Denmark: Manufacturing Academy of Denmark (MADE)

Manufacturing Academy of Denmark (MADE) is a national initiative launched officially in 2014. The innovative initiative brings together Danish manufacturing companies, five Danish universities and three RTOs in an effort to strengthen the Danish manufacturing ecosystem and facilitate investment in Danish manufacturing operations. The initiative is financed by mixed public private sector funds amounting to €50 million between 2014 and 2019 across two PPP initiatives.

MADE’s main mission lies in applying research, driving innovation and strengthening education to improve the competitiveness of Danish manufacturing. The platform is managed by the independent association MADE (Manufacturing Academy of Denmark), offering a wide range of different activities to its currently 143 members. The initiative primarily targets Danish SMEs which contrary to larger members can benefit from a lower membership fee and access to specific support programmes.

The design of MADE is unique in its strong bottom-up implementation approach.MADE has strengthened the Danish manufacturing ecosystem focusing on industrial research targeted at addressing issues defined by industry. MADE’s strength lies in its lean, governance structures and knowledge sharing across the industrial and academic partners.