Aarhus University offers businesses an opportunity to enter into knowledge partnerships. In a knowledge partnership, a business collaborates with researchers and/or students from AU on specific challenges and needs, and with focus on mutual exchange of knowledge and innovation.

In order to ensure the best match between researcher and company, AU holds 1-2 annual workshops, at which, working with the company, the university invites relevant researchers to a collaboration forum. The initial phase is facilitated by Enterprise and Innovation, while the most appropriate further process is agreed between the parties themselves.

In addition to the annual workshops, the knowledge partnership agreement with AU contains a joint steering committee and participation in an annual network meeting for the university’s strategic partners.

Collaboration with public enterprises and organisations also has special focus at AU. Many faculties and departments work with municipalities and have decentralised agreements. Furthermore, AU has entered into ten strategic partnership agreements with the municipalities in the Central Denmark Region to give the municipalities and AU a gateway to collaboration and to work strategically to develop the collaboration.

Collaboration with local authorities focuses on research aiming at innovation and welfare development in the municipalities, and on students, where focus is on job opportunities through specific student projects, competitions etc. – both directly with the municipality and with the SMEs in the municipality. 

• See the list of existing municipality collaboration agreements (in Danish)