The Danish company AVN Gruppen chooses Kühl+co as there future IT supplier in digital solutions.

AVN already use the WebPoint application. After several meetings with AVN, where they gave us a list of requirements concerning there website, we were able to forward them a detailed description of solution and quotation.

Afterwards AVN choose Kühl+co as there future IT supplier. We look forward to solve and deliver these website requirements within a few weeks.

The performance report illustrates the activities of the GTS network on several levels and presents a.o. the companies, cases, the result contracts and the technologies available in the network. The performance report gives the overview over the development and documents the results and utility values. The performance report is published in corporation with the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation. Kühl+co has produced the report in the last 3 years.

Vidis is a German company founded in 1983. Vidis are selling Pc, video games and accessories for Europe and South Africa, and have offices spread out in Scandinavia, England and Hong Kong.

Vidis have chosen Kühl+co A/S as partner to implement ScriptServer BusinessPoint and TradePoint and hosting. As a part of the project we’re going to educate editors at Vidis and make the integration from TradePoint to Navision.

After Microsoft released the Internet Explorer 7.0 a need for adjustments ore opdating the ScriptServer has occured. Website editors might experience that some functions in ScriptServer dosn't work as intended. For example editing text in the text-editor and afterwards to publishing the changes to the internet (website).

If you experience any problems with ScriptServer after updating your browser to IE 7, it's very likely that your ScriptServer solution needs to be opgraded. In order to opgrade please contact us and we will analyse what needs to be done to opgrade and/or adjust your solution.

2006 has been a year with big challenges, but also large achievements for Kühl+co.

In the end of the year, we got a new managing director, and said hello to nine new employees, and furthermore we established an IT-development house in Beograd.

Today we are a knowledge-based supplier of consultancy services with speciale in design, communication and complex Enterprise Content Management systems.

With renewed strength we are more than ready for the future, for the benefit of our customers, employees and our partners.

Kühl+co wishes you a Merry Christmas and a happy and joyous New Year.

Best regards,

Kühl+co.

Kühl+co got the assignment to implement the site within the standard content management system ScriptServer WebPoint, without altering the design, but with all functionality necessary to run a web-site today. Functionality like userfriendly content editing and easy handling of information to search engines.

All content from the previous site was simply lifted over into www.itintergroup.com, but it will be renewed and relaunched within a short period of time.

The IT Integroup web-site was launched on May 8th, 2006.

The name letpension literally means ‘easy pension’, and as this implies, the company’s aim is to take the complexity out of pensions.

Describing the graphic design side of the project, Kühl & Co’s Jonna Clæsøe says:

"Our goal has been to give letpension a unique and instantly recognisable design that at the same time signals the simplicity that is the company’s trademark. Colours, graphic components and fonts have all been chosen to be mutually supportive and create a unified overall expression."

letpension will be ready to offer pension services in 2007. Kühl+co has created the company’s start-up website, which can be found at www.letpension.dk.

Our project solution for Blue Flag included a change of technical platform: away from unwieldy FrontPage to a cutting-edge CMS system: ScriptServer. ScriptServer makes it quick and very simple to edit any size of website.

The website has also been given a complete design makeover aimed at identifying Blue Flag as a modern and meaningful worldwide organisation.

With its combination of Scriptserver CMS system and fresh design, Blue Flag now has a highly effective platform for its communication, both in Denmark and internationally.

It was an important issue for Zealand Pharma to modernize the website and improve usability. The result on the new website is a lay-out that gives you a clear overview and an easy navigation – despite the large amount of text.

The graphical design on the Zealand Pharma website expresses the company’s competences within scientific research and development of medical products. The photos are close-up and shows in detail the tools and equipment used in Zealand Pharma’s laboratories.

Zealand Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative peptide-based drugs. The products target diseases and symptoms of significant unmet clinical need and commercial potential.

Speakers included Larry Light, Executive Vice President, McDonald's; Justin Billingsley, Brand Director, Coca-Cola; Michael Persson, Brand Director, ABSOLUT Vodka; and Keld Strudahl, International Marketing Director, Carlsberg.

Three days of lively 1:1 get-togethers where we had an opportunity to present our concept to Nestlé, Kellogg's, Cloetta Fazer and 29 more potential customers. We also met 15 other companies related to our own sector and agreed possible closer working relations. Read more...

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The new website presents a selection of Crossroads Copenhagen's most recent activities and projects. The navigation on the website has been improved, and the content of the website reflects Crossroads Copenhagen's profile as a welcoming and future-oriented network.

Crossroads Copenhagen's mission is to strengthen the cooperation between companies and academia. The goal is to place the user at the centre of the development of new services with functionality covering the mobile phone, the internet, TV, radio and other media.

In Crossroads Copenhagen, the humanities and high technology are one. The optimal solution connects technology with a basic understanding of the user and the user's needs.

Kühl+co got the assignment for helping with the  development of mediconvalley.com and as the collaborator we have provided with overall counseling and analysis, the digital platform and the graphical design.

The final product is a dynamic and up-front mediconvalley.com. The website will help strengthen the branding of the Øresund region internationally as a strong growth area within the research and development of life science and biotech.

Mediconvalley.com is executed in WebPoint 4 on the Content Management System (CMS) ScriptServer.

The conference is an educational and inspirational forum for professionals from all sectors that strive to combine original thinking, innovation and future-oriented consumption. There is a particular focus on design, branding, retail, and marketing; and leading experts and trend researchers will tell about how they work with the future. The conference provides great opportunities for creating new networks with international speakers and participants from many different fields.

Kjaer global is a London based trend agency and one of Kühl+co’s close business partners.

Registration at www.kjaer-global.com

Download the programme

Auralight.se launch date was late June and in an English and Swedish language version. Over the next six months a French, German, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch and Polish version will be published.

The website is maintained and updated by local web editors in the nine countries using the Content Management System (CMS) ScriptServer WebPoint.

The assignment will be undertaken on behalf of Copenhagen Capacity, Position Skåne and Medicon Valley Academy.

With the development of mediconvalley.com the region gets a strong digital marketing tool, which through its technical abilities and simple design, brings the awareness of the Oresund Region right in front.

Kühl+co won the assignemt in an open competition over two other design- and communication companies.

The design for the website was already done by another provider, and Kühl+co has solely delivered the technical solution including implementation of templates and providing support in the process of building their corporate website and subsidiary companies websites.

The intranet has the capacity of up till 500 users capable of being online at the same time. The intranet is build on the ScriptServer product BusinessPoint.

The websites launched in the beginning of June can be found on www.lundsenergi.se and www.nynasenergi.se.

Later all of Lunds Energi's subsidiary companies' website and the corporate website will be published. They are all built on the ScriptServer platform.

Kühl+co has recently finished the project of developing and printing the Zealand Annual Report 2004. For the fourth time in a row we are behind the production of Zealand Annual Report, and this time also the use of Aesthetic Design is in focus. We follow the guidelines of the Visual Identity, that we designed for this Danish pharmaceutical research company some years ago, and within the framework develop a new dynamic expression every year.

This time there’s a greater focus on the company’s different research areas, compared to the content of the previous Zealand Annual Reports. It was considered necessary to call a greater attention to these research areas and give them a stronger identity. For instance there’s more of a personification of the product by adding a quotation from the Project Manager in charge. This also helps making the sometimes-complex content more accessible for the non-specialists.

The values of Zealand have been given a better profile in this report and are described on one of the first pages. By displaying a big size group photo we have made sure to emphasize that the values origins from the competent employees of the company.

If you compare the four Zealand Annual Reports there has been a development. At Kühl+co we view branding as a continuous development process. It’s necessary for companies to evaluate their values and visions in relation to their consumers and market competitors. The Zealand Annual Report 2004 is good example of this approach to corporate communication and branding.

Zealand Annual Report 2004 is a total of 44 pages, in Danish and English language and printed in 1000 copies.

The choice for the new name was Oreco. Oreco is short for Oil REcovery COmpany and signals the core competence of the firm. Oreco develops, produces and sells systems for automated tank cleaning and oil recovery. It’s a Danish company with a great potential in the oil industry. We have given Oreco a strong identity, a strong brand, and this way the company is prepared for future market challenges.

In the creation of Oreco’s new visual identity Kühl+co designed logotype, logo, typography, colours and 5.th. element – a graphical form element that helps constitute the Oreco identity. In support of that a characteristically photo style was developed.

With the visual identity as a platform Kühl+co designed concept for letters, envelopes, business cards etc., profile brochures, product leaflets, materials for exhibits, concept for advertisement, ring binder, covers for CD and video and the new website.

www.oreco.com >>>

Kühl+co delivered the complete site in just tree weeks, and Bazig have since acquired our E-business module, TradePoint, for implementation in spring 2005.

A Danish company based in Odense, Bazig supplies absorption products for industry (defence, emergency services, navies and harbours) and the private market (pet litters). Other customers include Falck Teknik A/S, LMG A/S and Novadan A/S.

The CMS used as technical platform is ScriptServer.

Chempaq XBC is the world's first miniature device capable of counting leucocytes and three-part differentials (lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes) and quantifying haemoglobin level – with just a single drop of blood.

Kühl+co were chosen to transform Chempaq's identity into a winner identity.

Kühl+co drew up a communication plan covering all areas of company communication.

Kühl+co also designed Chempaq's identity and produced an exhibition aimed at the US market which is being targeted for export in 3rd quarter 2005.

In autumn 2004, Chempaq adopted a WebPoint 1 solution including news module (www.chempaq.com). Kühl+co are responsible for the design and technical solution.

The CMS used as technical platform is ScriptServer.

The organization behind the Blue Flag scheme of environmental excellence urgently needed a new and improved technical platform for its website that would also enable more efficient handling of its large database of environmentally certified beaches.

Kühl+co Digital Media created a new html structure and templates for the site's existing design, which yielded immediate benefit in the form of faster access to site pages and improved positioning in Google's search results. However, the principal task lay in transferring the database of some 4000 beaches and marinas to the new website, and in developing functions for editing of beach data, including a complex approval procedure.

The CMS used as technical platform is ScriptServer.

www.blueflag.org was re-launched on 15 February 2005.

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting sustainable development through environmental education.

FEE is an international umbrella organisation with one national member organisation per country representing FEE on the national level and in charge of implementing FEE programmes nationally. FEE has member organisations in 37 countries in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Oceania.

FEE is mainly active through our five environmental education programmes: Blue Flag, Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment, Learning about Forests and Green Key.

The site, which use ScriptServer as CMS, was published in December 2004.

www.fee-international.org

We want this knowledge to benefit all our customers. So we have just added a new heading - "Standpoint" – to our website, which describes new trends and new knowledge that you should be aware of when promoting and marketing your company. You can also read about our approach to graphic design, the web as a media, and much more. We believe "Standpoint" will serve as a valuable source of inspiration, and provide you with new knowledge on how to achieve future success.

Keep an eye on our website. It regularly features exciting new topics that you can benefit from.

Check out /standpunkt to see what we're spotlighting right now.

The stand underlines ITInterGroup's new identity, which builds on value-based branding. With their new visual style and professional communications design, ITInterGroup have taken a quantum leap forward, with a strong profiling strategy that clearly distinguishes the company from its nearest competitors. The core values of ITInterGroup's provisional branding strategy include speed, high service levels and technical excellence.

The challenge for Kühl+co has been to express these core values verbally and graphically. The solution was achieved through a bold visual based on a few strong thematic colours, go-faster stripes, and a dominating cool blue background. The textual emphasis is on a direct, one-to-one language with an optimistic tone and a distinct advisory focus.

ITInterGroup now work in a new way with the global market as their home market, and there are already reports of interesting new customers and business partners.

SNB News is an internal monthly newsletter produced by Kühl+co for SNB, Schneider Electric's Nordic and Baltic head office. Its purpose is to strengthen internal communication and build team spirit across the Nordic Baltic region.

Since Kühl+co was assigned the project, the newsletter has functioned as a mouthpiece for both employees and management. Published in eight languages, the newsletter gives details of new initiatives, orders and administrative changes within the company's many subsidiaries, and contains articles on the day to day challenges of the employees and the strategic decisions taken by senior management. The newsletter has become a key component in SNB's internal communication and strategic management within the region, and a knowledge bank that also has a sales dimension. With SNB News, company sales personnel rarely run short of positive anecdotes and success stories.

SNB has recently extended its contract with Kühl+co for the publication of SNB News.

Business partners, customers, suppliers and friends of the company were invited to attend, and many experiences were exchanged over light refreshments to musical accompaniment in the form of classical guitar played by René Schmidt.

Lotte Kühl described the background to the name change, and the positive effect it had already had. "We are somewhere else today than when we started out almost 10 years ago. A change of clothes was needed to mark the transition."

Chairman of the Board Finn Helmer gave a stern warning about what lies in wait for companies in the global society, and the challenges we will all have to address.

And Anne Lise Kjær talked about the working partnership that is already well under way between kjaer global and Kühl+co, and which includes kjaer global's analyses and future scenarios.

The annual report has become an increasingly important communication medium in recent years. It represents a unique opportunity to present the company, its aims and the direction it is heading in the context of its financial resources and stability. This makes the annual report an active branding tool which it is imperative should convey an impression of certainty and professionalism.

The annual report is the company's yearly "exam" – the barometer against which existing and prospective investors, customers, collaboration partners and personnel can judge your results and visions. Are you worth investing in? And are you interest enough to work with?

At Kühl+co we are committed to creating synergy between strategy, design and communication in company annual reports. We have many years' experience in helping our customers to achieve maximum return from this key medium.

We know that the most important 'messages' needing to be conveyed by an annual report are:

• company overview, prospects and development
• strategy, ambitions and market conditions
• investor relations
• core company data 

Other factors such as corporate governance and citizenship, where the company is measured by its social responsibility from an employee/environmental perspective, are also a part of the integrated solution.

Kühl+co produces annual reports for companies and institutions in many sectors. Our customers include Risø National Laboratory, IT University of Copenhagen, and Zealand Pharma.

The seminar described the way in which companies can attract attention, and keep hold of customers and users on the net. Businesses should demand targeted communication, innovative thinking, dynamic user-friendliness, value-based action, self-service, dialogue, e-business, knowledge sharing and collaboration – before choosing their platform and supplier. And they should naturally also demand integration capability between the platform and their other IT systems.

At the seminar, Kühl+co demonstrated the company's Webpoint 1-4 products and Tradepoint (e-business system). The solutions (which all have the same ScriptServer 'engine') give both small businesses and multinational corporations a unique opportunity to lead the way in the battle for customers. As emerged at the seminar: "If you don't take the new opportunities seriously, your competitor will – but right now the ball is in your court." In addition to Finn Helmer, the seminar was also addressed by Morten Nielsen (ScriptServer) and Lotte Kühl and Johan Jardevall from Kühl+co.

9 November 2004 at Dansk Design Center

Anne Lise Kjaer has managed to assemble some of the world's leading and most renowned trend experts for kjaer global's international trend conference 'NAVIGATING A COMPLEX WORLD', which will be hosted by the of Brand X.

All the trend experts attending the conference have developed noteworthy concepts and products for successful global brands. Conference visitors will be introduced to the latest insights concerning trends, design, branding and retail.  

kjaer global's conference is targeted at executives, PR and marketing managers, business developers, product developers, designers and others looking for inspiration for the future. The conference offers a unique opportunity to hear the predictions of leading trend experts concerning tomorrow's possibilities and tendencies.

Success will increasingly depend on the ability of companies to create synergy between strategic thinkers and creative forces in the field of business development. Obtain inspiration for the creation of competitive holistic products by integrating trends, design, branding and retail at an early stage in the process.

Experience the future at close range, and "speed network" with international colleagues and speakers.

Look into the crystal ball and get geared up for the future. The future is being created all the time. And in tomorrow's world, the ability to design the future will be increasingly important.

We look forward to seeing you.

Anne Lise Kjaer

Location
Dansk Design Center
H.C. Andersens Boulevard 27
1553 Copenhagen V
Denmark

Date
Tuesday, 9 November 2004 from 09:00 – 17:00

Booking
Tickets are obtainable on www.kjaer-global.com or from Jonas Andersen on +44 0 (20) 7607 6521. The tickets are priced £295 each, but discounts are available for parties and members.

Contact
Jonas Andersen
Tel. +44 (0)20 7607 6521
www.kjaer-global.com
marketing@kjaer-global.com

Note
Editors in chief: Admission free.

Journalists: 50% discount on member price.

About kjaer global

kjaer global is a London-based trend studio that over the years has established a strong international network consisting of leading, well-known trend and branding experts. kjaer global has 15 years' experience of preparing global companies for the challenges of the future.

Program change
Christine Foden has unfortunately had to withdraw from the conference for personal reasons. However, she has already announced that she will be back at kjaer global's next conference. Christine will be replaced by Henrik Werdelin, managing director of MTV Games, who will be discussing future strategies, media trends and his debut as a song writer on the topical CD 'Lazyboy'.

About the speakers 

Anne Lise Kjaer
kjaer global's founder and managing director: 'Capitalising on trends leads to true motivation and success – remember, the future is not some place we're going to, but one we're creating.'

Customers include Ikea, Nike, TOYOTA, ICI and Sony.

Ron Pompei
Co-founder of the 'strategic experience environment' agency Pompei A.D, New York. 'Don't speak about the brand, speak about the people you're trying to attract. Diversity excites us, sameness doesn't.'

Customers include Urban Outfitters, the LAB, 'Anti-Mall' and Levi's.

Mads Hagstrøm
Co-founder of FLOWinstitute, a dynamic design agency dedicated to creating sustainable and holistic global development. 'I often ask myself what consequences the accelerated pace of our world will have for society.'

Kate Ancketill
Managing director of GDR Creative Agency, London. 'The future is already here, you just need to know where to look!'

Customer consultant for British Luxury Council, Nike Europe, Virgin Atlantic and L'Oreal.

Martin Raymond
Editor in chief of Viewpoint Magazine and co-founder of The Future Laboratory, London. 'The death of lifestyles and the rise of life prisms are changing our social and business patterns in ways few of us could imagine a decade ago.'

References include Proctor & Gamble, BMW, Canon and Selfridges.

Henrik Werdelin
Former head of the consultants Tripledash, current head of MTV Games, London. 'To succeed in the future you must truly understand your audience and the nature of your viewers/users content consumption.' For more information about Henrik Werdelin, visit henrik.werdelin.dk.

Brand X – founders Adam Hill and Jason Lambert.
Brand X is an international marketing agency specialised in formulating global brand and communication strategies. Adam Hill and Jason Lambert are the conference hosts.

In competition with leading Danish design and web agencies, Kühl+co digital media were chosen to perform web design work and implementation of the new portal, which is intended to be THE internet reference point for design-related information and is aimed at designers, business, design students and the general public.

DDC.dk embodies a host of advanced functions that enable visitors to find precisely the information they seek - quickly and easily. Besides being aesthetically attractive in its own right, Kühl+co's design enhances the portal's user-friendliness, and provides the perfect framework for the universe that the portal represents.

It is nothing new that the research performed by Risø National Laboratory has an impact on Danish society. This has been so ever since Risø opened in summer 1958 with "Serving Society" as its motto.

Today, the impact of this research is visible in areas such as sustainable energy, clean environment, health and employment. Areas where Risø is centrally positioned and takes a joint responsibility for Denmark's continuing development by placing emphasis on growth and welfare.

Apart from 'traditional fare' like the management's review and the profit and loss account, Risø's 2003 annual report is wholly novel both visually and in content.

The report draws its inspiration from Danish physicist Niels Bohr's visions of making research, research policy and research-based knowledge central components in society.

And like ripples in a pool, the impact of research has influenced society's other players – like the public sector, educational institutions, business and industry. In turn, these players have made demands on research, influencing it in the direction of further results.

We have consciously sought to make the annual report clear and logical in terms of layout and easy to read - also for the non-scientist - with multiple points of access plus links to websites offering more detailed information.

Lofi has been responsible for the concept, design, text and content of the final publications, which will be issued in English and Danish.

Download the electronic version of the annual report here.

Electronic newsletter for employees

Schneider Nordic Baltic (SNB) is a young organisation with 3,800 employees in the Nordic countries and Baltic region and a turnover of DKK 5.5bn. SNB is home to the French Schneider Electric group's development centre for electrical, telecom and data solutions for homes and businesses worldwide.

The company's employees are spread over a large geographical area and have a broad need for information about the group's initiatives and about what is happening generally in the group's sister companies. To cater for this need, Kühl+co produces a 4-page monthly employee newsletter containing short stories, interviews and nice-to-know articles. The primary target group is the ordinary employee, and the newsletter is therefore translated into eight languages. The newsletter is distributed by email, which means that all employees receive the information at the same time. The individual companies may opt to forward the newsletter internally by email or print it for employees who are not connected to computer. Kühl+co has designed and produced the newsletter to make it suitable for both media.

Printed magazine for customers and business partners
Schneider Electric A/S Danmark is Schneider Electric's Danish subsidiary. Schneider Electric is a worldwide group with electrical distribution and industrial automation as its main activities. The group employs a total of 63,000 people and has around 5,000 sales points, 180 production companies and 620 sales subsidiaries in more than 130 countries.

Schneider Electric has existed in Denmark for more than 30 years and has 63 employees. Turnover in 2001 was around DKK 250m. The company issues a printed magazine for customers and business partners 4-5 times a year containing factual information on new products and inspirational reviews on projects and their progress. Schneider Electric has regularly consulted its target groups about the magazine's importance, and feedback received has confirmed its value. Schneider Electric's product program is vast, complex and continuously evolving, and customers and partners have a considerable need for information. The printed magazine is distributed to 11,000 recipients who prefer a "tangible" information medium. Kühl+co is responsible for all aspects of magazine production, and has revamped its concept and presentation.  

For companies operating with e-business solutions, internet trading already accounts for up to 50% of exports. This makes the internet the cheapest and most economically advantageous way for a company to expand.

ScriptServer opens the way for even greater customer self-service than earlier generations of web solutions. Through customer-oriented systems and professional, targeted communication, your customers will experience enhanced service in the form of time, relevant offers, efficient supply, and optimised query response.

ScriptServer is easy to use, and is far more flexible than earlier generations of web solutions.

It is also continuously adaptable to your needs, your company and your market. ScriptServer solutions cover the entire spectrum, ranging from small solutions for small companies to portal solutions for companies with heavy information communication requirements.

We are pleased to invite you to our seminar where you can learn more about the ScriptServer solution, and about the way in which professional and well thought-out design can reward you with stable, satisfied customers, help you find more time for active canvassing, give you more international customers – and win you more orders.

The seminar, which is free and entirely without obligation, will be held at Kühl+co A/S, Bülowsvej 3, 1870 Frederiksberg C on Friday, 17 December at 10:00 – 12:00.  

Book today on phone +45 33 26 31 00 or email ma@kuhl-co.com. Please note that only a limited number of places are available.

Kind regards

Kühl+co A/S
Lotte Kühl

With new clients as far away as China, a growing client base in Sweden, and a mixed Scandinavian work force, we have created a new identity with a more Scandinavian flavour that will increase our visibility in an international context.

Lofi is now Kühl+co, but the change is about more than a new name and a new logo. It signals our ability to create continuity and synergy in strategy, design and communication. And it signals that we're now even better equipped to supply optimal solutions for our clients.

What will it mean for our clients, contacts and suppliers? Well, among other things it will mean that we have both the structure and the resources to create sustained commercial success in a world in which fluctuating market conditions can change the ground rules from day to day.

For the same reason we have teamed up with collaboration partners who will give us effectiveness where it counts. These partners include the London-based trend agency kjaer global, the Swedish web experts Scriptserver International, and the Danish product designers PLH Design.

Although much is happening that is new, some things will happily remain the same. The company, now 10 years old, will still be owned by Finn Helmer and myself. Our address, phone numbers and personnel will be as before, and your contacts will therefore also be unchanged.

Best wishes

Lotte Kühl

Needed – branding for engineers

BY LOTTE KÜHL, Managing Director, Kühl+co A/S - Design & Branding, Copenhagen

The debate about Denmark's future is in full swing, which is as it should be. Because the economic 'pause button' has been activated for far too long. The government intends to show the way, and the headline in Børsen on 17 August - "Denmark aiming for high technology's yellow jersey"- certainly sounds promising.

The government has pinpointed three areas for action: Nano, Bio and ICT (information and communication). Technologies we'll be hearing much more about in the future. Exciting times lie ahead, of that there is no doubt. It's no secret that these technologies offer massive growth potential, so selecting them couldn't have been difficult. So the determination is there, the funding is in place, but who will be riding the mountain stages of this particular road race? Who will be going to training camp, who will be competing?

Well, according to the latest statistics, nowhere near enough youngsters are applying to study engineering. Denmark is missing not only a small handful of people for the top jobs, but whole generations. Generations of engineers who are those targeted in the government's action areas. According to Denmark's new set up High-Tech Fund, a "long-term, massive and strategic" effort is necessary. The future is at stake.

From hero to nerd
Right now, things aren't going too well. Over the last 30-40 years the engineer's status has nosedived from hero to nerd. His – because there are still very few women engineering students – image builds on erroneous but deeply ingrained opinions. His work has become isolated and is seen as incomprehensible and sometimes downright harmful. For example, the landmark advances that have been made in the field of biotechnology are widely seen as threats to humanity.

And these attitudes are self-perpetuating: The public's limited knowledge of the engineer's reality means that scientific advances are perceived as threats. Essential products (like mobile phones and computers) are seen as non engineer-related, and engineering studies are regarded as too one-sided and removed from "the human". As a result, few youngsters choose an engineering career.

In short, the situation is one of a negative spiral circle that is not conducive to attracting more engineering students.

What can be done to break this pattern?

Well, obviously this negative image can be changed, but the process will be a lengthy one that requires the backing of all the players involved in Danish engineering. Most of these players are already doing their best, but their initiatives are too small to effect the huge shift in view need to transform the image. The effort must be "long-term, massive and strategic" to be successful. A branding process must be launched.The plan is in place.

The plan to restore the engineer to the hero's role in the classic fairy story. Autumn 2002 saw the start of a concerted effort to promote engineering studies with the establishment of Engineering Camp 02. An important element in this initiative is "branding of the engineer concept". This branding project is now ready for launch. Its aim is to create a realistic and credible picture of science in general and the engineer's work in particular. A picture that must meet young people's ambitions for a future career, and that must reflect the real world. Key words such as "global", "innovative", "influential", "value-creating" can realistically be used, and above all the engineer and his work must be made visible.

With the future at stake, who will pull on the leader's jersey, regain the classic role of the fairytale hero, and send the youth of Denmark to training camp?