Just before the Christmas break, we celebrated ORBIT Lab’s first official year in operation. Reaching this milestone as well as starting a new year, is a great occasion to reflect on some of the things we have achieved in the past year.
Tech events and other activities in ORBIT Lab
In ORBIT Lab we facilitate a wide array of activities, events and projects based on the most recent digital technologies, such as Internet of Things, cloud computing, machine learning as well as virtual and augmented reality.
For the past year, we’ve hosted more than 30 tech-centered events with the purpose of increasing knowledge and awareness about new technologies as well as strengthening the entrepreneurial mindset of the community. The topics for past events have included quantum computing, native iOS and Android as well as cross-platform development for mobile devices, cloud computing, Git and serverless architecture with Firebase.
At the end of each semester, we host an award ceremony event – “The Orbies”, where we celebrate the best and most interesting projects from the previous semester. Students get a chance to demonstrate their projects and win prizes in different categories. A panel of industry experts and researchers from academia reward the most creative and well-executed projects with “Orbie” statuettes. These events have drawn more almost 1,200 visitors to ORBIT Lab.
We’ve also had the pleasure of co-organizing events such as Local Rock Stars – an initiative by Internet Week Denmark, local Google Developer Group events, AU Hack as well as IDA and PROSA trade union events. Furthermore, 570 visitors from high schools, other universities, companies, startups, networking groups and the Central Denmark Region have paid inspirational visits to ORBIT Lab.
Cross-disciplinary collaboration and tech entrepreneurship
We collaborate with large tech-driven companies such as Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Grundfos in our mission to equip students to work with new technologies. The close collaboration we have with our partners is of great value to students, who gain access to new knowledge and network among the companies, that might become their future employers. And to companies, it is rewarding to contribute to the students’ development and to give them applicable skills and knowledge of new technologies.
We support the local tech startup ecosystem and student entrepreneurship by facilitating relevant events and offering advice and office space for student startups. Some of the projects made in ORBIT Lab have turned into startups, such as Consibio, Relion, CrowdPlay and LibScript. Startups like can apply for office space in Discovery Lab, ORBIT Lab’s incubator environment. Startup specific events are running under the new Tech Startup Launchpad program which covers entrepreneurial tools and skills, inspirational war stories and pitch nights.
As part of Aarhus University, we also engage in a number of cross-disciplinary research projects and activities with researchers from e.g. Interacting Minds Center (IMC), Center on Autobiographical Memory Research (CON AMORE), Center for Computational Thinking and Design (CCTD), SPOMAN Open Science, iNano and Center for Digitalisation, Big Data and Data Analytics (DIGIT). So far, these collaborations have resulted in a number of funding applications as well as research prototypes developed in ORBIT Lab.
Join the ORBIT Lab Community
The backbone in ORBIT Lab is our community, driven by a shared passion for technology and innovation. The community is made up of tech enthusiasts across student programmes, job titles and backgrounds, and works as a platform for sparring, collaborating, networking, and pushing the boundaries for what we can achieve new technologies and paradigms.
AU Students and Staff:
Sign up to become an ORBIT Lab member via the ORBIT Lab membership platform. To get notified of upcoming events, sign up to receive emails from ORBIT Lab, follow us on Instagram, join our Meetup group or Facebook page.
Startups and companies:
Our official list of founding partners comprises Google, Microsoft, IBM, Telenor, eBay, Systematic, Grundfos, Trifork, IT Minds, Praqma, Stibo, Praqma and Netcompany. We are looking to expand our group of collaborators and partners going forward. If you and your company or organization want to learn more about becoming an ORBIT Lab Partner, please contact Community Manager, Litte Dalsgaard via email or phone: 93 52 14 47. You are also welcome to attend our events – keep up to date via our newsletter, Meetup, Instagram or Facebook.
Thank you to everyone who supported us in our first year of operation. In the video below, you can revisit some of the highlights from the year gone by.