Research

Circular Production Industry

Climate change and our civilisation’s push on the planetary boundaries demand an urgent shift of production industries to rethink their value chains, production solutions and technologies to a circular approach. This goes for Grundfos and many others.

The programme supports research efforts to facilitate this transformation. Real-world problems and strong partnerships will be the starting point for such research efforts.

“Going from linear production logic to a true circular economy is a must if we should preserve our planet for generations to come while still allowing for high living standards for a rising global population with a fast-growing middle class.“

Unpenalized over-exploitation of planetary resources is, however, cheaper than circular solutions such as recycling, reuse and remanufacturing when limited by the current availability of technologies and solutions. A revolutionary shift of new solutions combined with regulation and legislation will therefore be necessary, and digital technologies will be instrumental in this shift to allow for a highly variable feedstock of the quality of water and production materials while still maintaining high quality and affordable prices. And finally, bringing a human-centric perspective into the equation of future sustainable production, it is important that production industries in the future still provides meaningful jobs for the generations to come.

Why this programme?

For decades, Grundfos has been a pioneer in improving the sustainability of both its products and production technologies, while also leading early efforts to create flexible and inclusive work environments. Building on these legacies, the programme aims to support research that addresses urgent environmental challenges for industry, particularly the reduction of virgin material and water use, while ensuring that the future of production balances advanced technological solutions with meaningful jobs for all.

Water Technology Research

A few decades ago, Danish water research was in the top international league on wastewater treatment solutions and groundwater. The priorities in Danish academia have changed and other countries have taken the lead.

Denmark’s water research ecosystem is currently fragmented across many small and weakly connected environments, limiting critical mass, resilience, and the translation of research into innovation; without deliberate defragmentation and stronger collaboration, the ecosystem risks continued erosion rather than renewal.

“Sustaining long-term leadership in water technology depends on rebuilding curiosity, capacity, and career pathways for future generations.“

At the same time, Danish water research has lost international visibility and leadership, and without a clear global orientation, strong international partnerships, and benchmarking against leading water research hubs, Denmark will struggle to regain influence in shaping future water solutions.

Finally, sustaining long-term leadership in water technology depends on rebuilding curiosity, capacity, and career pathways for future generations—ensuring that water research and education once again attract talent, inspire ambition, and provide a robust pipeline of skills for academia and industry alike.