The world’s first consumer-based ranking of the most innovative companies in Denmark
Danish Innovation Index
The first consumer-based ranking of the most innovative firms in Denmark
Welcome to Danish Innovation Index (DII),
Denmark's first consumer-based ranking of the most innovative firms.
Ranking, Awards & Conference
The Danish Innovation Index (DII), developed by the Department of Management, Aarhus University, is the first consumer-based ranking of the most innovative companies in Denmark. Unlike expert or leader assessments, the DII emphasizes that only companies—not countries—can be innovative, and customers—not experts—are the final judges of innovation.
Each year, the DII evaluates more than 80 companies across 20 industries, measuring innovativeness through customers’ perceptions of newness and impact. This bottom-up approach provides a unique perspective on how innovation drives competitiveness, value creation, and long-term success in the Danish market.
Around March 1 every year, the DII announces the winners in each of the following 20 industries, celebrating the firms that stand out as leaders in customer-perceived innovation.
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About DII
In 2021, a team of researchers at the Department of Management, Aarhus University, established Danish Innovation Index (DII) as part of a collaboration with partners from, among others, Norway (Norwegian School of Economics), Finland (Hanken School of Economics), and USA (Fordham University, NY). DII set out to redefine the way companies assess their performance in terms of innovativeness in the Danish market. Today, DII tracks innovativeness of more than 80 companies across 20 different industries in the Danish market.
Innovation, by definition, requires the commercial application of a new idea, which means being made available on the market. Recognizing that it is customers’ adoption and usage decisions that determine the success of new products and, ultimately, of innovators themselves, this bottom-up approach to evaluating innovation efforts was developed*.
*The Innovation Index was developed by Prof. Tor W Andreassen (NHH/CSI), Prof. Line Lervik Olsen (BI/NHH) and Dr. Seidali Kurtmollaiev (NHH/CSI).
The Innovation Index is a theoretically derived measurement instrument that rests on two assumptions:
- countries cannot be innovative—companies can; and
- leaders and experts are not the final judges of innovations—consumers are.
Through a carefully designed procedure, DII captures consumers’ perceptions of firms’ innovativeness and the changes that result from these innovations.
Helle Alsted Søndergaard
Title
Primary affiliation
Other affiliations
Areas of expertise
Contact information
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Alternative telephone number
- Email address
- ORCID iD
- ResearchGate
- Adresse
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Helle Alsted Søndergaard Department of Management Universitetsbyen 61
Building 2623, room D102b
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Innovation Index Coalition
IIC was founded in 2023 by researchers from The Norwegian School of Economics, and it now includes prominent institutions like The Norwegian School of Economics (Norway), The Hanken School of Economics (Finland), Karlstad Business School (Sweden), Aarhus University, the School of Business and Social Sciences (Denmark), Hasselt University – School of Business (Belgium), University de Carlos 3 Madrid (Spain), Fordham University – Gabelli School of Business (USA), University of Queensland – School of Business (Australia), and VinUni (Vietnam).
The research agenda is shaped by the unique strengths and histories of its research partners and the diversity of expertise allows IIC to conduct cutting-edge research on the role of customers in innovation.
Research findings are disseminated through a variety of channels, including academic journals, industry publications, and the IIC's own newsletter. Our collaborative effort extends to annual conferences, workshops, and the publication of a newsletter authored by diverse IIC researchers, presenting insights on the subject matter. The publication format caters to a leadership style, meant to be accessible to business leaders and industry experts.
IIC is committed to making a positive impact on the world through innovation. IIC's research, dissemination, networking, and training activities ensure that innovation is customer-driven, evidence-based, and sustainable.In summary, the Innovation Index Coalition is amplifying the customer voice in innovation in numerous ways:
- Research focused on understanding how customers perceive and value innovation.
- Research partners collaborate with businesses to develop customer-driven innovation strategies.
- IIC's newsletter and other publications provide insights into how businesses can incorporate the customer voice into their innovation efforts.
- Conferences and workshops bring together researchers, businesses, and policymakers to discuss the role of customers in innovation.
- IIC is making a significant contribution to the field of innovation. By amplifying the customer voice, IIC is helping to ensure that innovation is more effective and sustainable.
Publications
Helle Alsted Søndergaard
Title
Primary affiliation
Other affiliations
Areas of expertise
Contact information
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Alternative telephone number
- Email address
- ORCID iD
- ResearchGate
- Adresse
-
Helle Alsted Søndergaard Department of Management Universitetsbyen 61
Building 2623, room D102b
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Meet the Founders
Helle Alsted Søndergaard
Title
Primary affiliation
Other affiliations
Areas of expertise
Contact information
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Alternative telephone number
- Email address
- ORCID iD
- ResearchGate
- Adresse
-
Helle Alsted Søndergaard Department of Management Universitetsbyen 61
Building 2623, room D102b
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Helle Alsted Søndergaard
Title
Primary affiliation
Other affiliations
Areas of expertise
Contact information
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Alternative telephone number
- Email address
- ORCID iD
- ResearchGate
- Adresse
-
Helle Alsted Søndergaard Department of Management Universitetsbyen 61
Building 2623, room D102b
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Helle Alsted Søndergaard
Title
Primary affiliation
Other affiliations
Areas of expertise
Contact information
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Alternative telephone number
- Email address
- ORCID iD
- ResearchGate
- Adresse
-
Helle Alsted Søndergaard Department of Management Universitetsbyen 61
Building 2623, room D102b
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark