A unanimous international panel of experts has agreed that Aarhus is the best place to locate a national centre for particle therapy for cancer patients.
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, thereby concluding a long application process for Central Denmark Region, Aarhus University Hospital (AUH) and Aarhus University. The panel's decision means that Aarhus will host a national centre for particle therapy, which will be able to provide cancer patients with more precise and gentler treatment. The first treatment using particle therapy in Denmark will be available for patients in 2017.
The particle therapy centre also holds considerable research potential in light of the fact that the particle accelerator, Astrid 2, was inaugurated at Aarhus University earlier in the year, and that AU and AUH have appointed international experts in medical physics.
Yesterday, the government proposed a new Danish innovation strategy.
A very important link in the innovation chain is the Danish universities, so that vital knowledge and competencies from the universities can come out and work in the private and public sectors. However, the general plan is that innovation must be incorporated in all the university's core activities – research, education, talent development and knowledge exchange.
The innovation strategy also implies a simplification of funding and councils. A new and powerful council with a budget of DKK 2.2 billion will play a very central role.
On 19 December, the University Board approved the university budget for 2013.
The university faces a number of academic and administrative challenges which require continued investments. It has therefore been decided to draw on equity, which is deemed to be reasonably large for safeguarding the university's finances, not least given the budget security which the Danish Finance Act (Finanloven) for 2013 gives in the form of ensuring the basic funding for three consecutive years.
The budget for 2013 is DKK 6.443 billion, with a budgeted deficit of DKK 81 million.
In 2014, the budget includes a deficit of DKK 60 million, while the budget is balanced from 2015.
On 1 February 2013, Steen Riisgaard and Heidi Klokker Andersen will join the University Board, replacing CEO Lars Rohde and student representative Karen Marie Kjeldsen.
Steen Riisgaard is President and CEO of Novozymes, Chairman of the Board of WWF Denmark and Vice Chairman of e.g. the Egmont Foundation and Rockwool International. At Wednesday's board meeting, he was approved as a replacement for Lars Rohde, who has decided to step down from the University Board when he takes up his appointment as Governor of Danmarks Nationalbank.
Heidi Klokker Andersen, who is studying political science, was voted in as the new student representative. She has been involved in student politics since 2009 and is also a member of the AU Forum for Education. Benjamin Bilde Boelsmand was re-elected as the other student representative on the University Board.
The consultation on Strategy 2013-2020, which ended on 14 December, produced a lot of good, interesting and constructive input, which was presented at the meeting of the University Board on 19 December.
Based on the considerable input, the senior management team will now work to complete Strategy 2013-2020.
The final strategy will be adopted by the University Board on 5 March 2013.
This is the last letter before the New Year. The senior management team would like to take this opportunity to wish all employees and students a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, while thanking everyone for all their hard work over the past 12 months.
See the Rector's speech from the Christmas gathering in Stakladen at http://medarbejdere.au.dk (in Danish)
16 January: Inauguration of iNANO
5 March: University Board meeting
Kind regards,
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/2012.