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© Fotojournalist Nils Lund Pedersen

Mads Clausen Institute - Innovation across borders

Mads Clausen Institute - Innovation across borders

© Fotojournalist Nils Lund Pedersen

Excellence in research and teaching within nanotechnology, photonics and materials science.

Iconic image of Alsion building and SDU Odense building on orange background

About the institute

MCI focuses on key societal challenges of the 21 century such as climate, health and innovation. With our centres in Odense and Sønderborg we cover competences within nanotechnology, photonics, mathematics and materials science, and we have a very strong cooperation with the surrounding industry.

Education

Check out the Engineering Physics programme at the Mads Clausen Institute.

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Industry cooperation

We are always open for cooperation with industry. Use the green button below to read more about cooperation possibilities at MCI and TEK.

Are you from industry?

And do you want to collaborate with us? Then enter here

Making a difference for society and companies

Video about the cooperation between MCI and industry

Research and education

Explore the videos below to see how we transform scientific ideas into impactful technologies.

Advanced materials for sensor technologies - see video

This research area spans from producing innovative nanomaterials and characterizing their structure and properties via state-of-the-art small scale (cleanroom laboratory) and large scale (CERN) techniques to implementing them into devices with relevance for food safety sensing and others.

Roll-to-roll printing - see video

This research is at the forefront of next-generation solar cell technology. Solar cell manufacturing, self-driving laboratories and data-driven experimentation are key elements for bridging fundamental physics with real-world engineering challenges and cutting-edge industrial applications in the photovoltaics, light emitting devices and supercapacitor sectors.

Microfluidics and lab-on-chip technology - see video

Additive manufacturing of biocompatible and medical devices in combination with advanced modelling and digital integration allows us to fabricate next generation microfluidic lab-on-chips for solving pressing environmental problems with advanced sensor technologies.

News

DKK 13 million for SDU researcher

18.12.2025

AI to make quantum physics more accessible and sustainable

Line Jelver, a newly appointed assistant professor at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), has received DKK 13.3 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. By integrating advanced language models with supercomputers, she aims not only to accelerate the development of materials with tailor-made quantum mechanical properties but also to address the research world’s enormous energy consumption.

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22.10.2025

Microalgae and artificial intelligence come to the rescue of the Baltic Sea

Using microalgae as living sensors, an ambitious Danish-German research project aims to build a digital twin of the Baltic Sea — and give politicians and citizens a democratic tool to test which solutions work against oxygen depletion and algal blooms.

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14.08.2025

Spider silk could replace elastane: Danish research spins greener threads

Researchers at SDU will soon print a small piece of high-tech, plastic-free future. They are aiming to replace elastane with artificial spider silk. This could mean saying goodbye to microplastics from our sportswear and underwear.

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05.08.2025

From lab bench to living skin: SDU researchers pave the way for the artificial skin of the future

Two engineers from the Faculty of Engineering have solved a crucial challenge in developing artificial skin—the result: a new microchip capable of growing human skin – and perhaps one day saving lives.

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Sapere Aude 2025

24.06.2025

SDU researchers receive prestigious Sapere Aude grants

Four excellent researchers from SDU have been awarded DKK 6 million from Independent Research Fund Denmark for groundbreaking research in quantum technology, solar cells, heart disease and the deep sea. Read more about their projects.

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Award

23.05.2025

Prestigious European price for Danish innovation programme

Europe needs to invest more in research and innovation to cope with global competition. Spin-outs Denmark is already underway and supports young researchers in translating their research into solutions that benefit society. The programme - run by the eight Danish universities - has been awarded the ASTP Impact Awards.

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28.03.2025

Light can detect cancer in seconds – SDU researchers behind new technology

The future of cancer diagnosis could become faster and more precise thanks to a research team led by the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), which uses invisible light and artificial intelligence to detect diseases before symptoms appear.

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27.03.2025

Dr Elli Stamatopoulou receives international award for outstanding PhD research

Dr Elli Stamatopoulou, a former PhD student at the Mads Clausen Institute, has been awarded the prestigious Gian Paolo Brivio Award for her outstanding research in the physics and chemistry of advanced materials.

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20.03.2025

Danish researchers help set world record: Transparent solar cells could turn future buildings into power plants

An international research project involving the University of Southern Denmark has developed transparent solar cells with record-breaking efficiency. These new windows allow light to pass through while simultaneously generating electricity—a technology that could transform buildings in cities worldwide.

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Grant

24.01.2025

Young physicist receives prestigious grant and returns to SDU

How do light and matter behave at the nanoscale? This is one of the key questions physicist P. André D. Gonçalves will investigate as he returns to the Faculty of Engineering at SDU, supported by a Villum Young Investigator grant of 9 million DKK.

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Grants

17.12.2024

DKK 88 million for researchers at SDU

As many as 28 SDU researchers have just received Carlsberg grants to create ground-breaking research results within their respective fields.

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16.12.2024

Newly hired SDU Professor with a passion for developing advanced materials for the generation of solar fuels

Professor Mirabbos Hojamberdiev (Khujamberdiev) has been appointed at the Mads Clausen Institute at SDU in Sønderborg. He researches how sunlight can transform water into green fuel—without any CO₂ burden— in the presence of photocatalytic materials.

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Funding

05.11.2024

Panagiota Elli Stamatopoulou receives a grant from the Villum Foundation

Villum Foundation awards over 16 million DKK to seven excellent female researchers in technical and natural sciences. One of them is Panagiota Elli Stamatopoulou.

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FUNDING

26.09.2024

From scented mobiles to optical gears: Three MCI researchers receive million-krone grants

With million-kroner grants from the Villum Foundation, three researchers from the Mads Clausen Institute will challenge the boundaries of science with projects on scent transmission via mobile phones, affordable, flexible solar cells, and optical gears in future computers.

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Funding

26.09.2024

The phone of the future can send scents

The TeleScent project at SDU has just received a grant from the Villum Foundation's Experiment programme. The researchers aim to add the sense of smell to our digital communication so that future phone calls will involve sound, video, and scent.

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Research breakthrough

03.09.2024

Research breakthrough in the development of stretchable flat screens

A collaboration between the University of Southern Denmark and Polyteknik AS has led to a groundbreaking breakthrough in stretchable flat screens. The new method opens up various innovative product possibilities, such as more durable and flexible screens for smartphones and tablets that can withstand bending and stretching.

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25.04.2024

META-HiLight recognized at SPIE Photonics Europe

The META-HiLight project, a pioneering collaboration between the University of Southern Denmark, SINTEF, and the University of Oulu, has been awarded 2nd place for "Best Innovation by a Multilateral Project, Organisation, or Company" at the 20th anniversary of SPIE Photonics Europe held in Strasbourg. The project aims to develop a faster, more detailed analysis of tissue samples, which is crucial for the early detection and treatment of diseases such as cancer.

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Career

04.04.2024

From physics to finance – quantum physicists are in demand in the financial sector

Theis Pilegaard Rasmussen has just defended his Ph.D. in quantum physics, but will not continue his academic career. Instead, he has taken a job at Danske Bank. But why are physicists attractive to the financial sector, and what can they contribute?

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21.03.2024

SDU MCI at the forefront of NANOCHEM - a unique national infrastructure for imaging chemical information at the nanoscale

The Mads Clausen Institute at SDU in Sønderborg is spearheading NANOCHEM, a new national infrastructure that enables a greater understanding of how chemistry works at the nanoscale. Understanding these chemical processes is important as they are crucial in both the biological and electronic worlds. NANOCHEM is a collaboration between leading Danish universities with the University of Southern Denmark at the centre.

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STARTUP

15.03.2024

New indoor solar cell technology could lay AA batteries to rest

Researchers at SDU have developed solar cell technology that will make AA, AAA, and button cell batteries redundant. The prototype is ready, and the researchers aim to produce 5,000 units daily within a year. They are now seeking entrepreneurs who can help bring it to market.

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What's next?

Upcoming events and current announcements
Seminar

20 Feburary

Join the seminar by Assoc. Prof. Cecil Krarup Andersen from the Royal Danish Academy, which takes place at 13:00 in room M301 and online via Teams. The topic of her talk is Mechanical Degradation in Paintings – Cracks, Delamination, and Loss. Read the abstract for further details.
Abstract

100% Climate Neutrality conference 22-23 September

The 100% Climate Neutrality conference offers an opportunity to learn from the climate forefront about political challenges, best practice integrated technical solutions and what really makes a difference at local municipal and community level. Meet, share and discuss your knowledge, improve your understanding, extend your network and become inspired to make Climate Neutrality a Reality. Find further information about the programme and other details.

Planetarium talks

Planetarium talks is a lecture series beyond astronomy that is arranged in cooperation with the science centre Phänomenta in Flensburg and the University of Applied Sciences Flensburg. Discover the Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026 programme.

See also

 

Related content

See also

Mads Clausen Institute University of Southern Denmark

  • Alsion 2
  • Sønderborg - DK-6400
  • Phone: +45 6550 1690
  • Fax: +45 6550 1635

Last Updated 29.01.2026