News from the Senior Management Team no. 5/2012

Horizon 2020 and AU a perfect match

Horizon 2020, the EU’s new large research programme, came one step closer at the negotiations just completed in Copenhagen between research and innovation ministers from across the EU and two EU commissioners. The meeting also showed great interest in AU’s new profile and initiatives to stimulate interest in research based on core academic expertise. Everything suggests that Horizon 2020 will favour precisely this combination, as the new programme is to prepare Europe for tackling major societal challenges.

Horizon 2020’s six challenges:

  • 1. Health, demographic change and well-being;
  • 2. Food security, sustainable agriculture and the bio-economy;
  • 3. Secure, clean and efficient energy;
  • 4. Smart, green and integrated transport;
  • 5. Climate action and resource efficiency including raw materials; and
  • 6. Inclusive, innovative and secure societies.

The Copenhagen meeting also expressed a clear desire for simpler access to the funding than has been the case with previous EU research programmes, and that focus must be on translating research and innovation into growth in Europe.

The ministers will be discussing Horizon 2020 again at the official Council meeting in Brussels on 21 February. The plan is for the final details of the research programme, the world’s largest of its kind, to be agreed at the Council meeting on 31 May.

 


New agreement with regional hospitals

New agreement boosts education and research at regional hospitals. On Thursday 2 February, Central Denmark Region and Aarhus University reached agreement that in future the university will be responsible for research and training at all regional hospitals in the Central Denmark Region.

Aarhus University is already responsible for the research conducted at Aarhus University Hospital. The agreements means that the university will now also be responsible for research at all regional hospitals as well as within the regional psychiatric and pre-hospital services.

As a result of the collaboration agreement, research-intensive departments at the regional hospitals will become so-called university clinics, and the hospitals will also be entitled to call themselves teaching hospitals as they will in future contribute to training doctors in wards and operating theatres across the entire region.

 


World Cultural Council to present prestigious awards at AU

The World Cultural Council (WCC) has chosen Aarhus University as the venue for presenting its prestigious annual awards: the ‘Albert Einstein’ World Award of Science and the ‘José Vasconcelos’ World Award of Education.

The award ceremony has previously been held at universities such as Oxford and Princeton. It is the 29th annual ceremony, but it has never been hosted in Denmark before.

The purpose of the awards is to single out and acknowledge eminent research pioneers who have made outstanding achievements in science and education for the benefit of science and mankind.

The WCC ceremony will be held on 18 April in the Main Hall. On the same day, another major event starts at Aarhus University: the Excellence 2012 Conference which will kick off with many activities on Campus Aarhus until 20 April.

 


New reference book from Health to bridge gap between researchers and laypeople

Health has just published a new 232-page knowledge catalogue of information about current health science research, all in one place.

The catalogue (in English) is intended to highlight health science competencies and make it easier for both the industry and laypeople to come into contact with the researchers.

The first of its kind, the catalogue is an element in Health’s strategy to disseminate its knowledge to the business community.

 


Calendar

  • 2-3 February: Senior management team visits University of Gothenburg
  • 15 February: Deadline for comments in development contract consultation
  • 27 February: Kick-off date for heads of department development course
  • 29 February: Meeting of University Board
  • 15 March: Debate meeting on foreign policy with Danish Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal
  • 28-29 March: Management seminar

 

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.