Ny strategi: Danmark skal styrkes som rumnation
By Marianne Thellersen, Executive Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at DTU, Lone Ryg Olsen, Business Director at Aarhus University and Andreas Blohm Graversen, Deputy Director for Innovation and External Partnerships at University of Copenhagen
On Monday 18 November, the Danish government presented a new space strategy. The goal is for space research to strengthen Danish defence and create new solutions to the Earth's climate, nature and biodiversity crisis. The strategy focuses on creating more successful companies by strengthening research, innovation and technology development in the space sector and at universities.
The government is to be commended for strengthening an important research area. Denmark became a space nation 25 years ago when the first Danish satellite Ørsted went into orbit around the Earth. Since then, things have progressed rapidly, and Denmark is now at the forefront of space research. Today, there are around 240 Danish companies working in areas related to space technology with a combined turnover of almost DKK 6 billion. Elon Musk's company Starlink, among others, has shown that such private companies are playing a greater role in space exploration in recent years.
The new strategy ensures greater strategic investment in space exploration, following the recommendations of Mario Draghi. In September, Italian economist and former President of the European Central Bank and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi released a new report on European competitiveness. The Draghi report emphasises that Europe must invest more in innovation and entrepreneurship if we are to compete globally with the US and China, which are investing large sums in technology development and innovation.
The government could consider strengthening several Danish research areas in the same way as the space sector. For example, Danish research institutions have already developed many new climate technologies that work in laboratories and are ready to be tested in practice. These include biochar, climate-friendly crops and robots that can contribute to more climate-friendly agricultural production. As Draghi points out, we should focus on getting new technologies out of universities quickly and tested in society where they can benefit the climate - and European competitiveness.