Who are we
KNOWLEDGE IS GLOBAL
All in all 2009 was a good year for the Danish Technological Institute despite the challenges caused by the economic downturn. Also in times such as these, the Institute manages to continue mastering many of the big challenges facing the Danish business sector and society. Moreover, we continue increasing the international activities undertaken by the Institute. We are selling more knowledge to foreign countries and establishing more international contacts to leading partners and customers in Europe and other parts of the world to attract new knowledge to Denmark.
Today, there are fewer barriers to corporate internationalisation than before. Companies choose to operate where they consider it most profitable. Outsourcing of labourintensive tasks to low-pay countries has long been a reality, and now the global division of labour is changing shape in knowledge-intensive areas.
Meeting this challenge requires great awareness of how to position oneself strategically in the global value chain, either as a facilitator of the full value chain or as a specialist in segments of the value chain.
Rapidly changing global conditions form part of the challenge, as does the manifestly higher frequency at which technology changes. Where shifts in technology once had time horizons of about 5-10 years, the horizon is now 1-3 years. This means processes and production equipment must be renewed more quickly, and innovative developments must be based on a convergence of design, research knowledge and technology.
The Danish Technological Institute utilises all of its strength in technology and business technology to assist Danish businesses – big or small – with this ever-growing challenge. The Danish Technological Institute also continually strives to utilise and extend its international network for the purpose of acquiring knowledge about new technologies, processes and market trends, and we will continue to update, develop and transfer our knowledge about innovation, business development and productivity at all stages. In the annual report, we have outlined a large number of customer tasks and research and development projects in 2009, a testimony to our ways of approaching the opportunities that global changes also offer the Danish business sector.
This year, we will focus on the new Institute organisation consisting of seven divisions and two business areas, which will be representing the Danish Technological Institute in future. Each division and business area has been given a chapter in which to describe the challenges they face and the themes influencing their work in 2009.
The acquisition of the Danish Meat Research Institute (DMRI) in Roskilde opens new opportunities in the coming year. The Danish Technological Institute acquired a nationally and internationally leading competence centre within innovation, development and research in the meat industry, and the acquisition reinforces the Institute’s position as Denmark’s biggest supplier of technological services to the food industry and its suppliers. Moreover, we established the Life Science division in which we have gathered Institute competences in developing and analysing chemistry, microbiology and foods. The new division is described in more detail on page 30.
Together with our investments in new facilities and our dedicated staff members, this paves the way for an interesting and rewarding 2010.
Enjoy our annual report.
Hans Kirk
Chairman
Søren Sternqvist
President
The Danish Technological Institute is an independent and non-profit institution approved as a technological service provider by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark is patroness of the Danish Technological Institute.
