Innovative for more than a thousand years
The battle-axe. The hair comb. The long boat. Denmark's Vikings, while known mostly for their bloody conquests, were also clever innovators. They built their version of technology out of the materials that were available to them a thousand years ago, and created localised versions of items available elsewhere, like the magnetic compass and the portable tent.
Today, Danish companies know that innovations and solutions are the best way to build wealth in a small country with few natural resources. Denmark's educational system helps: Danish children are brought up to challenge their teachers and parents, and to focus on teambuilding and creative approaches to problems.
That spirit of teambuilding carries over into working life. Denmark has an exceptional tradition of public-private collaboration when it comes to research and development.
Did you know
Patents within life sciences, food, and environmental science
Denmark has a high number of patents relative to its population. Most of the new products are in the fields of life sciences and pharmaceuticals, biomedicine, environmental science, and food and agriculture.
The Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is one of the largest companies in Scandinavia in terms of market value, and has held a leadership position in diabetes care for decades. It supplies half of the world's insulin for diabetics.
Innovative pharmaceutical products are also produced by Lundbeck and LEO Pharma, two other Danish companies, as well as a wide range of newer and smaller biotech companies.
Meanwhile, Denmark's traditional strength in agriculture has become the basis for a thriving food science sector. Companies like Chr. Hansen, Arla, and Novozymes work to create safe, healthy food for a growing global population.
And environmental science is being pushed into the future by Danish companies like Grundfos and Danfoss, which create water control and heating systems that help minimise environmental impact.
Learn more about the Danish food cluster at Food Nation Denmark's website.
The robots are coming
Denmark's traditional strength in machinery and engineering and its strong educational system has become the basis for a thriving robotics industry based in Odense, the country's third-largest city.
More than 120 robotics companies already exist in this city of 200,000 people, and a high-tech ecosystem of robot and automation companies, suppliers, and education and research facilities continues to evolve.
Danish robots are developed with the human in mind, creating better safety and increasing usability in production lines.
