Introduction to the Sino-Danish Centre of Education and Research
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Knowledge has no boundaries. With the pace that research areas and –results are growing it is of the utmost importance that both Denmark and the Danish universities and researchers co-operate with the strongest research centres in the world. Already today, China boasts the second largest investment in research and development worldwide, more and more of the world’s leading researchers operate out of China. On this premise, Universities Denmark and the Danish Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation are striving to establish a Sino-Danish Centre of Education and Research (SDC) in co-operation with Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS), one of China’s strongest universities.
SDC can serve as the foundation for a close, long-term co-operation between Denmark and China within research and development. With sufficient critical mass and a high, international academic level SDC will promote Denmark as a knowledge based society and lay the foundation for a close dialog with China. SDC is to be established in collaboration between GUCAS and a consortium of the eight Danish universities.
A good investment for Denmark and China.
The goal is a visible platform in China that:
- promotes strong Sino-Danish collaboration on research and development
- improves the possibility for Danish students to study in China at the highest academic level
- facilitates the recruitment of skilled Chinese researchers and students to Danish companies and knowledge centres and
- collaborates closely with Danish companies on providing lifelong learning possibilities, internship programs and development activities.
Furthermore, SDC will be a platform for Danish culture, design and architecture in China which will be reflected in the SDC building as well as activities at the centre. Thus, an investment in a university centre in China is both a knowledge based investment and an opportunity for Danish students and Danish industry. The investment in China does not aim at earning a surplus. The Danish universities are not going to be profit-oriented “graduate factories”, neither in Denmark nor in China. Rather, the profit should be measured in new knowledge, new knowledge networks, internationally oriented students, new business opportunities for Danish industry and a closer dialogue between Denmark and China.
Thorough groundwork
During 2008, Universities Denmark has thoroughly analyzed the various possibilities for strengthening the volume and visibility of Danish research and education in China. It is the conclusion that cooperation with GUCAS offers the best possibility of reaching this goal. GUCAS already has the strongest concrete research collaborations with Danish universities of any Chinese university; it is also of great importance that GUCAS has shown openness towards collaboration with other Chinese universities.
To ensure a high level of research quality the Danish side aims at gathering a “national team” of researchers from all 8 universities across 5-6 concrete research themes where strong research collaborations already exist and synergy with GUCAS researchers can be created. It is estimated that the necessary critical mass is achieved with 100 researchers, 75 PhD students and 300 graduate students, distributed evenly among Danish and Chinese citizens.
Much is yet to be determined
Before the new university centre can be inaugurated many challenges still need to be addressed, legal as well as practical ones. Danish universities must be allowed to offer courses abroad. The funding must be approved. The terms under which Danish researchers are stationed must be clear. Researchers and research environments must be identified and developed.
If everything goes as planned, Danish researchers will initiate new research collaborations with Chinese research environments as early as 2009. In 2011 the first students will be enrolled at new Sino-Danish educations.
In 2009 the following activities are expected to be launched
- Choice of research themes on the Danish side
- Signing of final partnership agreement with GUCAS
- Detailed research programs are developed at a symposium with GUCAS
- First intake of PhD students
- Research activities initiated
For further information please contact:
Universities Denmark
E-mail: china@dkuni.dk
Phone: 33 92 62 47
