Southern Denmark has an extraordinary position of strength in the field of energy-efficient technologies, and there is a strong ecosystem and high concentration of companies around Sønderborg in particular. With an annual export rate of several ten billion kroner, the region is one of the major players in Danish exports. At the same time, the companies in the region have struggled for many years to procure sufficiently skilled labour within the technical field, as well as engineers. In view of electronics increasingly becoming a prerequisite for consolidating and creating growth in the sector, it is crucial that the proper skilled labour is available.
The overall purpose of the IE-Industriel Elektronik project is to meet the need for increased electronics knowledge and skills of the regional industry /cluster of companies engaged in the development and production of energy efficiency solutions. This is achieved through the establishment and building of a powerful international education and research environment at the Centre for Industrial Electronics (CIE) at SDU in Sønderborg in the field of applied industrial electronics.
The new center boosts research, innovation and test facilities at a high international level and at the same time is a foundation for new engineering study programmes in the field of electronics at all university levels (BSc, MSc and BEng). The study programmes are designed with a view to providing the competences requested by local industry.
The Centre for Industrial Electronics is established over several years with large contributions of funds from SDU and project investors (Danfoss A/S, LINAK A/S, the Region of Southern Denmark and Sønderborg Municipality). The partners have each invested about 35 million DKK in the new center, in total DKK 176 millions. Bitten and Mads Clausen Foundation and LINAK have financed the construction of a completely new building which was opened in October 2019. The building has a direct bridge-connection to Alsion.
The IE-Industriel Elektronik project supports the establishment and the building of this important center at SDU, thereby ensuring within the region the development of competences related to electronics. The project aim is that, by 2025, a group of at least 30 researchers at high international level are employed at the center. 110 students are expected to for an engineering degree in electronics in the first four-year phase.
