News from the senior management team no. 14/2016

Digitisation: Intensification of efforts

Aarhus University must step up a gear in relation to IT, and the first steps have already been taken toward a university-wide digitisation strategy. The aim is to strengthen the university’s core activities through improving and simplifying its digital tools.

A steering committee headed by the university director is responsible for the process, which involves both academic and administrative staff as well as students. In the first phase, the goal is to map the areas where digitisation is particularly needed. Special focus is being placed on improved IT support in the administration and improved solutions and services within the areas of education and research IT. The digitisation strategy is expected to be submitted for open consultation at the university in autumn 2016.

Follow the process at medarbejdere.au.dk. Here, you can also see whom to contact if you have any questions or relevant input.


Six Semper Ardens grants from the Carlsberg Foundation 

The Carlsberg Foundation has just awarded DKK 117 million to ten visionary Semper Ardens research projects. Six of the grants, or almost DKK 80 million, went to Aarhus University. Two of the projects are based at Arts, while four are with Science and Technology. 

Semper Ardens is Latin for ‘always burning’, and the special grants are awarded to visionary research projects aimed at interdisciplinary breakthroughs within the humanities, the natural sciences and the social sciences.

The Carlsberg Foundation’s call for 2016 will be announced at the end of June.


Scope for development in the administration

Digitisation, process optimisation and competency development were on the agenda when University Director Arnold Boon invited all the division managers from the central administration and the administrative centres to an after-work meeting. The objective of the meeting was to discuss and agree on the strategic milestones needed to ensure a more coherent and efficient administration. Arnold Boon expects to hold more joint meetings in future – which will also include the heads of the department secretariats.


Constructive debate with Minister for Foreign Affairs at Aarhus BSS

On Monday 9 May, Denmark’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kristian Jensen, visited Aarhus BSS for a debate on Denmark’s future foreign policy role and the Government’s new foreign policy strategy. About 100 people turned up for the debate, which was also attended by researchers from the Department of Economics and Business Economics, the Department of Law, the Department of Management and the Department of Political Science.


Calendar

  • 25 May: Rigmor and Carl Holst-Knudsen Award for Scientific Research ceremony
  • 1–2 June: First visit by the Danish Accreditation Institution panel
  • 14 June: Aarhus University Board meeting
  • 16–19 June: Denmark’s Political Festival on Bornholm
  • 23 June: Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition, visits AU
  • 30 June: Main Liaison Committee (HSU) meeting

 

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/2015.