Merry Christmas from the senior management team

Dear colleagues,

First and foremost, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you for your dedication and hard work this year. You and our students shape the university and make AU a vibrant, exciting place to work and study. So the winter holiday that’s just around the corner is certainly well-deserved: time to relax and recharge in the company of your loved ones.

2025 has been yet another eventful year, marked by a series of milestones. AU’s 2030 strategy, which comes into force in January, was one of the major ones. The strategy incorporates important contributions from staff and students, and it reflects both the university’s academic reach and its high standard of excellence. It also aligns with the broad national research and innovation policy agreement reached in November, and we’re looking forward to realising its ambitions over the coming years.

The ongoing development of the university’s campuses in Aarhus, Emdrup, Viborg and Herning, as well as our research centres in Roskilde and Flakkebjerg, is something that has continued to affect daily life for a lot of the university’s staff and students. The University City is the largest of these projects: several units have already moved in, and in the new year we’ll reach yet another milestone when Aarhus BSS welcomes staff and students to its new location here. The official inauguration of the University City will take place in 2026, and we’ll be looking forward to this area becoming the hub for many of our activities.

This is particularly true of innovation and entrepreneurship; The Kitchen will be moving to new headquarters in the University City. A Life Science Hub has already opened, and Partnerhuset, which will foster collaboration with external partners, will soon follow. And speaking of innovation: one of this year’s most important developments in this space was the launch of Delphinus, a new venture capital fund that will both strengthen the innovation ecosystem in Central and Eastern Jutland as well as helping to grow new businesses established by AU’s staff and students.

In regard to the university’s degree programmes, the Master’s reform was one of the major items on the agenda in 2025. All of the employees – academic and administrative – involved in implementing the reform have really gone the extra mile to adapt and develop new high-quality degree programmes. This is a testament to the depth of your commitment to academic excellence. Thanks to your hard work, the university will continue to offer future students opportunities to pursue their dreams and ambitions. We truly appreciate everyone’s effort and contribution.

In spite of these many additional tasks and projects, Aarhus University continues to deliver on our core mission: research, education and collaboration. Aarhus University is a well-run institution – one of the pillars of our society, a major driver of innovation and development. And it’s all thanks to your commitment, dedication and expertise.

So once again, thank you for everything we’ve achieved together in 2025. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best wishes,

The senior management team