AAU Innovation

What AAU Innovation does

AAU Innovation, operating under the brand AAU INNOVATE - Science & Innovation Hub, is the central innovation facility of Aalborg Universitet (Aalborg University) in Denmark. Officially opened in October 2022, the organization serves as a physical and digital hub that provides interdisciplinary collaboration infrastructure including labs, workshops, auditoriums, meeting rooms, prototyping facilities, and collaborative workspaces. The facility was constructed with a 100 million DKK donation from A.P. Møller Fonden and features eight dedicated garage spaces for startups alongside specialized equipment for wood, metal, electronics, 3D printing, laser cutting, audio/video recording, and life science prototyping.

The organization delivers a portfolio of structured programs targeting three primary user segments: AAU students (via the AAU Startup Program with three phases of Investigation, Development, and Acceleration; project-oriented internship in own startup; and entrepreneurship workshops), AAU researchers (via Research to Business program, Innovationsfunding services including AAU Proof of Concept and InnoExplorer access, and invention disclosure services), and AAU teachers (via Entreprenørskabs-PBL methodology tools). The business development team includes dedicated contacts for each AAU institute covering Proof of Concept funding, Spin-outs Denmark, and Vissing Fonden applications.

As an organizational unit of a public Danish university (CVR: 29102384), AAU Innovation does not operate as a commercial entity. All programs and services are provided free of charge to students, researchers, and faculty of Aalborg University. The organization generates no commercial revenue and operates on university budget allocations, with its primary financial backing coming from the initial A.P. Møller Fonden construction donation and national research funding partnerships with Innovationsfonden and VILLUM FONDEN.

Name

AAU Innovation

Legal name

Aalborg Universitet

Website

https://innovation.aau.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

AAU Innovation (AAU INNOVATE) is the central Science & Innovation Hub of Aalborg University in Denmark, providing free entrepreneurship programs, research commercialization support, prototyping labs, and collaborative workspaces for AAU students, researchers, and faculty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Innovation and Research Commercialization Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• University innovation hub
• Entrepreneurship programs
• Research commercialization
• Startup incubation services
• Technology transfer office

Headquarters

HQ city

Aalborg

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AAU Innovation operates a physical and digital innovation hub on the Aalborg University campus that delivers structured entrepreneurship programs, research commercialization support, entrepreneurship education, and shared lab/facility infrastructure to students, researchers, teachers, and external partners. Services include the AAU Startup Program, Research to Business sparring, innovationsfunding guidance, invention disclosure, entrepreneurship workshops, Entrepreneurship-PBL teaching tools, prototyping labs, meeting rooms, event facilities, and a public café (Foodhub). All programs for AAU constituents are provided at no cost.

Product overview

AAU INNOVATE is Aalborg University's central Science & Innovation Hub functioning as a dynamic bridge between academic knowledge and practical application. The offering consists of a platform of interconnected programs and physical facilities. For students: the AAU Startup Program (structured in three phases: Investigation, Development, Acceleration), Projektorienteret forløb i egen startup (internship in own startup), and Workshops om entreprenørskab (entrepreneurship workshops covering idea generation, testing, and pitching). For researchers: Research to Business program, Innovationsfunding services (including AAU Proof of Concept, InnoExplorer, Vissing Fonden, Spin-outs Denmark), and Indberet opfindelse (invention disclosure). For teachers: Entreprenørskabs-PBL methodology and teaching tools. Supporting these programs are physical facilities including Labs (wood, metal, electronics, 3D printing, laser cutting, audio/video, life science), meeting rooms, event facilities, and the Foodhub café.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AAU Startup Program: Entrepreneurial program for students with business ideas, offering workshops, mentoring, and startup development phases.
• Research to Business
• AAU Forskningsinnovation (Research Innovation)
• Foodhub
• AAU Proof of Concept
• Consulting Lab

Products and services

• AAU Startup Program Entrepreneurship program for AAU students structured in three phases (Investigation 3 months, Development 6 months, Acceleration 9 months), with an additional Consulting Lab track (6 months), helping students transform business ideas into viable companies through workshops, coaching, and network access. Entrepreneurs can work on their startup idea for up to 18 months after graduation.
• Projektorienteret forløb i egen startup (Internship in Own Startup) Project-oriented internship program where AAU students work full-time on their own startup idea for a semester, receiving office space, mentorship, and structured guidance within AAU INNOVATE.
• Workshops om entreprenørskab (Entrepreneurship Workshops) Four entrepreneurship workshops per semester covering entrepreneurial profile identification, opportunity and idea creation, testing ideas through pre- and prototyping, and pitch communication skills, open to all AAU students.
• Entreprenørskabs-PBL (Entrepreneurship-PBL) Pedagogical approach combining Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology with entrepreneurship elements, providing a process model for developing entrepreneurial mindset and creating value for external stakeholders, offered to AAU faculty and instructors.
• Research to Business Entrepreneurship program for AAU researchers offering 1:1 sparring, workshops, and PhD courses to help commercialize research results and develop entrepreneurial skills.
• Innovationsfunding (Innovation Funding) Advisory and routing service that directs AAU researchers to commercial funding opportunities including AAU Proof of Concept, InnoExplorer, Vissing Fonden, Spin-outs Denmark, and ESA BIC Denmark programs.
• Indberet opfindelse (Invention Disclosure) Invention disclosure service for AAU employees to report inventions or software developed in relation to their work, with guidance on patent filing and commercialization through AAU Forskningsinnovation.
• Labs Innovation labs and workshops providing equipment for prototyping including wood, metal, electronics, 3D printing, laser cutting, audio/video recording, user testing, and life science facilities, available to resident startups and AAU programs.
• Foodhub Public café located on the ground floor of AAU INNOVATE, open to university students, staff, residents, and citizens in the local area, with a focus on organic ingredients and extended opening hours.
• Mødelokaler (Meeting Rooms) Meeting rooms of various sizes (2-40 persons) equipped with WiFi and AV equipment, suitable for different group sizes and meeting needs at AAU INNOVATE.
• Event-faciliteter (Event Facilities) Event facilities including auditorium, pitch area, café area, and InnoLab for conferences, talks, and presentations with flexible furniture arrangements, hosted at AAU INNOVATE.

Quantifiable outcome

• AAU Startup Program structured in three phases: Investigation (3 months), Development (6 months), Acceleration (9 months), with additional Consulting Lab track (6 months)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cobe (Architects)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Copenhagen-based architecture firm Cobe won the total consultant competition for AAU Science & Innovation Hub in Autumn 2017. Cobe designed the open, inviting, and dynamic building that serves as a node and showcase for interdisciplinary research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent and business development.
• MT HøjgaardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMT Højgaard was selected as the main contractor for the Science & Innovation Hub by Bygningsstyrelsen (Danish Building and Property Agency) in Summer 2019. The company constructed the building which was completed and handed over to AAU on July 1, 2022.
• Bygningsstyrelsen (Danish Building and Property Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Danish Building and Property Agency managed the construction project and selected MT Højgaard as main contractor. Handed over the completed building to AAU on July 1, 2022.
• Foodhub (Café Operator)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoodhub is a public café located on the ground floor of AAU Innovation, serving university students, staff, building residents, and citizens from the local community. The café focuses on organic ingredients and operates during extended hours.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CBS Entrepreneurship: Copenhagen Business School's entrepreneurship platform offering startup programs, mentorship and incubator services to Danish university students. Overlaps with AAU Innovation in serving student founders and running structured startup curricula.
• DTU Skylab: Innovation hub at the Technical University of Denmark offering student entrepreneurship programs, makerspaces, workshops and startup incubation. Closest Danish peer given the shared technical-university context and similar mix of programming, labs and startup support.
• Aarhus Universitet (Innovation og Entrepreneurship): Major Danish research university operating parallel entrepreneurship, startup and research-commercialization programs for students and faculty. Directly competes for the same national pool of founders, researchers and innovation funding.
• University of Southern Denmark (SDU) Startup & Innovation: SDU operates student entrepreneurship programs and research commercialization services analogous to AAU Innovation. Comparable in target audience, program structure and Danish public-university context.
• ITU Skylab: Innovation and entrepreneurship hub at IT University of Copenhagen supporting student startups, research commercialization and interdisciplinary collaboration. Comparable in mission and target audience (university students/researchers) to AAU Innovation.

Broad incumbents

• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's central entrepreneurship center offering startup programs, mentorship and maker/innovation infrastructure to students and researchers. A global benchmark for a technical university's integrated entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.
• ETH Zurich Student Project House: ETH Zurich's innovation hub providing makerspaces, workshops and entrepreneurship support to students and researchers. Comparable in mission (fostering interdisciplinary, hands-on innovation at a technical university) though operating at substantially larger scale.
• UnternehmerTUM (TU Munich): Europe's leading university-linked entrepreneurship center at TU Munich, combining student programs, prototyping labs and startup incubation. A larger, more established benchmark for what a technical-university innovation hub can scale into.

Others

• VILLUM FONDEN: Major Danish foundation funding the Spin-outs Denmark program (75M DKK) accessed by AAU Innovation researchers. Included as a key funding ecosystem partner and enabler of AAU Innovation's commercialization value proposition rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Science Park Denmark (novi science park): Danish regional science park offering incubation and innovation support in Southern Denmark. Comparable in supporting research commercialization and startups, but geographically distinct and not embedded within a single university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/aalborguniversitet
• Facebookfacebook.com/AalborgUniversitet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aau-innovation
• Instagraminstagram.com/aalborguni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AAU Innovation