Bright ideas are the focus of the AU IDEAS research programme, and now 32 new ideas have been given the opportunity to develop.
The Aarhus University Research Foundation has granted a total of DKK 50 million for distributing between nine pilot centres and 23 development projects.
The pilot centres are receiving larger grants for more wide-ranging 3-to-5-year projects with a budget of DKK 4-5 million. The aim is that these pilot centres will develop into powerful centres run with external financing from e.g. the Danish National Research Foundation or the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation. The smaller development projects, on the other hand, last 1-2 years with budgets of about DKK 0.5 million, and are usually more risky and daring.
The 218 applications for the AU IDEAS funding were assessed by four expert panels representing the university's four main academic areas.
The academic councils are meeting for the first time for a joint seminar at Sandbjerg, where they will be joined by the senior management team.
The seminar will focus on the interaction between the academic councils and the senior management team, including the possibilities open to the councils for co-determination and decision-making. Moreover, the participants will discuss how they can best act on behalf of those they represent in relation to the academic councils as a whole and the senior management team, and how they think the academic councils should develop.
Late in October, the Danish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education profiled the Horizon 2020 programme at a large conference in Copenhagen.
The delegates included representatives from the university world, the business community and the political system. The programme included presentations, debates and interviews. The Ministry of Research, Innovation and Higher Education is making material from the conference available on the ministry's Horizon website this week.
On 15 November, AU Research and Talent is holding a half-day course in writing applications with the Horizon 2020 programme in mind. The deadline for registering for the course (which is free of charge) is 12 November.
Early in November, the Danish government entered into two agreements on distributing a total of DKK 859 million for strategic research. Of this, DKK 257 million will be allocated to Denmark's Innovation Foundation which, under the auspices of five large community partnerships, will finance research within, for example, the environment, water, health and organic food production. The agreement also secures funding for headline areas such as international research collaboration, entrepreneurial activities and research infrastructure.
The parties to the agreement have also focused on supporting independent research and talent development. As part of the agreements, a total of DKK 249 million has therefore been allocated for the Danish Council for Independent Research, of which DKK 70 million will go to the YDUN fund for promoting greater gender equality in Danish research environments. In addition, DKK 116 million has been earmarked for research into 'bioresources, foods and other biological products'.
The Danish government recently appointed a new committee which will submit recommendations on how to enhance the quality of higher education programmes and make them more relevant in relation to the labour market.
The committee’s recommendations will be based on three main political goals:
The new committees are submitting two independent reports in spring and autumn 2014, with a final report at the end of 2014.
The committee is made up of:
Aarhus University is inviting the university's researchers to a Knowledge Exchange Day on 14 November. The intention is that the university forges even closer relations with businesses, the public sector, organisations and civil society.
Around Aarhus University, a wide range of relations and cooperation are continually being strengthened with society at large – and in many different ways. By sharing knowledge and sparring with one another across the university, it is possible to form more and new types of interaction for mutual benefit. This is the starting point for Knowledge Exchange Day.
Two international keynote speakers as well as a number of AU employees will contribute their experience through building and benefiting from relations to society.
A higher turnout is wanted at the upcoming local and regional elections, and the City of Aarhus has therefore established a number of postal voting stations around the city.
One of them will be situated at the Studenterhusfonden on Nordre Ringgade. The idea is to make it easier for employees and students to vote.
The postal voting site can be found in the corridor outside Studenterhus Aarhus. On presenting valid picture ID, it is possible to cast your vote here every day from 10-15 (Thursdays 10-17) up until 15 November.
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/2013.