Job Description

Are you interested in exploring the following questions?

• How can universities, industry partners, and investors collaborate earlier to support the creation and development of academic spin-offs?
• Which challenge-driven approaches to knowledge valorisation work, for whom, and under what ecosystem conditions?
• How can evidence from European innovation initiatives be translated into transferable frameworks and effective policy recommendations?

DTU Entrepreneurship invites applications for a postdoctoral position linked to EUIT “Empowering Universities and Industry Together to Scale a Challenge-Driven Model for Academic Spin-Off Creation”, a 24-month Horizon Europe project bringing together universities, innovation intermediaries, and industry-facing partners across Europe.

The project explores how early engagement with industrial and societal challenges can strengthen academic spin-off creation, technology validation, and pathways to market. The research will draw on evidence generated through project pilots, systematic evaluation, and comparative analysis to identify what works across different innovation ecosystems.

You will work with researchers at DTU Entrepreneurship and collaborate with international project partners across Europe. The position offers an opportunity to contribute to research with direct implications for universities, technology transfer organisations, and innovation policy.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Your primary responsibility will be to conduct rigorous research and evaluation on academic spin-off creation and challenge-driven knowledge valorisation, with scope to develop scholarly research questions within the project's objectives.

Your tasks will include:

• Developing conceptual and analytical frameworks for studying knowledge valorisation, academic entrepreneurship, and innovation ecosystems.
• Contributing to the design and implementation of a common monitoring and evaluation framework across project activities.
• Collecting and analysing comparative evidence, including successful and unsuccessful pilot cases across European ecosystem contexts.
• Conducting interviews, qualitative case studies, and, where appropriate, quantitative analyses of project monitoring data.
• Preparing research articles for publication in international peer-reviewed journals and presenting findings at academic conferences.
• Contributing to the development and validation of a transferable European Challenge-Driven Valorisation Framework.
• Collaborating with international project partners and contributing to policy briefs, reports, and knowledge exchange activities.

We are looking for a motivated researcher with a strong interest in academic entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer, and innovation policy.

We expect you to have:

• A PhD in entrepreneurship, innovation studies, management, economics, public policy, or a related field.
• Experience designing and conducting empirical research using qualitative and/or quantitative methods.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English.
• The ability to work independently and collaborate with international research and practitioner partners.

The following would be an advantage, but are not required:

• Experience with qualitative or mixed-methods research, comparative case studies, or programme evaluation.
• Knowledge of academic spin-offs, university-industry collaboration, technology transfer, or entrepreneurial ecosystems.
• Experience working with policymakers, technology transfer offices, or other innovation intermediaries.

As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent).

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and terms of employment

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. In addition, supplements can be negotiated in accordance with DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures.

The period of employment is 1.5 years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Argyro (Iro) Nikiforou (argnik@dtu.dk) and Associate Professor Maria-Theresa Norn (tnorn@dtu.dk).

You can read more about DTU Entrepreneurship at www.entrepreneurship.dtu.dk.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 30 November 2026 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Entrepreneurship is a leading international centre for research and education in technology entrepreneurship and helps develop an entrepreneurial culture across DTU. As part of a dynamic and evolving ecosystem, we combine practice-oriented education and research in entrepreneurship with real start-up opportunities from all DTU departments. With rigorous research at its core, the Center builds the entrepreneurial capabilities of students, industry leaders, academics and policymakers to address unsolved problems, and together create new knowledge, methodologies and initiatives. We enable ethically minded entrepreneurs to build solutions that benefit people, society and the world. The Center experiments with new entrepreneurial methodologies and activities to push boundaries within research and education.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829

DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.