How We Work

Collaboration as a Method

LINX uses materials science as a strategic tool for green transition, innovation, and strengthening Danish competitiveness. We operate at the intersection of business, research, and business development, addressing the challenges that arise when advanced materials science must be translated into practical applications. This includes, among other things, new materials, circular material flows, product development, and the use of advanced facilities and methods for materials diagnostics.

But access to technology and knowledge is rarely enough on its own.

In practice, challenges often arise in collaboration between people, professional fields, and organizations with different realities, work cultures, and expectations. This is particularly true in collaborations between businesses, research communities, and business development organizations, where the level of complexity is high and where many people work toward different goals and time horizons.

That is the space in which we at LINX operate. We work with the relational, organizational, and strategic conditions that make it possible to apply substantive knowledge and create collaborations that work in practice.

Materials Science and Innovation

More Than Just Access to Knowledge

LINX works on an equal and reciprocal basis with companies and researchers/experts. Many companies have both the potential and the ambition to work more strategically with materials and materials science, but often lack the necessary conditions to make collaborations and development processes work.

Similarly, many materials researchers want to apply their knowledge in society—including by establishing new collaborations with companies, among others—but lack access to a broader range of potential partners (companies) beyond their own personal networks.

Both may stem from a lack of awareness of relevant technologies and research communities, limited experience with knowledge-sharing collaborations, or unclear expectations among the various stakeholders. For many companies, it’s also a matter of time.

Especially in small and medium-sized businesses, day-to-day operations are often dominated by day-to-day tasks, urgent assignments, and limited organizational capacity. This makes it difficult to take a long-term approach to new materials, technology, and innovation, even when the potential is there.

In research environments, on the other hand, collaborations require a long-term perspective and an understanding of the need for new knowledge (research level). In practice, this often means that collaborations between companies and researchers become more difficult than expected, or that their potential is never realized.

We therefore focus not only on mutual access to knowledge and knowledge collaborations, but also on the processes, relationships, and forms of collaboration that underpin them—and make it possible to put them into practice.

Maturity

A Common Language for Collaboration

At LINX, we use maturity as a common framework for collaboration and business development. Maturity is not about categorizing companies or experts as good or bad, but about understanding their capacity to work with different work cultures, change, and collaboration.

Among other things, we work with General Maturity (GM) and Subject Maturity (EM).

General Maturity refers to the ability to work strategically and proactively in relation to the external environment. Subject-Specific Maturity refers to experience and understanding within a specific area, such as materials science, the circular economy, or new technologies. This provides a common language for understanding where companies and experts, respectively, stand, which collaborations are realistic, and which working methods generate the most progress.

For example, a company may have a high level of technical specialization in materials but, at the same time, limited organizational maturity. Other companies have strong processes and strategic capabilities but limited experience with research or advanced materials expertise. Similar conditions apply within expert communities.

This requires different approaches. That is why we do not rely on standardized models or one-size-fits-all programs. We work to tailor our collaborations, processes, and learning programs to the specific situation and the people involved.

At the same time, maturity is not a definitive answer or a fixed category. We use it as a working tool and a common language that makes it easier to establish realistic collaborations and a shared understanding across businesses, research, and business development.

Relationships and Co-creation

Collaboration is created—it doesn't happen on its own

We focus on building relationships.

Det betyder, at vi ikke ser samarbejde som noget, der automatisk opstår, fordi relevante aktører bliver koblet sammen. Tværtimod viser erfaringen os, at samarbejder mellem virksomheder, forskere og erhvervsfremme ofte kræver oversættelse mellem forskellige fagligheder, logikker og arbejdskulturer.

Det kræver tid at opbygge tillid, fælles forståelse og realistiske forventninger. Derfor arbejder vi aktivt med relationsopbygning, facilitering, koordinering og samskabelse mellem aktører, der ofte arbejder ud fra forskellige perspektiver og virkeligheder.

This applies both to specific projects and to long-term collaborations and networks, where relationships and a shared direction are essential for translating knowledge into action over time.

Work Models and Processes

From Need to Solution

We work with practical working models and processes that have been developed through concrete experiences gained from collaborations between businesses, research institutions, and business development organizations.

This includes, among other things, the ASCEND model as part of the methodological approach to creating a shared direction and momentum in complex collaborations. The approach is based on the understanding that innovation and development rarely start with the right solution. In many collaborations, the focus quickly shifts to projects or specific solutions before the actual need has been understood. This can lead to misunderstandings, ineffective processes, and solutions that do not fit the reality of the situation or the partners’ circumstances.

That is why we work to identify the actual need before suggesting solutions, partners, or technologies. This involves, among other things, dialogue, maturity assessments, aligning expectations, and a joint clarification of the client’s situation, resources, and goals. Only then is it possible to establish realistic partnerships, find relevant solutions, and—if applicable—collaborate on knowledge sharing.

The goal is not merely to carry out projects, but to foster collaborations and development initiatives that provide real value to both companies and expert communities and enhance their ability to work strategically with materials science over time.

Material Evidence in Practice

From Materials Science to Applications

We collaborate with companies, universities, technical colleges, business development organizations, and international research facilities such as ESS, MAX IV in Sweden, and DESY in Germany. Through these partnerships, we work to bridge the gap between cutting-edge materials science in expert communities and the specific needs of businesses.

It is not just about access to research, technology, and collaborations, but about creating the right framework so that knowledge can be fundamentally understood, translated, and applied in practice. This often requires a stakeholder who can work across systems, disciplines, and interests over the long term.

That is the role LINX is working to fulfill.

Innovation and the Green Transition

Why It's Important

Denmark has strong research communities, talented companies, and many stakeholders in the business promotion system. But cross-sector collaboration requires time, relationships, and sustained effort if its potential is to be realized in practice.

This is particularly true in the fields of materials science and advanced technologies, where complexity is high and where collaboration is often a prerequisite for innovation, the green transition, and the development of new solutions.

We are therefore working to develop and maintain the relationships, processes, and forms of collaboration that make it possible to translate materials science into action and create better conditions for long-term innovation and enhanced Danish competitiveness.