Aarhus University endorses evaluation panel recommendations

Aarhus University has submitted its response to the international evaluation panel’s report to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The Vice-Chancellor's Office finds the report, which contains a number of concrete recommendations, both visionary and insightful. This evaluation is seconded by the responses submitted by the main academic areas as part of an internal hearing. Aarhus University endorses the majority of the panel's analyses and recommendations.

Two themes have particular importance for Aarhus University: the panel's recommendation of a “high-trust strategy” for the relationship between the political system, the Ministry and the universities in order to increase the universities' autonomy, and the panel's continuing awareness of the importance of ensuring academic freedom and codetermination for individual researchers.

For example, Aarhus University recommends the amendment of Section 17(2) of the University Act, which grants Heads of Department the formal power to dictate which academic tasks individual staff members are to perform. In addition, Aarhus University finds that increased inter-university competition for research funding in reality limits freedom of research. In agreement with the panel, Aarhus University also holds that the Board of the university has a duty to ensure an appropriate framework for employee and student involvement and codetermination. The Board must also ensure that the process of selection and hiring to university management positions (including external Board members) is sufficiently transparent.

More information on the international evaluation report

PURE gold

Accurate registration of research publications in the PURE system is now more important than ever, and a recent review of registered publications reveals considerable room for improvement. While many researchers already register their publications accurately, in some instances publications (for example, articles, monographs and PhD dissertations) are registered incompletely and/or inaccurately. Aarhus University simply can't afford these errors, now that the registration of publications has direct consequences for the allocation of research funding to Danish universities. The deadline for registration of 2009 publications is 1 March 2010. It is extremely important that publications are registered in PURE accurately and reliably.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Office has appointed a registration working group which will present recommendations for improving the quality of publication registration in the spring.

Professor Poul Nissen awarded prestigious ERC grant

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Professor Poul Nissen of the Department of Molecular Biology (NAT) a research grant with a value of DKK 18 million. Dr Nissen and his research group are recognised as one of the world’s leading research teams in their field. The Vice-Chancellor's Office congratulates Dr Nissen on this honour.

Read the press release from the Department of Molecular Biology

Calendar

• 27 January Global Dialogue Prize award ceremony
• 27 January EliteForsk award ceremony 
• 22 February University management meeting
• 1 March Aarhus University Board meeting

The Rector's Office 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 Rector's Office, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en. The English version of News from the Rector's  Office is available at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter. You can read previous editions of News from the Rector's Office at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter/2009

Aarhus Universitet har nu sendt sit høringssvar om rapporten fra det internationale evalueringspanel til Videnskabsministeriet. Tilbagemeldingerne fra hovedområderne er på linje med rektoratets vurdering af, at det er en indsigtsfuld og visionær rapport, der indeholder nogle meget konkrete anbefalinger. Aarhus Universitet kan i stor udstrækning tilslutte sig panelets analyser og anbefalinger.

Kind regards

The Rector's Office

19 January 2010