Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund's speech at a Innovation Centre Denmark in Münich, February 3rd 2026.
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It is a great pleasure to be here in Munich today to celebrate Danish-German friendship, collaboration and innovation.
It is important to have good European friends. Not less so when you are a small European kingdom with Arctic territory.
That much is clear after the last month.
The beginning of 2026 has been interesting, to say the least. And I do not think Danish or Greenlandic shoulders are quite relaxed yet. However, we are standing shoulder to shoulder both governments and people.
But that whole situation is, of course, a symptom of something much bigger. A new geopolitical reality where Europe has to be able to do more ourselves.
We can no longer rely on security, energy or technology from other parts of the world in the same way as before.
And in that reality, our own innovative power has become a key factor in shaping a future where we can still safeguard European core values – and free and prosperous European societies.
That is also why I am especially pleased to be here today.
Strong European friendships are a necessity in an uncertain world. Talented European friends are a necessity when we are looking to strengthen innovation back home.
And talented is exactly what you are here in Munich – and in the entire Bavaria.
What you are achieving here in terms of technology transfer, your strategic focus on high-tech and your elite start-up hub, UnternehmerTUM, is truly impressive.
But what really stands out to me is not just the scale or the speed of innovation here – it is the mindset of it.
A mindset that understands that innovation today is about resilience and sovereignty as much as it is about growth and competitiveness.
The world we are navigating right now is more unpredictable and more fragmented. Supply chains are under pressure. Technologies that once connected us are now also being used to divide us.
And strategic dependencies have become very visible – very quickly.
In this new reality, innovation policy has become core foreign policy. It is security policy. And it is, increasingly, values policy.
That is why Europe must strengthen our own capacity. And we can do it by deepening cooperation among trusted partners. By pooling talent, capital, research and ideas across European borders.
And by ensuring that the technologies shaping the future are developed in societies built on openness, on democracy and on the rule of law.
This is where Danish-Bavarian cooperation really matters. We share history, linguistic roots, beer brewing traditions. But above all, we share a deep belief in science, in education and in the power of collaboration between public institutions, universities and the private sector.
Denmark may be a small country, but we have strong research environments, ambitious companies and a long tradition of turning knowledge into practical solutions.
Germany – and Bavaria in particular – brings scale, industrial strength and an extraordinary innovation ecosystem.
Together, we are stronger than the sum of our respective parts.
Institutions like the Innovation Centre Munich play a crucial role.
You are connectors. You help translate ideas into partnerships and partnerships into impact. You make it easier for researchers, start-ups and companies to find each other. And to trust each other.
And if we are to take one lesson from the situation in Greenland I think it must be that trust is our most valuable currency.
I would also like to do my own small part in bringing people together.
I have brought with me today Brian Bech Nielsen and Per Michael Johansen, rectors of Aarhus University and Aalborg University, respectively.
I hope you will take this opportunity to connect with them today because I am certain there are exciting innovation potentials waiting to be explored.
The world may feel unsettled, and the challenges ahead are indeed real.
But I truly believe that Europe has everything we need as long as we continue to work closely together.
I wish you all a very pleasant reception and many good conversations.
Thank you.
