Chip Ecosystem Partnership and Funding Manager, The position is a Senior Advisor at TEK Innovation

Syddansk Universitet; Odense; On-site; DKK 700,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

SDU Microelectronics at TEK Innovation seeks a Senior Advisor to identify funding opportunities in chip technology, develop a strategic funding pipeline, and build strong university–industry partnerships across Denmark and Europe.

The role involves traveling within Denmark and Europe, engaging with startups, SMEs, researchers, and funding advisers to translate ideas into fundable projects and consortia. A relevant master’s degree is required.

Qualifications

• Experience with national or European research and innovation funding.
• Development of collaborative funding proposals.
• Consortium building and partner identification.
• University–industry collaboration or innovation/business development.
• Supporting start-ups, SMEs or deep-tech companies.
• Stakeholder management and professional networking.

Responsibilities

• Identify national and European funding opportunities in chip tech and related fields.
• Develop and maintain a strategic pipeline of funding calls, project ideas and partners.
• Engage with Danish start-ups, SMEs and established companies to understand needs.
• Connect companies with researchers, facilities and competencies at SDU and other universities.
• Facilitate Danish and European consortia for funding calls and opportunities to join existing consortia.
• Promote Danish chip competencies and contribute to visibility of DkCCC.
• Support the full process of funding applications and coordinating proposals with partners.

Skills

Funding knowledge

Partnership building

Stakeholder management

Business development

Education

Master's degree

Job description

Chip Ecosystem Partnership and Funding Manager, The position is a Senior Advisor at TEK Innovation

Do you want to help facilitate and grow the semiconductor and chip ecosystem in Denmark and beyond, working with the leading researchers in the field, and to turn potential into opportunities, partnerships and projects? Then this job could be for you.

About the position

SDU Microelectronics at TEK, headed by professor Farshad Moradi, is part of the Danish Chips Competence Centre (DkCCC) - the new Danish hub for chip technology and your strategic platform. The position offers an opportunity to play a central role in strengthening Denmark’s chip ecosystem and to help connect the ecosystem with fast-growing application areas such as drones, robotics, sensors and autonomous systems, where advanced chip technology is becoming increasingly critical for performance, reliability, energy efficiency and future innovation.

You will work closely with SDU researchers, DkCCC partners, Danish universities, companies, incubators, industry organizations, funding advisers and European chip networks. Learn more here www.dkccc.eu

The position involves regular travel within Denmark and occasional travel elsewhere in Europe.

Your main responsibilities will include:

Identifying relevant national and European funding opportunities in chip technology, semiconductor development, and chip-enabled applications.

Developing and maintaining a strategic pipeline of funding calls, project ideas and potential consortium partners.

Engaging proactively with Danish start-ups, SMEs and established companies to understand their technological needs and funding requirements.

Connecting companies with relevant researchers, facilities and competencies at SDU and other Danish universities.

Helping companies and researchers translate technical and business ideas into fundable project concepts.

Initiating and facilitating Danish and European consortia for chip-related funding calls and identifying opportunities to join existing consortia.

Promoting Danish chip competencies and contribute to the visibility and strategic development of DkCCC.

Supporting the full process of funding applications, from project objectives and facilitating consortiums, to coordinating proposals with partners and funding advisers.

Building relationships with key stakeholders, organizing activities, and events supporting the ecosystem.

Your profile
You have a relevant master's degree, for example within engineering or natural sciences, business development or innovation management, economics or business administration, European studies or public policy, research and innovation management, or another relevant field.

You have documented experience in one or more of the following:

National or European research and innovation funding

Development of collaborative funding proposals

Consortium building and partner identification

University–industry collaboration or innovation/business development

Supporting start-ups, SMEs or deep-tech companies

Stakeholder management and professional networking

We are looking for a colleague who:

Is proactive and comfortable initiating contact with companies, researchers and potential partners.

Is a strong relationship builder who can establish trust across organizational and disciplinary boundaries

Understands both commercial needs and academic interests and can structure complex consortium-development processes, while maintaining momentum towards a deadline

Communicates clearly with different stakeholders, technical, academia and experts, business

Works independently and is persistent and solution oriented, while also contributing actively to a team

Experience with semiconductors, microelectronics, integrated circuits, quantum technologies, photonics, sensors or other deep-tech fields is a significant advantage — though you don't need to be a chip designer. What matters more is your ability to grasp technology-based opportunities, engage technical specialists, and turn complex ideas into fundable partnerships. Knowledge of European research and innovation programs, including EU Chips Act calls, is also an advantage.

What we offer

Become part of SDU’s growing environment for microelectronics and chip technology.

Build partnerships that may lead to new products, technologies, companies, and investments.

Work directly with promising Danish start-ups, companies and research environments.

Help create new university–industry collaborations.

Develop national and European networks within a strategically important technology area.

Influence the formation of projects from their earliest stages.

Work in.

Collaborate with leading researchers and industry specialists, in an international and interdisciplinary environment.

A role with considerable independence and the opportunity to shape the methods, networks, and activities used to identify funding opportunities and develop consortia.

Your organizational home will be TEK Innovation, the research support and innovation unit at TEK, where you will have colleagues with similar jobs, supporting emerging ecosystems, as well as funding advisors and project managers. Your academic home with SDU Microelectronics, where you will work closely with professor Farshad Moradi and his team.

For further information about the position, please contact:

Thit Juul Hvid,Head of TEK Innovation, The Technical Faculty at The University of Southern Denmark [e-mail]

Professor Farshad Moradi,SDU Microelectronics, The Technical faculty at The University of Southern Denmark at [e-mail]

The application deadline is November 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM/23:59 (CET/CEST).

First Interview: week 46, second interview, week 47.

The startdate will be January 1, 2027, or at the earliest convenience.

Salary and employment terms:

Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements. As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process. SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary.

Persons employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer”.

Employment shall take place in accordance with the framework agreement between the Ministry of Finance andAC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.