Innovation
AAU and SDU to strengthen innovation and digital sovereignty with new platform for spinouts and startups
A new joint platform will make it easier to transform research into businesses while strengthening Danish and European innovation and competitiveness through a secure, digitally sovereign solution.
Aalborg University and the University of Southern Denmark will develop a shared digital platform to boost innovation and make the path from research to business both shorter and simpler. Through the project “SPINS; Spinout Platform for Innovation and European Sovereignty,” the two universities will bring together key tools, processes, and advisory services in one place, enabling new research-based companies to reach the market more quickly on a secure, digitally sovereign European infrastructure.
Today, many spinouts and startups spend unnecessary time establishing the digital and business frameworks required to move from idea to commercialization. Even though the processes are often similar, they are still supported through stand-alone solutions. AAU and SDU aim to change this with a shared platform that creates a more standardized, scalable, and efficient setup for new companies.
The platform will be built on UCloud, providing companies with a unified, secure, and familiar digital foundation. This means that data and business ideas can remain in Denmark on a European solution, while startups gain access to a digital infrastructure that supports innovation, resilience, and technological autonomy. Access to Bitten, Denmark’s new AI supercomputer, will be available via UCloud, which is developed in collaboration between the University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University, and Aarhus University, and already has more than 23,000 users. Instead of starting from scratch, new companies can build on proven processes and best practices, while universities can reuse advisory services and business development across different initiatives.
- This is an important investment in digital innovation that will shorten the distance between research and business, says Marianne Holmer, chair of the consortium behind UCloud and dean of the Faculty of Science at SDU, which is co-funding the project together with AAU Innovation.
The new platform will support programmes such as InnoExplorer, Innofounder, and InnoBooster, thereby strengthening the transition from research to innovation. The project also includes concrete pilot programmes with spinouts and startups as proof of concept. The goal is to demonstrate that a shared digital infrastructure can shorten time-to-market, lower barriers for new research-based companies, and strengthen Danish and European competitiveness in future technology markets.
- If Denmark and Europe are to become stronger in digital competition, it requires not only investments in new technology, but also in the platforms that make technology usable in practice. With the new platform, we can strengthen innovation and create a more secure and direct path from research to market, says Mads Bang, Director of Innovation at Aalborg University.
- For us, it is about making the path from research idea to company simpler and more efficient. By bringing together digital tools, advisory services, and infrastructure, we give more ideas better conditions to become strong companies,” says Søren E. Frandsen, Deputy Director for Research and Innovation at SDU.
Project facts
Why digital sovereignty matters now
- Digital sovereignty is about strengthening control over data, digital platforms, and critical technology. It has become particularly relevant at a time when Denmark and Europe aim to reduce dependence on non-European technology providers, strengthen competitiveness, and create more robust frameworks for innovation. For research-based startups and spinouts, this means access to a secure digital infrastructure where data, knowledge, and business development can remain closer to the environments that create them.
- The project starts on 1 July 2026 and will move directly into implementation. At Aalborg University, the work is anchored in AAU Innovation, and at the University of Southern Denmark, the collaboration is anchored in the Faculty of Science in cooperation with SDU RIO.
- CAISA, the national center for AI in society, will also conduct accompanying research on the project.
- The project includes both the further development of existing solutions and the creation of new products. The ambition is to establish a coherent digital platform that can support startups and spinouts throughout the entire establishment and growth journey.