New project is connecting blockchain start-ups in China and Denmark
The IT University of Copenhagen is partnering a new international initiative that will bring two of the world’s leading cities in blockchain innovation – Copenhagen and Shanghai – closer together.
Roman BeckBusiness IT DepartmentCollaborationsEntrepreneurshipBlockchain
The newly funded project Blockchain Business Bridge is a partnership between Denmark and China, and the aim is to support Danish and Chinese startups interested in exploring opportunities within the growing blockchain sector. The two-year project is funded with DKK 3.5 million by The Danish Industry Foundation and led by Innovation Centre Denmark Shanghai in collaboration with the Confederation of Danish Industry, Danish-Chinese Business Forum and the European Blockchain Center at the IT University of Copenhagen. The project is expected to run from May 2019 until April 2021.
Head of the European Blockchain Center, professor Roman Beck sees Blockchain Business Bridge as a fantastic opportunity for blockchain startups at ITU to engage with the Chinese market:
"The incubator services for blockchain entrepreneurs provided by ITU within this initiative will be like a kick-starter for startups in Shanghai and Copenhagen to collaborate. With the European Blockchain Center at ITU, we are in the pole position to support blockchain-driven innovation, as our work encompasses not just research and education, but also support for entrepreneurs and regulation and standardization advisory on European and international level, which is unique in the world. No other University has a center that covers all these areas," he says.
One of the first activities of the project will be a comprehensive mapping of the Shanghai blockchain ecosystem in order to identify areas of overlap between the Danish and Chinese business communities. The second part of the project is a study tour set to take place in 2020. The partners will invite Danish startups and companies to Shanghai to meet Chinese blockchain actors, and the tour will kick-start a joint accelerator program for Danish and Chinese companies. Finally, the fall of 2020 will see the launch of a two-part incubator with centers in both Shanghai and Copenhagen, and these will work to support and develop blockchain startups in the two cities.