Innovation in Engineering

Students develop innovative solutions in Rødbyhavn

200 master’s students from DTU are developing ideas for how the area around the Fehmarn Belt construction site can be used once the tunnel project is completed.

Master students at Rødbyhavn. — The students visited, among other things, the Fehmarn project’s exhibition centre. Photo: Sund & Bælt

Friday 19 June 2026

Christina Tækker

How can the tunnel factory, the port, and the surrounding area in Rødbyhavn be used as an asset in future projects to create new jobs and business activity once the Fehmarn Belt tunnel is finished? This was the central question when 200 master’s students from the course "Innovation in Engineering" at DTU visited the Fehmarn Belt construction site to develop innovative ideas for the area’s future use.

After several years of extensive construction work, a new chapter is emerging in Rødbyhavn. As part of the Fehmarn Belt project, a tunnel factory and port facilities have been built on a scale rarely seen in Denmark. Attention is now turning to how the area can be used once the tunnel construction is complete.

This discussion is relevant because Europe continues to invest in major infrastructure projects. At the same time, there is a growing need for engineering solutions that ensure temporary facilities also create value after construction ends.

“The crucial part of the program is the process the students go through. Students from different degree programs travel across the country, work innovatively with a real-life case from Sund & Bælt, and engage with local challenges. This creates motivation, provides practice-oriented learning, and strengthens both their competencies and our local communities,” says Marie Juul Madsen, project manager for "DTU across Denmark".

Up close to the Fehmarn Belt link

DTU aims to have a presence throughout the country to give students access to real-world projects and bring them closer to major construction and industrial developments. This both broadens their academic perspective and gives them experience with the types of workplaces they will encounter after graduation.

In Rødbyhavn, DTU students get close to the Fehmarn Belt link, Denmark’s largest and one of Europe’s most extensive construction projects ever. The link consists of the Fehmarn Belt tunnel, an 18-kilometer immersed tunnel connecting Rødbyhavn on the island of Lolland in Denmark with Puttgarden on the island of Fehmarn in Germany.

Among the students participating in the course was Tabea Marie Breitkreutz from Germany, who will herself use the Fehmarn Belt tunnel once it opens.

“What fascinates me most is the scale and complexity of the project. It is one of Europe’s largest construction projects, and it is exciting to work innovatively with a case that can have such a significant impact on Europe,” she says and adds:

“The enormous tunnel factory provides a unique starting point for thinking about future uses. We have not yet selected a specific solution to work further on. Still, we have, among other things, discussed the possibility of using the facilities for the production of wind turbines and offshore turbines.”

Facts

About Innovation in Engineering

The Innovation in Engineering course lasts three weeks and is mandatory for all master’s students at DTU. The students come from a range of different engineering programs and work in interdisciplinary groups.

In Rødbyhavn, the students explored the local area, met local partners such as Femern Belt Development, Business Lolland-Falster, MSE Entreprenør, Lolland Municipality, and Sund & Bælt, and visited the Fehmarn project’s exhibition center. They also spoke with employees on the project and residents to learn how the Fehmarn link affects daily life and the local community—and what opportunities and changes the project has brought.

The students will present their solutions at DTU Skylab at the end of the month. During the course, they receive input from relevant stakeholders, who provide insights into plans, challenges, and experiences that they can use in their work.

Contact

Marie Juul Madsen Office for Research, Advice and Innovation Mobile: +45 22604179 mjuma@dtu.dk