Our strategy DHI+, launched in 2021, is built on our ambition to support the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
DHI+ is a growth strategy that builds on a number of overall megatrends that collectively call for new sustainable solutions and smart digitally enabled water solutions:
Climate change – drives more extreme weather conditions, worsening floods, rising sea levels, shrinking ice fields and droughts. Extreme weather events are not only making water scarcer, but also more unpredictable and more polluted, and these impacts throughout the water cycle threaten sustainable development, biodiversity, and people’s access to water and sanitation
Biodiversity loss – damaged ecosystems exacerbate climate change and put people and communities at risk. According to the UN, 75% of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered by human actions, including 85% of wetland areas, and one million of the world’s estimated eight million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction
Urbanisation – requires new standards for water distribution and water quality. Rapid urbanisation along coasts or rivers may also make citizens vulnerable to natural disasters such as extreme storms and floods
There are five key components and objectives to DHI+:
Accelerate the realisation of the UN SDGs and make measurable impact
Focus our efforts on selected business segments where we have the biggest impact
Continue to enhance our technology edge and deliver robust and differentiated business advice on the basis of superior scientific domain knowledge, modelling skills and continuous innovation
Unite the organisation and maximise the potential of our global competencies and skills
Increase ability to invest in innovation through growth in revenue and profit
These objectives are achieved through three phases: ‘Connecting’, ‘Innovating’ and ‘Impacting’, each of them with defined initiatives and actions to support progress.
In 2022, we have focused our efforts on the ‘Connecting’ phase, which externally means we have further reinforced and developed the collaboration with our largest clients. New partnerships with clients, suppliers and universities have been established and existing partnerships have been strengthened. Internally, we have focused on bringing together capabilities and strengthening collaboration across segments. Achievements included the completion of DHI’s new global organisational structure and governance, creating increased transparency and introducing four global business units combining our global strengths across teams and geographies.
As one of the Danish Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs; GTS in Danish), we are part of the backbone of the Danish innovation system. In 2022, we delivered a unified technology portfolio, and we attracted more research funds, enabling us to develop additional technology services while also launching several new solutions and updates to our water modelling software suite, MIKE Powered by DHI. Our technological solutions support our continuous ambition to create positive technological change for the benefit of people and society. During the year, we launched a dedicated idea incubator programme 'Innovation for Sustainability' and an ‘Innovation Challenge Programme’ rooted in the water-related challenges our clients are currently facing.