Open Entrepreneurship – Putting external entrepreneurs in research labs

Professor Jes Broeng, Director of the DTU entrepreneurship, will deliver the month's Science, Society and Innovation Lecture.

The Open Entrepreneurship programme is a successful entrepreneurship programme running across all Danish universities, where the aim is to spin-out more deep technology firms.

The central element is integration of external entrepreneurs directly at the research labs – and to form a common entrepreneurial corps to be shared across academic institutions.

To date, the project has led to the establishment of over 50 new companies and increased the knowledge surrounding the commercialisation of research amongst hundreds of students and researchers. The programme now forms the backbone of a thriving entrepreneurial community across all Danish universities and has sparked significant political interest at both national and European level.

In this talk, Professor Jes Broeng will share his experience from developing the programme, including important evidence for the open approach to entrepreneurship and (some of) the practical barriers in bringing a new approach to technology transfer, of both psychological and political nature.

Finally, Broeng will give insights to how the programme inspired a new executive educational programme on Startup Boards at the Technical University of Denmark. Within a short period, this has become a flagship programme within life-long learning and a successful means to strengthen deep-tech startups as well as to rethink corporate innovation models.

About Professor Jes Broeng

Broeng is a serial entrepreneur, professor and director of DTU Entrepreneurship, has a PhD from DTU and has co-authored more than 250 scientific publications, one textbook and holds 22 patents.

His expertise is in innovation and translation of technology from universities to society. Broeng has extensive experience in basic and applied research, business development, high-tech sales (US, Europe, and Asia), IPR and licensing, and early-stage investments.

About the Science, Society and Innovation Lecture Series

Hosted by Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, and the new Wits Innovation Centre (WIC), the Lecture Series aims to bring great minds from around the world to share their experiences and expertise to stimulate knowledge creation and enhance innovation in all of its many facets at Wits University. Learn more about the WIC: https://www.wits.ac.za/innovation/wits-innovation-centre/ 

Add event to calendar