Innovation Manager Job at Syddansk Universitet | SDU Career

The Faculty of Science (NAT) at SDU seeks an Innovation Manager to accelerate the translation of research into societal and commercial impact. Working within the External Relations Team, the faculty research support unit, you will be the primary connector between researchers and industry partners, helping to identify opportunities for collaboration, co-creation and commercialization in a wide range of topics from e.g. cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum, defence to space. You will support researchers in accessing innovation-oriented funding and play a central role in building a culture of industrial collaboration, entrepreneurship, and spin-outs at NAT while ensuring cross university focus.

• Cultivate partnerships: Identify and engage relevant companies, foundations, clusters and other external partners on behalf of our researchers; explore collaborative potential and negotiate mutually beneficial projects and sponsorships. Matchmake researchers with industry partners and support consortium building, both nationally and internationally.
• Drive innovation funding: Proactively identify and shape funding opportunities, including programs such as Innovation Fund Denmark, Horizon Europe, and the European Defence Fund (EDF). Build and mobilize strong networks and consortia, connect relevant partners, and help generate competitive project ideas. Guide researchers through early-stage positioning, partner alignment, and proposal strategy, including support on concept development, consortium building.
• Commercialization and spin-outs: Assist researchers in evaluating the commercial potential of early-stage science and develop pathways for technology transfer, including licensing, spin-outs and joint ventures. Collaborate closely with SDU’s Research & Innovation Organization (SDU RIO), tech transfer offices and innovation hubs to support intellectual property protection, licensing and early-stage investment.
• Promote innovation culture: Organize workshops, seminars and matchmaking events to raise awareness of innovation opportunities. Collaborate with department leadership to integrate innovation strategies into research planning and contribute to NAT’s external funding and innovation st