CO2-reducing cement, production of milk proteins using renewable energy, and automation of indoor plant farms. There were many good suggestions for sustainable solutions at the Green Challenge student competition at DTU Skylab on Friday 24 June. Here, around 200 students presented about 70 different projects focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The competition was opened by Minister for Higher Education and Science Jesper Petersen and Executive Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Marianne Thellersen. In her opening speech, she said, among other things:
“At DTU, we want to promote a sustainable society through education, research, and development of technology. Sustainability is our focal point, and we incorporate sustainability in all our study programmes.”
“I’m sure you will experience the students’ innovative ideas when you walk around DTU Skylab today. You’ll see students who rise to the challenge and use their creativity and skills to create a sustainable world. Because that’s what we do here at DTU: We focus on finding sustainable solutions.”
Pitch and panel discussion
After the welcome speeches, students from two selected projects presented their ideas to Jesper Petersen and Marianne Thellersen. They told about the cultivation of vegetables in water in refugee camps—and yeast strains, which can convert natural dyes into food.
The judges—representing the political world, companies, organizations, DTU, and other universities—then started assessing the student projects. They were divided into 20 judging panels, and each panel assessed approximately 10 projects throughout the day to ensure that all projects were viewed by three different panels.
In addition, the student projects were divided into four categories to ensure a level playing field and equal opportunities for participating, regardless of whether participants are undergraduate or graduate students.
At the end of the day, there was a panel discussion with Sofie Winge-Petersen, DTU student and former Green Challenge winner, Tommy Ahlers, investor and entrepreneur, Johannes Lüneborg, partner in McKinsey & Company and serial entrepreneur, and Innovation Lead at Maersk Drilling Ana Andonovska. The purpose was to inspire the students to take their green and sustainable study projects a step further and establish actual start-ups that can make a real difference in the world.
The day concluded with the awarding of 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in four categories.
