Company projects

As a student, you have the option to do a project in collaboration with a company, authority, or organization. This is called a company project or a project-based exam. You can do a company project as part of a project course, bachelor project, diploma engineering project, or master’s thesis.

What do you gain from a company project?

• You gain insight into working life and the opportunity to apply your academic skills in practice.
• You contribute knowledge and solutions that the company can use.
• You build your network and gain experience that strengthens your CV.

How to get started

It’s up to you to establish contact with a company, but you can get help here:

• Your department – has many good contacts
• DTU Career Hub
• DSE’s fairs
• DTU Career Center events
• Online databases such as Bisnode, DSE Pejling, or Børsen’s Gazelle companies.

DTU Career Center can help you with your CV and application.

Project proposal and enrollment

Before the project starts, DTU recommends that you, your DTU supervisor, and the company prepare a project proposal signed by all parties. The proposal should include:

• Project title and tasks
• Expected workload and meeting hours
• Duration of the stay at the company
• Agreements on office space and equipment

The project must be reported to DTU’s Department for Education and Students – your DTU supervisor will handle this.

Academic content and ECTS credits

The academic content, learning objectives, and evaluation/grading method must be agreed upon with your DTU supervisor, who also ensures the academic level of the project.

The number of ECTS credits is determined by the workload of the project – not the length of your stay at the company.

Read more in DTU’s study rules on company projects.

Economy and Insurance

• You are entitled to SU (student grant) during a company project when it gives ECTS credits.
• The project must be unpaid, but the company may offer a gratuity. If you receive a gratuity, you must inform DTU, as it may affect your SU.
• You may not function as regular labor for the company.
• Check whether you are covered by insurance during your stay at the company. Read more about insurance conditions for students.

Confidentiality and Rights

In a company project, you, DTU, and the company are three independent parties. This means:

• As a student, you are not obliged to follow the requirements and rules that apply to DTU employees, e.g., regarding confidentiality or transfer of rights to inventions and software.
• DTU cannot negotiate agreements with the company on your behalf.
• DTU generally does not enter into agreements with companies about student projects. DTU’s role is limited to contributing to your education, i.e., supervision and conducting your exam.

The company will often ask you to sign an agreement, e.g., a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) or an agreement regulating rights to the results of your project (IPR). It is important to ensure that the agreement does not prevent you from sharing information with your supervisor, submitting your project report to DTU, or being examined.

Your DTU supervisor and examiner are bound by confidentiality under laws applicable to public employees. This ensures the company’s confidentiality for information you share with them.

If your project report contains confidential information, you should clearly mark it as such.

Public access and examination

Exams are generally public, and final project reports are published.

If the company requires confidentiality, the exam can be held behind closed doors. Contact your supervisor in advance.

If you have committed not to publish your final report, you must mark the report as confidential when submitting it – see DTU Library’s guidelines

Legal advice

If you are unsure about an agreement, you can get free legal advice from:

• Polyteknisk Forening, PF
• Your trade union (e.g., IDA)
• Københavns Retshjælp – retshjaelpen.dk
• Advokatvagten in Lyngby

If you have a student job at the company

You are allowed to do a project with a company where you already have a student job. However, note:

• You and the company must clearly distinguish between your role as an employee and as a project student, and your job tasks must be separate from your project work.
• You may not receive salary for work related to the company project, as you receive ECTS credits for the project.
• It may be a good idea to prepare two separate contracts: one for your student job and one for your company project.