The national centres carry out special tasks in the areas of collaboration and knowledge exchange with authorities and the business community. Three national centres of this type are being set up:

• Danish Centre for Environment and Energy (NERI)
  Det Nationale Center for Miljø og Energi (DMU)
• Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture
  Det Nationale Center for Fødevarer og Landbrug
• Danish Centre for Culture and Learning
  Det Nationale Center for Kultur og Læring

The first two of the above-mentioned centres will be located at Science and Technology, while the third will be located at Arts.
Depending on factors such as the individual centre’s size and profile, each one will have a centre director or head of centre appointed.

This person will be an expert in the centre’s specialist field, will refer to the dean of the main academic area, and will work closely together with the vice-dean of knowledge exchange. The centre is the organisational framework that coordinates and ensures the quality of research-based public sector consultancy and other knowledge exchange contracts in the relevant subject area, as well as managing the related finances. The centre will be staffed by a limited number of academically competent employees acting as project owners and coordinators. The centres will be supported by the administrative centre dedicated to the relevant main academic area.

In addition to a basic grant for the next five years, funds will be made available to the centres via the relevant ministerial agreement and contracts with other public authorities and private collaborators.

To carry out their knowledge exchange tasks, and by agreement with relevant heads of departments and heads of centres, the centres will order and finance the necessary expertise and project management in their main academic area. However, the centres can also contact departments and centres outside their own main academic area.

The deputy director of AU Knowledge, who refers to the university director and – on academic issues – to the senior management group, sees to the university’s negotiations and contract formation with authorities, in close interaction with the senior management group, regarding both general public sector consultancy and more specific knowledge transfer tasks. The deputy director also makes the necessary legal and financial expertise available to the centres, as well as ensuring the strategic development of the entire area of knowledge exchange at the university.