Research

Research underpins all our work. We create new technology in the interplay between research, education, innovation, and scientific advice and by innovative researchers who work at the cutting edge in global partnerships.

DTU’s research centres on the technical and the natural sciences, and is driven by the needs of society—pushing the boundaries of the possible, discovering and driving change. Focus areas include a vast variety of science and engineering disciplines, including digitalization, energy technologies for at sustainable future, and life science and biotechnology—all highly relevant for society.

A key to addressing the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals is collaboration across all fields. Consequently, research at DTU is often cross-disciplinary. We collaborate extensively with leading academic, private, and public partners on new innovations and discoveries – new technology to people.

Selected international grants

In 2019 DTU researchers have received eight prestigious ERC Grants from the European Research Council. Professor Jesper Mørk from DTU Fotonik has received the ERC Advanced Grant of EUR 2.5 million for a project, in which he will investigate the physics and applications of a new class of photonic components. The project will make it possible to transmit data in a more energy efficient way in the future.

Professor Georgios Kontogeorgis from DTU Chemical Engineering has received the ERC Advanced Grant of EUR 2.5 million for a project, in which he will provide a basic understanding of the thermodynamics of electrolytes. This knowledge will have benefits in many industrial sectors.

Two health technology projects have received ERC Synergy Grants. Professor Jørgen Arendt Jensen and Professor Erik Vilain Thomsen, DTU Health Technology have with researchers from Rigshospitalet and the University of Copenhagen received the grant for optimizing 3D ultrasound imaging. Professor Jan Henrik Ardenkjær, DTU Health Technology has with researchers from Universität Ulm received a grant for a project to extend the use of magnetic resonance scanning methods. And Associate Professor Niels Gregersen, DTU Fotonik has received an ERC Consolidator Grant for his project to develop optical quantum computers. Furthermore, three young researchers received ERC Starting Grants to talented young researchers. Senior Researcher Søren Bredmose Simonsen from DTU Energy, Associate Professor Andreas Laustsen from DTU Bioengineering, and Senior Researcher Minhao Pu from DTU Fotonik have each received EUR 1.5 million for research in energy storage, biotechnological production of antivenom and optical precision measuring for eg. GPS devices.

Centers of Excellence and Elite Research Grants

In 2019, the Danish National Research Foundation allocated EUR 148 million to two new Centers of Excellence to DTU: Center for Visualizing Catalytic Processes lead by Professor Stig Helveg, DTU Physics, and Center for Nanophotonics lead by Professor Jesper Mørk, DTU Fotonik. The two centres will help give DTU and Denmark a leading international position in research into catalysis and nanophotonics. With the two new centres, DTU has a total of eight active Centers of Excellence.

The Independent Research Fund Denmark has awarded the Elite Research Prize 2019 to Professor Kristian Sommer Thygesen, DTU Physics, for his research into two-dimensional materials.