A visit from European centres: Insights across borders

“We can do everything we need, but only combined.” The words came from Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen, member of Folketinget – speaking about Europe’s collective strength in tech and innovation. Collaboration could be Europe’s superpower.

Taking action on this agenda, DIREC invited our international board for a knowledge-sharing session. By studying global leaders in research and innovation, we can identify strategies that deliver real impact – from fostering collaboration between universities and industry to accelerating technology adoption and creating agile funding models.

Below are selected highlights from the session.

Selected highlights from The Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland and France

• Lynda Hardman from CWI – The Netherlands
  Companies invest €2 million in universities and gain the right to define a research theme. In return, the university funds one tenured staff member and five PhD students, working in 9-month cycles to accelerate innovation.
• Georgios L., University of Aberdeen and Alan Turing Institute – Scotland
  A new model for interdisciplinarity has been introduced through a dedicated institute that brings together professors from multiple disciplines. PhD students extend their studies to four years instead of three, allowing them to specialize while maintaining an interdisciplinary focus.
• Sarah Jane Delany, School of Computer Science, TU Dublin – Ireland
  The ARC Hub model was presented as a way to strengthen the link between research, industry, and startups.
• Thomas Jensen, Inria – France
  Recommendations for Denmark include establishing long-term research clusters with clearly defined agendas, robust monitoring, and a strong focus on PhD training.

We thank all participants for openly sharing insights and challenges and we look forward to strengthening the ties for stronger digital ecosystems.


You can find all our international members here.