Business Development

The business sector in Aarhus has very successfully and increasingly focused on the production and sale of innovative, knowledge-intensive and globally oriented products and services. Aarhus is one of Denmark’s most important growth areas with one of the country’s largest concentrations of foreign labour.

For example, Greater Aarhus is home to the world’s leading players in the wind power industry. 40+ years of experience ensures that you will find universities with cutting edge know-how, dedicated test centres and a complete value chain of sub-suppliers and professional services.

The fashion industry is also growing: Aarhus houses many leading companies, such as Bestseller, Hummel and Minimum. The design degree programmes at VIA University College offer creative minds the tools they need to make an impact in the fashion world.

The development of international-class knowledge clusters is constantly on the City of Aarhus’s agenda. Aarhus is partnering to create innovative tech solutions through knowledge-sharing across research specialisations and industries. We believe that clustering businesses, research and education within a specific field optimises the flow of knowledge and enhances innovation. This is why we established the IT City Katrinebjerg: a vibrant hub of talent, knowledge and professional networking within ICT.

In addition, several large international food companies, such as Arla Foods, Dupont, Danish Crown and AarhusKarlshamn have chosen to place their headquarters or R&D centres in the Greater Aarhus area. Our food-cluster Agro Food Park is one of Europe’s most powerful centres for food innovation. It combines knowledge and entrepreneurship to accelerate innovation and manage the growing complexity of modern agriculture and food production.

The density of the healthcare cluster in Aarhus as well, generates close collaboration between health-related businesses, knowledge institutions, the hospital and the public healthcare sector, providing the conditions for the development of groundbreaking R&D and healthcare products. Generally, public sector institutions are open to offering private companies opportunities for real-life development, tests and demonstrations.

In relation to the cleantech industry, Navitas is Denmark’s innovation and education centre within energy related technologies. Navitas creates a knowledge ecosystem that breaks down boundaries between its participants; researchers, education, entrepreneurs and businesses.

And the list goes on ...

The business sector primarily demands qualified labour, a well-developed infrastructure and efficient case handling by the public administration. Business development is thus closely associated with the development of the public sector, and urban and infrastructural developments as well as the quality of the cultural life and townscape.

To promote the interplay between the large public service areas and the business sector, a number of initiatives are being launched: A development and demonstration centre for welfare technology which, among other things, will focus on the development and implementation of new healthcare products and solutions, and likewise an action plan to achieve the climate goal of being carbon-neutral by 2030.

The involvement of key public and private sector players in a strong, regional network is one of the cornerstones of the business policy. Together, the key players are developing ideas to maintain and further develop what is one of the world’s best business climates. Within the creative industries, collaboration between local educational institutions and businesses is generating exciting new developments in architecture, new technology and design.

We are also exploring an alternative way of creating tech solutions for the city. Through collaboration between the public and the private sector, citizens, the business community, and knowledge institutions, we are working together to generate digital approaches to solving societal challenges.