Pathways to Research Impact & Innovation
PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE at University of Copenhagen
This is a toolbox course where 80% of the seats are reserved to PhD students enrolled at the Faculty of SCIENCE at UCPH and 20% og the seats are reserved to PhD students from other Danish Universities/faculties (except CBS).
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university (except CBS), you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.
The course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except CBS).
All other participants must pay the course fee (except if you are a master’s student from a Danish University).
Aim and Content
A 5-day course on translating research into value creation and societal impact
This course provides PhD students with the theoretical foundations, methods, and practical tools to understand and apply innovation and entrepreneurship as core research competencies. With a focus on value creation and societal relevance, the course supports participants in developing the ability to translate research into impactful solutions, services, or strategies across academic, industrial, public, and civic domains.
Course content and structure:
The course is structured as an immersive five-day experience, combining theoretical input with hands-on workshops, collaborative exercises, and interaction with academic entrepreneurs, science communicators, and innovation professionals. Participants will explore the broader meanings of innovation including intrapreneurship, commercialisation, social innovation, and public sector engagement. Key elements include stakeholder mapping, problem-solution fit, interdisciplinary integration, and impact communication.
The course will take place at the local innovation hub, KU Lighthouse, which will expose students to active ecosystems of knowledge transfer and research-based innovation and entrepreneurship at UCPH. Throughout the course, students will work on developing a personal innovation roadmap and a tailored research impact statement, directly linked to their own PhD work.
This course equips participants with the competencies and tools needed to position their research for meaningful impact and to navigate innovation-driven career pathways within and beyond academia.
Learning outcomes
Intended learning outcome for the students who complete the course:
Knowledge
Participants will develop the ability to:
• Explain core innovation and entrepreneurship theories (e.g. design thinking, effectuation, stakeholder engagement) and their relevance to academic research.
• Demonstrate understanding of key concepts such as research impact pathways, problem-solution fit, and knowledge co-creation in different societal domains.
• Critically reflect on the role of academic researchers in innovation ecosystems, including intrapreneurship, public sector innovation, and commercialization.
• Assess stakeholder needs and interdisciplinary contexts to identify viable innovation opportunities grounded in their research.
• Articulate a research impact narrative tailored to non-academic stakeholders using principles of impact communication.
Skills
• Identify and evaluate innovation opportunities within their own research fields using theoretical frameworks and ecosystem analysis.
• Apply design thinking tools to explore and iterate research-based solutions.
• Develop and test prototypes or early-stage ideas informed by user feedback and stakeholder input.
• Engage and map stakeholders to build networks that support research impact and innovation.
• Craft and deliver compelling research impact statements for diverse, non-specialist audiences.
Competences
• Strategic Thinking – Align research with real-world needs and opportunities.
• Entrepreneurial Sense-making
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration – Work across sectors to drive innovation.
• Innovation Management – Navigate processes for research-driven impact.
• Resilience & Adaptability – Apply research skills in dynamic career pathways.
Target Group
PhDs from the University of Copenhagen and other Danish and international universities.
Recommended Academic Qualifications
Open to all PhD students.
Research Area
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Teaching and Learning Methods
This course is designed as an immersive, hands-on experience, combining theory with practical application.
Through interactive lectures, participants will engage with academic entrepreneurs, scientists who have successfully translated research into innovation, and experts in impactful communication.
Simulation exercises will challenge students to navigate real-life innovation scenarios, applying design thinking and entrepreneurial methods to their own research.
A visit to a local entrepreneurial hub will provide firsthand insights into the innovation ecosystem, exposing students to startups, R&D labs, and public-sector innovation initiatives.
Workshops and peer-exchange sessions will foster collaboration across disciplines, ensuring that each participant refines their research impact strategy with guidance from mentors and peers.
This dynamic mix of learning-by-doing, expert insights, and networking opportunities empowers PhD students to leave the course equipped to translate their research into meaningful, real-world impact.
Type of Assessment
Participants pass the course by actively engaging in all sessions, including discussions, workshops, and exercises. No formal exam is required—active participation is the key criterion for completion (2.5 ECTS).
Literature
Obligatory:
1) Kline, Stephen J., and Rosenberg, Nathan. "An overview of innovation." Studies on science and the innovation process: Selected works of Nathan Rosenberg (2010): 173-203.
2) Bruland, Kristine., and Mowery, David. "Innovation Through Time." The Oxford Handbook of Innovation (2009): 349-379.
3) Sarasvathy, Saras D. "Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency." Academy of management Review 26, no. 2 (2001): 243-263.
4) Liedtka, J. (2018). Why design thinking works. Harvard Business Review, 96(5), 72-79.
5) De Silva, Muthu, Omar Al-Tabbaa, and Jonathan Pinto. "Academics engaging in knowledge transfer and co-creation: Push causation and pull effectuation?." Research Policy 52, no. 2 (2023): 104668.
Optional:
6) Villani, Elisa, Christian Linder, and Rosa Grimaldi. "Effectuation and causation in science-based new venture creation: A configurational approach." Journal of Business Research 83 (2018): 173-185.
7) Fini, Riccardo, Markus Perkmann, and Jan-Michael Ross. "Attention to exploration: The effect of academic entrepreneurship on the production of scientific knowledge." Organization Science 33, no. 2 (2022): 688-715.
8) Lam, Alice. "From ‘ivory tower traditionalists’ to ‘entrepreneurial scientists’? Academic scientists in fuzzy university—industry boundaries." Social studies of science 40, no. 2 (2010): 307-340.
9) Malfroy, Janne. "The impact of university–industry research on doctoral programs and practices." Studies in Higher education 36, no. 5 (2011): 571-584.
10) Beck, Susanne, Carsten Bergenholtz, Marcel Bogers, Tiare-Maria Brasseur, Marie Louise Conradsen, Diletta Di Marco, Andreas P. Distel et al. "The Open Innovation in Science research field: a collaborative conceptualisation approach." Industry and Innovation 29, no. 2 (2022): 136-185.
Course coordinator
Teis Hansen, Professor
Gergana Romanova, Postdoc, gpr@ifro.ku.dk
Guest Lecturers
Guest Lecturer 1 *
Full Name: Benedicte Smith-Sivertsen
Affiliated Institution: KU Lighthouse
Contribution: Co-facilitator
Guest Lecturer 2
Full Name: Niels Buus Lassen
Affiliated Institution: Copenhagen Business School
Contribution: Lecture - Academic Entrepreneur Insights
Guest Lecturer 3
Full name: Karin Beukel
Affiliated institution: KU Lighthouse
Guest Lecturer 4
Full Name: Maria-Theresa Norn
Affiliated Institution: DTU
Guest Lecturer 5
Full name: Rajiv Vaid Basaiawmoit
Affiliated Institution: Aarhus University
*(Guest lecturers 1-5 contribute to theoretical/academic discussions)
Guest Lecturer 6 *
Full Name: Anne Dvinge
Affiliated Institution: KU Lighthouse
Contribution: Lecture - Academic Entrepreneur Insights & Introduction to Funding
Guest Lecturer 7
Full name: Thomas Just Sørensen
Affiliated Institution: Department of Chemistry, UCPH
Guest Lecturer 8
Full name: Mathew Stanley Johnson
Affiliated Institution: Department of Chemistry, UCPH
Guest Lecturer 9
Full name: Christian Kappel, Professor SOBI
Affiliated Institution: PLEN, UCPH
Guest Lecturer 10
Full Name: Cecile Knudsen
Affiliated Institution: DTU
*(Guest lecturers 6-10 contribute with practical insights)
**guest lecturers will be contacted and engaged based on the backgrounds of the participants in the course – therefore this list is only suggestive.
Dates
10-15 November 2025
Course location
UCPH Lighthouse
Registration
Deadline for registration
Deadline: 13 October 2025
Requirements for signing up (e.g. motivational letter)
The course does not require prior experience with innovation or research commercialisation.
No requirements - just short motivational letter.
Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules.
Applications from other participants will be considered after the deadline for registration.
Cancellation policy
• Cancellations made up to two weeks before the course starts are free of charge.
• Cancellations made less than two weeks before the course starts will be charged a fee of DKK 3.000
• Participants with less than 80% attendance cannot pass the course and will be charged a fee of DKK 5.000
• No-show will result in a fee of DKK 5.000
• Participants who fail to hand in any mandatory exams or assignments cannot pass the course and will be charged a fee of DKK 5.000
Course fee and participant fee
PhD courses offered at the Faculty of SCIENCE have course fees corresponding to different participant types.
In addition to the course fee, there might also be a participant fee.
If the course has a participant fee, this will apply to all participants regardless of participant
type - and in addition to the course fee.