The research committee has begun the work of evaluating the thirteen preliminary proposals for interdisciplinary centres submitted by the 5 October deadline by researchers from a wide range of fields.
In mid-November, Dean Brian Bech Nielsen, who holds university-wide responsibility for research strategy, will inform researchers who has been selected to submit detailed applications for new interdisciplinary centres. These applications will be assessed by international reviewers in early 2012. The international expert panels will also assess the applications to establish interdisciplinary centres which have been submitted on the basis of the specific ideas for new centres announced in the 9 March report on Tomorrow's AU.
Aarhus University currently has two interdisciplinary centres, iNANO and MINDlab, and the university's ambition is to create more world-class research centres of this kind.
After the international review process, the university management team will select which proposals will become a reality.
In the course of a recent trip to China, Center Director Flemming Besenbacher, iNANO, was honoured by two universities located close to Shanghai. He was named Overseas Director by Tongji University and honorary professor by Jaingsu University.
A number of subjects and departments are celebrating anniversaries in 2011. On Friday 28 October, the Department of Economics celebrated its 75th anniversary with an academic event, The Global Finance and Debt Crisis: Status and Economic Perspectives, which was followed by a party.
Medieval Archaeology also celebrated its fortieth anniversary last week. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the anniversary was marked by an international conference, which included excursions, a reception and a party.
Law will celebrate its anniversary on 25 November. The law programme was established seventy-five years ago; the anniversary will be celebrated with an academic event and a reception.
The Department of Computer Science celebrated its fortieth anniversary earlier this year, and the former Department of Geology (now Department of Chemistry and Department of Geoscience) celebrated its fiftieth.
Last week, 2,131 upper secondary students participated in study internships at AU. The study internship programme is offered on a national basis and gives about 10,000 upper secondary students a taste of what it's like to follow a university degree programme each year.
The national secretariat for study interships for 509 degree programmes all over Denmark is located at AU. The IT system students all over Denmark use to register for the programme was developed by AU IT and is an important tool for coordinating the programme.
A delegation from Tbilisi State University headed by Rector David Chomakhidze visited AU last week. The delegation was interested in gaining insight into the university's focus on interdisciplinary centres as well as strategies for talent development and internationalisation.
Sincerely,
The Senior Management Team
The Senior Management Team publishes a newsletter every week. This newsletter includes a brief description of current activities and discussions. You can sign up for the Danish version of the newsletter at http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve, after which you will receive an e-mail whenever the newsletter is issued.
If you would like to subscribe to the English version of News from the Senior Management Team, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en. The English version of News from the Senior Management Team is available at http://www.au.dk/en/about/uni/seniormanagement/newsletter/. You can read previous editions of News from the Senior Management Team at http://www.au.dk/en/about/uni/seniormanagement/newsletter/2011.