Bringing Danish ideas to global solutions

Poster for Nordic Talks, a project by Innovation Centre Denmark, Seoul / Courtesy of Embassy of Denmark in Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Spearheading change with innovative approaches is something very Danish. A mix of novel ideas, the drive to see them grow, and the ability to work with others to scale them out, the sentiment is perhaps best encapsulated in Denmark's slogan, “Bringing Danish ideas to global solutions.”

This is the mantra of the Innovation Centre Denmark (ICDK), an initiative launched in cooperation between Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The goal is to bridge Danish and local businesses, research institutes, universities and public entities for collaborative opportunities, thereby sparking innovation around the world.

Seoul is one of the handful of cities where Denmark opened ICDK branches in 2013. Other strategic locations include Bangalore, Boston, Munich, Shanghai, Silicon Valley (Palo Alto), and Tel Aviv.

"The fact that we are here in Seoul reflects the strong, strategic partnership between Denmark and Korea. It's testament to the fact that Denmark has identified Korea as a close partner with complementary strengths and the potential to create great synergies. Over the past eight years, we've been able to engage in a number of meaningful innovation projects in key sectors of interest to both our countries," Eske Bo Rosenberg, Science and Innovation Counsellor at ICDK Seoul, told The Korea Times.

Sustainability, circular economy, urban development, education, cutting edge technology such as robotics and drones are just a few areas where the ICDK Seoul have successfully orchestrated collaboration between Denmark and Korea.

"Our work is heavily focused on building sustainable platforms for collaboration that can lead to new solutions. Identifying business opportunities is also part of our work, but equally important is establishing partnerships between like-minded professionals across the public and private sector. For example, one of our projects focus on climate change in Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Korea outstanding hardware expertise in building drones that can operate in the harsh conditions of the Arctic region, while Denmark has strengths in autonomous systems and monitoring ice melting. The photographs taken by these drones will improve our understanding of how global warming is impacting the Arctic region and beyond," Rosenberg explained.

Another example of how ICDK Seoul is acting as a bridge between local stakeholders for sparking innovation is Nordic Talks Korea. With the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals at its core, Nordic Talks Korea is a science diplomacy platform that aims to provide Nordic inspiration and start conversations on addressing joint global challenges. Talks are organized in cooperation with other Nordic embassies ― Finland, Norway and Sweden ― in Korea as well as Korean partner.

"Ultimately, the goal of the Nordic Talks Korea platform is to inspire people to act for a more sustainable society. It focuses on connecting experts as well as the broader public in Korea and in the Nordic countries, to discuss solutions for the challenges that we face today. COVID-19, green transition, gender equality, and sustainable food are some of the many topics we've covered since 2019,” Rosenberg said.

The next event coming up on June 14 at the Oil Tank Culture Park in Seoul will held be under the theme of "AI, Technology, and Democracy." Up for discussion is how governments and tech giants are defining the future of humankind, as well as how the technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is positively impacting society, industries, and the Earth.

Among the participants is Danish Tech Ambassador Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen, who is yet another embodiment of Denmark being a trailblazer. In 2017, Denmark became the first country in the world to expand the domains of diplomacy to include global tech giants, reflecting the global shift in power in this digital era towards multinational tech companies gaining the political and economic power matching, and at times even surpassing, that of governments.

"There was no formal channel for dialogue between governments and these companies, so Denmark filled the vacuum by expanding the scope of diplomacy to include technological diplomacy,” Rosenberg said.

Denmark's second Tech Ambassador, Larsen will offer a virtual presentation called "Democracy in the Fourth Industrial Revolution," touching upon Denmark's latest “Techplomacy” strategy.

"We are living in unprecedented times and some of the most far-reaching societal changes are being driven by technological disruption. It is becoming increasingly difficult for traditional policy-makers to keep up with the pace and impact of new technologies. New problems require new solutions, and tech diplomacy as well the ICDK are some of the ways Denmark is striving to ensure that these changes are not only profiting companies, but are good for society and humankind.”