Are you curious about how Denmark can strengthen skills development through deeper academia–industry partnerships? Do you want to explore opportunities that open doors to careers across academia, industry and entrepreneurship?

In this lecture, we explore how universities and industry can collaborate on attracting, training, and retaining talent in research and innovation to create more agile career pathways—and support the development of skills that translate into societal impact.

We will showcase three examples of initiatives targeting students at master or PhD level and early career researchers, with a varying degree of focus on international talent, acquiring new competencies, building networks and gaining experience that makes it easier to move between academia and industry.

• Anette Birck (Director, Helix Lab) will present Helix Lab, a world-class international centre for research and education in industry 4.0 bioproduction and industrial sustainability, illustrating how students at MSc or PhD level can access industry environments and collaboration models.
• Louise Krogh Johnson (Director, BioSustainability Design Fellowship Programme) will introduce a pathway for researchers or other professionals who want to become entrepreneurs and contribute to transforming the agri-food system—showing how scientific profiles can be expanded with innovation and venture-building capabilities.
• Alexander Watts (Head of Science Hub Denmark, Copenhagen Capacity) will present initiatives connecting international talent with Danish universities and industry, highlighting routes into Denmark and mechanisms that support cross-sector transitions.

The session concludes with a panel discussion on future priority areas for joint action on skills development in Denmark—and what universities, industry and other stakeholders can do to strengthen mobility and impact across sectors.