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Søren Elmer Kristensen will draw on his over six years of experience at TEK Innovation in his new role. | Source: Odense Robotics

Odense Robotics has named Søren Elmer Kristensen, the head of TEK Innovation at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), as its projects director.

As projects director, Kristensen will be playing an important part in securing and running projects and partnerships. In particular, forging strategic partnerships with companies and universities will be a crucial aspect of the position.

“I see a huge potential to increase the competitiveness of Danish robot, automation and drone companies,” Kristensen said. “New knowledge and new collaborations can create new solutions for a wide range of industries. With a strong project portfolio, Odense Robotics can help companies deliver even more world-class solutions and strengthen their foundation for growth.”

Establishing relationships with private and public institutions isn’t unfamiliar territory for Kristensen. TEK Innovation’s mission is to facilitate collaboration between students and faculty in the SDU’s engineering program and the community. Kristensen was the head of TEK Innovation for over six years.

Before becoming the head of TEK Innovation, Kristensen worked for over four years at SDU in various positions. But even before SDU, he was doing this kind of work. Kristensen’s first job was as a project manager at the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences.

Denmark’s robotics hub

Odense Robotics is Denmark’s national robot and drone cluster. It has five hubs in Aalborg, Aarhus, Copenhagen, Odense and Sonderborg. The goal of the cluster is to accelerate sustainable development among robot, automation and drone companies.

Odense Robotics has five regional hubs for robotics innovation. | Credit: Odense Robotics

The organization has five focus areas: startups, innovation, global growth, networks and visibility. It’s currently working on 118 projects to push innovation and growth in the country.

“Denmark has a global stronghold in robotics and as a national cluster, Odense Robotics plays a central role in helping the country’s robot, automation and drone companies realize their potential. I am very much looking forward to drawing on my experience to strengthen innovation and sustainable growth in Denmark’s robotics industry,” Kristensen said.

Earlier this year, in January 2022, Odense Robotics opened the fifth and final hub to complete its national setup on Aalborg. The hub will provide robotics, automation and drone startups, scaleups and SMEs with opportunities for growth and innovation. It will work with robotics companies in the northern region of Jutland.