The polytechnic foundation – courses and projects

The polytechnic idea is about making scientific breakthroughs useful to society through technology.

For almost 200 years, Ørsted's idea that the development of new technologies for society is based on a fundamental understanding of the interaction between the natural sciences and technical science has formed the framework for the civil engineering programme at DTU. For engineers, a solid foundation in natural sciences and strong core technical skills are therefore essential.

In a changing world, where engineering science is increasingly characterised by expectations of competencies in areas such as sustainability, innovation, digitalisation, and broad technological understanding, the Executive Board established a working group in 2021 whose task was to define the framework for the polytechnic foundation in the 21st century. The final result of this work is described in the report, and some of the considerations emphasised by the group during the process are described in The Polytechnic Foundation, DTU 2023 (in danish).

Cooperation forum for the polytechnic foundation

In connection with the revision of the polytechnic foundation, a cooperation forum has been established to support long-term cross-disciplinary coordination, cooperation and development between the polytechnic foundation courses.

A description of the purpose and tasks of the cooperation forum can be found here (in danish only).

Information material

The slide presentation (The Polytechnical Foundation for course start) can be used by study directors, course coordinators and others who need to provide brief information about the polytechnic foundation.