COLUMN: NAT AIMS TO BRIDGE THE GAP FROM LABORATORY TO SOLUTION WITH A NEW UNIT
When curiosity drives research, discoveries can radically change the world. But we must acknowledge that valuable knowledge far too often gets lost instead of reaching those who could benefit from it. That is why we are establishing a new unit at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, which will translate the potential of basic research into benefits for society.
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Basic research has repeatedly brought us discoveries that changed the world. Such as penicillin, X-rays or the sodium-potassium pump, the latter discovered by Aarhus University's own Nobel Prize winner Jens Christian Skou. Common to all the stories are curiosity and persistent experimentation – often with an element of chance. However, the path from the laboratory to practical implementation has typically been long. And today, the challenge is that much of the early knowledge gained in basic research never finds its way to the actors who can translate it into specific solutions.
It’s this gap that we now want to bridge at the Faculty of Natural Sciences with the establishment of the 'Science Bridge' unit.
The unit must ensure that valuable knowledge is not lost, but instead is passed on from researchers to those who can use it in practice.
Bridge between research and society
Science Bridge is not intended to develop products or run spin-outs. The unit's role will be to ensure that research results reach the right people at an early stage – from businesses and public institutions to civil society and political decision-makers.
At Science Bridge, external actors gain insight into the early potential of research results, allowing ideas to mature in a dynamic interaction between the laboratory and the surrounding world, so they can be turned into solutions that benefit people, technology and society more quickly and effectively. We expect Science Bridge to function as a hub where researchers have time to immerse themselves in dialogue with colleagues and actors outside the university. One of the key points of the unit is that research results can be shared and developed in collaboration with society.
Therefore, a central part of Science Bridge's working method is to create arenas where researchers can meet with companies, public authorities, NGOs and funds – and where all parties can contribute with knowledge and experience.
A new link in AU’s innovation chain
Science Bridge is a new link in Aarhus University's overall innovation chain. While The Kitchen helps students and researchers develop ideas into actual start-ups, and the venture fund Delphinus, together with Aarhus University Research Foundation and strong business partners, invests in companies ready to grow, Science Bridge gets involved even earlier in the process.
The potential is obvious: An analysis by Universities Denmark from May this year shows that Danish universities were the starting point for over 10,000 new companies in the period 2008–2022, which together create almost 19,000 jobs and generate an annual turnover of around DKK 30 billion. However, the figures also show that even more ideas could’ve been turned into businesses or solutions, had we had a system for gathering knowledge early and sharing it with the relevant actors.
At the same time, we as a society face urgent challenges. The climate crisis, technological dependence and global power shifts underscore Europe's need to strengthen its competitiveness and independence.
With the government now investing historically large amounts into research and innovation – over DKK 19 billion distributed across climate, health, critical technologies and security, supplemented by non-targeted funds for both research and innovation – it underscores the need for groundbreaking initiatives such as Science Bridge. Here, free research can be quickly translated into concrete actions and solutions where society needs them the most. It’s a challenge that we both have a duty to address and would like to continue developing at the faculty.
Safety net for curiosity
We’re not rushing the basic research. It takes the time it needs, and history has shown that it can change the world. Like the transistor, which is based on basic research in quantum physics and semiconductor material and became the foundation for the entire digital revolution. Or the laser, which is now used in everything from fibre optics to industrial production. Or the understanding of plate tectonics, which has made us better at predicting earthquakes and extracting raw materials. All are the results of curiosity-driven research that only much later revealed their full usefulness.
We continuously value the non-targeted research, but rather than leaving its outcomes to chance, Science Bridge aims to promote a culture where not only the scientific impact of research results matters, but also its potential to be applied in society.
With Science Bridge, we provide a safety net under the results of curiosity – so that more of them can become specific solutions that make a difference for people, technology and society.
This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.