SDU enters new collaboration on defence technology development
The Danish universities, together with five approved technological service institutes (GTS institutes), have formed the National Defence Technology Centre (NFC). The aim is to strengthen defence technology development through a closer, cross-sectoral collaboration.
Together with the other Danish universities and five approved technological service institutes, SDU is an initiator of a new national research centre called the National Defence Technology Centre (in Danish, Nationalt Forsvarsteknologisk Center – NFC). The ambition is to strengthen the development of new technologies as well as the collaboration between industry, Danish Defence and the universities.
The collaboration is motivated by the growing political will to strengthen defence in Denmark as a result of the changed political and security situation in Europe and the war in Ukraine.
Jens Ringsmose, Rector of the University of Southern Denmark, explains that the current world view has created a situation that the university sector also wishes to adapt to.
- With the new centre, we will show that we as a university and a sector are ready to address society’s wishes and needs. SDU seeks to create value for and with society. Now, the current security situation presents an obvious opportunity, and that is why we are actively engaged in defence-related research.
Great technical knowledge at SDU
The Centre has highlighted a number of research areas on which it wishes to focus. These are fields in which SDU already has strong research environments, such as autonomous systems, drone technology, green fuel, quantum technology and advanced software.
According to Henrik Bindslev, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, it makes sense to bring the extensive knowledge of the universities into play in collaboration with the defence industry and the service institutes involved.
- In terms of NFC, there is a great demand for new knowledge, especially in areas of technology in which we at SDU have highly relevant expertise, even though new knowledge and technology are not being researched for outright military use, but a great deal of technology has both civilian and military relevance. We will readily bring this knowledge into play to contribute to better defence technology, such as surveillance and defending our underwater power and data cables or intercepting enemy drones.
FACTS ABOUT NFC
The NFC – National Defence Technology Centre has been established by all eight Danish universities and five Approved Technological Service Institutes (in Danish, Godkendte Teknologiske Service Institutter – GTS Institutes):
Aalborg University
Technical University of Denmark
University of Southern Denmark
Aarhus University
University of Copenhagen
Roskilde University
IT University of Copenhagen
Copenhagen Business School
Danish Technological Institute
Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology
FORCE Technology
Alexandra Institute
Danish National Metrology Institute.
The NFC was constituted at a steering group meeting on 20 December 2022 and will be anchored in a secretariat at Aalborg University. DTU will chair the Centre’s steering group. In addition, an advisory board has been established with the participation of a wide assemblage of Danish stakeholders from the field of defence industry.