Large donation from the Otto Mønsted Foundation paves the way for a new student entrepreneurship centre at the University of Southern Denmark
SDU is on the verge of a remarkable strengthening of its efforts to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among students. The Otto Mønsted Foundation has decided to support the university with a generous donation of DKK 50 million - one of the largest single donations from the foundation to date - for the establishment of a new, creative innovation house on campus in Odense.
The new centre will be a vibrant environment for students and recent graduates with a good idea and a desire to turn it into reality. With a focus on entrepreneurship, startups and bridge building between students, researchers, investors and the business community, the house will be a dynamic platform where ideas can grow into sustainable businesses.
Rector Jens Ringsmose welcomes the unusually large support and emphasises the importance of the donation:
- We are incredibly proud of the trust the Otto Mønsted Foundation has shown us with this donation. The future house will be a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship at SDU. It will be a place where students and recent graduates can test their ideas, meet investors and business partners and create solutions that can make a real difference in society. The vision is to create an inspiring meeting place where creativity, research and business merge, says Jens Ringsmose.
Bridge building between students and business
The building will house event facilities, workshop areas and flexible meeting places for students, startups and companies. It will strengthen the link between the university's programmes and the labour market and create new opportunities for innovation collaborations.
Chairman of the Otto Mønsted Foundation, Nis Alstrup, says
- We are proud to support SDU in this ambitious venture. We hope that the centre will inspire more young people to turn their ideas into reality and contribute to innovation and growth in Denmark. We got a taste of the talent pool again in 2024 at the foundation's presentation of the Bright Idea Award, where the jury also honoured a team of SDU students with a runner-up prize. "The new building holds great potential for even more students to realise their goals and create real value in practice - and we welcome that," says Nis Alstrup.
For SDU, strengthening interaction with society and business is a strategic priority. With this initiative, the university is taking an important step in promoting entrepreneurship, creating new jobs and developing solutions that support a sustainable future.
Facts about the building
SDU expects the cost of constructing the new building to be over DKK 120 million. In addition to the DKK 50 million grant from the Otto Mønsted Foundation, SDU will finance the remaining costs for construction, additional works, furniture and equipment.
The building will be established in an area with strong technical and commercial research and educational environments at SDU, and it will be connected to the university's other campus buildings via corridors.
Facts about the Otto Mønsted Foundation
The foundation's main purpose is to contribute to the development of Danish trade and industry with a particular focus on initiatives that promote skills development and entrepreneurship in commercial and scientific programmes and other initiatives that are deemed to support Denmark's trade and industry. In 2024, the foundation awarded a total of DKK 36 million for research stays, visiting professorships and study abroad programmes. For the seventh consecutive year, the foundation will award the Bright Idea Award on 5 November in Copenhagen and more than DKK 500,000 to prize winners from Danish universities.