Innovation Partner - hard-tech startups - DTU Skylab

Are you passionate about building technology-based startups and motivating researchers to engage in impact entrepreneurship? Do you have experience with commercialization of hard tech? Are you driven by working in and with teams towards a common goal? Then this might be the right opportunity for you.

At DTU Skylab, we believe that students and researchers hold the key to generating innovative solutions for a better, more sustainable tomorrow. We are passionately working to support and motivate teams to embark on their own startup journeys based on groundbreaking ideas from their research. We do this through deep engagement, coaching and workshops in our Startup Program, funding and mentor programs, and by providing a shoulder to rely on during rough times.

Now, we are looking for a new team member to join us who has a strong technical and commercial foundation, and a passion for making technological innovations come alive.

The job

As Innovation Partner in DTU Skylab, you will support researchers from DTU Space, DTU Management, and DTU Chemistry in building startups based on their groundbreaking research, and foster an innovation culture among faculty and young researchers.

Your job has many facets centered around supporting and nurturing research projects from early, lab-stage idea until investable business case. You will find yourself engaged with discussions with researchers about the potential value propositions of their technology, you will host venture building workshops, support soft funding applications and building pitch decks, engage with internal and external stakeholders, and much more.

You will do this together with our team of 8 innovation partners in similar roles that work across DTU’s departments. We work closely with our colleagues in the Section for Start-up Support to create and deliver the best offerings for DTU’s students and researchers on their journey towards a start-up.

Primary tasks include:

• Coach researchers and research-based start-up teams from first idea to creating a start-up
• Scouting technology at departments and support other innovation partners in your field of expertise
• Facilitate workshops together with colleagues in Skylab in selected disciplines in our Startup Program, i.e. technology maturation, funding, commercial maturation and team formation.
• Close collaboration with the departments around the innovation agenda and culture, and relevant awareness activities within the department about entrepreneurship and innovation.

Who you are

You have an entrepreneurial mindset and might have experience with starting your own company, or you have worked in the intersection of R&D and BD, commercializing early-stage technologies. For this position we are looking for a profile with a strong technical background in hard tech.

In addition, you:

• Have min. 5 years of experience with high-tech entrepreneurship, commercialization and business development of research
• Have solid experience in facilitating innovation workshops and/or courses
• Are a strong team player with a focus on creating value and results
• You are self-motivated and establish collaboration and communication with internal and external stakeholders
• Possess strong networking skills, good at meeting new people and see opportunities
• Have a higher/long technical education – as hard tech engineer or scientist.
• Have fluency in both Danish and English.

Who we are

At DTU Skylab, we are around 60 employees in three sections, with an informal and caring culture. We can laugh and party whilst also being serious and passionate about what we do. We love our users and talking about the amazing projects in DTU Skylab, from airborne windmills, farming snails, building new sustainable batteries, AI robots and digital services.

It is a challenging job in a very dynamic environment. You will become a part of a culture and organization in constant, rapid development, and you will have a lot of influence on this development.

Salary and appointment terms

Salary and employment terms are according to the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) or similar.

The team of innovations partners is part of a larger section of around 25 colleagues in total, supporting business development across both students and researchers. You will refer to Team Lead of Innovation Partners, Mette Blaabjerg.

You will be employed at DTU Skylab, and the workplace is DTU Lyngby Campus, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.

Preferable starting date is May 1, 2026.

Application and contact

Please submit your online application no later than Sunday, 15 March 2026.

Open the “Apply now” link, fill out the form and attach your motivated application, CV and exam certificates.

If you would like additional information about the position, please contact Team Lead Innovation Partners, Mette Blaabjerg on 2748 4444.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.