The history of DTU Science Park

From Research Center to Science Park

Much has happened in the history of DTU Science Park since its establishment in 1962. The research center in Hørsholm was initially built on barren land in Birkerød Municipality, with only a few fruit orchards and a handful of farms. Today, DTU Science Park is one of Europe's leading communities for innovative deep-tech companies.

1962

The research center is founded

DTU Science Park was founded in 1962 in Hørsholm as a state-owned project to be DTU’s research park. It is named Forskningscentret (The Research Center). The Ministry of Education was behind the establishment. The purpose was to promote science-based workplaces in Denmark.

1962

The planting of the arboretum

The area is planted, and collaboration is underway to conduct experiments. Students from the University of Copenhagen still use the area today to observe pruning techniques.

1962

1963

Arne Jacobsen presents his plan

The architect Arne Jacobsen presents his plan for the area in Hørsholm. He suggests that the entire area be immediately planted with a forest to avoid appearing as a permanent construction site while the building progresses. This architectural vision still influences the area today.

1963

1970

The first companies move in

The first buildings were constructed with the American Marshall Aid, which was financial assistance provided by the USA to European countries after World War II. The Electronics Central, BioCentral, and the Hydraulic Engineering Institute are among the first companies to move into the Research Center.

1970

1997

The Sports Festival is held for the first time

The Sports Festival makes its debut. Since then, it has become one of the year’s highlights, with more than 1,000 employees participating every year.

1997

1997-2003

The construction of laboratories begins

To meet the needs of the emerging bio-industry, we begin constructing technical laboratories, starting with the Lærkehuset.

1997-2003

2004

DTU acquires the Research Center (Forskningscentret)

The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) acquires the Research Center, making it no longer state-owned. This also means an expansion to Lyngby, where a new department is established. At the same time, the Research Center changes its name to Scion DTU.

2004

2005

Launching startup services

Our growth programs, targeting startup companies, are established to foster growth and promote their development.

2005

2013

Danish Tech Challenge is established

The growth program Danish Tech Challenge kicks off with support from the Danish Industry Foundation. The program is designed for startups developing hardware products.

2013

2018

We change our name to DTU Science Park

Scion DTU changed its name to DTU Science Park, as we know it today.

2018

2020

The Deep Tech Alliance is founded

The international collaboration, Deep Tech Alliance, aims to provide start-ups and scale-ups access to the international ecosystem through partnerships with European companies and universities.

2020

2021-2025

We work towards gaining the DGNB Gold certification

In 2021, DTU Science Park embarked on a targeted effort towards a DNGB-certificering. The aim is to achieve a gold certification by 2025, endorsing over 400 sustainability parameters.

2021-2025