PhD Courses in Denmark

The overarching objective of the course Young Researcher Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of doctoral students and early career researchers, thereby contributing to an increased number of university-based startups. The course specifically addresses entrepreneurship and venture creation within the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Computer Science. These fields represent an underserved yet high-potential area for the development of scalable, research-based startups. Throughout the course, participants will engage with peers from computer- and data science–related disciplines across multiple Danish universities—potentially including future co-founders. Participants will also gain insights from, and build networks with, academic experts, experienced entrepreneurs, intellectual property specialists, business developers, investors, and other key stakeholders within the startup ecosystem. Actively leveraging these opportunities will provide participants with a strong foundation for navigating a future entrepreneurial journey. A central outcome of the bootcamp is the development of an entrepreneurial mindset and an understanding of how entrepreneurial thinking can add value to both ongoing research and future career paths—whether in academia, established organizations, or through founding a startup. The course is developed by DTU in close collaboration with other universities and key actors in computer science–based entrepreneurship, including DIREC and the Pioneer Centre for AI. In addition, the course is closely connected to the Startup Community at Digital Tech Summit in November, where participants will have the opportunity to pitch their own early-stage startup ideas.

A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:

• Develop an entrepreneurial mindset that bridges academic and business contexts.
• Understand the fundamental processes involved in creating a novel startup, including how to transform a research project or idea into a viable business opportunity. This includes generating hypothetical startup cases in groups and applying relevant methods and tools that can later be transferred to the student’s own startup ideas.
• Understand and discuss the basic principles of MLOps as a prerequisite for building AI-based startups, including the integration of machine learning, DevOps, and data engineering. Students will be introduced to key practices for reliably and efficiently deploying and maintaining machine learning models in production.
• Explain how an entrepreneurial mindset can positively influence both their current research practices and their future career development.
• Apply key concepts in early-stage startup development, including ideation, customer discovery, business model design, concept validation, prototyping, testing, network building, intellectual property considerations, and early-stage fundraising.
• Significantly enhance their knowledge and professional skills related to venture creation, while also developing transferable competencies such as collaborative working, innovative thinking, presentation skills, and the ability to communicate complex commercialization projects.
• Pitch a startup idea in a clear, engaging, and convincing manner.
• Identify appropriate initial steps for protecting intellectual property in research-based and technology-driven startups.
• Effectively leverage a broad network of actors within the innovation and startup ecosystem, including investors, venture builders, business developers, fellow participants, and existing startups.

The bootcamp is delivered over four intensive days, combining interactive lectures, hands-on workshops, and collaborative group work. Day 1: Entrepreneurial mindset The first day provides an introduction to the bootcamp and an opportunity to connect with fellow participants—who could be future co-founders. Participants will be introduced to the concept of the entrepreneurial mindset and explore how entrepreneurial thinking can enhance both academic research and future career pathways. The day also addresses the value of research-based entrepreneurship and demonstrates how startup creation can complement, rather than conflict with, an academic career. Participants will learn from academic entrepreneurs with hybrid career paths and engage in networking and social activities with the YREB cohort. Day 2: Design thinking and ideation Innovation often begins by exploring uncertainty and challenging assumptions. On the second day, participants will work hands-on with Design Thinking methods to identify unmet needs, surface hidden assumptions, and explore problem–solution fit from a user perspective. No prior startup idea is required to join the bootcamp – only entrepreneurial curiosity. Through a facilitated and gamified team-based process, participants will generate and develop startup ideas. These concepts will be continuously refined using newly learned methods throughout the bootcamp, leading toward the final team pitch on the concluding day. Day 3: MLOps and intellectual property protection Developing AI and machine learning models is one challenge; deploying and maintaining them in real-world applications is another. Day three introduces the fundamentals of MLOps, addressing the gap between model development and production by integrating principles from machine learning, DevOps, and data engineering. In addition, the day covers key considerations related to the protection of intellectual property in startups based on digital and AI-driven solutions, providing participants with an initial understanding of how to safeguard research-based innovations. Day 4: Pitch training and culminating team presentations The final day focuses on communicating startup concepts clearly, convincingly, and concisely. Participants will receive training in pitching to investors and other stakeholders and practice presenting their ideas in an engaging manner. Participants will also meet business developers who can provide guidance on potential next steps in the startup journey following the bootcamp. The program concludes with a reflective retrospective session using LEGO® Serious Play®, allowing participants to consolidate key learnings from the YREB experience. Participants who wish to present their own startup ideas in search of co-founders will have the opportunity to pitch at the concluding event, Startup Central.