Bigger and stronger universities in Denmark

Fewer but stronger universities in Denmark

The Danish government wishes to create a new university sector: Fewer but stronger universities merged with the research sector institutes. In this way Minister of Science Helge Sander thinks that the university education and research will be strengthened through new possibilities for cooperation.

“This is the result of thorough preparations and a number of intense discussions before the summer, and we have made an effort to find the solutions that give the best academic synergy. This can happen in research and university environments that add to each other and make it possible to exploit common facilities,” says Helge Sander (Denmark‘s Liberal Party).

The opposition represented by Rasmus Prehn (The Social Democrats) thinks the government forces small universitites and sector institutions to merge even though they have asked to be spared: “Forced mergers are killing and undermining the good work that is being carried out in these places,” he says to newspaper MetroXPress.
The merger discussions will last till 15th September 2006. Seven institutions are involved: The Danish University for Education, Århus School of Business, Copenhagen Business School, the IT University of Copenhagen, The Danish National Institute of Social Research, the National Institute of Occupational Health and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

The six cities that keep their universitites are according to the government: Copenhagen, Århus, Aalborg, Odense and Lyngby. Roskilde Universitety Centre continues as usual.

Source: NordForsk