DTU Invests 60 Million in Climate Innovation
DTU has earmarked 60 million kroner to support and invest in climate technological inventions. The 60 million DKK represents a profit from the DTU-based venture house PreSeed Ventures, which invests in startups and is already an active and integrated part of the university’s work on innovation.
The new initiative will be called DTU Earthbound.
“At DTU, climate technologies and solutions are high priorities for researchers and students. The potential is significant because our research is already centered around developing high-quality climate technology. DTU Earthbound is, therefore, one of DTU’s contributions to driving a ‘lab-to-market’ process and getting climate technological solutions out into the world faster,” says Marianne Thellersen, Senior Vice President for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Advancing deep tech science to business
At DTU, researchers and students invent and develop technologies every day that significantly impact future climate solutions. DTU Earthbound must contribute to getting the research out of the laboratory faster and further into a start-up company. The process becomes more manageable for researchers and students with the help of experienced deep-tech entrepreneurs who know how to mature, commercialize, and prepare technologies for the first investments.
“With DTU Earthbound, we hope to nurture not just stellar scientists and proven entrepreneurs who dedicate themselves to impact startups. We also wish to side with climate-relevant technology and stay loyal to its impact potential all the way to market,” says Simon Ulvund, Director of DTU Earthbound.
DTU Earthbound has already found the first projects to receive support. These projects work with everything from energy storage and carbon capture technologies to non-fossil fuels. One of the researchers is Abhay Shivayogimath, whose research focuses on graphene, a material that is 200 times stronger than steel. The challenge with graphene is that it is difficult to work with.
Researcher Abhay Shivayogimath has found a solution to this. Today, he is the founder of the startup company 2D, which, with help and funding from DTU Earthbound, has made his research commercial.
DTU Earthbound focuses exclusively on climate technology solutions and opportunities because developing technologies that can address climate change is necessary to halt the growth of global temperature increases and ensure sustainable societies.