Faculty of Technical Sciences - Aarhus University

What Faculty of Technical Sciences - Aarhus University does

Faculty of Technical Sciences (TECH) is a constituent faculty of Aarhus Universitet, a public Danish research university, focused on engineering, agricultural science, food science, environmental science, and veterinary science. The faculty is organized into nine departments — Agroecology; Ecoscience; Animal and Veterinary Sciences; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Food Science; Civil and Architectural Engineering; Biological and Chemical Engineering; Environmental Science; Mechanical and Production Engineering — plus three national centers: DCE (Danish Centre for Environment and Energy), DCA (Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture), and the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics. It delivers bachelor's, master's, and PhD programs (including the Graduate School of Technical Sciences and the new Erhvervskandidat industry master's), operates the AU Viborg/Foulum green research campus, and runs the AU Engineering brand.

The faculty operates a hybrid business model combining government block-grant funding for education and statutory public-sector consultancy with competitive research grants and industry-sponsored collaborative projects. Funding streams include Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science appropriations, foundation grants (Novo Nordisk Fonden, Innovationsfonden), earmarked ministry contracts (e.g., Ministry of Environment for PFAS research), and EU programs. Revenue-generating activities include tuition (for non-EU/EEA students), continuing education, research-facility access for industry partners, and contract research. Strategic partners include Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands) and INRAE (France) in agrifood, plus the START platform connecting 300+ researchers. Commercial collaborators span CeramicSpeed (ball bearing sensors), GomSpace and 2operate (satellite monitoring), Aarhus Havn, SEGES Innovation (landscape transformation), Carlsberg and Microsoft (AI/biology), and Aleris-Hamlet (clinical trials).

Name

Faculty of Technical Sciences - Aarhus University

Legal name

Aarhus Universitet

Website

https://tech.au.dk

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Danish university faculty (part of Aarhus University) delivering engineering, agricultural, food, and environmental science research and higher education, with statutory public-sector consultancy mandates via DCE and DCA national centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB), Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ)

Keywords

• Engineering education
• Agricultural research
• Environmental science
• Research consultancy
• Technical sciences

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus C

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: As a public Danish university, Faculty of Technical Sciences receives the majority of its funding from Danish government appropriations for research and education.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Competitive research funding from Danish and international sources including Novo Nordisk Fonden, Innovationsfonden, EU Horizon programs, and other research councils.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Faculty of Technical Sciences is a public university faculty providing higher education (bachelor's, master's, PhD) and applied research in engineering, agricultural sciences, food science, and environmental science. It operates national centers (DCE and DCA) that supply research-based consultancy to government authorities and industry, and delivers continuing education, access to research facilities, and strategic partnerships with leading European research institutions.

Product overview

Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University is a higher education and research institution organized into multiple institutes and national centers. The faculty offers a comprehensive portfolio consisting of AU Engineering (Bachelor's, Master's, and work-integrated Master's engineering programs), AU Viborg (agricultural and food science campus), and the Graduate School of Technical Sciences (PhD programs across 10 disciplines). The faculty operates two national centers - DCE for Environment and Energy and DCA for Food and Agriculture - providing research-based consultancy to public authorities and industry. Additional offerings include access to research facilities, public sector consultancy services, and continuing education programs. The faculty structure includes 10 departments covering agroecology, ecoscience, animal and veterinary sciences, electrical and computer engineering, food science, civil and architectural engineering, biological and chemical engineering, environmental science, mechanical and production engineering, plus specialized centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy (Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi): National center providing research-based consultancy to Danish authorities on environment and energy matters
• DCA - Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture (Nationalt Center for Fødevarer og Jordbrug)
• AU Viborg
• Graduate School of Technical Sciences

Products and services

• AU Engineering Education Programs Engineering degree programs at Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD levels covering civil, electrical, mechanical, and architectural engineering fields. Includes work-integrated master's (erhvervskandidat) programs.
• Graduate School of Technical Sciences PhD school providing doctoral education and research training across 10 faculties and research disciplines including agroecology, animal and veterinary sciences, biological and chemical engineering, civil and architectural engineering, ecoscience, electrical and computer engineering, environmental science, food science, mechanical and production engineering, and quantitative genetics and genomics.
• DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy National center providing research-based consultancy and knowledge to Danish authorities, businesses, and organizations on environment and energy issues. Delivers independent scientific input for evidence-based policymaking, regulatory support, and environmental assessment.
• DCA - Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture National center for food and agricultural research providing consultancy and knowledge to Danish authorities and industry on food safety, agricultural production, and sustainability. Critical advisory body for Danish government on food and agriculture policy.
• Public Sector Consultancy (Myndighedsbetjening) Research-based consultancy services provided to government authorities, NGOs, foundations, and private companies to support decisions of societal importance. Includes advisory input for ministries, municipalities, and other public bodies on topics within engineering, food, agriculture, and environmental science.
• Continuing and Further Education Professional development and continuing education courses for working professionals in engineering and agricultural sciences. Delivered as standalone programs targeted at practitioners seeking advanced technical knowledge.
• Research Facilities Access Access to ultra-modern research facilities including high-tech equipment, laboratories, and specialized instrumentation for collaborative research projects with external academic and industry partners. Includes access to large-scale facilities such as MAX IV, ESS, and XFEL through the LINX network.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• California Institutions (Danish-Californian Collaboration)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2025Collaboration between Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and leading institutions in Denmark and California for sustainable animal food production research.
• PFAS Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration between DTU, KU, SDU, and AU on PFAS research. Funded with 44 million DKK from Ministry of Environment. AU contributes expertise through Department of Ecoscience and Department of Environmental Science.
• CeramicSpeedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Industrial partner in Grand Solutions project for ball bearing monitoring sensors. Project funded with 20.5 million DKK from Innovation Fund Denmark.
• START (Centre for SusTainable AgRifood sysTems)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Research-based academic platform created by Denmark's eight universities to strengthen interdisciplinary research collaboration in natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities for green transition in agriculture and food production. Currently connects more than 300 researchers across ten research hubs.
• LINX (Linking Industry to Neutrons and X-rays)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership society linking Danish companies to world-leading neutron and X-ray research facilities (MAX IV, ESS, XFEL). Helps companies access advanced materials research capabilities.
• MegaMan ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Innovation Fund Denmark invested 7.5 million DKK in collaboration between 2operate, GomSpace, and AU to create monitoring platform for satellite megaconstellations.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership between the three European leading research environments in agriculture, food, and environment. Collaboration focuses on joint research initiatives, knowledge sharing, and academic exchange in sustainable agriculture and food systems.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic cooperation agreement signed between Aarhus University and the French institute INRAE. Forms the third pillar of a strong strategic collaboration between three of Europe's leading research environments in agriculture, food, and environment.
• ESAAF (European Science Alliance for Agriculture and Food)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific alliance connecting leading European universities in agriculture and food research. Facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange across member institutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Southern Denmark (SDU): SDU is the fourth Danish university in the PFAS Center consortium and a direct competitor in Danish applied research, particularly in engineering, environmental science, and food research. Comparable governance and funding model as a public Danish university.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement): INRAE is the third pillar of the European strategic alliance and France's leading public research institution in agriculture, food and environment. Directly comparable to Aarhus TECH in mission, scale, and government advisory role for French authorities.
• Wageningen University & Research: Wageningen is the faculty's explicit strategic partner and forms one pillar of the three-institution European alliance in agriculture, food and environment. It is directly comparable in research domain, public-sector advisory mandate (Dutch ministries), and industry collaboration model, making it the closest functional peer.
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU): DTU is Denmark's leading technical university and a direct competitor for engineering research funding, industry partnerships, and student recruitment. It co-leads the PFAS Research Center with Aarhus TECH, illustrating direct programmatic overlap.
• University of Copenhagen (KU): KU is a major Danish research university competing for the same national research funding pool and co-leads the PFAS Center. It has overlapping programs in food science, environmental science, and life sciences, making it a direct competitor for grants and talent.

Broad incumbents

• KTH Royal Institute of Technology: Sweden's leading technical university and the natural institutional partner for cross-Nordic technical research. Overlapping portfolio in engineering, materials science, and applied physics with Aarhus TECH's engineering departments.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM): A leading European technical university with comparable engineering portfolio and strong industry collaboration model in Germany. Indirect peer operating in different national funding ecosystem but with overlapping research themes in green transition, agritech, and bioengineering.
• Chalmers University of Technology: Swedish technical university with strong life-science and engineering programs, comparable in scale to Aarhus TECH and overlapping in food science, materials, and industrial collaboration. Indirect Nordic peer rather than direct Danish competitor.
• ETH Zurich: A leading European technical university with similar engineering and natural sciences portfolio. Comparable in interdisciplinary research model and industry collaboration but at substantially larger scale and global brand recognition.

Regional players

• Lund University: Sweden's leading research university and a regional peer with overlapping strength in technical and life sciences. Co-located with MAX IV and ESS makes it a frequent collaborator and indirect competitor for Nordic and EU research funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EngineeringAU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faculty-of-technical-sciences---aarhus-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/auengineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Faculty of Technical Sciences - Aarhus University