High Tech Summit - Reflections from EKTOS

High Tech Summit – Reflections from EKTOS

18 April 2024

High Tech Summit – Reflections from EKTOS

High Tech Summit is new within the Danish technology fair scene. This year’s event at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) on October 10 and 11 is the second in the history of the fair. EKTOS was represented at the fair for the first time. We are here to share our reflections about the fair in case you did not make it to the High Tech Summit this year.

High Tech Summit wants to be a place where research, business, and, partly, decision makers meet to shape technological development. The fair managed to attract a significant number of visitors. According to the organizers, more than 5600 people attended, of which around 1400 were students and 260 were from start-ups. The remaining were visitors from research institutions as well as public and private companies.

Watch the video made by the organizers of the High Tech Summit:

A large number of new companies have roots in DTU

As an electronics consultancy with the main market in Scandinavia, we saw great potential in being present at the fair and being recognized as qualified development and test partners by the new companies that originate from DTU. A survey conducted by the consultancy firm IRIS Group shows that around 2,200 new companies have sprung from DTU since 1999 and that the start-up companies are performing significantly better than the national average within the same industry in the same period. An example of a company with roots in DTU is Airtame, which launched the latest version of their product, a device for screen sharing, at High Tech Summit – a device that EKTOS Testing & Reliability Services has tested and supported in getting certified.

Matchmaking – Smaller gap from idea to product

The organizers of the High Tech Summit had planned dedicated initiatives to link start-ups with the knowledge and skills they need to realize their ideas. One of the initiatives was matchmaking sessions. Twelve themes were discussed at different tables, moderated by experts on the respective themes.

Our table with the theme of “product development” was visited by lecturers, representatives of established companies, a number of startups, and a single supplier. We discussed relevant questions about everything from the maintenance of software documentation to how to prepare students for the transition into private business.

The matchmaking sessions were a great way for us to get new contacts. However, it was the first time that the concept was tested at the High Tech Summit, which we noticed due to a few minor coordination difficulties.

Particularly the first day was very busy at High Tech Summit

Are we visionary enough in Denmark?

“I have come to get more insight into where we are regarding technological progress in Denmark,” answered several guests at our booth when we asked them why they had come to High Tech Summit. The conversations led to the question which was also discussed diligently on the main stage, that is: “What role should technology play in Danish society?” One of the visitors to our stand commented that there are a lot of good ideas in Denmark, but in Japan hotels exist that are only run by robots – why is it not Nordic countries that are pushing the boundaries?”

The president of DTU, Anders Overgaard Bjarklev, emphasized the need for a new, visionary strategy for technological innovation in Denmark. Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen responded in his opening speech by emphasizing the government’s ambitious climate goals and the role of technology in achieving the goals. By linking research and technological inventions to sustainable development we can make profitable business, Lars Løkke pointed out.

We are where it happens

Compared to our experience as exhibitors one month prior at E-18 in Odense and Tec Lund in Scania, where we had many conversations about specific projects, High Tech Summit was characterized by wider networking within the industry. We see High Tech Summit as a serious initiative that strengthens our industry both in Scandinavia and internationally by creating a platform for early collaboration between research institutions and public and private companies. EKTOS and other consultancies are an important part of the network, and we are happy to be involved.

Read a more thorough review of the Prime Minister’s speech here: http://www.elektronikfokus.dk/forskning-skal-hurtigt-ud-i-industrien/

Source of the DTU survey: https://www.dtu.dk/english/news/2018/09/dtu-behind-two-new-companies-a-week?id=d3808ff0-216e-4994-abee-9d22e43a3016

High Tech Summit – refleksioner fra EKTOS

High Tech Summit er ny indenfor den danske teknologi-messe-scene. Dette års event på Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) d. 10. og 11. oktober er det andet i messens historie. EKTOS var repræsenteret på messen for første gang. Vi deler her vores refleksioner omkring messen med jer, der ikke nåede forbi High Tech Summit i år.

High Tech Summit vil være dét sted, hvor forskning, erhvervsliv og til dels beslutningstagere mødes for at forme den teknologiske udvikling. Det lykkedes messen at tiltrække et signifikant antal besøgende på de to dage, messen varede. I følge organisatorerne deltog over 5600 mennesker, hvoraf omkring 1400 var studerende og 260 var fra start-ups. De resterende var besøgende fra forskningsinstitutioner samt offentlige og private virksomheder.

Se denne video, som er lavet af organisatørerne bag High Tech Summit:

Et stort antal nye virksomheder har rødder i DTU

Som konsulenthus, hvis kundekreds er overvejende skandinaviske virksomheder, så vi et stort potentiale i at markedsføre os på messen og blive genkendt som kvalificerede udviklings- og testpartnere hos de nye virksomheder, der udspringer fra DTU. En undersøgelse foretaget af konsulentfirmaet IRIS Group viser, at DTU står bag bag omkring 2.200 nye virksomheder siden 1999, og at de virksomheder klarer sig markant bedre end landsgennemsnittet indenfor samme brancher i samme periode. Et eksempel på en virksomhed med rødder i DTU er Airtame, som lancerede den nyeste version af deres trådløse skærmdelings-device på High Tech Summit – et device, som EKTOS Testing & Reliability Services har testet og hjulpet med at få certificeret.

Matchmaking – kortere vej fra idé til produkt

Arrangørerne af High Tech Summit havde sat særlige initiativer i søen for at bygge bro mellem start-ups og den viden og de kompetencer, de mangler for at kunne realisere deres idéer. Én af initiativerne var matchmaking-sessioner. Tolv temaer blev diskuteret ved forskellige borde, som blev modereret af eksperter indenfor de respektive temaer.

Vores bord med temaet ”produktudvikling” blev besøgt af undervisere, etablerede virksomheder, en række start-ups og en enkelt leverandør. Vi diskuterede relevante spørgsmål om alt fra vedligeholdelse af software-dokumentation til, hvordan man som studerende kan klædes på til overgangen til det private erhvervsliv.

Matchmaking-sessionerne var en god måde for os at skabe nye kontakter på. Det var dog første gang, konceptet blev prøvet af på High Tech Summit, hvilket vi kunne mærke ved et par mindre koordineringsvanskeligheder.

Særligt den første dag var meget velbesøgt på High Tech Summit

Er vi visionære nok i Danmark?

”Jeg er kommet for at få et større indblik i, hvor vi er i den teknologiske udvikling i Danmark,” svarede flere gæster på vores stand, når vi spurgte dem, hvorfor de var kommet på High Tech Summit. Samtalerne ledte videre til dét spørgsmål, der også blev diskuteret flittigt på den store scene, nemlig: ”hvilken rollen skal teknologien spille i det danske samfund?” Én af de besøgende på vores stand kommenterede, at der er rigtig mange gode idéer i Danmark, men i Japan findes der hoteller, som kun er betjent af robotter – hvorfor er det ikke Norden, der skubber grænserne?”

DTU’s rektor Anders Overgaard Bjarklev understregede behovet for en ny, visionær strategi for teknologisk innovation i Danmark. Statsminister Lars Løkke Rasmussen svarede i sin åbningstale ved at fremhæve regeringens ambitiøse klimamål og teknologiens rolle i forhold til at nå målene. Ved at knytte forskning og den teknologiske udvikling sammen med bæredygtig udvikling gør vi begge dele til en overskudsforretning, pointerede Lars Løkke.

Vi er med, der hvor det sker

Sammenlignet med vores deltagelse på E-18 i Odense og TecLund i Skåne måneden forinden, hvor vi havde mange samtaler om konkrete projekter, var High Tech Summit kendetegnet ved bredere networking indenfor branchen. Vi ser High Tech Summit som et seriøst initiativ, der styrker vores branche både i Skandinavien og internationalt ved at skabe en platform for tidligt samarbejde mellem forskningsinstitutioner og offentlige og private virksomheder. EKTOS og andre konsulenthuse er en vigtig del af det netværk, og vi er glade for at være med, der hvor det sker.

Læs et dybere referat af statsministerens tale her: http://www.elektronikfokus.dk/forskning-skal-hurtigt-ud-i-industrien/

Kilde til undersøgelsen “Entrepreneurship at DTU through two decades – initiatives, results and socioeconomic impact”: https://www.dtu.dk/english/news/2018/09/dtu-behind-two-new-companies-a-week?id=d3808ff0-216e-4994-abee-9d22e43a3016