Innovators need to build and test their solutions. This is true for start-up founders as well as researchers. Fortunately, the innovation district Copenhagen Science City is rich in laboratories, makerspaces, prototype workshops and other facilities for these innovators. Sadly, the owners and staff of the various facilities have little knowledge of each other. CSC aims to change that with a new network for innovation infrastructure. The network met for the first time on April 28th, 2022. By Jes Andersen.

Improving conditions for innovators

Copenhagen Science City is an innovation district of just two square kilometres. Within it, are three research institutions with over 40,000 researchers, students and staff as well as 450 innovation intensive start-up companies. The Copenhagen Science City Head of Secretariat Kristoffer Klebak expressed hope at the kick-off meeting, that the new network would improve conditions for anyone in academia or commerce with innovative ambitions.

Accepting your similarities could let you co-create relevant offers and events for innovation actors. Knowing the capabilities of your peers allows you to help innovators find the right kind of help. I hope that this will help us build an even stronger innovation ecosystem”: Kristoffer Klebak, Head of Secretariat, Copenhagen Science City.

Possibly the best workshop in Denmark

26 staffers from nine innovation labs met for the network kickoff. The venue for the meeting: The Mechanical and Electronics workshop for the University of Copenhagen Faculty of SCIENCE, is one of the most advanced workshops in Denmark. This workshop creates research instruments for environments as punishing as the planet Mars and the Greenland iceshelf. The workshop staff is a proud bunch, and that is understandable. The instruments they build are capable of achievements of analysis and data collection that would have been impossible without their skill and craftmanship.

Wide variety of facilities

The new network spans wetlabs for start-ups within life science and biotech, information technology labs, robotics-, virtual reality- and augmented reality labs, futurelabs and a test facility for health- and care-innovations. At this point the network consists of members from:

• Mechanical and Electronics workshop, University of Copenhagen Faculty of SCIENCE
• House of Practice & Innovation, University College Copenhagen KP
• Frontlab, University hospital Rigshospitalet
• DIGI-labs, Department of Communication, UCPH
• Fablab, Presence Lab & Image Lab, University of Copenhagen, Dept of Computer Sience
• CPH-Labs, Symbion
• BioInnovation Institute labs, BioInnovation Institute
• KUB-datalab, University Library Det Kongelige Bibliotek
• Lighthouse & UCPH Hubs, University of Copenhagen Innovation Centre

Room for more

Do you know of a lab, workshop or test facility that ought to be a member of this network, but is not? Get in touch with Jes Andersen.