Research-based public-sector consultancy under pressure

Research-based public-sector consultancy has reached a critical juncture. On 4 December 2009, the Danish Ministry of the Environment issued a call for tenders on three consultation projects which had previously been placed with NERI, as a provider of research-based public-sector consultancy services. The contract conditions contain limits on publication and public disclosure which are incompatible with the freedom of research which defines a public research institution such as NERI. If NERI and Aarhus University were to accept these conditions, the university would be bound to carry out these projects on a ‘pure’ consultancy basis, without co-financing for the research on which this work is based. Among other consequences, this model would grant the Ministry absolute authority over the results of any research and analyses carried out, including the manner of their publication. 

The transition from the research-based public-sector consultancy model to conventional consultancy is deeply regrettable for several reasons. Central consultancy projects commissioned by public authorities should be based on research and the systematic accumulation of knowledge, and such projects should be carried out in conformity with the guidelines for research-based public-sector consultancy developed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in collaboration with a number of other ministries.

Read Pro-Rector Søren E. Frandsen’s editorial of 11 February in Politiken (in Danish only)

The Ambassador of India guested the inauguration of a new research centre

Shri Yogesh K. Gupta, the Indian Ambassador to Denmark, visited Aarhus University on Friday 12 February. The occasion for his visit was the inauguration of Contemporary Study Centre India Aarhus (CISCA). Ambassador Gupta gave a talk entitled India's role in Europe. CISCA is an interdisciplinary centre based at the Department of History and Areas Studies. The centre collaborates with Indian research institutions to promote research and education in the area of contemporary Indian studies.

Major international honour goes to NERI

For the first time, the International Society of Limnology has awarded the highest honour in the field of limnology (the study of inland waters) to an individual and a research team simultaneously. Professor Erik Jeppesen and the Section for Lake Ecology at the Department of Freshwater Ecology at NERI Silkeborg have been awarded the Naumann-Thielemann medal - popularly known as the ‘Nobel prize of limnology’.

The awards ceremony will take place in Cape Town, South Africa in August 2010. Professor Jeppesen and his team have been chosen to receive the award on the basis of their extraordinary contributions to international research on lake ecology systems.

Read the press release from NERI (in Danish only)

Suspicions of fraud linked to research project

Recent weeks have seen extensive media coverage of a possible forgery case in connection with a research project involving Aarhus University, Odense University Hospital, the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the major operating components of the American federal government's Department of Health and Human Services.

Aarhus University and the Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation transferred responsibility for investigating and solving the case to the Eastern Jutland police force in the spring of 2009. The identity of the perpetrator of the alleged forgery is still unknown, and no charges have been laid.

The case is related to a research project on the influence of the lifestyles of pregnant women on the brain function of children. The project has produced impressive research results, and Aarhus University remains active in the international collaboration with CDC and the other research partners involved in the project.

Aarhus University popular among Master’s degree students

When deciding where to study for a Master’s degree, students increasingly choose Aarhus University. In addition, Universities Denmark has just published statistics indicating that increasing numbers of Danish students are choosing to include a period of study abroad in their studies.

Aarhus University admitted 21% more Master’s students in 2009 than in 2008. With , Aarhus University admitted 4,357 new Master's students in 2009, more than any other Danish university.

In fact, well over half of the students enrolled at Aarhus University are Master’s and PhD students. This makes Aarhus University one of the few European universities with a majority of students enrolled in graduate degree programmes.

Statistics from Universities Denmark show that 17% more Aarhus University students chose to study abroad in 2009 than in 2008.

Read the press release and key statistics (in Danish only)

Calendar

• 22 February: Open Access - make your research visible. Public lecture by Dr Alma Swan.
• 22 February: University management meeting
• 1 March: Aarhus University Board meeting
• 3-4 March: Universitetsledelsens seminar på Sandbjerg
• 4-5 March: The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation’s annual Dialogue Forum (Dialogforum) in Fredericia

Kind regards

The Rector's Office

16 February 2010

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.