Biosolutions Corporate-Startup Innovation Day

How do you get ahead of your peers and build those corporate partnerships, which brings you onto the global market or the consumers’ plates?

That’s the question we will help you answer, if you join us – Food & Bio Cluster Denmark and DI Biosolutions – for our Open Innovation Day on 20 August 2026, hosted by Arla Foods.

So what’s at stake?

The Danish food and biosolutions cluster is one the most innovative in the world, representing world-class companies like Arla Foods, Novonesis, KMC, Alfa Laval, DLG, DLF and more.

At the same time, Denmark is doubling down on entrepreneurships, so, the chances for success ought to be optimal right now, right? Truth is, however, that 6 out of 10 biomanufacturing startups fail due to lack of commercial traction regardless of the quality of their innovation.

In other words: It takes deep knowledge, experience and partners to go from lab to market. One of the ways to the market are strategic corporate partnership, where you work directly with established companies and utilizing their channels and insights to get ahead of the competition – bringing your innovation into their supply chain or product pipeline.

That’s why Food & Bio Cluster Denmark and DI Biosolutions are inviting entrepreneurs and startup executives for an Open Innovation Day, so you get one step closer to build your corporate-startup partnership and one step closer to deliver a product on market.

Target audience
First of all, innovators and startups who seek corporate partnerships and to understand how to build corporate interest, and secondly corporate representatives seeking to be inspired and gaining the latest insights on how biosolutions can make your supply chain more resilient and cost-efficient.

Program
13.30: Welcome and short introduction to Arla Foods Ingredients Innovation Centre

13.45: Tour of Arla Foods Ingredients

14.45: State of Play – what’s at stake for the Danish foodtech and biosolutions sector in uncertain global times? By Danish Industry

15.00: Priorities of the new government – what to expect on foodtech and biosolutions? By Minister 

15.15: Priorities of the local municipality – how we create global innovation locally? By Mayor Lone Andersen (V)

15.30: Interactive innovation session (Moderator: Heidi Høy, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark)

Insights on corporate-startup partnerships – 5 min. each

• Representative from AFI
• How risk-aversity, legislation and habits hinder the obvious, technical choice – and how to overcome this, CEO & founder of Lyras, Rasmus Mortensen
• Managing internal expectations and setting criteria right: Tore Kiilerich Ravn, Open Innovation Manager at AAK

Workshops – each table discuss barriers and potential innovations?

Open Q&A with the panel: Shaping successful biosolutions collaborations

16.45: Sharing the top barriers for corporate-startups drinks/snacks – meet your DI Biosolutions and Food & Bio Cluster teams

17.30: Thank you for today

Event language
English