The deans managerial responsibility and applicable delegation provisions are described here, in addition to what forms of decision-making power the deans may delegate.
A necessary precondition for delegation is regular briefing, coordination and communication between the person who delegates decision-making or signing authority,referred to as the delegator, and the person who receives decision-making or signing authority, referred to as the delegate.
Managers exercise financial decision-making authority on the condition that a budget has been delegated to them and that the expense can be incurred within the approved budget. Decision-making authority for each level of management is expressed in terms of approval limits for each level. Financial decision-making authority applies to purchasing decisions that involve a binding purchase or binding agreement for multiple purchases from the same supplier.
Financial transactions outside the approved budget can only be carried out after prior approval by the level of management immediately above. Decision-making authority applies to all financial transactions, regardless of whether they are made with AU’s institutional funding or with funds from an external grant.
Level-three managers can set a de minimus threshold for one-time transactions of up to DKK 2,000 for all employees or a group of selected employees at their own department/school (institut).
The description below relates to the decision-making and signing authority delegated to each level of management in regard to concluding and terminating lease agreements. Decision-making authority means authority to make decisions about and approve transactions. Signing-authority in this context means authority to conclude binding agreements on behalf of the university as a signatory or by (written or oral) confirmation.
Out of consideration for coordination, all signing authority in connection with concluding lease and sublease agreements, as well as the termination of such agreements, is delegated to the deputy director for AU Estates Projects and Development (with the exception of visitor accommodation, which is handled by the faculties), and is conditional on the involvement of AU Estates Projects and Development when the process is initiated with a view to quality assurance of the contracts.
A condition for delegation of authority in this area is that transactions must take place within the framework of the campus development plan adopted by the board.
Decision-making authority, but not signing authority, with regard to the conclusion of lease and sublease agreements with a non-cancellation period of up to ten years and/or a total rental obligation for the university of up to DKK 70 million in fixed prices as of the agreement date. The amount is DKK 40 million for agreements with a non-cancellation period of over ten years or in case of unusually onerous conditions.
Decision-making authority, but not signing authority, with regard to the conclusion of lease and sublease agreements with a non-cancellation period of up to one year and/or a total rental obligation for the university of under DKK 1 million in fixed prices as of the agreement date is delegated to the heads of the administrative centres.
Decision-making authority, but not signing authority, to terminate lease and sublease agreements is delegated to the heads of the administrative centres.
Overall and operational people management must at all times be conducted in accordance with the locally and centrally established guidelines and rules, including the rules in the collaboration agreement, frameworks established in the collective agreements and other relevant legislation in the area.
People management is defined as the decision-making authority to manage, hire, dismiss and take disciplinary action against employees, including decision-making authority to agree on the specific terms and conditions for employment as well as to assign specific tasks to employees.
Involuntary dismissal of employees with special protections against termination (union reps, occupational health and safety reps, members of liaison committees and the occupational health and safety organisation) is subject to the approval of the rector.
The delegation provisions distinguish between overall people management and operational people management.
Deans are responsible for the overall people management of the employees at their faculties.
The dean and the university director are responsible for overall people management of the head of the faculty’s administrative centre.
The dean delegates overall people management of the employees in their units to the level-three managers employed at the faculty - heads of department/school (institutledere) and directors of department-like centres. The dean can delegate overall people management responsibility without decision-making authority to appoint permanent/senior members of academic staff.
The dean and the university director delegate overall people management responsibility for the employees in their units to the head of the administrative centre.
The dean can delegate overall people management responsibility for staff of special units at the faculty to the vice-deans.
The dean delegates overall people management responsibility for the employees at the faculty secretariat to the head of the administrative centre or the head of the faculty secretariat.
Legally responsible entity
AU Research is always legally responsible for approving and signing the following types of agreements:
In addition, AU Research is responsible for reviewing and approving research collaboration agreements, with a particular focus on agreements involving rights to exploit research results and/or utilise personal data (standard agreements), however not fast-track agreements drawn up by AU Research (standard agreements).
Enterprise and Innovation is always responsible for approving and signing commercialisation agreements (licensing agreements, patents, transfer of rights).
The deans have decision-making and signing authority to negotiate and approve research collaboration agreement that apply to their respective faculties as a whole or that involve more than one department/school (institut)/department-like centre.
Level-two managers delegate decision-making and signing authority to negotiate and approve research collaboration agreements that exclusively apply to their units to level-three managers.
However, with regard to agreements referred to in the introduction, decision-making and signing authority in connection with such collaboration agreements is conditional on their prior approval by the legally responsible unit/entity.
This only applies to collaboration agreements for existing degree programmes, as the process for the approval of new degree programmes is different. Examples include agreements with other institutions in Denmark (degree programme collaboration, commissioned teaching and the like) and with foreign universities (exchange agreements, Erasmus+ projects and the like).
Note the following:
The deans have decision-making and signing authority to negotiate and approve collaboration agreements on existing degree programmes that apply to their respective faculties as a whole or that involve more than one department/school (institut)/department-like centre.
Level-two managers delegate decision-making and signing authority to negotiate and approve research collaboration agreements regarding existing degree programmes that exclusively involve their unit to level-three managers.
Level-two managers can, to a specified extent, delegate decision-making and signing authority to approve agreements on existing degree programmes to selected authorised employees.
When delegating authority, managers must complete a delegation letter for the delegate(s). It is important that the correct template is used, as the template contains a code that must be registered in mitHR so that it can be used in the administrative support of the provisions.
If you are missing a letter or if you have a question regarding filling out a letter, please send an email to Tove Bæk Jensen, the Rector’s Office, at [email protected].
Template (Word document) for download:
Download the template here:Skabelon_Dekan_TAP2_STD_EN