Human-centered innovation for better food systems

What we do

Connecting Food, Engineering, and Design

DTU Skylab FoodLab promotes fearless development of future human-centered technologies and food products. We provide free access to world-class prototyping facilities - including a full professional laboratory-kitchen with analytical equipment, technical knowledge, interdisciplinary programs and mentorship that can be applied to the many branches of engineering beyond food and agriculture.

The lab functions as a bridge between challenge owners, such as corporates and organizations, and the greater DTU academic community. DTU students, scientists and entrepreneurs can work on food systems related projects, develop food-based products, and prototype their own technologies. Our goal is to provide a supportive environment where ideas run wild.
FoodLab student and startup work ranges across water and soil management in arid regions, the utilization of invasive marine species as food, urban food production methods, improved food environments, circular economy models, insect farming, and food waste reduction, among others. Learn more about our work on the Project page.

We operate across borders, exploring how technology can be fundamental in solving food challenges in both developed and developing regions of the world.

How we do it

Applied Learning.

The lab supports projects through DTU course collaborations, master’s and PhD theses, student startups, research, and industry partnerships.

We are connected through an extensive network of international collaborators.
Collaborate with us
Systems thinking and thinking global.

While based in Denmark, the lab, like our global food system, works across borders and explores how technology can be fundamental to solve food challenges in both developed and developing countries.

Following the UN Sustainable Development Goals agenda, currently the Foodlab accelerates student projects in East and West Africa, India, China, South-East Asia and Europe. 
Submit a challenge
Space to experiment.

The lab offers an experimental space to test and prototype new agri-food products, systems, services, and business models across disciplines through both its mentorship and its physical kitchen-laboratory.

The FoodLab is strongly interconnected with Skylab's other workshop facilities and integrated into the greater DTU community.
Apply for projects

The Team

The FoodLab team brings different backgrounds to the table – ranging from food science, gastronomy, sustainability, to engineering design and beyond – to round out a systems perspective across the food value chain.
Since 2014, Roberto has worked both inside and outside of the university environment to further the application of food-related innovation in a real-world context and to encourage hands-on learning. Roberto is the former Head of R&D of the Nordic Food Lab, the open source laboratory founded by Rene Redzepi of restaurant NOMA. In 2017, Rolling Stone Magazine cited Roberto as one of 25 innovators who are changing the world. ICON Magazine has identified Roberto one of the top seven creative Italian talents to watch. Roberto is one of the protagonist of the film BUGS, Co-author of Phaidon’s book “On eating insects” (awarded one of the 10 best cookbooks in 2017 from the Guardian), and co-editor of the book Edible insects in a sustainable food system published by Springer Nature.
Roberto Flore
Manager
Yi-Ting Sun
Project Coordinator

The Facility

Founded in 2018, the Skylab FoodLab is located inside Technical University of Denmark's living lab for innovation and entrepreneurship, widely known as DTU Skylab. DTU Skylab functions both as an innovation hub and a learning environment for students aiming to transform their ideas and knowledge into real world companies, projects, and prototypes.

Skylab offers prototyping workshops, accelerator programs, work spaces, and business mentorship. Our community has access to all of Skylab’s workshops: Skylab FoodLab, Skylab Digital, Wetlab, rapid prototyping and electronics, welding, metal, and wood. Members of the DTU community can access the Skylab open space 24/7. To maintain safety, the workshops inside of the Skylab are open from 9:00-16:00. Note, with the new Covid-19 regulations, activities need to be agreed upon ahead of time with written permission. Please contact the team.

The FoodLab is strongly connected with the other workshop facilities and integrated into Skylab activities and the greater DTU community. Learn more about Skylab through the link below.
Visit Skylab
About the Technical University of Denmark (DTU)DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today. DTU has 11,500 students and 6,000 employees.

We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. Our main campus is in Kgs. Lyngby north of Copenhagen. DTU  have campuses in Roskilde and Ballerup and in Sisimiut in Greenland.