IN BRIEF

Worth knowing about

… either as a point of contact for business or to add to your knowledge of what goes on in Denmark.

Work in Denmark

What is it?
Workindenmark.dk is the official website of Denmark for international jobseeking and recruitment. Besides the website, there are three Workindenmark centres located around the country – on Sealand, Funen and Jutland – which can answer your questions and help with finding a job.

How can it be useful to you?
Jobseekers from abroad can find all the relevant information about working in Denmark, search for jobs in Denmark in the job database, and add their CV to the CV database which potential employers in Denmark use to search for foreign manpower.

What is the web address?
http://www.workindenmark.dk

Up, up and away

Photo: Lange Aviation

Hydrogen fuel cell stacks from Jutland-based Serenergy provided the propulsion when the German Aerospace Center demonstrated its Antares DLR-H2 research aircraft at Hamburg Airport this summer. It is said to be the world’s first piloted aircraft capable of taking off using power generated solely by fuel cells.

Serenergy’s HTPEM fuel cells operate at a significantly higher temperature than conventional polymer electrolyte membrane designs, thereby boosting performance.

Commenting on the successful demonstration, Serenergy’s managing director Anders Korsgaard told professional journal Ingeniøren (The Engineer): “It is a very demanding application. A lot of strain is put on our technology during take-off, which requires a good deal of extra energy. So it is a seal of approval.”

http://www.serenergy.dk

New US Ambassador to Denmark

The new US Ambassador to Denmark, Laurie S. Fulton, arrived in the country on July 29th and wasted no time in engaging with the Danish media by immediately holding an impromptu press meeting in the arrivals hall of Copenhagen Airport.

Ms. Fulton, previously a partner in the powerful Washington legal firm of Williams & Connolly, spoke of long-standing and reliable ties between the USA and Denmark, whilst observing that there was room to explore new ways to find partnership in dealing with global issues.

Predictably pressed by journalists on whether she expects President Obama to visit Denmark, Ambassador Fulton answered “once or twice”, without elaborating on whether a presidential appearance at the crucial UN Climate Change Conference COP15 in Copenhagen in December could be one of them.

Born in 1949 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Laurie S. Fulton holds a BA from the University of Nebraska and a law degree (J.D.) from Georgetown University in Washington, whose alumni include Bill Clinton and Jose Manuel Barroso.

A major fundraiser for the Obama presidential campaign and long-time supporter of the Democrats, Ms. Fulton is the third female US ambassador appointed to Denmark, and succeeds the Bush administration’s appointee James P. Cain, whose period of residence ended in January this year.

And the winner is…

Friday 2nd October. Copenhagen is set for a day of drama. The IOC is in town to decide whether Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo will host the 2016 Olympic Games.

Down at Bella Conference Center, the list of people pitching for their respective cities reads like Who’s Who: the King of Spain, football legend Pelé, Michelle Obama – even her husband jets in to add his weight to Chicago’s bid.

Then voting begins. Round 1, Chicago is first to be eliminated. Audible gasps in the auditorium. Round 2, out goes Tokyo. Final round, then IOC President Jacques Rogge announces the winner -– Rio de Janeiro! Bella Conference Center erupts. Brazil’s President Lula cries tears of joy. “Our time has come” he had said in his address. And the IOC agreed with him.

Denmark in the news

Denmark’s first astronaut

Andreas Mogensen has become Denmark’s first astronaut. He is one of six successful candidates from 8,400 applicants who have been chosen to join the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut corps. This is the first time the corps has been supplemented since it was established in 1992.

32 year-old Mogensen, a space science graduate who has studied at Imperial College London and the University of Texas, and has most recently worked as a research fellow at Surrey Space Centre in the UK, will now commence the training programme to prepare him for space missions.

The selection of Andreas Mogensen is a source of pride for Denmark, which each year gives approx. EUR 29 million to ESA’s space research programme. Revenue also flows the other way, with Danish companies and universities gaining ESA contracts each year for the development and production of space technology.

A 2008 report from Rambøll Management calculated that from January 2000 to October 2007, Denmark gained ESA contracts worth EUR 126.7 million. Among the Danish companies most active in this area are Terma, Rovsing, Damec Research, Ticra, Force Technology, Innoware and GateHouse.

Aalborg University has already had two student satellites successfully launched into space, and is due to put a third satellite into orbit next year with a payload experiment on board designed to detect signals used by ships to broadcast their position, course and speed.

Danes who made a difference

Camping made easy

If you own a caravan or trailer, you’ll know just how time-consuming it can be to get the trailer positioned properly on the campsite stand. But now a Danish company called Mover Technology has developed a neat solution that makes all that exhausting pushing and pulling a thing of the past.

The Camper Trolley is a compact yet powerful manoeuvring device that simply hooks onto the towing assembly, enabling the caravan or trailer to be effortlessly positioned precisely where you want it with the help of a simple hand-held remote control.

Equipped with robust rubber belts and two electric motors, the Camper Trolley weighs just 16.5 kg yet has the capacity to move trailers of up to 1,500 kg in weight. Its lithium ion battery is charged by a built-in solar cell designed to cover power requirements under normal operating conditions. The battery can also be topped up using mains electricity if needed.

http://www.mover-technology.com

A new feature in the landscape

New tunnel pipes heat to city centre

30 metres below the streets of Copenhagen, a giant tunnel-boring machine called Astrid has spent nine months carving out a 3.9 kilometre long tunnel connecting the district heating plant on the island of Amager to the inner city district heating network. The tunnel will contain all the necessary pipework and related infrastructure, and will reportedly reduce CO2 emissions by 200,000 tonnes a year.

The tunnel boring machine Astrid is of the same type that was used to make the tunnels for the Copenhagen Metro. 128 metres long and weighing 500 tonnes, Astrid has a tunnelling capacity of 10-25 metres per day and is designed to drill and line the tunnel with concrete collars at the same time. The internal diameter of the new district heating tunnel is 4.2 metres – just 30 cm smaller than the Metro tunnels.

The project has been carried out as a joint venture between the leading Danish construction company MT Højgaard and the German construction services specialist Hochtief.

Denmark in surveys

Summer is traditionally a season of surveys, and this year’s crop has seen Denmark reclaim the world’s top position in e-readiness and a top four place for trade friendliness, as well as surprising some at home with its powers of attraction to foreign students and skilled workers.

After dropping to 5th in last year’s EIU/IBM e-readiness world ranking, which focuses on digital advancement, Denmark retook pole position in the 70-country survey, with nurturing new businesses weighing well in its favour. The report noted that registering a start-up in Denmark takes only six days and involves no cost.

A 4th spot was Denmark’s reward in the World Economic Forum’s Global Enabling Trade Report 2009 which scrutinized 121 economies. Factors like transparency, lack of corruption, security and efficiency of government all helped to give Denmark’s business environment a golden glow, with difficulty in hiring foreign labour the only significant drawback noted.

But a survey from i-graduate, commissioned by the Danish Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, revealed that Denmark is doing better at attracting foreigners than the World Economic Forum might think.

The survey showed that the number of scientifically skilled foreigners working in Danish research institutions rose by a third from 2003 to 2006, while the number of foreign students in Danish universities and colleges has practically doubled since 2001.

Did you know…

… that Denmark’s five largest trading partners are Germany, Sweden, UK, USA and Norway?

Statistics Denmark

Bookmark Denmark

If there’s an event in your interest area, why not bookmark it to attend? Denmark is a great place to visit!

Agriculture
AGROMEK LIVESTOCK
EXHIBITION CENTRE HERNING
24-28 November
Exhibition Centre Herning

International fair showcasing technology, fixtures and equipment for livestock farming as well as many other products. New feature at fair: Agro-Match, where exhibitors and possible international collaboration partners can meet.

For more information on exhibition, venue and contact visit:
http://www.agromek.dk

Waste Management
WASTE & CLIMATE CONFERENCE
3-4 December
Copenhagen Marriott Hotel Copenhagen

The conference is organized as a prelude to the UN Climate Change Conference COP15 in Copenhagen. The intention is to present how intelligent waste management plays an important role in the efforts to mitigate climate change.

For more information on programme, venue, registration and contact visit:
http://www.wasteandclimate.org

Climate
THE COPENHAGEN CLIMATE EXCHANGE 2009
3-6 December
Øksnehallen, Copenhagen

Four day event leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference COP15 in Copenhagen. The aim of the exhibition is to promote a range of existing solutions to climate change where public and individual participation are key components. The exhibition is inspired by the Cool Cities campaign initiated by The Sierra Club in the US.

For more information on programme, venue, registration and contact visit:
http://www.cphco2009.dk

Cleantech
BRIGHT GREEN
12-13 December
Forum, Copenhagen

This exhibition runs in parallel with the UN Climate Change Conference COP15 in Copenhagen, with many COP15 delegates expected to attend. World leading cleantech companies will showcase solutions and technological responses to climate change.

For more information on programme, venue, registration and contact visit:
http://www.brightgreen.dk