The preliminary tally of Quota 2 applications to Aarhus University shows a small increase in the number of applicants. The university has received a total of 14,213 quota 2 applications, and 5,140 applicants have chosen Aarhus University as their first priority.
The final tally of quota 2 applicants, including applicants to the individual study programmes, is expected to be available in mid-March.
New figures from Universities Denmark confirm that more students finish their studies faster.
Aarhus University is seeing a marked increase in the number of candidates who complete their degree programmes within the prescribed study period plus three months. In 2016, the figure was 2,542, up 66 per cent on 2015. The total number of graduates in 2016 saw an increase as well – from 4,520 in 2015 to 6,072 in 2016.
Developments at AU are thus in line with the trend in the rest of the sector. The high number of graduates can most likely be attributed to the study progress reform – combined with the study-supporting activities which the university has initiated as a result of the reform. We will, of course, keep a close eye on whether the students continue to finish their degree programmes faster in future.
Last week, Aarhus University officially received the first of three drones that will strengthen climate research in the northernmost part of Greenland. The Villum Foundation provided the grant to fund the drone that will fly out from AU's advanced research station north of the Polar Circle – the Villum Research Station.
The first drone was developed in a partnership between the Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University, DTU Space and private businesses, with Integra as the main partner. According to Niels Chr. Nielsen, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, this is a good example of how a research grant also creates knowledge for the private sector.
On Wednesday 19 April, the university will host a welcome reception for Lars Bo Nielsen, the new dean of the Faculty of Health. The event will take place in the Ambulatory from 15:00 to 17:00, and all staff members, students and partners are welcome.
More than 130 researchers attended a symposium at Aarhus University last Friday. The topic was joint projects and research in the Aarhus Novo Nordisk Science and Talent Network, which was established in the summer of 2016.
The symposium presented the first concrete steps in the partnership, which has the overall goal of making it possible to focus on tomorrow's knowledge-based innovation and development within the pharmaceutical industry, as well as to identify promising research talents.
Søren Rud Keiding, professor and vice-dean at Science and Technology, has been appointed new member of Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy (DFIR). The council offers independent expert advice on research, technology and innovation to the government and the Danish Parliament.
Changes have also been made to the board of Innovation Fund Denmark. Here, Vice Chairman Flemming Besenbacher, professor at iNANO and chairman of the board of the Carlsberg Foundation, has been reappointed for a three-year period.
The changes come into force on 1 April 2017.
A new flexible online course in teaching and learning is now available to all teaching staff at Aarhus University.
The InTel (Introduction to Teaching and Learning) course has been developed in a collaboration between the four educational centres on the basis of a DKK 400,000 grant from the Education Committee. The objective is to contribute to the common basis for teaching and learning at AU.
The first course starts on 3 May, and the deadline for registering is 18 April.
The Empower Talent! mentor programme is now open for registration. The programme matches staff at assistant professor level with more experienced colleagues at associate professor or professor level. The deadline for registering as a mentor or a mentee is 20 April 2017.
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/2016.