DTU appoints entrepreneur and investor Tommy Ahlers as new honorary professor. The appointment is made to support the relationship between research and the business community and to fulfil new technology’s potential for solving the major challenges facing society.
“I want to use my voice as an entrepreneur and former politician to pave the way for more collaborations between the University and the business community,” says Tommy Ahlers, who, in addition to a background as the Danish Minister for Higher Education and Science, has several successful technology companies to his name. Today, he invests in green startups developing research-based technology.
“What is crucial to succeeding in getting more people from academia to start businesses? That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to working with. I will also work to ensure that investors and others who do not have much contact with DTU become aware of the opportunities that DTU can offer,” says Tommy Ahlers.
Ahlers already contributes with his political insight and experience from entrepreneurship as an advisor to the DTU Entrepreneurship research centre. He is on the centre’s advisory board, which acts as a sounding board for the centre’s management. He is also the initiator of a DTU masterclass in green technology aimed at investors and entrepreneurs, and for the past decade he has served as a guest lecturer on the DTU X-Tech entrepreneurship course.
“Tommy Ahlers knows how to translate research results into real-life solutions. He is an important role model for DTU’s students and researchers and a pioneer for managers in the business community who want dialogue and interaction with DTU. He is a strong asset for DTU. With the honorary professorship, I look forward to being able to draw more on him and his expertise,” says DTU Professor and Head of Centre Jes Broeng.
Since 2000, employees and students at DTU have founded 844 companies, 60% of which are still in operation. In 2022, DTU fostered 74 new startups.
