in Europe for foreign companies to place their investments.

The top placement was given in the report “European Cities and Regions of the Future 2012/2013” in the British fDi Magazine published by The Financial Times.

Denmark is the happiest place on earth

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:54:00 +0200

Looking for the happiest place on earth? Pack up and move to Denmark.

According to World Happiness Report published by The Earth Institute at Columbia University and commissioned for a United Nations conference on happiness, Denmark is the happiest country in the world followed by Finland, Norway and the Netherlands.

The 158-page report, the first of its kind ever, ranks countries on a “life evaluation score” that takes into account a variety of factors such as wealth, government corruption, political freedom and job security. The sources include the Gallup World Poll (GWP), the World Values Survey (WVS), the European Values Survey (EVS), and the European Social Survey (ESS).

- It is no accident that the happiest countries in the world tend to be high-income countries that also have a high degree of social equality, trust and quality of government, write the authors of the study in the introduction.

The report sparked an enthusiastic comment from a blogger in the British newspaper the Guardian. Among other things, the blogger commends Denmark for having a great childcare and healthcare system.

- Since moving from Finsbury Park in London to Copenhagen three years ago with my husband Duncan, our quality of life has skyrocketed, writes Cathy Strongman in her blog post in the Guardian under the headline ‘Copenhagen really is wonderful, for so many reasons’.

Read the full report here.

Copenhagen hosts EWEA 2012

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:40:00 +0200

More than 10.000 business leaders, experts and media within wind energy are getting ready to gather in Copenhagen, as EWEA 2012 takes place from 16-19 April.

EWEA, The European Wind Energy Association, is the voice of the wind industry, actively promoting the utilisation of wind power in Europe and worldwide.

Danish Prime Minister and Chair of the EU's rotating Presidency Helle Thorning-Schmidt will attend the opening session 16 April, as will Crown Prince Frederik and European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger, while Danish Energy Minister Martin Lidegaard will chair a panel discussion on European energy supply towards 2030. On the same day, Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment Pia Olsen Dyhr will host an investor seminar.

It is no coincidence that this year’s EWEA takes place in Denmark. The Danish government has just launched what has been named the world’s most ambitious energy agreement where usage of wind power plays an essential role. In 2020, half of the electricity consumption will come from wind power.

March Issue Focus Denmark

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:36:00 +0200

Water is the main theme of the latest issue of the magazine Focus Denmark, which is published quarterly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Read articles on Danish water technology, offshore wind, sustainable design and Denmark's current presidential stint at the tiller of the EU.

Copenhagen Airport challenges Helsinki

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:49:00 +0200

Finish travelers will start using Copenhagen instead of Helsinki as a springboard to reach destinations around Europe.

Last Monday, the Finish airline company Blue1, which is owned by SAS, opened five new flight routes in Copenhagen Airport and expanded three existing ones. By 2013, the expansion will result in 750.000 more travelers to and from Copenhagen, shows calculations made by Copenhagen Airport.

Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment Pia Olsen Dyhr participated in Monday’s opening of the new routes, as the first departure from the Finish town of Vasaa arrived in Copenhagen Airport.

In a press release by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said:

- New flight routes as Blue1’s from Vasaa to Copenhagen are a direct airway to growth in Denmark with more tourists, increased turnover and new jobs. Hopefully, the new flight routes will make Finish investors find Denmark even more attractive.

When foreign companies decide whether they should invest in or open offices in Denmark or Sweden, good airlines connections are important.

- In times of crisis, Blue 1’s decision is great news to the employment situation in Denmark, adds Olsen Dyhr.

Copenhagen Airport is an important northern European hub

Carsten Nørland, Vice President, Sales and Market, Copenhagen Airport, agreed:

- The new routes are great news for the airport, for Copenhagen and for Denmark. With 750.000 new passengers a year we will create growth in Copenhagen and strengthens the capital’s position as an important northern European hub, he said.

CEO of Blue1, Stefan Wentjärvi, highlights the fact that Copenhagen Airport with 134 European and intercontinental routes has more than twice as many routes as Helsinki Airport. That was one of the main arguments for moving Blue1’s traffic to Copenhagen.

- By flying from Copenhagen, travelers have a lot more options, said Stefan Wentjärvi.

Danish government enters into historic energy agreement

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:45:00 +0100

A broad majority of the Danish parliament has agreed on a new energy policy that takes decisive steps towards a society free of coal, oil and natural gas. The agreement cements Denmark’s position as a world leader in green energy.

- It is the broadest, greenest and the longest-lasting energy agreement ever to be made in Denmark. Today, we are making energy policy history in Denmark. In everyday political work, we are different shades of red and blue. But today, we have laid the foundation for a green future together, says Minister for Climate, Energy and Building, Martin Lidegaard, in an official press release quoted on the website of State of Green.

More than 35 per cent of energy from renewable sources by 2020

7 out of 8 parties in the Danish parliament stand behind the agreement which outlines the framework for the Danish climate and energy policy until 2020 and the direction until 2050.

CO2 emissions in 2020 will be 34 per cent less than they were in 1990. Energy consumption will decrease by 12 per cent in 2020 compared to 2006. Around 35 per cent of the country’s energy will come from renewable sources and almost 50 per cent of electricity will come from wind. At the same time, the agreement ensures that the business community as a whole - and the energy sector in particular - will have a stable framework to work from in the years to come.

Focus on increased energy efficiency

With the agreement, the parties behind it agree to continue the development that has made Denmark one of the most energy efficient countries in the world. In addition to this, it was decided to construct two large offshore wind farms and invest in solar energy, wave power, biomass and biogas.

- Denmark is once again the leading country in the world when it comes to switching to green energy. This will prepare us for a future where oil and coal prices continue to rise and it will create some of the jobs that we so desperately need in the coming years, says Martin Lidegaard.

The broad political agreement is a corner stone for the future development of the energy sector in Denmark and the related investment climate, says Narcís Margall, Project Manager, Cleantech, Invest in Denmark:

- The agreement removes uncertainties for investors by ensuring that energy policy will continue detached from changes in the governing majorities. The political unrivalled support to renewable sources and energy efficiency, the lack of market uncertainty and the country´s position as a global leading clean energy cluster make Denmark an ideal location to set up activities in this field, says Narcís Margall.

Danes switch to renewables

Recently, statistics from the Danish Energy Authority showed that Danes used 5.8 per cent less energy and emitted 10.3 per cent less CO2 in 2011. In the same period, consumption of renewables went up with 4.8 per cent.

Denmark gets a national biobank

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:22:00 +0100

Starting from now, Danish researches will only have to search in one place to find tissue samples from all Danes, combined with their disease history, treatment and family relationships.

A new national biobank opening today will supplement Denmark’s national registers of medicine use, disease diagnoses and family relations. The Danish National Biobank will be a goldmine for researches, writes the online science news site ScienceNordic.

The biobank will enable researchers to combine all this information in Denmark’s registers while studying diseases or genetic faults in a larger context.

- The idea was to provide easy access to the many biological samples we have today and will get in the future, says Professor Mads Melbye, the director of the Division of Epidemiology at the State Serum Institute (SSI); who initiated the project, to ScienceNordic.

- In this way we can put our comprehensive research resources at the disposal of all the country’s researchers, Melbye adds.

Denmark stands alone internationally with registers that include everyone living in the country, and they can be followed from cradle to grave – the only country with the whole of its population in a single cohort.

As well as samples, the new biobank has a register with links to information in the many other health-related registers in Denmark.

Denmark’s National Biobank is a goldmine for researchers

This gives the biobank an enormous research advantage when researchers are looking for causal relations between diseases and treatments.

The Danish National Biobank will in time house 15 million biological samples, but at the start it will have the five to six million samples already at the disposal of the State Serum Institute.

The biobank receives about 1,000 new samples every day, and Melbye hopes that the Danish National Biobank will collaborate with other laboratories in the future, so it will receive even more samples.

According to ScienceNordic, the international scientific journal Science has described Denmark as the great dream of epidemiologists because the country’s many comprehensive registers make it easier for epidemiologists to carry out research in diseases.

The existence of such a biobank underscores that Denmark is an attractive destination for global Pharma companies to conduct clinical trials in.

Denmark takes the lead in digital development

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:56:00 +0100

When it comes to using the web to delivering government services, Denmark is number four in the world. A new survey “The United Nations E-Government Survey 2012: E-Government for the People” gives Denmark a top ranking in their ‘E-Government Development index. Denmark advances from number seven in 2010 when the ranking was conducted last.

With a focus on governance solutions that enhance service delivery and streamline public sector efficiency, the ranking reflects an assessment of which countries are undertaking their e-government development with a view to integrated, user-centric public service delivery.

The survey commends Denmark for having a service portal www.borger.dk that is a gateway to the entire public sector in Denmark, providing enormous amount of information and services. It is, for example, possible to report an address change on this website, apply for student loans and student grants scholarships, see and modify tax issues, apply for a state pension, and report changes in income or marital status.

Generally speaking, European countries show the highest e-government development followed by the Americas, and in Europe, Denmark is only surpassed by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The Republic of Korea takes the overall lead in the ranking.

Denmark is an ICT frontrunner

Denmark is a frontrunner within Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and a prime location for international companies looking to expand their business.

Not only is Denmark praised as the best test market in the world, it also has world-class IT infrastructure with some of the world’s highest ICT penetration rates for mobiles, broadband and PCs.

Read the full report from the UN here.

Largest solar system in Europe

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:19:00 +0100

The largest solar cell facility in Northern Europe has just been completed and is located in the town of Virum in Denmark, according to the Danish newspaper Ingeniøren.

The plant consists of 2,600 solar panels with a total surface area of 4,650 m2 distributed over 15,000 m2 of roof. With its 605 kW the plant is more than twice as large as the second biggest solar facility, according to GreenGo Energy who constructed the site.

The solar plant is owned by SEB Real Estates and will produce 545,000 kWh a year, which is equal to the average annual electricity consumption of 120 households.

The plant will increase Denmark’s solar capacity by 8 per cent and it is estimated that it will save 300 tonnes of CO2 compared with if the electricity had been produced by a coal-fired power station.

Denmark – a leader in green growth

With 1100 Danish cleantech companies, 60,000 employees and a 12 billion Euro export value, Denmark is one of the world’s indisputable cleantech centers.

Denmark has gone from being 99 percent dependent on foreign fossil fuel to being completely energy self-sufficient. Thirty years of focused energy policy, implemented after the 1973 oil crisis, has catapulted Denmark ahead of most other nations in the use of renewable energy technology.

The Danish government has set the goal to be completely independent of fossil fuels by 2050.

IEA commends Denmark

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:39:00 +0100

Denmark is a frontrunner in green growth, says a new review by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The review applauded Denmark’s long-term vision for a low-carbon future – all Danish energy supply is to come from renewable sources by 2050 – and its achievements to date, but also sounded some notes of caution regarding the implementation of such an ambitious strategy.

- The IEA commends Denmark and its people for the scope of their vision and their many successes in adopting sustainable energy policies, said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven as she presented the review.

She continued:

- Even with Denmark’s exemplary record, however, challenges remain and there is room for further enhancement if Denmark is to remain at the top of the class. This report provides a number of recommendations for Danish policymakers to consider.

Invest in Denmark attracts 49 per cent more jobs

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:27:00 +0100

In 2011, Invest in Denmark helped to attract or retain 1.296 jobs in Denmark. A yearly evaluation from KPMG, a provider of audit services, shows that the number of jobs is up 49 per cent from 2010.

Divided between industries, 31 per cent of the jobs were within Cleantech, 27 per cent within ICT and 18 per cent within Biotech.

In the evaluation, companies were asked to evaluate the impact of certain factors on their decision to establish in Denmark. Most companies highlighted the supply of skilled labour and R&D capabilities in Denmark as having a positive impact on their establishment in the country.

Denmark – a global leader in wind power technology

A recent example of companies investing in Denmark is the Swiss/Danish company ROMO Wind that focuses on optimising the technical and operational performance of wind farms in operation.

The company was formed in Switzerland in 2011 by a group of experienced business people and technical experts within the wind turbine industry and shortly after, ROMO established the operational headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark – a global wind power hub.

- Denmark is internationally recognized as being a global leader of wind power technology in general and much of the predominant wind turbine designs still being used in the world are developed by Danish wind turbine engineers. Jutland in particular has a very large concentration of international wind power expertise, which ROMO has benefitted and recruited its staff from, says Poul Anker Lübker, Co-CEO of ROMO.

Denmark is a world leader in creating healthy cleantech companies

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:09:00 +0100

Denmark has been ranked No. 1 in a new report ’Coming Clean: The Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2012’, prepared by WWF and Cleantech Group, a global cleantech consultancy company. The report examined where new cleantech companies are growing today, and which countries are best at creating innovation in green technology.

The Minister for Trade and Investment, Pia Olsen Dyhr says:

- The report shows that Denmark is a leader in cleantech. We have set an ambitious course towards becoming independent of fossil fuels by 2050, with specific targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% in 2020 and to ensure that wind energy will account for half of our electricity consumption by 2020.

- Denmark's achievement is partly explained by our ability to support the start-up of cleantech companies until their ideas and technologies become profitable to the benefit of both the economy and the environment.

- Rankings like this are important when I discuss with foreign companies why they should invest in Denmark. And international companies have already discovered Denmark in terms of investments in cleantech. Last year, a third of the jobs Invest in Denmark helped create were in the cleantech sector.

Denmark supports innovative cleantech start-up companies

The report assessed 38 countries against 15 indicators related to the creation and commercialisation of start-up cleantech companies. An associated index measured the potential of each country to produce cleantech start-up companies and commercialise green innovation over the next 10 years.

Denmark was ranked No.1 on the list, followed by Israel, Sweden, Finland and USA. The report highlights Denmark's support of innovative cleantech start-up companies, and confirms that start-up companies, especially in wind energy sector, are succeeding in creating businesses from their innovative technologies.

The full report can be downloaded here

Watch Pia Olsen Dyhr explain

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:37:00 +0100

ROMO Wind uses Denmark

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:03:00 +0100

Denmark is the chosen destination for the global operational headquarters of the Swiss/Danish company ROMO Wind that focuses on optimising the technical and operational performance of wind farms in operation.

-Denmark is internationally recognized as being a global leader of wind power technology in general and much of the predominant wind turbine designs still being used in the world are developed by Danish wind turbine engineers. Jutland in particular has a very large concentration of international wind power expertise, which ROMO has benefitted and recruited its staff from, says Poul Anker Lübker, Co-CEO of ROMO.

Denmark’s position as a leading wind hub is strengthened

Invest in Denmark, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, helped facilitate ROMO’s establishment in Denmark, which is expected to create 20 jobs in Denmark within the first year. Merete Juhl, Director of Invest in Denmark, names the investment ‘highly valuable’ for the Danish wind power cluster.

- ROMO’s presence will strengthen the Danish position as a leading wind nation and a natural destination globally for new Cleantech companies and old ones looking to expand. I am excited to follow the development of ROMO in the years to come, says Merete Juhl.

ROMO acquires wind turbine technology from DTU

ROMO offers wind farm owners technology and technical assistance to increase their investment returns of wind farms. For that reason, the company has acquired a yaw error detection and correction technology, the Spinner Anemometer, from the Technical University of Denmark. The technology was invented and tested at RISØ, a national laboratory for sustainable energy in Denmark.

The Spinner Anemometer accurately measures the speed and direction of the wind hitting the wind turbine rotor. This allows ROMO to measure whether the wind turbine has a yaw error (i.e. whether the wind turbine stands correctly into the wind). Yaw errors result in significant power losses and additional loads on the wind turbine. Yaw errors are according to ROMO an underestimated problem as it up to now has been difficult and expensive to measure the wind direction in front of the wind turbine.

- For the past 15 years the demand for new wind farms has been growing by more than 20 per cent annually. Now the time has come for getting the utmost out of these huge investments by making sure they function absolutely optimally. Denmark because of its history and international wind power leadership has a unique opportunity also to contribute in this field, says Poul Anker Lübker.

Read more at ROMO Wind’s website www.romowind.com.

Greater Copenhagen in top three of best European investment regions

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:18:00 +0100

An on-going economic crisis has left European cities and regions in hard competition for attracting foreign investments. Now, Greater Copenhagen has a strong argument to beat the others as it has been ranked the third best region in Europe for foreign companies to place their investments.

The top placement was given in the report “European Cities and Regions of the Future 2012/2013” in the British fDi Magazine published by The Financial Times. Greater Copenhagen advanced two places compared to last year’s report.

Highly qualified talents in Copenhagen

The ranking is much more than just a coincidence, explains Merete Juhl, Director of Invest in Denmark, a service under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, which helps foreign companies to establish in Denmark.

- When it comes to investments in a global perspective, Greater Copenhagen is unique in many ways. The capital region combines highly qualified talents with an efficient infrastructure and a high living standard and quality of life. Furthermore, Copenhagen is a natural gateway to the rest of Europe. Those are key factors for companies who want to stand out in the future competition, says Merete Juhl.

The survey from fDi Magazine focuses on a mixture of data and expert opinion to rank cities and regions which have the best prospects for inward investment, economic development and business expansion.

Six categories were used: economic potential, human resources, cost effectiveness, quality of life, infrastructure and business friendliness. Furthermore, a seventh category was added to the scoring – FDI (foreign direct investment) promotion strategy.

Copenhagen’s infrastructure was ranked fourth best in Europe while the city’s quality of life was only surpassed by Paris and Stockholm.

Cities and regions in northern and western Europe dominated the rankings; Moscow is the only city outside these regions to feature in the top 10 overall.

Download the full report here (pdf).

Chinese DNA giant BGI expands in Denmark

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0100

In 2010, they established a European headquarters in Denmark and became the largest ever Chinese Biotech investment in Denmark. Now, Chinese BGI, one of the world’s largest genomics organisations, is expanding their Danish presence with a European Genome Research Center in Copenhagen.

The center aims to establish collaborations to better accelerate the innovation and development of genomics research and applications in health care, agriculture, bioenergy and other related areas in Europe.

The opening ceremony of the genome research center was held at the Bio-center in University of Copenhagen last Friday, and it was attended by Pia Olsen Dyhr, Minister of Trade and Investments, Professor Huanming Yang, Co-founder and Chairman of BGI, and Professor Thomas Bjørnholm, Vice Chancellor of University of Copenhagen, among others.

Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr said:

- I am pleased that BGI has invested in Denmark and thereby contributed to creating new jobs here. We need to further increase cooperation with China, which is why I later this month will be visiting China. It is very positive that foreign investors like BGI find Denmark attractive. I hope that the presence by organization like BGI will help open the eyes to other foreign investors, especially Chinese investors.

Hope to develop a vaccine against cancer in Denmark

Vice Chancellor Thomas Bjørnholm from University of Copenhagen said that “something big” could be expected from the new center:

- The vision is to create the best facilities in the fields of genomics and bioinformatics, so that we have an opportunity to utilize knowledge on genomics and better Denmark’s possibilities of preventing and curing diseases. We hope that it will be possible, for example, to develop a vaccine against cancer, he said.

BGI Chairman Huanming Yang expressed his appreciation to the Danish government and the scientific partner in Denmark.

- BGI’s leaders and staff have been successively educated and trained in Denmark from the past to present. It is the strong tie between BGI and Denmark both culturally and scientifically which led BGI’s choice to establish the first European Genome Research Center of BGI in Copenhagen, Denmark, he said.

For more information about BGI, please visit www.genomics.cn.

Airbnb opens Nordic headquarters in Copenhagen

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:16:00 +0100

Using social media to booking or renting out rooms, house boats or whole apartments has become popular among Danes. Airbnb, a San Francisco-based leading marketplace to list and book private accommodation, is opening its seventh international office and Nordic headquarters in Copenhagen, after accommodation bookings in Denmark have gone up with 700 per cent last year.

- Danes are always frontrunners when it comes to adapting new concepts like collaborative consumption. We believe that Airbnb’s social marketplace fits the Danish mentality, and Danes can make money on their unused square meters now that the real estate market has stagnated, says Regional Manager Ole Ruch, who runs the Copenhagen office that will start out with having 10-12 employees.

Airbnb, founded in 2008, is a community market place where people can list and book more than 100.000 private accommodations in 19,000 cities and 192 countries around the world. Denmark is one of Airbnb’s fastest growing markets with more than 34.000 bookings made in 2011, and Danish Airbnb users have made close to DKK 8.2 million renting out their square meters to travellers.

Denmark is a natural gateway to the rest of Europe

Invest in Denmark, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, has helped Airbnb with information about the Danish business environment and competences as well as location search in the process of setting up an office.

- We are happy that Airbnb has chosen Denmark as destination for its Nordic headquarters. It underlines the fact that Denmark is a natural gateway to the rest of Europe, and that innovative companies such as Airbnb can make use of the high quality competencies and healthy business environment in Denmark, says Merete Juhl, Director of Invest in Denmark.

Besides from Copenhagen, Airbnb is opening offices in Spain, Italy, Russia, Paris and Brazil in early 2012.

Danish researchers want to replace petrol with algea

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:49:00 +0100

Algea from the sea instead of polluting petrol is what car owners can expect in the future.

A group of Danish scientists have launched a four-year-long research project funded by The Danish Council for Strategic Research, which aims at finding answers to how it is possible to use algea to produce biofuels.

Danish Technological Institute will together with a number of companies conduct the research project which is to use brown algea, a basic type of algea which contain a high level of sugar.

- That is important in order to create bio-ethanol and butanol, which are both fluent fuels used in the transport sector, says Anne-Belinda Bjerre, Senior Scientist and Ph.D. in charge of the project in an interview with the Danish daily MetroXpress.

Using plants such as straw, corn or maize to create biofuels is a well-known process whereas using plants from the sea has a special advantage since there is much more sea than soil on Earth. Thus, the resources to pick from are much larger, explains Bjerre.

Furthermore, algea reproduce themselves in just one month in comparison to oil and gas which can take millions of years to form.

It is still uncertain when cars in Denmark can run on algea, but the Danish scientists hope that it will happen within 5-10 years.

Today, there are no cars in Denmark that can run on biofuels alone. Thus, another challenge needed to be solved is making sure that cars can handle biofuels.

Denmark - a leader in biofuel R&D

Denmark is already positioned at the front when it comes to research and development of biofuels, being home to world leading producers of enzymes and all kinds of bioenergy related technology and equipment.

Denmark´s background as a country with an industrialised agriculture and a long tradition for “waste to energy” solutions has shown as decisive factors in the development of core competences in this field.

Danish embassies walk the green talk

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:47:00 +0100

That we all need to get smarter about how we use energy is one of the messages that Danish diplomats deliver to decision makers around the world these days, as one the priorities of the Danish Presidency is to promote green and sustainable growth.

To support this green mission, a number of Danish embassies in 2008 decided to put their own houses in order so to speak, by implementing energy savings measures themselves. By addressing the issue of energy efficiency not merely by talking about it, but by taking concrete action, the message that we all indeed can do something to reduce our CO2 emissions becomes all the more credible.

Committed to reductions

Subscribing to the truism that actions indeed do speak louder than words, the Green Embassy Network today comprises 36 embassies from Ouagadougou to Tokyo.

The embassies have committed themselves to implementing energy saving measures. Embassies are obliged to reduce energy consumption typically by 1.5 per cent per year.

Depending on local conditions the reduction target is met by focusing on:

• Responsible and energy efficient behaviour by embassy staff

• Energy efficient procurement policy

• Energy efficiency as part of the daily operation of the embassy.

By analysing the energy saving potential of e.g. IT equipment, air conditioning systems, copying machines, and TV sets, energy consumption can be reduced significantly and often well beyond the 1.5 per cent. Results thus far show that reduction on electricity consumption around 10-15 per cent from year to year, while some embassies have managed to reduce consumption by as much as 52 per cent.

On average the member embassies reduced electricity consumption by 12 per cent from 2008 to 2009 and by an additional 14 per cent from 2009 to 2010.

Creativity helps

Many embassies go beyond the standard requirements by implementing more creative energy saving measures. By example, the embassies in Cairo and Beirut have used green bicycle couriers – a concept from Copenhagen - for local dispatches to promote sustainable transport and demonstrate that Denmark is a global green frontrunner.

In Managua (Nicaragua) the embassy has painted the roof of the embassy building white to reduce heat absortion, and the embassy in Kampala (Uganda) is de facto CO2 neutral by way of a 5-year agreement that neutralizes the carbon emissions of the embassy by buying car- bon credits from forestry- and recycling projects in Uganda. The concrete actions and the actual results achieved go to show that the members of the Green Embassy Network have indeed walked the talk by cutting energy consumption substantially.

The future of the network

When established back in 2008, the network numbered 16 Danish embassies. Today, that number has more than doubled, and the hope is to keep up the growth rate and have even more embasssies walk the green talk.

Novo Nordisk takes the lead in sustainability

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:12:00 +0100

Yesterday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Danish world leader in diabetes care Novo Nordisk was ranked number one in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World index. The index is published annually since 2005 by Corporate Knights – a Canadian and North American business magazine.

Lise Kingo, executive vice president of Novo Nordisk, is proud of the acknowledgment and emphasises Novo Nordisk’s commitment to continue the sustainable growth path that the company has pursued for more than two decades.

-This is a wonderful recognition of our Triple Bottom Line approach and a clear indication that Novo Nordisk is poised for long-term business success. But most importantly it is an encouragement to continue to find new ways of growing our business in a way that is profitable, responsible and valuable for patients, employees and society, Lise Kingo says in a press release by Novo Nordisk.

Four Danish companies in the top 100

The aim of the Global 100 is to highlight the global companies, which are most proactive in managing environmental, social and corporate governance issues.

Number two and three on the list are Natura Cosmeticos SA and Statoil, respectively. Novo Nordisk’s sister company, Novozymes is rated number four.

Four Danish companies are in the top 100.

The wind turbine producer Vestas is number 31 and the medical devices manufacturer Coloplast is number 84.

For more information about Global 100:

www.global100.org

Denmark has the best talents in Europe

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:33:00 +0100

Denmark might be small in size but when it comes to producing talents, the country is number one in Europe today and is predicted to stay there until 2015.

According to the recently published Economist Intelligence Unit’s ‘Global Talent Index’, which benchmarks 60 countries in 2011 and provides an outlook to 2015, Denmark was in 2011 the second best country in the world for developing talents only surpassed by the US and will keep that position in 2015.

The survey benchmarks the countries on their capacity for developing, attracting and retaining talent, and the Nordic region ranks high in the survey. Denmark, Finland and Norway figure in the index top five in both 2011 and 2015, joined by Sweden in the latter year.

The high Nordic rankings are explained by their ‘consistent and substantial investment in education from primary through tertiary level’. Denmark gets top ratings when it comes to quality of the labour force (number one in 2011 and 2015), talent environment (number two in 2011 and 2015) and compulsory education quality (number two in 2011 and 2015).

It will be hard for any country to challenge the US on their top position as the lead is almost one full point. The US strengths are listed as excellence of its universities, high quality of the existing workforce and a meritocratic environment relatively unencumbered by restrictive labour regulation.

Download the full report here.

Systematic is to link Danish healthcare IT systems together

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:49:00 +0100

Before the end of 2013, Danish healthcare personal will be able to access all relevant digital healthcare information on their patients in just one spot.

The Danish Health IT company Systematic has won the bid for developing a new National Patient Index (NPI) that will enable doctors and other healthcare professionals to view patient information in their own clinical IT systems and unhindered by operational and jurisdictional boundaries – no matter where in the country the patient in question has previously been treated.

Today, doctors have to access patient data from different IT-systems, but the new system will be much more efficient when admitting patients with acute illnesses or dealing with patients with complex treatment regimes.

Ordinary Danes will also be able to use the system where they can view information about the results from their own examinations and the treatment they receive from the Danish healthcare system.

Denmark is today one of the world’s leading countries in the use of health and welfare technology.

Health and welfare technology is an area that combines two very strong clusters in Denmark, the ICT Cluster and the Life Sciences Cluster.

Companies return to Denmark

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:56:00 +0100

"Made in Denmark" might be better than "Made in China". An increasing number of Danish companies choose to move their production back home from China after concluding that they are better off here than in the Middle Kingdom.

During the last years, China’s economic boom has pushed the prices of goods and salaries up. When that is added together with the inevitable language barriers and difficulties in getting the work done, companies decide that it is not worth their while outsourcing the production to China.

One of the companies is T-Rex who makes pedals for music instruments. For seven years, the company had a production unit in China, but now they are planning to move it back to Denmark.

- China is experiencing massive growth which has made the prices of salaries, taxes and raw materials increase. This trend started a while ago and is likely to continue. At the same time, production in Denmark has becoming more affordable due to the economic crisis, because companies have had to streamline and automate their business, says Director Steen Meldgaard to the Danish newspaper MetroXpress.

Cultural barrieres make production in China difficult

Assistant Professor Peter D. Ørberg Jensen from Copenhagen Business School confirms the trend:

- Everything made in China becomes more expensive, and especially in the south-eastern part of China, there has been a certain wage push. These factors will strengthen the trend of more companies moving back to Denmark, he says.

Other Danish companies realise the complications of outsourcing the production to a country where cultural differences often make work procedures go not so smoothly.

- Too many things just didn’t come out the way we wanted it, says Ilse Jacobsen from the clothing company Ilse Jacobsen, who decided to move their production of shoes and clothes back to Denmark.

Watch GSK explain why they have invested in Denmark

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:36:00 +0100

Copenhagen ranks in the top ten for quality of living

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:16:00 +0100

Copenhagen beats popular European cities such as London, Barcelona and Stockholm in a recent survey of the most livable cities in the world.

Copenhagen ranks number nine in the world according to the Mercer 2011 Quality of Living Survey, which ranks cities by the quality of life they offer expatriate executives and their families across the world.

- The rating reflects the fact that we have much to offer when it comes to providing a good base for expats coming to work in Denmark. I think one of the most important things to emphasize is the good work-life balance in Denmark, where the management structure is mostly flat and informal, and everybody can speak out their opinion. Also, the Danish welfare state provides its citizens with high standards of social welfare such as free education and healthcare, says Pia Olsen Dyhr, Minister for Trade and Investment in Denmark.

Copenhagen beats Stockholm and Oslo

In Europe, Vienna takes the lead in the rating followed by Zürich. Bern shares a ninth place together with Copenhagen, which gets the highest ranking of all Scandinavian cities. For instance, Stockholm is ranked number 20, Oslo is number 33 and Helsinki is number 35.

Mercer, a provider of advice to multinational companies on international assignments, conducts the yearly survey to help governments and multinational companies compensate their employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.

The survey covers 221 cities in the world where living conditions are evaluated according to different factors such as the political and social environment, public services and transportation, health and sanitation and more.

It is far from the first time that Denmark gets good ratings in international surveys.

Denmark consistently ranks very high on the World Bank’s “Doing Business” index, which compares business regulation in 183 economies in the world.

In the 2012 report, Denmark ranks number five globally.

Chinese investors choose Denmark

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:08:00 +0100

A group of Chinese investors has selected Denmark as one of the top three countries in Europe to start their global expansion. The group is a part of the newly established Chinese Aigo Entrepreneur Alliance (AEA).

Around 25 investors, among those the leading Chinese consumer electronics company aigo, travelled around Europe in December where they, besides from Denmark, visited Holland, Belgium and Great Britain. After the trip, the investors decided on Denmark as one of their three favourite countries where they plan to open joint headquarters and recommend to the remaining members of the alliance.

Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment, Ms. Pia Olsen Dyhr, met with the leader of the alliance, Mr. Feng Jun, Chairman of aigo, when he first visited Denmark in October to lead the way for the interesting investments.

Ms. Olsen Dyhr says:

- Commercial relations with China are of great importance to my government. We need to attract new investments to Denmark in order to create new jobs, and as Chinese companies are expanding globally, I see many ways that our two nations can collaborate.

- It shows great potential when Chinese companies looking to invest pick Denmark as a top destination. Denmark is open for investments and it is easy to start up a business here, which their decision demonstrates.

- I hope that many more will start turning their eyes on Denmark as a stepping stone to reach the rest of Europe.

Strong design competencies in Denmark attracted Chinese investors

Invest in Denmark, which belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, helped arrange the trip to Denmark, where also Denmark’s Prime Minister, Ms. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, greeted the Chinese investors.

It was, among other things, Denmark’s strong competencies within design and innovation that made the investors decide on Denmark, says Mr. Feng.

- We got a very nice reception in Denmark from the top leaders of the government, and we think the country has a very favourable investments climate where it is easy to set up a business.

- Denmark’s strong focus on design and innovation enables Chinese brands to learn from and collaborate with Danish companies in order to become successful in the rest of Europe.

- Denmark also provides good opportunities for partnerships with universities and design institutions in order to further develop our brands, says Mr. Feng from aigo, which produces mobile storage products, MP5 players and digital camera products.

Feng Jun is the initiator of the alliance, aigo Entrepreneur Alliance (AEA), which aims to promote Chinese privately owned brands globally. The members of the alliance include leading companies within different industries such as electronics, maritime, real estate and clothes. They all share global ambitions.

One of the founding members of AEA is the Chinese billionaire Huang Nubo, owner of Beijing Zhongkun Investment Group Co., who has earlier shown interest in investing in Iceland.

Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment visits China in February to promote Danish export and continue a dialogue with the Chinese investors regarding their future plans.

Nordic people are happier

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:16:00 +0100

The Nordic countries are the world’s happiest nations owing to their welfare model that equally distributes social services and benefits to the entire population, writes the Nordic science news service ScienceNordic.

According to research, the model is facilitated by good tax administration and collection, low levels of corruption and good economic planning.

Universal welfare

During an interview at the University of Gothenburg, Bo Rothstein, professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, explained to ScienceNordic that in the Nordic welfare model most programs and benefits are universal, not selective. Rich and poor citizens have equal status. Countries that provide means-tested welfare are less likely to have happy inhabitants.

No stigma and lots of social trust

In his research paper “Corruption, Happiness, Social Trust and the Welfare State: A Causal Mechanisms Approach”, Rothstein shows that welfare is a good system only if the recipients of the services are not scrutinized so as to cause stigma.

- Recipients of means-tested (selected) government programs are likely to lead to social strains and loss of happiness and satisfaction. The recipients feel isolated and seen as someone who does not contribute to society (not working and not paying taxes) and others deem them unworthy, which is likely to lead to social stigma, he writes.

Rothstein explained that the Nordic welfare system demands a relatively high level of taxation and, importantly, that citizens carry the responsibility of paying taxes.

- It would probably be impossible to establish a universal welfare state in a society in which most citizens were convinced that most other citizens would evade most of their taxes and abuse or overuse the benefits. It could therefore be argued that a universal welfare state can only be established in a society where citizens have a fair deal of social trust, Rothstein said.

New December issue of Focus Denmark

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:02:00 +0100

A new issue of Focus Denmark is on the street.

You can read about how Denmark has assumed an active role in the international work of protecting merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden. You can learn more about how Danish ports are expanding and ready for action as the EU wants to see much more freight transported by sea.

Read also about the emergence of electric vehicles and how that triggers the development of the smart grid – an intelligent electricity grid.

Focus Denmark is published quarterly in English by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The magazine brings articles, features and news about Danish competences, research, innovation and new products, as well as opportunities for investment or establishment in Denmark.

Read Focus Denmark here.

Siemens produces the longest wind blades in the world

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:20:00 +0100

A historic record has been set in Denmark, as Siemens Wind Power in Aalborg, northern Denmark, recently kicked off its production of the longest wind blades ever seen by the world.

The global supplier of wind power has started to produce wind blades that are no less than 75 meters long, they each weigh 20 tons, and once placed on a turbine, the diameter of the circle created by the spinning rotor blades will be 154 meters. Once in function, a wind turbine will be able to deliver enough electricity to supply 5.000 households or a small provincial town, writes the regional daily newspaper Nordjyske.

The blades will be used for a newly launched Siemens 6-megawatt turbine that is being tested in the new national Danish test center Østerild in Thy, also northern Denmark.

The long wind blades made in Aalborg will be used for turbines placed all over the world because Siemens Wind Power has chosen Aalborg as the only production place.

In 2011-2012 Siemens Wind Power plans to invest one billion kroner in Denmark in building new centres for research and development, expand production facilities and create new offices for the growing number of staff in Denmark.

Invest in Denmark seeks Investment Manager

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:39:00 +0100

Invest in Denmark is looking for an Investment Manager in New York starting in March 2012. The successful applicant will join a team of experienced colleagues with backgrounds in investment promotion in three different locations in North America. The vacant position is located at the Royal Danish Consulate General in New York. This challenging and fulfilling job in an international environment offers plenty of travelling in the USA and occasional visits to Denmark.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting directly to the Regional Director of North America, your role as Investment Manager is to identify, contact and build a network in large American companies as well as smaller high tech companies, primarily in the area of Life Sciences. Your mission is to convince them to choose Denmark as their location for future activities. To assist you in reaching your specific goals in terms of investment projects brought to Denmark and jobs created, you will interact with the team in North America and receive comprehensive support from the organisation in Denmark. You will also deal with other Invest in Denmark colleagues based around the globe. Finally, Invest in Denmark is collaborating with teams working with export promotion and innovation to arrange joint branding and networking events.

REQUIREMENTS

This position requires a MSc in business or economics, or the equivalent. Applicants are expected to have at least four years of working experience in relevant industries, including documented international sales experience, and be able to demonstrate thorough understanding of company strategies, innovation trends and technologies. A broad professional network at appropriate level would be an advantage. Fluency in English, both written and spoken, is a prerequisite. Applicants should have good interpersonal skills, a result-oriented approach, and an ability to negotiate persuasively at board/management level.

CONDITIONS

Salary according to qualifications, experience and subject to conditions of employment for locally employed personnel at the Royal Danish Consulate General in New York.

APPLICATION

A written application in English with CV and references should be sent by e-mail before January 9^th 2012.

to:

Regional Director Jon Thorgaard

e-mail: jontho@um.dk

Tel. +1 212 705 4952 from whom further information about the position is available.

Invest in Denmark is a part of the Danish Trade Council, a division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Invest in Denmark is the Danish Government’s official investment promotion organisation which, in close cooperation with Danish partners, works to attract foreign companies to Denmark in the knowledge intensive areas of ICT, Life Sciences and Cleantech. Invest in Denmark employs more than 50 people across 3 continents. The North American organisation employs a Regional Director, 7 investment managers and 3 student assistants in New York, Silicon Valley and Toronto.

Foreign investors gave inputs to Pia Olsen Dyhr

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:13:00 +0100

Last Monday leading foreign investors in Denmark got the chance to make their voices heard on how to improve business conditions in Denmark in an informal meeting with Pia Olsen Dyhr, Danish Minister for Trade and Investment.

The hour-long debate took place at the yearly Invest in Denmark Roundtable where Invest in Denmark invites local representatives from international companies to meet the Minister and give their opinion on Denmark’s largest challenges in the global competition for investments.

In her speech, Pia Olsen Dyhr stressed the importance of receiving inputs from the foreign business community in Denmark as foreign investments are essential to creating growth and jobs in Denmark.

She also mentioned some of the initiatives of the Danish government to improve the framework conditions for businesses. Among other things, the government wants to improve cost competitiveness and will launch a productivity commission that is to give concrete suggestions on how to improve productivity in Denmark.

The government also wants to reduce red-tape and bureaucracy to further strengthen Denmark’s position as one of the best countries in the world for doing business.

Most companies agreed that a good way forward was to put extra focus on attracting foreign talents, strengthening the education system and encouraging further collaboration between universities and companies.

Among the foreign companies present were Microsoft, Nokia, GlaxoSmithKline and Google.

American-Danish partnership finds solutions to contaminated land

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:41:00 +0100

American environmental firm JMM Management Group and Danish software house Geokon have signed an agreement to enter a global partnership on using Danish software to finding solutions to solve challenges with contaminated land.

The partnership will promote Geokon’s software application GeoEnviron through JMM’s Integrated Property Management System (IPMS).

By implementing GeoEnviron in assessing underutilized properties, it is possible to unlock value from these locations while focusing on renewable resource alternatives, which can benefit the land-owner, environment and community.

The combined team behind GeoEnviron has already worked with some of the world’s largest petroleum, chemical and real estate companies and is thus familiar with the challenges and opportunities associated with contaminated land.

Jon M. Marinas, President and CEO of JMM Management Group, explains that the partnership can be the beginning of a long term presence in Denmark:

- JMM’s initiative includes building a stronger presence in Denmark within 18 months by possibly securing an office and increasing staff to run projects in Denmark and the surrounding countries. The timeframe of this effort will be dependent upon the success of creating new working relationships with Danish companies and their interest in our software application.

The environmental focus of JMM Management Group matches Denmark’s green profile very well, adds Marinas.

- In the time I’ve spent in Denmark, I’ve noticed that the country is very conscious of CO2 emissions and is an environmentally-friendly nation. Denmark is making themselves known for progressing in the area of renewable energy. From my understanding, the hope is to have the country be ‘carbon-neutral’ within the next 40 years, building off of the already largest carbon-neutral settlement (Samsø) in the world. By partnering with countries that are environmentally conscious, the US can support and expand the effort on a global scale.

The signing ceremony took place at an event hosted by the Embassy of the United States in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 1 December. Invest in Denmark will assist JMM Management Group establishing in Denmark.

About JMM Management Group

JMM Management Group, LLC, founded in 2002, is an environmental firm focused on asset management and compliance solutions. JMM provides risk management tools to owners of environmentally and regulatory challenged assets.

About Geokon A/S

Geokon A/S, founded in 1971, is an independent software house specialising in environmental data management system for local, regional, and government authorities as well as major private companies. Geokon is among the pioneers in software development in Denmark and has focused on geosciences and environmental subjects from the beginning.

Monocle launches Denmark survey

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:19:00 +0100

Global affairs magazine Monocle launches the Denmark Survey as part of its December/January issue. At 36-pages in length, the survey covers everything from the nation’s economy, society and transport to culture, architecture, agriculture, retail and urbanism.

Monocle travelled throughout Denmark in September to speak with a diverse collection of leading thinkers from the nation due to host the EU Presidency in DBCD. Interviews with the likes of Christian Bjornskov, Professor of Economics at the Aarhus School of Business and Carsten Norlan,Vice President of Copenhagen Airport sit alongside discussions with Henrik Bo Nielsen, CEO of the Danish Film Institute, Niels Lan Doky, jazz pianist and producer and Rita Justesen, Chief Planner at By & Havn (Copenhagen City and Port Authority).

Tyler Brûlé, Monocle’s editor-in-chief, believes that the launch of the survey comes at a time when Denmark has never looked better.

"The nation is a pioneer of sustainable energy and a world leader in architecture and urban planning.With a rich cultural tradition, Denmark might have suffered from being a bit timid over the past few decades, but with the budding and brilliant young generation of fashion designers, filmmakers, product designers, gallerists and musicians – the Danes are taking a global centre stage," he says.

Ambassador Klavs A. Holm, Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark is thrilled about the Denmark survey.

"Monocle is one of today’s most influential media outlets reaching a global audience of trendsetters, opinion makers and business people, and we were flattered when earlier this year they presented the idea of doing a national survey on Denmark. The outside look that Monocle provides on what our country has to offer is exiting indeed and I hope the survey will intrigue and inspire Monocle readers to find out more about Denmark."

Monocle

Monocle is a premium media brand with magazine, web retail and broadcast divisions. Focusing on global affairs, business, culture and design, our mission is to keep an eye on the world.

DTU launches international cooperation on offshore wind

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:30:00 +0100

Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has launched an international research cooperation on offshore wind turbines together with its German sister organisation BAM. The new partnership is to strengthen know how on construction and safety of offshore wind turbines.

- Today’s technology only allows wind turbines to be placed in a water depth of 30 meters – either close to the shore or placed on low banks on the seafloor. In the coming years, offshore wind turbines will move out to a depth of 60-70 meters, causing a range of technological challenges to rise as the turbines will be more exposed to extreme weather conditions, says Ole Hededal, associate professor from DTU BYG in an article published on DTU’s website.

The new partnership, which kicked off on 25 October, will also concentrate on defining future challenges and focus areas within the development of offshore wind.

Offshore wind turbines and especially larger turbines placed in deeper water can contribute to more independence from fossil fuels, an area which has received increased political attention during recent years due to climate changes.

But if offshore wind turbines placed in deep water are to be competitive with coal-fired plants, it is necessary to develop turbines that are more efficient and cheaper than the existing ones.

Denmark is home to leading players within wind like Vestas, Siemens Wind Power, Suzlon and Envision.

Japanese Renesas dips into Denmark

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:09:00 +0100

Danish strongholds in wireless and modem technology were among the winning factors when the Japanese company Renesas Electronics Corporation, a provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, decided to build presence in Denmark last year and form a global mobile platform company, Renesas Mobile Corporation.

Renesas Mobile, which has Renesas Mobile Denmark as a subsidiary, was established by consolidating Finnish Nokia’s wireless modem business with Renesas Electronics’ mobile multimedia business.

- Our Copenhagen branch office is one of Renesas Mobile’s flagship offices where we have excellent staff with many decades of experience, says Ikuya Kawasaki, Chief Executive Officer of Renesas Mobile.

- We develop the world’s most advanced wireless communication technologies in Denmark and these technologies will significantly contribute to the realization of future large-scale, high-speed wireless network. Denmark provides an advantageous environment where we can develop further through fair competition with many leading companies which greatly helps Renesas Mobile’ activities, continues Ikuya Kawasaki.

Danish wireless and mobile industry is among the strongest in the world

Due to its origins as part of Nokia, Renesas Mobile Denmark is experienced in developing leading-edge mobile platforms and doing basic research on standards and modem implementation. In addition, the company has been creating comprehensive solutions for high-speed modem systems using advanced technology.

- The fact that a company like Renesas chose Denmark as a destination for their investment shows that the Danish wireless and mobile industry is among the strongest in the world. Denmark continues to come out on top of international and highly acclaimed surveys as a prime location for activities within information and communications technology. A main reason behind our solid position is that we are strong on innovation within wireless technology both at industry and university level, says Merete Juhl, Director of Invest in Denmark, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Invest in Denmark assisted in the establishment of Renesas Mobile Denmark.

About Renesas Mobile Corporation

Renesas Mobile Corporation (RMC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation and offers advanced and innovative products and services for mobile phones, car infotainment solutions, consumer electronics and industrial applications.

Renesas Mobile's mission is to develop and deliver communications centric semiconductor chipsets and complete hardware and software platforms built on these chipsets.

Renesas Mobile provides complete cellular chipset platform solutions including powerful applications processors, leadership and industry reference cellular modems, highly integrated radio frequency devices and intelligent power management solutions.

More information about Renesas Mobile can be found at www.renesasmobile.com.

Two new flight routes connect China to Denmark

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:55:00 +0100

Travellers will soon find it easier get to China from Denmark and back, as two new direct flight routes open between the two countries.

Air China will open a four-time weekly service between Beijing and Copenhagen, while Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) plans to open a direct flight from Shanghai to Copenhagen with five weekly frequencies. SAS already operates a non-stop service to Beijing.

“It is an important part of our strategy in Copenhagen Airport to strengthen our position as European hub. The centre of world growth is currently in China and Asia. It is therefore highly important to Copenhagen Airport and Denmark to offer good connections to this part of the world. Non-stop services generate growth and create new opportunities,” said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S, in a press release sent out by Copenhagen Airport.

Flight routes strengthen Sino-Danish ties

In the opinion of Per Homann Jespersen, who specialises in transportation research at Roskilde University, Denmark, the new flight routes will strengthen Denmark’s relationship with China.

“Non-stop flights between Copenhagen and the global centres of growth are very important. With good flight connections, Danish companies will be closer to the authorities and companies in the countries we wish to trade and collaborate with. Especially in China, close contacts are very important in order to establish the necessary level of trust that can lead to lasting trading and investment relations,” said Per Homann Jespersen in the press release.

Air China’s route opens up on 2 June, while SAS’ route kicks off on 2 March.

Nordic science news service opens today

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:53:00 +0100

Two Nordic science media, one Danish and one Norwegian, have joined forces to launch ScienceNordic – an independent online news service to meet an increasing demand for regional science news in English. The service will publish science news in English covering the entire region.

Large research projects, particularly within the EU, are all international. More students and researchers than ever are crossing borders for work. The language of science is English, but only scientific articles with an extremely narrow audience are published in English when it comes to Nordic research.

- This leaves a huge gap in the market for science news from the region, communicated to a broader audience in English. We intend to fill this gap, says Vibeke Hjortlund, editor-in-chief at Videnskab.dk.

Focus on climate, green technology and biotechnology

The international science press is dominated by news from Anglo-American research institutions and periodicals – simply because they are published in English.

- We will, naturally, focus our efforts on areas where Nordic researchers have their particular strengths. This includes areas such as green technology, climate and the environment, oil and offshore technology, biotechnology, gender equality and the welfare state and its economy, says Nina Kristiansen, editor-in-chief at Forskning.no.

ScienceNordic will target the academic environment, the business community, international organisations and decision-makers with interests in scientific development, science journalists and members of the general public with a strong interest in science.

ScienceNordic will cover Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland – with an eye on Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland which are also part of the Nordic region.

Videnskab.dk og Forskning.no have received support for the project from NordForsk, an organisation under the Nordic Council of Ministers, which provides funding for Nordic research collaborations and offers advice on Nordic research policy. ScienceNordic is expected to be run on a commercial basis within 2-3 years.

Visit www.sciencenordic.com.

NFC supermarket opens in Denmark

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:27:00 +0100

Imagine taking care of your daily shopping by just waving your smartphone at a chip.

The phone will talk to the chip, and without opening your wallet or using your credit card, your butter, bread and beer will be paid and delivered right to your door.

This will be the futuristic way of shopping in Denmark when the company NFC Denmark opens the first NCF supermarket in the world early next year. NFC means ‘near communication technology’ and is a way for two devices to exchange data, make simplified transactions and wireless connections via electromagnetic radio fields. That means that your smartphone can be used as your credit card or debit card, and it can be done either wirelessly or by physical touch.

Not just credit cards, but also plane tickets can potentially be replaced by using the smartphone instead.

-We got the inspiration from Korea, where Tesco wanted to enter the market, but struggled with expensive rent on the best locations. They came up with the idea of making a wall with QR/2D codes, and we have brought the same idea to Denmark, although using NFC technology instead of codes, says Søren Kragh, Director of NFC Denmark to the Danish tech-newspaper ing.dk.

Shopping in a virtual supermarket

The new supermarket will not be a real store that you can walk into; instead it will consist of large displays where pictures of consumer goods will be attached to NFC chips. To start with, it will also be possible to scan 2D-codes with the smartphone because today, only few have NFC-technology integrated into their smartphones.

- This gives us the opportunity to demonstrate what makes NFC better than 2D-codes. For instance, if the lighting is bad or the display is covered with mist, the camera of the smartphone can have problems registering the 2D-code, says Søren Kragh.

NCF is in contact with two supermarket chains interested in distributing the groceries, which will be delivered to people’s doorstep after the purchase has taken place.

Entrepreneurship flourishes in Denmark

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:20:00 +0100

Entrepreneurs thrive in Denmark. A 2010 study from the United States Small Business Administration ranks Denmark as number one in global entrepreneurship out of 71 countries.

Canada was second, the US was third, and Sweden was fourth.

- The Scandinavian countries must be doing something right, because they have big, successful companies and economies, even though they are relatively small, says Zoltan J. Acs, professor and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Public Policy at George Mason University in Virginia, USA, in an interview published in Medicon Valley Magazine – a leading Scandinavian Life Science magazine

Acs conducted the study with Laszlo Szerb, professor of Business and Management Studies, University of Pécs, Hungary.

They used data from the World Bank and annual surveys from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, a nonprofit academic consortium, to develop an index divided into three pillars: attitudes, activities and aspirations.

Attitudes are the population’s feelings about business startups, activities are efforts to improve human resources and technological efficiency, and aspirations are entrepreneurs’ attempts to innovate and globalize.

Nordic countries are strong in all three pillars

Although the Nordic countries are strong in all three pillars, they should work on improving the aspirations pillar by encourage entrepreneurs to pursue new products and technologies with a high international impact.

In Denmark, much is already being done to create more entrepreneurial opportunities, says Rasmus Beedholm-Ebsen, Regional Project Manager at Invest in Denmark, to the magazine.

- The government recently realized that few people with a PhD- or Master’s-level education, especially in science or medicine, are entrepreneurs who go out and start their own companies, says Rasmus Beedholm-Ebsen, who himself specializes in the biotech and pharma sector and holds a PhD in medicine and a Master’s degree in molecular biology.

This has prompted the business community and the government to sponsor programs that specifically encourage new business development in sectors with highly educated personnel such as biotechnology.

Need to be innovative and have good ideas

Beedholm-Ebsen’s advice to companies is to think big, but think it through carefully.

- In Denmark, it is very easy to set up a business, but that doesn’t mean you are successful. You have to be innovative, and have good ideas and have something unique to sell, ends Rasmus Beedholm-Ebsen.

Invest in Denmark offers free of charge assistance to foreign companies wanting to set up a business in Denmark. Read more about what Invest in Denmark can offer.

Danish Smart Grid Network leads the way to more wind energy

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:39:00 +0200

A smart electricity network, the so-called Smart Grid, is one of the key stepping stones towards a greener Denmark.

The Danish Smart Grid Network has just come out with new recommendations for future actions and initiatives to further develop an intelligent electrical system in Denmark. The recommendations will help the Danish government to pave the way to reach its ambitious goals of being free of fossil fuels by 2050 and deriving half of Denmark’s electricity supply from wind power by 2020.

The Smart Grid Network consists of a broad range of key players in the Danish industry and was formed in 2010 by the Danish government.

Recommendations launched at Smart Grid Applied Denmark 2011

Electric cars parked outside Smart Grid Applied Denmark 2011

The newly appointed Minister for Climate, Energy and Building, Martin Lidegaard, launched the recommendations at Smart Grid Applied Denmark 2011, an international conference hosted by, among others, Invest in Denmark to put focus on Denmark’s Smart Grid competencies.

According to the report from the Smart Grid Network, the Danish government’s green goals will require an enormous amount of renewable energy, particularly from wind power, and electricity will play an even more central and key role in the energy system than it does today.

There is a need for a Smart Grid that will allow electricity customers to interact with the electric system through using automated and intelligent control of their electrical appliances. That should ensure reliable, economic, and sustainable electricity services even when the electricity comes from very diverse sources.

Denmark obvious choice for Smart Grid companies

The strong focus on Smart Grid in Denmark makes the country an obvious choice for foreign companies looking to test and develop their Smart Grid technologies, says Maria Hillingsøe Stubberup, Project Manager from Invest in Denmark:

- Denmark, with nearly twice the renewable energy on the grid than any other country, has developed the prototype for a modern, intelligent electricity system. Foreign companies should take advantage of the unique development opportunities within Smart Grid in Denmark, says Maria Hillingsøe Stubberup.

See the report from the Smart Grid Network – Summary and Recommendations – here.

See the main report from the Smart Grid Network here.

AmCham invitation to Foreign Investor Summit

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Invest in Denmark is pleased to invite you to this year’s Foreign Investor’s Summit organized by AmCham Denmark. The event takes place on 1 Novemberin Copenhagen. The newly appointed Minister for Trade and Investment, Pia Olsen Dyhr, will be a key note speaker at the event.

You can find more information about the event and register here. Seats are limited.

Denmark the easiest place to do business in Europe 2011

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:10:00 +0200

Companies looking for a smooth way to set up their new business should choose Denmark as their destination.

The World Bank ranks Denmark as the easiest place in Europe to do business in their newly released ‘Doing Business 2012’ index, which is the ninth in a series of annual reports benchmarking the regulations that enhance business activities and those that constrain it.

Denmark consistently ranks very high on the World Bank’s “Doing Business” index that through inputs of a network of more than 9,000 local experts compares business regulation in 183 economies in the world, and this year only Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the US are ahead of Denmark.

Director of Invest in Denmark, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Merete Juhl, comments:

“Today’s ranking of Denmark by the World Bank yet again supports the fact that Denmark has one of the most efficient and dynamic business environments in the world. Companies can benefit from an easy plug ‘n play registration and be ready to do business within a few hours. Our public government services are transparent and efficient, which makes Denmark a stable base for foreign companies.”

“Apart from the ease of setting up and running a business, Denmark offers one of the world’s most flexible labor markets. Our labor market enables companies to quickly reorganize their business and respond to new opportunities or challenges. In today’s business environment, with high uncertainty and volatility, the businesses located in Denmark are in a very good position to adapt and succeed,” says Merete Juhl.

World Bank report builds on in-depth research

No less than 11 areas of business life are covered in the World Bank report on the ease of doing business. The report looks into how easy it is to start a business, deal with constructions permits, paying taxes and employing workers, among other things. This year Denmark were among the top ten in categories such as dealing with construction permits, trading across borders and resolving insolvency.

Read the full report here.

Denmark in the top ten of Global Competitiveness Report

It is far from the first time that Denmark gets excellent ratings on prestigious international ranking lists.

In September, Denmark moved up in a new Global Competitiveness Report. The World Economic Forum ranked Denmark in the top ten of the most competitive economies in the world and highlighted its labour market flexibility. Denmark continued to receive first-rate assessment for its higher education and training system, which, according to the report, had provided the Danish workforce with the skills needed to reach high levels of technological adoption and innovation.

Invest in Denmark launches ambitious design tour in Asia

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:43:00 +0200

Asian companies should consider locating their European design center in Denmark, as its designers, design schools and design companies have a wealth of experience to offer.

That will be the key message on the Danish Design World Tour 2011 in Asia arranged by Invest in Denmark, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, which will take place from 19-29 October in Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Danish innovation and design increase sales

Top industrial designers speak at Danish Design World Tour

Eskild Hansen, who is part of a new generation of internationally recognised Danish designers, will be key note speakers on the tour which will consist of a mixture of workshops, VIP lunches and client meetings. Eskild Hansen has spent the last six years as Head of Cisco’s European Design Center where he has led the full design development of the re-design of all Cisco consumer home network products.

The two other key note speakers are Søren Skafte Overgaard, CEO of e-Types Group, one of Northern Europe’s leading branding and design agencies and a recipient of the Danish Design Award five times. The last speaker, Alie Rose, is one of the founding members of Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID), a cross-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment aspiring to be a hub blending design and technology.

About Danish design

Today, Danish design is recognized and acclaimed around the globe. Architects, designers and business, big and small, flock to Denmark each year to study the Danish approach to design and Copenhagen is now viewed as one of the leading design capitals in the world.