Greetings from the Dean
Dear all,
The holidays are just around the corner – and this year, most of us can look forward to an extended break. The calendar has worked in our favor, so many will enjoy two full weeks off without dipping too much into their vacation days. I hope this gives you time to relax and recharge before the new year begins.
This year, we celebrated Tech’s fifth anniversary as an independent faculty. When I talk about Tech, I often mention how quickly things have moved. We’ve taken big steps in just a few years and grown across the board. Now, I’ve started saying that growth probably can’t continue at the same pace.
And just when I say that something new comes along.
Development never stands still when we work with education, research, science-based advisory, and innovation on key societal issues like nature and environment, biodiversity, agriculture, food, resilience, and engineering. There’s a real need for the graduates and knowledge we provide. The faculty’s overall contribution begins with the effort each unit delivers every day.
We live in a world of change. It’s not always easy. But change also brings the possibility of something new and better.
Right after New Year, we’ll welcome the first students to our new work-integrated Master’s degree programmes. We didn’t ask for a reform, but once the departments began working with the changes, things took off.
From the first sketches and conversations with our partners in industry, the process gained momentum. These programs open great opportunities for exciting, targeted education in an even closer partnership between the university and the businesses we serve.
The work-integrated Master’s degree programme fits perfectly with our strong tradition of industry-oriented programs, like the very popular Bachelor of Engineering. And now it’s a reality. Our programmes are approved and starting two years ahead of the legal requirement. Thank you for your commitment – and welcome to the first work-integrated Master’s degree students at Tech.
I think 2025 has shown many great examples of Tech reaching out and engaging in society.
We’ve embraced Denmark’s new democracy festivals – so we’re not only at Folkemødet on Bornholm, but also making our mark at Naturmødet in Hirtshals, Klimafolkemødet in Middelfart, Food Festival in Aarhus – and from next year, Madens Folkemøde in Nykøbing Falster.
These events are full of creativity and innovation. For visitors, they offer a close encounter with the university, and we should take pride in making sure they leave with a good experience and a clear sense that what we do matters – and that our knowledge helps build a better society.
In November, AU hosted the European Mission Soil Week as part of Denmark’s EU presidency. It was an exciting event at a high scientific level and a strong endorsement of AU’s soil research – and of the science-based advisory we’ve provided for Denmark’s unique tripartite negotiation model, which many European countries look to for inspiration in the green transition.
They lack the model we have at Tech, where our research in nature, environment, food, and agriculture provides a shared foundation for authorities and organizations with conflicting interests to find the best solutions on issues like climate and biodiversity.
Tech also gained international recognition when the European Institute of Innovation and Technology announced the winner of the upcoming EIT Water Knowledge and Innovation Community, which will drive European innovation in water technology for the next 15 years.
Allwaters was selected – a consortium spanning 30 countries, with the project office based at Tech. It’s the largest European innovation project ever led by a Danish university. Allwaters has now moved from planning to becoming the official EIT Water.
EIT Water covers all aspects of water – from marine environments to drinking water, wastewater, surface water, streams, and pollutants. That makes it a perfect Tech project, because it brings together so many of our disciplines, whether your background is in environment, agriculture, or engineering.
EIT Water aligns perfectly with AU’s strategy for the next five years, which focuses on strengthening collaboration with industry on innovation. We couldn’t have won EIT Water without the strong support from Denmark’s water technology sector. Now, it’s a shared goal to advance Europe’s innovation in water and water technology.
Early in the new year, we’ll launch “Tech 2030,” our faculty’s follow-up to AU’s overall strategy. Tech staff from all departments and locations have contributed through various working groups. It’s clear that Tech’s strength lies in the academic, geographic, and cultural diversity we each bring to the common good.
That’s why the faculty leadership highlights this diversity in the introduction to Tech 2030:
“Tech is a diverse faculty on many levels — in terms of its disciplines, locations, and the national and cultural backgrounds of its staff and students. At Tech, we don’t just welcome diversity; we recognise and value it as an essential driver of innovation and new breakthroughs in both research and education […] As the world faces profound geopolitical shifts and complex societal challenges, Tech’s disciplines are more relevant than ever. So is collaboration, which we embrace as a prerequisite for unlocking the kinds of interdisciplinary solutions that no single field of expertise can develop and deliver alone.”
I look forward to starting 2026 together with everyone at Tech and our valued partners – to the days of deep focus and the busy days full of change. But first comes the holiday. Thank you for your effort and commitment. Thank you for a great 2025 – and see you in the new year.
Eskild Holm Nielsen
Dean