DTU High Tech Summit is a world-class event, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in his opening speech.
DTU’s digitization summit attracted a record number of visitors—a flying start for the event.
About 5,000 researchers, students, businesses, and visitors from abroad are attending the summit.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen opened the summit with the words: “This is not just a High Tech Summit—it’s a world-class one,” and continued:
“Technological development is our most important tool when it comes to creating a sustainable future—and your dedication, ideas, and talent are key to realising our vision of a better future for our children and grandchildren.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that a sustainable future requires collaboration and dedication. At the same time, he pointed out that delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals represents an estimated earnings potential of USD 12 billion.
“Earnings of USD 12 billion for delivering clean water, educational tools, smart healthcare, better food, green solutions, and many other sustainable solutions. Sustainability is not just common sense—it makes business sense. The time has come—not to ask what you can do for the global goals—but what they can do for you. It may not sound heroic. But to be honest: I don’t care how it sounds as long as it makes the world—the whole world—a better place,” Lars Løkke Rasmussen said.
Investment in research
DTU President Anders Bjarklev also described sustainability as the shared responsibility of the whole country, while at the same time praising the Danish Government’s proposed climate plan for setting new standards for a green transition.
“We need an ambitious new vision for Denmark. A vision that can take us to the next level. A vision that engages all citizens. A vision that creates a strong and viable foundation for our welfare.”
In addition, the DTU President pointed out that there is a need for the Government to set ambitious goals for education and research, and mentioned the DTU start-up Aquaporin as testament to the fact that investing in research is indeed very worthwhile.
In 2005, Aquaporin launched a revolutionary water treatment system employing new biological membranes. In 12 years, the company has grown to 110 employees worldwide, of whom 65 work in Denmark.
“Fortunately, Aquaporin is just one of many successful partnerships between universities, the business community, and start-ups. In the past 20 years, DTU students, employees, and graduates have established an average of two businesses a week, or a total of 2,200 new businesses since 1999,” Anders Bjarklev explained.
A People’s Political Festival of digitization
The High Tech Summit is a two-day event, turning DTU Lyngby Campus into the equivalent of the annual People’s Political Festival on Bornholm. The exhibition hall is abuzz with activity at the stands of 70 companies presenting projects and innovation within digitization, big data and artificial intelligence.
In the DTU Library, 50 of the most successful start-ups, including Eupry, Obital (Danish website) and Trebo present their projects with posters and stands where they demonstrate their prototypes and answer questions from visitors.