Three new projects made the cut in GreenLab’s latest research call
From advanced battery optimization to a digital replica of GreenLab’s heat symbiosis infrastructure to new learning tools for the green transition: three pioneering projects have been awarded funding through GreenLab’s research platform, supported by VILLUM FONDEN.
GreenLab’s research platform has again attracted ambitious projects that push the boundaries of industrial sustainability. In the latest research call, more than 30 applicants from all the Danish Universities including DTU, AU, AAU, SDU and CBS – joined the race for funding for their projects. Three projects have now been selected, each of them addressing an aspect of the Power-Carbon-Water Nexus that was the theme of this call. The funding comes from a grant of DKK 20 million in 2021 and 25 million in 2024, which VILLUM FONDEN made to boost a new national research and a demonstration platform headed by GreenLab and DTU.
GreenLab is a testbed for mission-driven research
GreenLab serves as a unique testbed where academia and commercial stakeholders come together to explore the challenges of a green transition for industry. Since 2021, the platform has launched 19 research projects and a fellowship programme, and now three new projects have been added to the portfolio. They cover advanced optimization of battery energy storage systems, the development of an intelligent digital replica of heat symbiosis infrastructure to maximize efficiency in industrial ecosystems, and the transformation of GreenLab’s research insights into blended-learning modules for industry, students, and policymakers.
Creating impact beyond GreenLab
As GreenLab’s Head of Research and Education, Lucia Mortensen, says: “These projects illustrate how our platform enables collaboration between academia, industry and the energy sector. Our goal is to build bridges between the many stakeholders of the green transition so we can learn from each other, inspire each other, and create impactful solutions that reach way beyond GreenLab.”
Together with DTU, GreenLab leads the platform and its associated research community, which today includes more than 100 stakeholders from both academia and industry.
“We congratulate the research groups and look forward to following the results of their work. Together with GreenLab, we have over the past years built a research platform that provides the framework for a research environment of international calibre. With direct access to industrial demonstration facilities and a close link to practice, we create concrete opportunities for researchers – and eventually also students – to develop and test solutions that contribute to a more sustainable industry,” says Carsten Orth Gaarn-Larsen, Senior Vice President, DTU.
The three selected projects
- Optim-GLS – Optimised operational strategies for battery energy storage systems
Led by AAU Energy and in collaboration with Norlys Energy Trading and Eurowind Energy, Optim-GLS focuses on how battery energy storage systems (BESS) can strengthen industrial sustainability and energy market integration. By integrating energy market volatility, battery ageing, and operational constraints into advanced optimisation models, the project aims to boost revenues, extend battery lifetimes, and enhance resilience in hybrid renewable energy parks – an ambition with strong international relevance.
- SHIELD – Sustainable heat integration via enhanced digital landscapes
The SHIELD project led by Aalborg University creates an intelligent digital replica of GreenLab’s heat symbiosis infrastructure. By combining real-time simulation with AI-powered optimisation, the project will provide decision-ready insights that reduce carbon emissions, unlock system flexibility, and maximise energy efficiency in industrial ecosystems. - SymbioLearn – Transforming research insights into skills for the green transition
SymbioLearn is a collaboration project betweeen SDU, AAU and AU that translates GreenLab’s research into practical learning tools by developing blended-learning modules on topics such as sector coupling & PtX, carbon capture & utilisation, biomass symbiosis, and digitalisation & AI. With simulations, case studies, and online delivery, the project bridges research and practice, empowering students, policymakers, and industry to accelerate the green transition.
The projects will start in early 2026 and run until mid-2027
