CARLSBERG AS

Their core work

Carlsberg is a major Danish brewing corporation that engages in EU research through its Carlsberg Research Center (CRC). Their R&D participation spans food science, plant biology, brewing process innovation, and open innovation practices. In H2020, they contributed industrial expertise and real-world production environments for testing advances in brewing technology, training early-stage researchers, and piloting flexible production concepts for breweries.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Carlsberg's early H2020 involvement (2016) centered on foundational food science and plant biology research through doctoral training programs (EJDFoodSci, PlantHUB). By 2019, their focus shifted in two directions: applied industrial demonstration (HYDRACTFLEX's full-scale brewery production pilot) and broader innovation management through OpenInnoTrain's knowledge exchange program. This trajectory shows a move from pure research training toward practical technology deployment and structured industry-academia collaboration.

Carlsberg is moving from hosting PhD researchers toward piloting production-scale innovations and formalizing open innovation processes, suggesting readiness for larger applied R&D partnerships.

How they like to work

Carlsberg never coordinates H2020 projects — they participate as an industry partner or third party, providing real-world infrastructure, domain expertise, and industrial validation environments. With 49 unique partners across 17 countries, they operate in large, diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This is typical of a large industrial company that opens its facilities and processes for research but leaves project management to academic or research partners.

Carlsberg has collaborated with 49 unique partners across 17 countries, indicating a broad European network built through participation in multi-partner research and training consortia. No strong geographic concentration is evident — their partnerships span widely across EU member states.

What sets them apart

Carlsberg brings something rare to research consortia: a global brewing company willing to open its production facilities and R&D center for collaborative research. Unlike academic partners, they offer real-world industrial scale for testing food science and process innovations. For consortium builders, Carlsberg provides immediate industrial validation, strong dissemination reach through a globally recognized brand, and genuine end-user perspective in food and beverage technology.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HYDRACTFLEX
  Largest funded project (EUR 378,416) — a full-scale demonstration of flexible inline production for breweries, representing Carlsberg's most applied and industrially ambitious H2020 involvement.
• PlantHUB
  Significant funding (EUR 306,198) for a plant science technology transfer project combining responsible research and innovation with direct relevance to brewing raw materials.
• OpenInnoTrain
  Signals Carlsberg's strategic interest in formalizing open innovation and university-industry knowledge exchange, spanning food tech, cleantech, and Industry 4.0.