The University of Aarhus has a wide field of research that targets all the most important sectors of the knowledge society. The research impact is the basis of all of the university’s activities. The university is open and communicative, and likes to contribute to the public debate in its many areas of special expertise. The University of Aarhus counts among the European universities that both acknowledge academic values and challenge other sectors of society to collaborate – a partnership that should preferably extend beyond the traditional framework.

Through curiosity-driven research, critical analysis and ongoing debate, researchers and students at the university endeavour to establish new ways to gain insight, understanding, spiritual development and education for the benefit of society as a whole. With its research, research-based advice to the authorities, and its large spectrum of degree programmes, the University of Aarhus is meeting the challenges of the knowledge society.

The university is in the process of improving the targeting and relaying of communication about its activities in order for the knowledge developed at the university better to benefit society as a whole. The independence, internal strengths and values, and the shared goals for the future form the basis of a strong profile that is to cement the perception of the University of Aarhus as a versatile and independent university based on the academic values of freedom and objectivity.

The aims and objectives are:

• to increase the university’s visibility, reputation and influence via strong profiling of the university as a whole and of the individual faculties, schools, departments and institutes
• to support the university’s mission, vision and values by means of national and international profiling.

The University of Aarhus has decided:

• to make profiling a key task for management
• to develop a new design programme
• to analyse the university’s media profile and develop a communication strategy aimed at the university’s main target groups
• to support the research environments’ definition of local communication strategies
• to stimulate the development of innovative scientific journalism
• to utilise the media that can support the University of Aarhus as a communicative university.