Leadership and Management Style

The Institute of Applied Computer Science, in Odense, Denmark, is a small research-oriented organization located at Science Park. Its main activities are related to high technology applications of computer science in various organizations and projects. It has been involved in technology transfer projects for a number of European companies. The basic idea is that Applied Computer Science will transfer ideas from research laboratories that can be used in practice. It has particularly targeted companies with a relatively low research and development budget that do not have staff that can make the transfer. For these companies, a technology transfer project is a rare event. The activities are typically done in the framework of national research programs and European Union (EU) R&D programs such as ESPRIT, BRITE/EURAM, SPRINT, and COMETT. The Institute of Applied Computer Science is a small organization currently employing seventeen highly skilled employees. It was established in 1986 at the request of the local industry, which needed to better organize the transfer of knowledge from Odense University (now University of Southern Denmark) and a technical college. A group of local business people and representatives from Odense University and the technical college formed the company, raised a small amount of capital, and hired a teacher, Benny Mortensen, at the technical college to run the company. Benny Mortensen had good contacts both at the University and in local businesses and quickly linked the company to EU grants. His knowledge and enthusiasm have contributed significantly to the success of the company. In particular, he has established cooperation with ten European partners.