The programme for user-driven innovation has a yearly budget of DKK 100 million and runs for four years, 2007-2010.
By strengthening the diffusion of methods for user-driven innovation, the programme aims to contribute to increased growth in the participating companies and increased user contentedness and/or increased efficiency in participating public institutions.
The programme should also result in the development of new products, services, and concepts. Finally, the programme should increase the qualifications of employees to take part in the innovation processes in the participating companies and public institutions.
The legal base of the programme is the Executive Order on project grants under the programme for userdriven innovation. Follow the link on the right to read the English version of the Executive Order.
Efforts in three areas
The programme includes three different efforts: a regional effort, a strategic effort and other important areas.
The regional effort will ensure that knowledge of and experience with methods for user-driven innovation is disseminated through out the country. Regional actors in each of the country’s five geographic regions will have the possibility to initiate a yearly project in their region.
The strategic effort concerns a number of thematic issues under which applications are especially welcomed. The themes are selected from year to year and can relate to:
- Areas whereDenmark has particular business competencies, for instance environment and energy technology, construction, health, design, and foodstuffs.
- Cross-sectoral issues relating to societal problems with promising market potential. For example healthy and energy saving construction, or fighting obesity.
- Welfare areas. In particular where the citizen interact with the public sector. For instance in the care for children and elderly citizens and the health sector.
The third area of effort welcomes applications from projects that work with any other important issues, businesses and institutions, not covered by the strategic or regional effort.
Examining user needs in new ways
The programme aims to strengthen user-driven innovation in the private as well as the public sector. Applicants and projects from both sectors are welcomed, including educational institutions, cultural institutions, and knowledge institutions. Projects working in cross-sectoral consortiums are particularly encouraged.
To obtain grants from the programme, projects must include and examine user needs in news ways. This could include, among other things, development and testing of new methods and tools, building competencies, training, networking, or knowledge dissemination.
The programme has an appointed board consisting of representatives from both business and public sectors. The board determines the overall strategy of the programme, selects the thematic issues under the strategic effort, and evaluates and prioritises applications to the programme.
Foreign partners are allowed in projects as long as the overall aim is to strengthen user-driven innovation in Danish companies or public institutions.
The programme for user-driven innovation is administered by Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority , which is part of the Ministry for Economic and Business Affairs. For more information contact the programme office:
DanishEnterprise and Construction Authority
Dahlerups Pakhus,
Langelinie Allé 17,
DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø
Tel: +45 3546 6000
Fax: +45 3546 6001