Summer reflections from the Dean

Dear all,

We have just celebrated Midsummer. The weather is warm and settled. Our students have worked hard on their exams, and across the university there are flags, flowers, strawberries, sparkling wine, and happy family members celebrating at graduation ceremonies. We are in the final days before most people head off on holiday, switch off, and take a well-earned break.

The quiet of the coming weeks stands in clear contrast to the rest of the year, when Tech is always characterised by a high level of activity in auditoriums, laboratories, offices, fields, barns, greenhouses and everywhere else where Tech staff are at work.

Our research areas continue to attract substantial external funding. I see this as an expression of the value our research creates for society, and as a sign that foundations and companies quite literally appreciate what we do. It is a tremendous vote of confidence that we attract more than one billion kroner in external funding, enabling us to make a much greater impact on society than would be possible with public funding alone.

Our degree programmes are currently heavily affected by the Master’s reform. This year, the reform means that we are offering fewer undergraduate places in engineering than last year. It is difficult to witness at a time when the labour market is simultaneously calling for more graduates with technical qualifications. The imbalance may be becoming clear to the government, which has included 2,000 additional study places within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in its new policy platform. I will be following the allocation of these new places closely and working to represent AU’s interests.

At the same time, considerable effort is being invested in new programme formats such as the Work-integrated  Master’s degree, which from this summer is offered across all engineering programmes. This is an impressive achievement. A total of 83 applicants have applied for the programme, and 60 have listed it as their first priority. Staff at the departments are currently working intensively to raise awareness of the new programme within industry, ensuring that there are sufficient placements for qualified applicants.

Politically, I have also noted the new government’s statements in the areas where Tech provides research-based advisory services. The government is focusing on animal welfare, the environment, nature and biodiversity, and is proposing major changes to society. I hope the government recognises that decisions of this scale must rest on a robust knowledge base and will therefore contribute to establishing a sustainable long-term financial framework for research-based advisory services.

I am often struck by the strong interest from the outside world in the research areas in which Tech is engaged. We have just experienced this at the Danish Folkemødet on Bornholm, and earlier this summer Tech took part in Naturmødet in Hirtshals, with 3,000–4,000 visitors to the AU tent, in addition to AU researchers participating in 32 debates on the main stages. This spring, Tech has also hosted a highly successful MatchPoints event and the international conference Arctic Summit Science Week, both of which received very positive feedback.

Arctic research is a hallmark of AU, and this year the leadership of the Arctic Research Cluster (ARC) has been placed with the Department of Environmental Science. As a result, the leadership of AU’s cross-disciplinary Arctic research is now based in Roskilde, where most AU’s Arctic resources are located.

In Viborg, the expansion of the campus continues to accommodate more students and major research facilities, including within energy. Our research facilities in Auning and Flakkebjerg repeatedly demonstrate the importance of the food sector in driving the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient society.

Last year, we secured a major success for Aarhus when Tech served as the coordinating force in the international consortium that won the tender for the European EIT Water innovation network.

This year, EIT Water has moved into its own premises in The University City (Universitetsbyen) and will spend 2026 building its organisation, which will be anchored in the European EIT system. EIT Water will have its permanent headquarters in Aarhus.

The EIT Water process demonstrated that both the research environments at AU and our network of water technology companies have a strong appetite for creating greater synergy between research, innovation and collaboration in the water sector.

We are therefore now exploring whether we can bring together research environments from Tech and other parts of AU in closer collaboration with public and private stakeholders in the water sector. Tech is actively involved in establishing a “House of Water” at Aarhus Harbour, which could include research and demonstration facilities and serve as a physical hub for innovation.

It is still too early to predict the outcome of this initiative. Aarhus has the potential to become an international powerhouse for research and innovation in water in the broadest sense, and there are plenty of challenges that require cross-cutting solutions. I therefore expect that water will be a theme you will hear more about and engage with in the coming years.

I believe most of you have noticed that innovation has been given a very prominent role in the new AU strategy and in our own Tech 2030. In the past, we have spoken of research, education and advisory services. Now, we also speak of innovation. AU has several initiatives underway aimed at reducing the distance between the research we produce, and the concrete products brought to market by industry. In the lead-up to the summer break, you will see the university advertising several innovation positions intended to attract academic staff or industry-based lecturers who can strengthen the connection between the university and the outside world. I have high expectations for this. The innovation agenda fits well with the tradition within Tech’s disciplines of collaborating closely with industry on new solutions for the green and digital transition.

So yes—there will be plenty to take on when we meet again after the holidays. I look forward to seeing you at the Tech Summer Hangout in the beautiful surroundings by Navitas on 14 August. It is traditionally an occasion blessed with sunshine and good spirits.

Until then, I wish you all a wonderful holiday and a relaxing summer—wherever you may spend it and whoever you choose to share it with.

Warm summer regards,

Eskild Holm Nielsen
Dean