UVT, Alm.del - 2009-10 - Bilag 61: Evalueringsrapporten: "The University of Evaluation", fra videnskabsministeren

4. UniversiTy governance. ....................................................................................................................27............4.1.University.autonomy. ....................................................................................................................27.. 4.1.1.University.autonomy:.a.central.objective. ...............................................................................27.. 4.1.2.Continuing.constraints. .........................................................................................................28.. 4.1.3.Universities’.progress.regarding.autonomy..............................................................................32. 4.1.4.Recommendations.on.autonomy. ...........................................................................................34.4.2..Codetermination.and.academic.freedom.........................................................................................36. 4.2.1.Codetermination...................................................................................................................36. . 4.2.1.1.Changes.brought.by.the.2003.University.Act...................................................................36. . 4.2.1.2.Experience.and.problems..............................................................................................37. 4.2.2.Freedom.of.research..............................................................................................................39. 4.2.3.Freedom.of.debate. .............................................................................................................. .41.. 4.2.4.Recommendations.on.codetermination.and.academic.freedom.................................................42.

5. The mergers.........................................................................................................................................45................5.1.Introduction..................................................................................................................................455.2.Research.......................................................................................................................................46. 5.2.1.International.impact.of.Danish.university.research..................................................................46. 5.2.2.Attracting.EU.funding............................................................................................................495.3.Education. ....................................................................................................................................53.. 5.3.1.Study.programmes................................................................................................................53. 5.3.2.Student.intake,.progress.and.completion.................................................................................56. 5.3.3.Conditions.of.study...............................................................................................................575.4.Innovation.and.relationship.to.the.business.sector...........................................................................58. 5.4.1.Relationship.to.private.sector.companies................................................................................58.. 5.4.2.Integrating.the.GRIs.with.universities.....................................................................................605.5.Non-merged.universities.and.government.research.institutions.........................................................62. 5.5.1.Three.non-merged.universities...............................................................................................62. 5.5.2.The.non-merged.GRIs............................................................................................................645.6.Food.Forum...................................................................................................................................665.7.Recommendations.on.mergers........................................................................................................68

4. annexes.................................................................................................................................................72 1. Terms of reference for the evaluation ............................................................................................... 722. Proposal for minimum contents of the 2009 evaluation of 18 November 2008 ...................................... 743. Brief presentation of the Evaluation Panel Members .......................................................................... 774. Reference list of background documents for the evaluation................................................................. 795. List of abbreviations used in the evaluation report ............................................................................ 836. Meeting schedule for the evaluation, including programme for the Evaluation Panel’s site visits in August 2009 ........................................................................................................ 847. The Danish university sector – a factual overview ............................................................................. 93

1.1 introduktionDenne.rapport.præsenterer.resultatet.af.2009-evalueringen.på.universitetsområdet,.der.blev.gennemført.fra.december.2008.til.november.2009.af.et.uafhængigt.internationalt.eva-lueringspanel..Evalueringen.blev.igangsat.på.baggrund.af.Folketingets.beslutning.V9.af.16..november.2006.og.gennemført.i.overensstemmelse.med.Kommissorium.for.evaluering.på.universitetsområdet.af.2..december.2008...Efter.introduktionen.følger.evalueringspanelets.overordnede.konklusioner.i.kapitel.1..Kapi-tel.2.præsenterer.baggrunden,.formålet.og.proceduren.for.evalueringen..I.kapitel.3.beskriver.panelet.den.globale,.europæiske,.nordiske.og.danske.sammenhæng,.som.den.danske.universitetssektor.indgår.i..Kontekstbeskrivelsen.leder.til.en.kort.gennem-gang.af.de.forhold,.som.sammen.med.de.formelle.rammer.har.dannet.en.referenceramme.for.panelets.evaluering.Kapitel.4.og.5.præsenterer.panelets.vurderinger.og.anbefalinger,.struktureret.i.overens-stemmelse.med.den.referenceramme,.der.er.beskrevet.i.kapitel.3..Der.er.vedhæftet.en.række.bilag.til.rapporten.inklusive.en.kort.faktuel.beskrivelse.af.den.danske.universitetssektor.i.de.senere.år..

1.2 overordnede konklusionerDen.danske.universitetssektor.har.gennemgået.væsentlige.ændringer.og.reformer.i.løbet.af.de.senere.år.i.tråd.med.internationale.reformtendenser.på.området..Panelet.har.brugt.intentio-nerne.bag.de.største.reformer,.universitetsloven.af.2003.og.sammenlægningsprocessen.i.2007,.som.referenceramme.for.dets.vurderinger.og.anbefalinger..Begge.reformer.har.til.hensigt.at.styrke.universitetssektorens.globale.konkurrenceevne..Et.yderligere.referencepunkt.er.den.dan-ske.Globaliseringsstrategi,.der.på.linje.med.de.globale.tendenser.er.rettet.mod.at.styrke.viden-strukturen.i.samfundet..Globaliseringsstrategien.fokuserer.blandt.andet.på.at.øge.andelen.af.unge,.der.gennemfører.en.videregående.uddannelse,.etablere.flere.ph.d.-stipendier,.fremme.in-ternationaliseringen.af.de.videregående.uddannelser.samt.forbedre.relationen.mellem.universi-teterne.og.den.private.sektor.for.så.vidt.angår.innovation..For.at.opnå.de.ønskede.resultater.af.de.forskellige.reformer.har.Folketinget.forøget.de.offentlige.midler.til.forskning.væsentligt...5

Universiteterne.har.opnået.større.autonomi,.og.deres.beslutningskapacitet.er.blevet.for-bedret..Imidlertid.er.denne.udvikling.blevet.ledsaget.af.omfattende.og.i.mange.tilfælde.meget.detaljeret.regulering..En.egentlig.forøgelse.af.universiteternes.overordnede.an-svarsområder.er.derfor.mindre.tydelig.sammenlignet.med.centraladministrationens.an-svarsområder..Det.er.legitimt,.at.universiteterne.skal.stå.til.ansvar.for.anvendelsen.af.de.omfattende.offentlige.midler,.som.bliver.investeret.i.dem..Men.nogle.af.de.nuværende.regler.hæmmer.autonomien,.medfører.unødvendig.administration.og.besværliggør.univer-siteternes.strategiske.udvikling..Det.nuværende.sammenflettede.ansvar.gør.de.forventede.effekter.af.styrket.universitetsautonomi.mindre.tydelige,.især.på.specifikke.områder.inden.for.uddannelse.og.ledelsesstruktur..Samtidig.har.universiteterne.ikke.fuldt.ud.implemen-teret.deres.opgaver.og.forpligtelser.som.ansvarlige,.autonome.institutioner..For.at.imødegå.disse.modsætninger.anbefaler.panelet.en.”højtillids-strategi”:.politikerne.og.de.udførende.myndigheder.bør.fastsætte.de.overordnede.strategiske.målsætninger.og.lade.universite-terne.selv.fastlægge,.hvordan.disse.målsætninger.opnås..En.sådan.fordeling.af.ansvar.er.i.overensstemmelse.med.intentionerne.bag.universitetsloven.af.2003..Medbestemmelse.for.medarbejdere.og.studerende.er.behandlet.i.universitetslovens.bestem-melser.om.de.interne.ledelsesstrukturer,.herunder.universitetsbestyrelse,.akademisk.råd,.studienævn.og.ph.d.-udvalg..Desuden.fastlægger.bemærkningerne.til.universitetsloven,.at.dekaner.og.institutledere.er.forpligtet.til.at.sikre.inddragelse.af.medarbejdere.og.stude-rende..Men.hverken.loven.eller.bemærkningerne.indeholder.en.generel.bestemmelse.til.sikring.af.medbestemmelse,.og.universiteterne.har.ikke.indført.medbestemmelse.i.tilstræk-kelig.grad..For.at.yde.retfærdighed.til.de.danske.demokratiske.traditioner.og.universitets-lovens.ånd.for.så.vidt.angår.involvering.af.medarbejdere.og.studerende.i.relevante.beslut-ningsprocesser,.og.samtidig.gøre.dette.til.et.almengyldigt.ansvar.for.universiteterne,.an-befaler.panelet,.at.der.i.universitetsloven.eller.bemærkningerne.til.loven.indsættes.en.ge-nerel.bestemmelse,.som.præciserer.den.individuelle.universitetsbestyrelses.forpligtelse.til.at.sikre.en.tilfredsstillende.praksis.for.medbestemmelse..En.sådan.bestemmelse.bør.også.sikre,.at.universitetsbestyrelserne.indfører.procedurer.for.høj.grad.af.gennemsigtighed.ved.udpegning.af.universitetsledere.og.eksterne.medlemmer.af.universitetsbestyrelserne...I.Danmark.lægges.der.stor.vægt.på.såvel.forskningsfrihed.som.den.frie akademiske debat..En.del.af.universitetsloven,.nemlig.paragraf.17.stk..2,.sender.imidlertid.et.mindre.hensigts-mæssigt.signal,.idet.den.kan.opfattes.som.en.indgriben.i.universitetsforskeres.traditionelle.værdier.og.rettigheder..Panelet.anbefaler.Folketinget.at.fjerne.eller.omformulere.paragraf.17.stk..2..For.eksempel.kunne.stykket.ændres.til.at.fastsætte,.at.forskningsfriheden.skal.være.garanteret.inden.for.de.rammer.for.videnskabelig.kvalitet,.såvel.som.de.institutio-nelle.og.finansielle.rammer,.som.den.enkelte.forsker.arbejder.inden.for..Sammenlægningerne.mellem.universiteter.og.mellem.universiteter.og.sektorforskningsin-stitutioner.er.blevet.gennemført.for.at.styrke.universitets-.og.forskningssektoren,.specielt.set.i.et.internationalt.perspektiv..Sammenlægningsprocesserne.har.virket.som.igangsættere.af.forandring.på.flere.måder..Der.er.opnået.visse.positive.effekter,.men.den.fulde.virkning.er.endnu.ikke.opnået,.især.på.grund.af.den.korte.periode.siden.sammenlægningerne..Ikke.desto.mindre.forventer.panelet,.at.universiteterne.med.tiden.vil.opfylde.det.potentiale,.som.sammenlægningerne.har.medført..Panelet.anbefaler,.at.det.diskuteres,.om.det.nye.’landkort.for.universiteter.og.forskning’.tjener.det.danske.samfunds.interesser.i.tilstræk-kelig.grad,.og.at.yderligere.justeringer.af.’landskabet’.overvejes..Spørgsmålet.om.univer-siteternes.profiler.var.ikke.et.nøglespørgsmål.på.sammenlægningstidspunktet,.men.nu.er.tiden.moden.til.at.drøfte.profilering..Panelet.anbefaler.en.debat.rettet.mod.at.fastlægge,.hvilken.diversitet.der.ønskes.i.den.danske.universitetssektor..Drøftelserne.kan.specificere.6

1.1 introductionThis.report.presents.the.outcome.of.the.Danish.University.Evaluation,.carried.out.Decem-ber.2008.–.November.2009.by.an.independent.international.evaluation.panel..The.evalu-ation.was.initiated.on.the.basis.of.the.Danish.Parliament.resolution.V9.of.16.November.2006.and.carried.through.in.accordance.with.the.Terms of Reference for the 2009 Danish University evaluation.of.3.December.2008.After.the.introduction,.a.summary.of.the.Evaluation.Panel’s.overall.conclusions.is.provid-ed..Chapter.2.presents.the.background,.purpose.and.procedure.of.the.evaluation..In.chapter.3.the.Panel.describes.the.Global,.European,.Nordic,.and.Danish.context.of.which.the.Danish.university.sector.is.part..The.context.presentation.leads.to.a.brief.de-scription.of.the.perspectives.and.framework,.according.to.which.we.have.structured.our.evaluation.while.at.the.same.time.taking.basis.in.the.formal.framework.for.the.evalua-tion.Chapters.4.and.5.present.the.Panel’s.assessments.and.recommendations..These.are.struc-tured.in.correspondence.with.the.framework.described.in.chapter.3.Several.annexes.are.attached.to.the.report,.including.a.brief.presentation.of.facts.and.later.years’.history.of.the.Danish.university.sector.

ternationalisation.of.higher.education.as.well.as.a.more.effective.innovation.relationship.between.universities.and.the.private.sector..For.achieving.the.intended.outcomes.of.the.different.reforms,.the.Danish.Parliament.has.substantially.increased.the.public.funding.of.research...More.autonomy of.the.universities.has.been.achieved.and.the.decision-making.capacity.of.universities.has.been.improved..However,.this.development.has.been.accompanied.by.a.dense.set.of.rules.and.regulations,.many.of.them.too.detailed..An.actual.increase.in.the.overall.responsibilities.of.the.university.level.has.therefore.been.less.evident,.compared.to.the.responsibilities.of.the.central.administration..Accountability.is.legitimate.–.the.universities.must.account.for.the.substantial.public.funding.invested.in.them..Some.of.the.present.rules.and.regulations,.however,.are.hampering.autonomy,.entailing.unnecessary.administration.and.interfering.with.strategic.university.processes..The.present.intertwined.responsibility,.especially.with.respect.to.certain.education.issues.and.specific.features.of.the.leadership.structure,.makes.the.expected.effects.of.the.strengthened.university.autonomy.less.obvious..At.the.same.time.the.universities.have.not.fully.materialised.their.tasks.and.responsibilities.as.accountable.autonomous.institutions..To.address.the.underlying.contradictions.the.Panel.recommends.a.high-trust.strategy:.the.politicians.and.the.implementing.authorities.should.be.expected.to.stick.to.overall.strategic.targets.and.leave.to.the.universities.to.decide.how.to.reach.the.targets..Such.a.division.of.responsibilities.is.in.line.with.the.intentions.behind.the.2003.University.Act.The.codetermination.for.staff.and.students.is.covered.by.the.University.Act’s.stipulations.with.respect.to.the.internal.governance.structures,.above.all.the.university.boards,.the.academic.councils,.the.study.boards.and.the.PhD-committees..In.addition.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.Draft.Bill.on.Universities.stipulate.obligations.of.Deans.and.Heads.of.Department.to.ensure.involvement.of.staff.and.students..However,.neither.the.Act.nor.the.explanatory.notes.contain.a.general.statement.in.support.of.codetermination,.and.the.universities.have.not.implemented.codetermination.to.a.satisfactory.extent..In.order.to.do.justice.to.Danish.democratic.traditions.and.the.spirit.of.the.Act.as.regards.academic.staff.and.students’.involvement.in.relevant.decision-making.processes.and.at.the.same.time.making.this.a.general.responsibility.for.the.universities,.the.Panel.recommends.that.a.general.statement.stipulating.the.individual.university.board’s.obligation.to.secure.adequate.codetermination.practices.should.be.included.in.the.Act.or.in.the.explanatory.notes..Such.an.amendment.should.also.ensure.the.university.boards.to.be.active.in.the.implementation.of.procedures.for.a.high.degree.of.transparency.in.nominating.senior.executives.as.well.as.the.external.members.of.central.university.boards.Regarding.the.freedom of research.as.well.as.the.freedom of debate,.the.intentions.and.expectations.in.Denmark.are.high..One.part.of.the.University.Act,.though,.sends.a.less.expedient.signal,.namely.the.article.17.2,.which.could.be.regarded.as.an.intrusion.into.traditional.values.and.rights.of.academic.university.staff..The.Panel.recommends.the.Parliament.to.remove.or.reformulate.article.17.2..An.example.of.change.of.the.Act.could.be.to.let.the.article.stipulate.that.research.freedom.should.be.guaranteed.within.the.specific.financial.and.quality.framework.of.the.institution.of.the.researcher..The mergers.between.universities.and.between.universities.and.government.research.institutions.(GRIs).have.been.carried.through.in.order.to.strengthen.the.university.and.research.sector,.especially.in.an.international.setting..The.merger.processes.have.in.certain.ways.acted.as.change.drivers..The.effects.of.the.mergers.have.not.yet.been.fully.materialised,.even.though.there.are.certain.positive.effects,.and.the.short.time.since.10

the.merger.decisions.have.not.allowed.for.a.more.comprehensive.implementation..Nonetheless,.the.Panel.expects.the.universities.to.fulfil.in.due.time.the.potential.of.the.mergers..In.order.to.be.more.competitive,.the.Panel.recommends.the.adequacy.of.this.new.‘map.of.universities.and.research’.to.be.discussed.for.serving.the.interests.of.the.Danish.society.and.economy,.and.the.‘landscape’.to.be.adjusted.with.further.mergers.and.other.adjustments..As.the.question.of.university.profiles.did.not.exist.as.a.key.issue.for.the.mergers.at.the.time.of.the.merger.process,.it.might.now.be.time.for.discussing.the.profiling.of.the.universities..The.Panel.therefore.recommends.a.debate.on.university.system.diversity,.aimed.at.determining.what.kind.of.diversity.basis.the.system.should.have..The.discussion.may.include.possible.targets.for.the.university.system.as.well.as.for.each.individual.university.when.it.comes.to.research.output.and.impact.Concerning.the.Danish Food Forum,.the.Panel.concludes.that.the.Food.Forum.in.its.current.set.up.is.not.functioning.effectively..Assuming.that.Denmark.wants.a.leading.role.in.agricultural.and.food.industry,.a.framework.for.a.national.‘Food.Strategy’.might.be.set.up,.to.influence.and.stimulate.the.universities.concerned.as.well.as.the.interaction.between.the.food/agricultural.industry.and.the.universities..

2.1 The Terms of referenceAs.indicated.in.the.Terms.of.Reference.(annex.1),.The.Danish.Parliament’s.resolution.V9.(Denmark’s.Liberal.Party,.The.Conservative.People’s.Party,.and.The.Danish.Social.Demo-crats).of.16.November.2006.sets.out.the.formal.framework.for.the.evaluation:“The.Danish.Parliament.accepts.the.answer.from.the.Minister.of.Science,.in.that.it:>. Notes.that.the.purpose.of.the.mergers.are.more.education,.greater.international.impact.of.research,.more.innovation.and.collaboration.with.industry,.the.attraction.of.more.research.funding.from.the.EU,.as.well.as.a.continued.competent.service.in.the.area.of.government.commissioned.research.>. Notes.that.the.institutions’.self-determination.has.been.the.core.principle.in.the.merg-ers.of.the.universities.and.the.government.research.institutions,.which.are.to.come.into.effect.on.January.1,.2007.>. Underlines.the.importance.of.the.university.law’s.provisions.concerning.research.free-dom.and.employees’.freedom.to.participate.in.the.public.debate.>. Notes.that.the.Minister.of.Science.in.2009.will.conduct.an.evaluation.of.the.extent.to.which.the.purpose.of.the.university.mergers.has.been.achieved.>. Notes.that.the.Minister.of.Science.in.2009.furthermore.will.conduct.an.evaluation.of.the.state.of.codetermination.for.employees.and.students.at.the.universities,.the.free.academic.debate,.and.research.freedom,.under.the.current.university.law.”The.purpose.of.the.evaluation.has.been.to.investigate.the.issues.described.in.the.Danish.13

Parliament’s.resolution.V9,.as.well.as.issues.concerning.the.development.of.degrees.of.freedom.(autonomy).for.the.universities,.with.the.main.focus.on.the.effect.of.the.reform.of.2003.(the.2003.University.Act).and.the.2007.reform.(the.mergers.of.universities.and.government.research.institutions)..According.to.the.Terms.of.Reference,.“The.aim.of.the.two.reforms.was.to.provide.universities.with.an.enhanced.capacity.for.strategic.prioritisa-tion.across.their.core.areas.of.activity:.education,.research,.and.knowledge.transfer,.as.well.as.with.an.enhanced.ability.to.meet.demands.of.society.”In.connection.with.the.purpose.of.the.evaluation,.the.Terms.of.Reference.specified.that:.“The.creation,.through.the.reform.of.2003,.of.a.clear.and.transparent.management.struc-ture.including.appointed.leaders.and.governing.boards.with.a.majority.of.members.from.outside.the.university,.forms.the.basis.for.the.evaluation.”With.reference.to.the.explanatory.notes.for.“The.Draft.Bill.to.Changing.the.University.Act.(L140).of.31.January.2007”,.the.Terms.of.Reference.stipulated.that.the.evaluation.should.be.conducted.independently.

2.2 procedure for the evaluationThe.document.“Proposal.for.minimum.contents.of.the.2009.evaluation.of.18.November.2008”,.including.amendments.of.29.January.2009.(annex.2).also.belongs.to.the.formal.framework.for.the.evaluation..It.comprises.the.following.evaluation.areas:A.. Fulfilment.of.the.purpose.of.university.mergers1.. More.education2.. Greater.international.impact.of.research3.. More.innovation.and.collaboration.with.industry4.. Attraction.of.more.EU-funding5.. Continued.competence.in.commissioned.services.to.governmentB.. Codetermination.for.employees.and.studentsC.. The.free.academic.debateD.. Research.freedomE.. Degrees.of.freedom.(Autonomy)The.Panel.notes.that.the.data.available.this.early.after.the.completion.of.the.mergers.will.not.be.sufficient.to.establish.valid.causal.links..Regarding.the.mergers.the.Panel.therefore.has.had.to.rely.to.a.large.extent.on.experiences,.perceptions,.and.interpretations.The.main.objects.for.the.evaluation.were.the.eight.Danish.universities,.i.e..the.five.uni-versities.that.have.undergone.mergers.in.2007.(University.of.Copenhagen.(KU),.Aarhus.University.(AU),.Technical.University.of.Denmark.(DTU),.University.of.Southern.Denmark.(SDU).and.Aalborg.University.(AAU)),.and.the.three.universities.that.did.not.merge.(Co-penhagen.Business.School.(CBS),.Roskilde.University.(RUC),.and.IT-University.of.Copen-hagen.(ITU))..In.addition,.the.following.four.government.research.institutions,.which.were.not.merged,.have.been.included.in.the.evaluation:.SFI.-.Danish.National.Research.Centre.for.Social.Research;.NFA.-.National.Research.Centre.for.the.Working.Environment;.GEUS.-.Geological.Survey.of.Denmark.and.Greenland;.and:.The.Kennedy.Centre..Finally,.DFF.–.Danish.Food.Forum.(“Det.Nationale.Fødevareforum”).has.been.included.in.the.evaluation..The.inclusion.of.the.latter.in.the.evaluation.was.decided.in.connection.with.the.foundation.of.DFF,.which.took.place.as.a.consequence.of.the.mergers..14

The.evaluation.has.drawn.upon.a.number.of.surveys.and.analyses.conducted.by.private.consultants,.and.statistical.data.delivered.by.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.In-novation.and.the.Danish.University.and.Property.Agency..The.evaluation.has.also.ben-efited.from.comprehensive.written.reports.and.statements.from.the.individual.universities.as.well.as.from.Universities.Denmark,.the.non-merged.government.research.institutions,.relevant.Ministries.and.several.other.stakeholders..Furthermore,.the.Panel.has.included.the.recent.evaluations.of.SFI.and.NFA.as.the.basis.for.its.investigations.in.relation.to.these.two.institutions...An.overview.of.the.background.material.is.enclosed.as.annex.4.In.addition,.the.Panel.has.based.its.evaluation.on.information.and.opinions.obtained.from.meetings.with.employees,.students,.and.management.representatives.of.the.individual.universities,.as.well.as.with.representatives.of.non-merged.government.research.institu-tions,.relevant.ministries.and.relevant.stakeholders.and.collaboration.partners.of.the.universities..The.meetings.with.the.universities.and.other.stakeholders.took.place.during.the.Panel’s.nine.days.assembly.in.Denmark.20-28.August.2009..In.addition,.ahead.of.the.August.assembly,.on.12.May.2009,.the.Panel.Chair.and.one.Panel.Member.met.with.a.number.of.stakeholders..Programmes.for.the.Panel’s.meetings.with.the.universities.and.other.stakeholders.are.enclosed.in.the.time.and.work.plan.for.the.evaluation.(annex.6).The.meetings.were.held.as.informal.discussions.on.the.basis.of.specific.questions.pre-pared.in.advance,.aimed.in.particular.at.gaining.information.and.viewpoints.supplemen-tary.to.the.received.background.documents,.focusing.especially.on.the.impact.of.the.merg-ers.and.the.university.sector.policy.instruments.(legislative,.financial.and.dialogue.based.instruments).The.Panel.has.had.several.internal.meetings.for.planning.as.well.as.for.discussing.its.ob-servations,.assessments.and.recommendations.(see.annex.6)..From.August.to.November.2009.the.Panel.completed.the.evaluation.report..The.Panel’s.communication.on.the.report.took.place.via.e-mail,.telephone.and.meetings..

The.reform.forces.and.expectations.that.confront.universities.around.the.world.also.ap-ply.to.the.Danish.universities..Danish.universities.and.this.evaluation.must.take.account.of.these.contextual.forces.for.better.understanding.the.challenges.Danish.universities.are.facing.nationally.and.internationally..There.are,.firstly,.the.global.reform.trends..With.Denmark’s.goal.of.developing.a.world.class.university.system.that.can.support.the.global.competitiveness.of.the.country’s.economy,.it.joins.a.large.number.of.other.countries.with.similar.ambitions..Countries.around.the.world.are.introducing.reforms.aimed.at.creating.conditions.under.which.their.universities.can.compete.with.the.best.universities.in.the.world..Secondly.the.European.context.is.of.particular.significance.for.Danish.universities.from.the.perspective.of.the.development.of.the.European.Higher.Education.Area.(as.part.of.the.Bologna.Process).as.well.as.the.European.Research.Area..In.the.framework.of.this.evaluation,.especially.the.role.of.the.European.research.funding.is.examined..Thirdly.in.the.Nordic.context.the.interconnections.are.strong..In.this.context.especially.common.Nor-dic.political.and.cultural.values.and.traditions.are.of.relevance..Finally,.university.reforms.within.the.country.take.place.within.the.context.of.wider.socio-economic.and.political.forces..University.reforms.in.Denmark.have.been.shaped.by.and.must.take.account.of.such.developments.as.the.Government’s.Globalisation.strategy..These.four.elements.are.discussed.below.as.a.prelude.to.describing.the.Panel’s.evaluation.perspective,.which.is.taken.up.at.the.end.of.the.chapter.

3.1 global governance reformsIn.recent.decades.governments.around.the.world.have.introduced.major.reforms.of.their.university.systems..These.reforms.are.in.general.a.response.to.changes.in.the.socio-economic.and.political.environments.of.the.universities..The.changes.in.question.are.re-quiring.universities.to.meet.a.wider.set.of.goals.than.the.traditional.provision.of.primary.teaching.and.research.activities..These.derive.from.the.growing.policy.focus.on.the.link.between.education,.basic.research,.and.innovation;.the.continuously.growing.number.of.students.enrolling.in.the.tertiary.education.sector.and.the.need.for.a.greater.diversity.of.provision;.technological.change;.changing.competencies.and.skills.requirements.on.the.labour.market;.and.changing.demographic.and.mobility.patterns..Competition.among.na-tions.is.also.a.part.of.this,.with.the.recognition.that.the.quality.of.higher.education.and.research,.and.its.permeability.in.the.economy,.hold.the.key.to.economic.growth.and.social.inclusion..17

Two global trends: Strengthened autonomy and strengthened regulatory regimesFaced.with.these.changes.governments.in.all.OECD.countries.are.engaged.in.reforming.their.higher.education.system..In.this,.special.attention.is.given.to.the.governance.modes.with.respect.to.higher.education..This.concerns.both.the.system.level.governance.ap-proach.and.the.intra-institutional.governance.structures..There.are.two.clear.and.opposite.directions.of.change..One,.in.continental.European.countries,.and.the.Asian.OECD.coun-tries,.where.levels.of.university.autonomy.were.traditionally.low,.there.is.a.move.to.ex-pand.the.degree.of.institutional.autonomy..The.second.orientation,.visible.in.those.coun-tries.in.which.universities.enjoyed.traditionally.high.degrees.of.autonomy,.is.to.strengthen.the.regulatory.regime.to.bring.the.more.autonomous.university.sectors.more.in.line.with.the.requirements.of.the.public.interest..These.opposite,.but.complementary,.trends.represent.the.need.for.national.governments.to.find.an.appropriate.balance.between.system.level.order.and.the.need.for.governmen-tal.control.versus.an.effective.level.of.system.diversity.and.autonomy.of.the.public.sec-tor.institutions.including.universities.(Olsen.2007)..The.two.trends.represent.attempts.to.improve.the.governance.balance.between.government.and.higher.education:.either.through.strengthening.university.autonomy.or.to.reduce.university.autonomy.in.certain.areas.from.a.public.interest.perspective..This.also.implies.that.university.autonomy.is.not.an.aim.in.itself,.nor.can.be.absolute..It.is.part.of.a.complex.governance.relationship.that.has.to.be.reviewed.and.adapted.regularly.in.order.to.assure.its.continuous.effective-ness..Consequently,.the.key.question.governments.are.struggling.with,.when.it.comes.to.gov-erning.their.university.systems.effectively,.is.the.following:.How to provide appropriate levels of institutional autonomy and, at the same time, comple-ment institutional autonomy with an accountability regime that satisfies the public interest without becoming a constraint on universities’ responsiveness and innovation?

3.2 The european contextSince.the.second.half.of.the.1990s.there.has.been.a.growing.political.focus.in.Europe.on.the.possible.consequences.of.globalisation..This.development.was.ignited.by.the.per-ceived.weaknesses.of.the.European.economies.in.comparison.to.the.US.economy.and.the.rapid.rise.of.China.and.India.as.important.economic.powers..The.heads.of.state.of.the.EU.members.have.expressed.their.worries.and.presented.their.strategies.for.addressing.the.challenges.for.Europe.in.the.so-called.Lisbon.2000.Agenda,.which.aims.at.strengthening.the.economic.competitiveness.of.Europe.as.well.as.improving.the.social.cohesion.of.its.societies..As.a.consequence,.there.is.at.the.beginning.of.the.21st.century.a.clear.political.“momen-tum”.for.the.university.in.Europe..The.Lisbon.Summit.of.2000.has.(re-)confirmed.the.role.of.the.university.as.a.central.institution.in.the.“Europe.of.Knowledge”..Consequent-ly,.we.can.observe.that.since.2000.the.Commission.has.become.highly.interested.in.the.university.as.an.object.of.European.level.policy-making..This.is.clearly.inspired.by.the.interpretation.of.the.university’s.central.role.in.connecting.education,.research,.and.in-novation.(the.Knowledge.Triangle),.and.the.assumption.that.the.effectiveness.of.this.connection.is.considered.to.be.of.major.importance.for.the.competitiveness.of.Europe’s.economies.and.the.level.of.social.cohesion.of.its.societies..In.the.Commission’s.commu-18

nications.and.other.policy.papers.the.university.has.either.directly.or.indirectly.become.a.central.concern..The.general.worry.about.“global.competitiveness”.is.primarily.focused.upon.the.European.research-intensive.university..Based.on.indicators.and.statistics,.especially.international.rankings,.but.also.on.statistics.such.as.the.number.of.international.students.in.Europe,.the.number.of.European.students.in.Australia.and.the.US,.and.the.number.of.European.aca-demics.at.US.universities,.the.view.dominates.that.the.European.University.is.lagging.be-hind..Reform.is.promoted.as.the.means.through.which.European.universities.can.compete.(again).with.their.US.counterparts.The.European.level.reform.proposals.use.two.organisational.models.as.their.main.frame.of.reference,.namely.the.leading.US.research.universities.and.the.successful.enterprise.and.its.assumed.style.of.organisation.and.governance..The.first.defines.the.crisis.of.the.Euro-pean.university.and.is.organised.around.the.question:.“Why.is.there.no.Euro-Ivy.League?”.(Science.2004:.951).The.second.presents.the.solution:.European.universities.have.to.be-come.more.like.private.enterprises.operating.in.competitive.environments.The.university.reform.agendas.that.are.presented.at.the.European.level.focus.especially.on.the.relationship.between.research.and.innovation..The.legitimacy.of.the.European.Commission.to.launch.university.reform.ideas.is.based.on.its.competence.in.the.area.of.research.policy,.which.has.been.developed.since.the.beginning.of.the.1980s..The.most.important.research.policy.instrument.for.the.Commission.has.been.the.multi-annually.framework.programmes.(FPs)..The.first.FPs.had.a.purely.economic.rationale,.but.they.gradually.expanded.in.disciplinary.scope.and.funding..The.attached.objectives.became.more.heterogeneous.covering.not.only.economic.but.also.ecological,.social,.and.political.rationales..The.Lisbon.2000.summit.led.to.important.innovations.in.the.aims,.organisation,.and.am-bitions.of.the.FPs,.as.well.as.to.the.introduction.of.the.European.Research.Area.(ERA)..Through.the.ERA.the.EU.intends.to.influence.and.integrate.the.national.research.poli-cies.of.its.member.states..The.ERA.ambitions.are,.amongst.other.things,.expressed.in.the.joint.3.%.target.of.GDP.to.be.invested.in.research.and.development..In.addition,.in.the.development.of.the.latest.FP.(FP7),.the.member.states.and.the.EU.agreed.upon.the.es-tablishment.of.the.European.Research.Council.(ERC).which.is.a.considerable.institutional.innovation.at.the.European.level..It.is.significant.because.it.entails.changing.the.idea.and.principles.of.research.funding.in.Europe..To.understand.the.innovative.nature.of.the.ERC,.the.following.transformative.dimensions.are.of.relevance:>. The.ERC.brings.basic.research.into.the.heart.of.the.EU.research.policy,.i.e..as.a.sepa-rate.construction.within.the.Seventh.Framework.Programme.(FP7)..>. The.establishment.of.the.ERC.changed.the.definition.of.what.kind.of.research.is.a.le-gitimate.concern.at.the.EU.level..>. The.ERC.represents.a.break.with.the.established.principles.of.criteria.for.European.re-search.funding.with.the.“excellence.only”.principle,.no.pre-determined.research.topics.and.no.criteria.of.trans-nationality.or.even.research.collaboration,.but.highly.selective.funding.given.to.individual.researchers.and.their.teams..Currently,.the.EU.research.funding.context.for.Danish.universities.consists.first.and.fore-most.of.the.FP7,.one.of.the.largest.public.research.programmes.in.human.history.with.a.budget.of.over.€.50.billion.to.be.distributed.in.the.period.2007-2013..The.underlying.19

assumption.for.the.FP7.is.that.it.will.be.a.major.step.towards.creating.a.world.class.Euro-pean.research.environment.through.stimulating.competition.for.research.funding.among.Europe’s.best.and.most.ambitious.researchers;.stimulating.mobility.of.the.best.research-ers.leading.to.strategic.concentrations.of.top.researchers.in.a.limited.number.of.European.universities,.public.non-university.research.institutions,.and.the.private.sector;.and.stimu-lating.national.research.councils,.ministries.and.university.leadership.to.develop.strategic.priorities.in.line.with.the.research.agendas.of.the.European.Commission.While.(higher).education.has.traditionally.been.a.nationally.sensitive.policy.area.in.the.EU,.also.here.the.Lisbon.Summit.marks.an.important.beginning.of.more.direct.involve-ment.of.the.European.Commission.in.educational.policies..The.Erasmus.Mundus.pro-gramme.has,.for.example,.given.a.major.boost.to.the.development.of.international.joint.degree.programmes.in.Europe..Finally,.we.wish.to.mention.the.Bologna.Process..Currently.46.European.states.participate.in.this.intergovernmental.process,.documented.by.the.communiqués.of.the.bi-annual.min-isterial.conferences..The.Bologna.Process.aims.at.creating.the.European.Higher.Education.Area.(EHEA).characterised.by.a.compatibility.and.comparability.of.national.higher.educa-tion.systems.based.on.a.three.cycle.structure..As.stressed.in.the.Leuven.communiqué.of.April.2009,.the.Bologna.Process.is.“firmly.embedded.in.the.European.values.of.institu-tional.autonomy,.academic.freedom,.and.social.equity”.and.requires.“full.participation.of.students.and.staff”..Intra-European.mobility.of.students,.early.stage.researchers,.and.staff,.is.one.of.the.main.concerns.of.the.Bologna.Process..The.Leuven.communiqué.states.the.ambitious.goal.that,.by.2020,.“at.least.20.%.of.those.graduating.in.the.countries.of.the.European.Higher.Education.Area.should.have.had.a.study.or.training.period.abroad”.. Although,.officially,.the.Bologna.Process.is.a.purely.intergovernmental.process.among.nearly.all.European.states,.it.is.more.and.more.driven.by.various.stakeholders.including.the.European.Commission,.the.latter.successfully.trying.to.integrate.EU’s.education.and.lifelong.learning.policies.and.programs.with.the.Bologna.agenda.

3.3 The nordic dimensionThe.Danish.universities.are.positioned.in.a.number.of.international.arenas,.including.the.Nordic.region.consisting.of.Denmark,.Finland,.Iceland,.Norway,.Sweden.and.the.autono-mous.territories.of.Greenland,.the.Faroe.Islands,.and.Åland..Nordic.cooperation.within.higher.education.was.established.well.before.the.current.focus.on.the.economic.and.societal.impact.of.universities..While.the.traditional.rationale.for.Nordic.cooperation.within.higher.education.was.culturally.and.academically.based,.such.traditions.are.challenged.by.emerg-ing.new.rationales.for.universities’.internationalisation.and.relations.to.economy.and.market.competition..Nonetheless,.for.understanding.the.Danish.university.dynamics,.the.Panel.finds.it.of.relevance.to.reflect.briefly.on.the.main.dimensions.of.Nordic.higher.education.Similar.to.the.EU.with.its.Lisbon.Agenda,.in.2000.the.Nordic.Council.of.Ministers.also.adopted.a.Nordic.Agenda.and.a.strategy.for.Nordic.cooperation..The.Nordic.Agenda.high-lights.five.areas.of.special.importance.for.Nordic.cooperation:>. Technological.development.with.special.reference.to.the.information.society.and.Nor-dic.research.>. Social.security.and.the.possibility.for.Nordic.citizens.to.live,.work,.and.study.in.an-other.Nordic.country.20

>. The.internal.Nordic.market.and.cooperation.for.abolishing.border.obstacles.>. Cooperation.with.neighbouring.countries.and.neighbouring.regions.>. The.environment.and.sustainable.development.in.energy,.transport,.forestry,.fishery,.and.trade.and.industry.In.2005,.this.Agenda.was.followed.by.a.joint.strategy.of.the.Nordic.Council.and.the.Nordic.Council.of.Ministers.as.presented.in.the.report.“Norden som global vinderregion”.[The.Nordic.Region.as.a.Global.Winner.region]..The.report.argues.that.the.Nordic.region.is.under.pressure.from.globalisation.and.increased.international.competition.from.China.and.India,.and.that.this.raises.the.question.of.what.the.Nordic.region.should.base.its.economy.and.welfare.in.the.future..As.a.consequence.of.the.agreements.reached.in.the.Nordic.Council.and.Nordic.Council.of.Ministers.over.many.years,.the.Nordic.countries.have.developed.a.common.labour.market,.have.established.common.institutions.in.various.policy.areas,.and.have.devel-oped.cooperation.schemes.and.programmes..With.respect.to.education.this.has.resulted.in.various.mobility.programmes.for.pupils,.students,.teachers,.and.researchers.(includ-ing.the.Nordplus.programme.for.students.and.teachers);.agreements.for.the.mutual.recognition.of.degrees.and.study.programmes,.simplified.admission.requirements.for.Nordic.students.throughout.the.region;.and.various.expert.committees.for.policy.issues.and.cooperation.initiatives..Further,.a.number.of.cooperation.programmes.have.been.implemented.relating.to.research..The.Nordic.Science.Policy.council.was.established.in.1983,.and.cooperation.in.the.area.of.research.training.has.existed.since.1990..The.socio-economic,.political,.and.cultural.similarities.between.the.Nordic.countries.form.a.solid.foundation.for.their.long-term.cooperation,.and.form.at.the.same.time.a.good.basis.for.a.continuing.bench-marking.in.different.areas,.including.education.and.research..Although.there.are.clear.political,.economic,.and.historical.differences.between.the.countries,.policy-making.in.this.region.is.often.characterised.as.being.a.result.of.the.“Nordic.Model”..With.respect.to.higher.education,.typical.ingredients.of.this.model.are.public.higher.education.institutions.with.institutional.autonomy.in.many.areas,.a.democratic.intra-university.governance.structure.with.a.structured.involvement.of.staff.and.students,.high.levels.of.state.investments,.strong.emphasis.on.equality.con-cerning.the.institutional.landscape.and.the.way.in.which.public.resources.are.allocated.throughout.the.system..To.complement.this.picture,.the.Nordic.states.have.traditionally.also.offered.quite.favourable.student.support.schemes.with.the.aim.of.stimulating.high.participation.rates.in.the.sector..

3.4 globalisation strategy in denmarkDenmark.is.one.of.the.European.countries.that.have.developed.a.specific.national.glo-balisation.strategy.called.“Progress,.Innovation.and.Cohesion.Strategy.for.Denmark.in.the.Global.Economy”..Responsible.for.this.strategy.was.a.Globalisation.Council.set.up.in.2005.and.consisting.of.representatives.of.many.sections.of.society..The.strategy.can.be.re-garded.as.one.of.the.most.straightforward.and.explicit.national.level.initiatives.in.Europe.to.handle.the.challenges.of.the.global.economy..In.the.analysis.underlying.the.strategy.a.number.of.the.Danish.strengths.and.weaknesses.have.been.highlighted..The.strengths.indicated.are.the.strong.national.economy,.the.flexible.labour.market,.low.unemployment.and.a.highly.educated.population..The.indicated.main.weaknesses.are.the.ageing.popula-tion,.the.high.cost.and.price.level.of.the.Danish.economy,.and.the.fact.that.the.Danish.21

education.system.is.not.geared.towards.a.knowledge.society..The.latter.expresses.itself.in.the.following.characteristics:.Danish.students.begin.and.complete.their.studies.late.(age.wise),.higher.education.programmes.have.a.high.drop.out.rate,.and.the.number.of.gradu-ates.in.natural.and.engineering.sciences.is.too.low..The.Globalisation.Strategy.has,.as.such,.a.strong.focus.on.education.and.research.on.the.basis.of.the.starting.point.that.“Human.knowledge,.ideas.and.work.effort.are.key.for.exploiting.the.opportunities.of.the.globalisation”.(In.Danish:.“Menneskers viden, idérig-dom og arbejdsindsats er nøglen til at bruge de muligheder, som globaliseringen giver os”)..In.its.implementation,.this.focus.has.even.become.more.pronounced,.implying.that.the.globalisation.strategy.has.become,.in.the.first.place,.an.education.and.research.policy.strategy..The.most.important.university-oriented.policy.goals.introduced.in.the.framework.of.the.globalisation.strategy.are.to:> raise.the.public.investments.in.research.from.0.75%.to.1%.of.the.Danish.GDP;> link.the.basic.public.funding.of.universities.more.directly.to.the.quality.of.their.ac-tivities;> integrate.the.government.research.institutions.(GRIs).into.the.universities;> double.the.number.of.PhD.students;> introduce.a.system.of.accreditation.for.all.university.education.programmes;> increase.the.higher.education.participation.rate.from.45.to.50%;> stimulate.a.more.rapid.throughput.of.higher.education.students;> introduce.better.and.more.structured.options.for.Danish.students.for.studying.abroad..To.realise.these.policy.goals.a.number.of.specific.measures.and.reforms.have.been.intro-duced.in.the.Danish.university.sector,.including.the.university.merger.processes..These.are.not.isolated,.but.relate.to.the.Danish.political.system’s.overall.reform.efforts.with.respect.to.higher.education,.which.include.the.2003.University.Act.aiming.at.university.autonomy..All.these.efforts.are.aimed.at.further.strengthening.the.Danish.universities.and,.as.one.of.the.underlying.goals,.enabling.the.universities.to.compete.in.a.number.of.fields.with.the.world’s.best.universities..The.Danish.Globalisation.Strategy,.also.mirroring.the.trends.in.Europe,.as.well.as.other.parts.of.the.world,.is.thus.an.important.component.of.the.basis.for.this.evaluation.

moving.decision.making.responsibilities.from.collegial,.representative.councils.to.ap-pointed.leaders.(rector,.deans,.and.heads.of.department)..Further,.the.new.Act.aimed.at.improving.the.relationship.between.universities.and.society.through.the.introduction.of.central.university.boards.with.a.majority.of.external.members..This.reform.was.followed.by.the.2007.merger.operations.that.led.to.fewer.universities.and.a.concentration.of.pub-licly.funded.R&D.in.the.university.sector..The.university.merger.processes.consisted.of.an.integration.of.GRIs.into.the.university.sector,.which.was.a.target.of.the.globalisation.strategy;.and.mergers.between.universities,.which.was.initiated.by.the.Government..The.integration.of.GRIs.had.as.its.main.aims.to.stimulate.research.synergies.between.until.now.institutionally.separated.sectors;.to.fer-tilise.the.university.sector.with.practice.oriented.research.leading.to.close.contacts.with.societal,.i.e..private.and.public.sector.agencies;.and:.to.make.additional.research.resources.available.for.educational.processes,.leading.to.a.strengthening.of.the.link.between.higher.education.and.research.As.such,.the.2003.Act.can.be.seen.as.creating.the.governance.conditions.for.the.profiling.and.strategic.prioritising.of.universities,.while.the.merger.processes.added.a.substantive.dimension.through.the.concentration.of.research.capacities.in.selected.areas.in.specific.universities..The.Panel’s.evaluation.framework.is.based.on.the.nature.and.aims.of.these.two.reforms.Consequently, the Panel has organised its evaluation and assessments along two lines, i.e. first developments with respect to university governance since 2003 (focusing on two sub-lines: university autonomy, and codetermination and academic freedom); and second the effects of the mergers on the dynamics and productivity of the university system.

University governanceThe.2003.Act.is.in.line.with.global.reform.trends.aimed.at.modernising.university.manage-ment..Such.reforms.are.not.implemented.in.a.vacuum,.since.the.governance.structures.to.be.changed.have.their.own.traditions.and.characteristics.that.continue.to.have.an.influ-ence.long.after.the.legal.foundations.for.the.structures.have.been.altered..In.the.Danish.case.this.means,.for.example,.that.the.democratic.traditions.with.respect.to.university.governance,.including.the.structured.involvement.of.staff.and.students.in.intra-university.decision-making,.continue.to.have.an.influence.also.after.the.2003.reform..As.such.the.in-troduction.of.appointed.leaders.in.university.governance.structures,.and.the.establishment.of.central.executive.boards,.have.ameliorated.the.formal.decision-making.capabilities.of.the.universities,.but.the.demand.for.a.democratic.intra-university.governance.structure.has.also.continued..As.a.consequence,.for.it.to.be.successful.and.effective,.the.2003.re-form.needs.to.lead.to.an.appropriate.balance.in.the.intra-university.governance.structure.between.top-down.oriented.executive.leadership,.and.a.bottom-up.management.style,.which.should.include.an.effective.involvement.of.staff.and.students.in.academic.decision.making.at.all.appropriate.levels..In.addition,.the.framework.conditions,.within.which.the.university.leadership.can.operate.autonomously,.demand.an.“arm’s.length.distance”.from.the.side.of.the.involved.Ministries.and.the.Parliament,.which.implies.the.setting.of.overall.targets,.instead.of.an.interference.through.detailed.regulations.and.control.in.the.day-to-day.responsibilities.of.the.university.management..One.of.the.conditions.for.this.is.a.high.level.of.trust.from.the.central.au-23

thorities.in.the.capabilities.of.the.universities.to.use.the.autonomy.in.the.expected.way..In.other.words,.an.adequate.balance.between.autonomy.and.accountability.of.the.universi-ties.should.be.maintained..On.the.one.hand,.the.universities,.in.order.to.keep.up.a.high,.or.even.world-class.standard,.need.room.to.operate.and.develop..On.the.other.hand.the.authorities,.representing.the.tax.payers,.have.a.legitimate.right.to.demand.documentation.for.the.universities’.prudent.use.of.the.substantial.public.funding..Furthermore,.academic.freedom,.including.freedom.of.research.and.free.academic.de-bate,.is.a.fundamental.principle.of.university.life,.and.both.governments.and.universi-ties.must.ensure.respect.for.this.fundamental.requirement..To.meet.the.needs.of.the.world.around.a.university,.the.research.must.be.morally.and.intellectually.independent,.and.it.must.be.ensured.that.research.issues.can.be.freely.selected,.research.methodology.freely.developed,.and.research.results.freely.published.in.the.framework.of.the.employ-ment.conditions.provided.by.the.university.and.the.assessments.of.peers.from.the.same.academic.area..

University mergersWhile.the.2003.reform.created.the.governance.framework.for.strategic.leadership,.the.globalisation.strategy.provided.the.framework.for.making.the.next.step,.i.e..creating.the.academic.framework.conditions.for.strategic.prioritisation.and.profiling.by.stimulating.merger.processes.that.would.lead.to.a.concentration.of.research.capacities.in.universi-ties..The.mergers.were.also.expected.to.strengthen.education,.and.especially.upper.level.education.degree.programmes,.amongst.other.things,.by.bringing.research.staff.from.the.GRI.sector.into.the.universities..Mergers.were.also.intended.to.create.the.conditions.for.effective.relationships.between.universities.and.the.private.as.well.as.the.public.sector,.which.would.contribute.to.economically.relevant,.as.well.as.other.societal,.innovations..The.starting.point.for.the.merger.process.was.the.assumption.in.the.Globalisation.Strategy.of.the.benefit.in.merging.the.government.research.institutions.(GRIs).with.the.universi-ties..Subsequently,.the.Government.also.initiated.a.merger.process.between.universities..The.stated.expectations.of.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.were.the.establishment.of.a.strongly.reduced.number.of.universities.with.ameliorated.strength.in.the.international.setting..

Main evaluation issuesBased.on.these.perspectives,.the.Panel.has.in.the.first.place.studied.and.assessed.the.way.in.which.specific.governance.aspects.of.the.university.sector.have.developed.since.2003..In.this,.it.has.examined.two.specific.issues:.> How.have.the.2003.Act,.and.regulations.plus.various.other.steering.instruments.follow-ing.the.Act,.influenced.university.autonomy,.and.have.the.universities.implemented.the.Act.fully.and.adequately.in.the.given.conditions.and.framework?.> How.has.the.implementation.of.the.2003.Act.by.the.universities.affected.university.de-mocracy,.more.specifically.the.involvement.of.the.staff.and.students.in.intra-university.decision.making.processes;.and.the.freedom.of.research.and.the.free.academic.debate?The.issues.of.autonomy,.staff.and.student.involvement,.research.freedom.and.free.aca-demic.debate.are.addressed.in.Chapter.4..In.chapter.5.the.Panel.presents.its.assessment.of.the.effects.of.the.mergers,.while.recognising.the.methodological.limitations.imposed.by.the.short.period.since.the.mergers..Mindful.of.this.limitation,.the.Panel.has.attempted.to.24

In.this.chapter.the.Panel.presents.its.assessments.and.recommendations.as.regards.the..development.of.specific.governance.aspects.of.the.Danish.university.sector.since.the.in-troduction.of.the.2003.University.Act.and.subsequent.regulations..In.line.with.the.Panel’s.Terms.of.Reference,.we.address.two.main.aspects..Firstly,.we.assess.the.way.in.which.the.2003.University.Act,.and.regulations.plus.various.other.steering.instruments.following.the.Act,.have.affected.university.autonomy..In.addition,.we.discuss.the.extent.to.which.the.universities.have.implemented.the.Act.effectively.in.the.sense.of.university.autonomy..Secondly,.we.assess.the.effects.of.the.2003.University.Act.on.intra-university.governance.issues.and.the.universities’.implementation.of.the.Act.in.the.sense.of.intra-university.gov-ernance..More.specifically,.we.assess.the.involvement.of.staff.and.students.in.intra-univer-sity.decision.making.processes,.the.freedom.of.research,.and.the.free.academic.debate.

4.1 University autonomy4.1.1University autonomy: a central objectiveIn.line.with.international.trends,.the.2003.University.Act.changed.the.status.of.universities.from.being.state.institutions.to.autonomous.bodies.within.the.public.sector..This.changed.the.relative.responsibilities.of.the.universities.and.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.(henceforth.referred.to.as.the.Ministry).in.its.oversight.role.over.the.universi-ties..The.overall.task.of.the.university.board.under.the.Act.is.to.“safeguard.the.university’s.interests.as.an.educational.and.research.institution.and.determine.guidelines.for.its.organ-isation,.long.term.activities.and.development”..The.Minister.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.(henceforth.the.Minister).“is.charged.with.formulating.the.framework.for.the.universities’.activities;.determining.society’s.requirements.for.the.universities’.activities,.and.the.size.of.the.subsidies.from.the.Danish.state.to.support.these.activities;.safeguard-ing.the.operational.reality.facing.the.university.management.and.encouraging.the.manage-ment.to.make.the.sensible.decisions.from.a.socio-economic.perspective”.[E2,.p.2]...For.public.institutions,.such.as.the.Danish.universities,.it.is.essential.to.ensure.an.ad-equate.balance.between.autonomy.and.accountability..In.order.to.maintain.a.high,.or.even.world-class.standard,.the.universities.need.room.to.operate.and.develop,.while.at.the.same.time.the.tax.payers.have.a.legitimate.right.to.oversee.that.the.universities.use.the.27

substantial.public.funding.prudently..The.Panel.finds.that.the.2003.Act.provides.for.a.high.level.of.autonomy.of.the.universities.in.appropriate.balance.with.accountability..The.Act.itself.does.not.constrain.the.universi-ties.from.establishing.a.satisfactory.level.of.autonomy.and.accountability.–.including.the.freedom.to.develop.distinctive.individual.institutional.profiles,.while.at.the.same.time.documenting.for.society.how.the.public.resources.are.spent.on.universities’.activities.and.achievements.On.basis.of.its.interviews.and.the.submissions.it.has.received,.the.Panel.also.concludes.that.within.the.university.sector.and.among.various.stakeholders.there.are.widespread.consensus.that.the.Danish.universities.have.gained.greater.autonomy.through.the.2003.Act..In.general,.universities.appear.to.have.become.more.dynamic.because.of.the.newly.gained.autonomy..The.Act.is.generally.welcomed.and.by.and.large,.the.stakeholders.view.the.2003.Act.as.a.big.step.forward.in.strengthening.the.universities’.autonomous.status.and.providing.room.for.flexibility.and.innovation..The.university.leadership.also.wel-comes.the.principle.of.dialogue.initiated.by.the.Minister.following.the.2003.Act,.as.well.as.the.new.auditing.approaches.that.have.been.introduced..

continuing constraintsNonetheless,.there.remain.a.number.of.important.constraints.on.university.governance,.and.new.ones.have.been.added.following.the.2003.Act,.many.of.which.are.in.weak.com-pliance.with.the.intentions.of.the.Act.and.are.hampering.the.autonomy.of.the.universities..The.Panel.mainly.sees.these.problems.within.the.following.three.areas:>. Regulations.are.often.used.as.steering.instruments.for.publicly.funded.institutions.which.are.responsible.for.central.societal.tasks..At.present,.extensive.rules.interfere.un-necessarily.with.the.universities’.freedom.to.operate,.particularly.with.respect.to.edu-cational.activities.and.the.institutional.management.structure,.including.very.detailed.rules,.overlapping.rules,.and.rules.which.entail.unnecessary.administrative.burdens.and.unclear.division.of.responsibilities.>. Public.funding.is.a.powerful.steering.instrument,.which.can.be.used.in.a.considerate.manner.to.set.incentives.for.achieving.political.goals,.but.can.also.be.used.in.ways.which.impede.the.autonomy.of.the.universities.>. A.structured.dialogue.between.the.universities.and.the.central.administration.is.im-portant.in.order.to.ensure.an.optimal.balance.between.autonomy.and.accountability..However,.the.prerequisites.given.in.the.Act.for.the.dialogue.can.impede.university.au-tonomy..At.present,.the.restrictions.given.to.the.development.contracts.make.them.less.appropriate.as.goal.setting.instruments.In.the.following,.the.Panel.will.address.the.three.above.topics.

It.appears.to.the.Panel.that.in.the.current.national.steering.framework.the.universities’.activities.are.to.be.approved.before implementation.as.well.as.controlled.during opera-tion,.while.also.the.output.is.monitored.–.via.orders,.accreditation.criteria.and.procedures,.supervisory.bodies,.development.contracts,.evaluations,.etc..The.Panel.finds.this.to.be.an.unnecessary.duplication.of.control,.which.is.not.only.hampering.university.autonomy.but.also.wastes.university.resources.that.could.be.used.more.effectively.Many.of.the.external.constraints.are.an.intrusion.into.areas.of.competence,.which.should.be.the.responsibility.of.the.universities.themselves..The.constraints.amount.to.a.level,.which.may.be.called.micro-management,.and.limit.the.university.leadership’s.room.to.manoeuvre.and.flexibility.in.its.strategic.decisionmaking.and.positioning..Some.proce-dures,.while.not.limiting.university.autonomy,.are.excessively.bureaucratic.and.generate.inefficiencies.in.university.operations..Considerable.administrative.resources.are.demand-ed.of.the.universities.for.reporting.and.applying.for.approval..This.may.very.well.impede.the.strategic.and.visionary.management.of.the.universities..This.may.arise.due.to.a.dupli-cation.of.oversight,.when.more.than.one.tool.is.used.for.the.same.purpose,.or.if.the.moni-toring.procedures.employed.are.overly.resource-consuming.for.the.universities..

Examples of inconsiderate regulations .Regulations.in.the.area.of.education.are.particularly.limiting.the.universities’.autonomy,.as.they.are.wide-ranging,.covering.decision.areas.such.as.study.programmes,.admission,.and.enrolment.procedures;.awarding.of.parallel.and.joint.degrees;.and:.arrangements.for.credit.transfer,.exams,.grading.scale,.guidance.and.counselling,.and.quality.assurance.procedures...Speeding up enrolment and graduationAs.implied,.the.Panel.has.observed.that.several.tools.are.used.by.the.authorities.and.poli-ticians.to.achieve.the.same.goals..For.example,.in.some.cases,.development.contracts,.taximeter.rules,.recruitment.rules.and.rules.on.student.counselling,.are.all.geared,.in.part,.to.speed.up.enrolment.and.graduation..One.unintended.consequence.is.administrative.inefficiency.because.responding.to.overlapping.demands.ties.down.resources.of.the.uni-versities.and.the.commitment.of.such.resources.reduces.universities’.room.to.manoeuvre.in.substantive.areas.Student intake and exams Another.example.is.that.universities.cannot.decide.on.the.criteria.or.procedure.for.student.intake.on.their.own..Student.enrolment.to.bachelor’s.programmes.is.controlled.centrally.through.an.Order.(issued.in.2008)..The.objective.of.the.changes.introduced.in.2008.and.2009.was.to.expand.enrolment.in.Quota.1.at.the.expense.of.Quota.2..Likewise,.it.was.introduced.that.applicants.applying.no.later.than.two.years.after.having.completed.their.upper.secondary.will.have.the.average.of.their.secondary.school.grades.multiplied.by.1.08.to.raise.eligibility...The.Government.as.well.as.the.Parliament.have.passed.specific.decisions.on.matters.that.can.be.expected.to.lie.in.the.competence.of.the.universities,.such.as.the.abolishment.of.group.exams,.and.the.introduction.of.very.detailed.rules.regarding.re-examination.within.a.short.time.after.students’.failed.passing.of.the.“regular”.exam..Also,.detailed.rules.for.students’.rights.to.complain.are.demanding.excessive.resources.of.the.universities.Study programme accreditation processThe.Panel.is.concerned.that.the.current.practice.of.regulations.and.procedures.regarding.29

the.development.of.new.or.adaptation.of.existing.study.programmes.can.have.negative.effects..Quality.control.of.study.programmes.is.necessary,.and.it.is.important.that.uni-versities.function.within.an.agreed.national.quality.assurance.framework..The.difficulty.with.the.current.regulations.is.that.in.addition.to.regular.external.quality.control.of.es-tablished.study.programmes,.the.Danish.universities.must.obtain.accreditation.of.new.study.programmes.in advance.from.ACE.Denmark.(the.accreditation.institution.for.higher.education)..The.requested.resource.commitments.reduce.the.universities’.preparedness.in.responding.rapidly.to.emerging.demands.for.new.skills.and.competences.of.master’s.and.bachelor’s.programme.graduates.The.Panel.supports.the.general.idea.of.the.establishment.of.an.independent.institution.under.the.Danish.Accreditation.Act..It.provides.an.arm’s.length.approach.to.assuring.the.quality.and.relevance.of.the.university.study.programmes,.which.replaced.the.previ-ous.system.where.the.development.of.new.study.programmes.was.directly.controlled.by.the.Ministry.on.the.basis.of.macro-efficiency.concerns.and.criteria...In.the.new.system,.programme.accreditation.is.based.on.an.overall.assessment.of.study.programmes.and.a.combined.weighting.of.all.the.criteria.of.the.Accreditation.Order.(such.as.demand.in.the.labour.market,.research-based.teaching,.depth.of.education,.results.of.the.study.pro-gramme)..The.Minister.still.determines.the.subsidy.status,.title,.specific.admission.require-ments.for.bachelor’s.programmes,.the.prescribed.study.period,.and.any.limit.on.student.intake,.before.the.Accreditation.Council.can.approve.a.study.programme..Through.an.amendment.to.the.Act.in.2007,.universities.are.under.obligation,.as.of.January.2008,.to.set.up.recruitment.panels.for.study.programmes.involving.industry.representatives..There.is.universal.complaint.among.the.universities.against.the.resource.costs.and.inef-ficiency.of.the.in-advance.accreditation.process..The.Panel.finds.the.lengthy.process.from.an.idea.for.a.new.programme.to.the.actual.start.of.the.programme.as.hampering.univer-sities’.quick.response.to.changing.socio-economic.knowledge,.skills,.and.competences.needs..From.that.perspective,.it.would.be.preferable.to.use.also.in.Denmark.the.interna-tionally.dominant.ex-post.evaluation.procedure.instead.of.the.current.ex-ante.accredita-tion.practice.Joint degrees, international collaboration on study programmesIn.terms.of.the.increasing.internationalisation.of.education,.the.Danish.regulations.appear.inflexible.and.are.impeding.the.development.towards.an.increase.of.Danish.students.going.abroad.for.a.shorter.or.longer.period..For.example,.the.cases.of.parallel.and.joint.degrees.are.handled.by.a.separate.Order.that.lays.down.conditions.for.approval..These.regula-tions.take.little.account.of.the.international.environment.in.which.Danish.universities.are.operating..Furthermore,.Danish.regulations.limit.the.international.marketing.of.Danish.study.programmes,.the.establishment.of.joint.degrees,.and.Danish.universities’.participa-tion.in.the.Erasmus.Mundus.programme..For.the.latter,.there.has.been.a.retrograde.step.in.that.initially.the.retention.of.the.taximeter.scheme.for.Erasmus.Mundus.students.was.achieved,.but.has.subsequently.been.discarded.(as.of.March.2009)..Top positions While.several.areas.of.decision.making.regarding.staffing.have.been.transferred.to.the.uni-versities.in.recent.years,.constraints.remain.in.place.as.universities.are.part.of.the.public.sector.financial.and.labour.market.regulations..For.example,.the.number.of.management.positions.of.pay.grade.37.and.above.(E2,.p.12).is.limited,.and.determined.by.the.Ministry.of.Finance..The.cap.on.the.number.of.professorships.was.abolished.in.2008,.but.with.re-spect.to.experienced professors.(pay.grade.38).the.Ministry.of.Finance.has.set.a.maximum.30

of.255.positions.for.the.university.sector.as.a.whole..The.appointment.of.a.rector.or.pro-rector.or.any.of.the.designated.academic administrative positions,.including.deans.and.heads.of.departments,.is.subject.to.an.externally.fixed.total.number.per.university.of.such.positions..With.regard.to.staff.remuneration,.universities.do.have.freedom.in.topping.up.the.public-sector.bargained.minimum.scale.for.employees.in pay grades lower than 37..In.addition,.there.are.upper.limits.on.salaries.for.the.different.leadership.positions,.from.rector.to.heads.of.department,.which.must.not.be.exceeded.without.the.approval.of.the.Ministry.of.Finance..As.regards.budgeting,.while.universities.are.free.to.draw.up.their.own.budgets,.and.to.save.and.build.up.equity,.they.are.not.permitted.to.raise.loans.without.prior.authori-sation.from.the.Ministry.of.Finance.[E2]..A.majority.of.the.Danish.universities.do.not.own.their.teaching.and.research.facilities.but.rent.them.from.the.State,.an.issue.that.has.been.opened.up.for.negotiations.by.the.2003.Act..

Sufficient instruments for strategic development?Funding.arrangements,.as.well.as.development.contracts,.are.important.steering.instru-ments.available.to.the.government..They.can.be.tools.for.strategic.steering,.without.resort-ing.to.direct.operational.intervention,.or.they.can.be.used.to.limit.university.flexibility..Much.depends.on.how.they.are.shaped.and.implemented.in.practice..FundingThe.funding.tracks.for.research.in.Denmark,.as.well.as.in.comparable.countries,.are.formed.in.several.ways.which.influence.the.quality.and.effectiveness.of.research.and.pro-mote.research.in.fields.especially.important.for.the.country..In.the.present.funding.system.in.Denmark,.the direct funding consists.of.both.free.funding.(the.basic.funding,.also.called.the.appropriation.funding).and.funding.to.fulfil.the.research-based.public-sector.services..The indirect funding track.consists.both.of.schemes.which.distribute.funding.on.a.compet-itive.non-targeted.basis.with.research.quality.as.the.main.indicator.and.of.schemes.with.pre-set.targets.for.the.research.to.be.funded,.in.Danish.often.called.“free.schemes”.and.“strategic.schemes”.respectively.The.universities.must.have.sufficient.basic.funding.for.developing.their.research.strate-gies.and.prioritisations.as.well.as.for.financing.high.quality.research-based.education.at.PhD,.master’s.and.bachelor’s.levels..The.basic.funding.component.has.increased.consid-erably.since.2003.(see.figure.2.in.annex.7),.but.the.amount.available.by.the.competitive.funding.schemes.have.also.increased,.some.schemes.of.which.demand.co-financing..The.external.“free.funding”,.received.by.individual.researchers.or.research.groups.in.competi-tion.especially.from.national.and.international.funding.councils,.might.also.be.used.by.the.universities.as.a.basis.for.prioritising.top.quality.research.activities.which.are,.or.in.the.longer.term.may.develop.into,.knowledge.areas.of.importance.for.society..This.peer.reviewed.research.may.thus.contribute.to.the.(further).profiling.of.the.university..Funding.received.from.competitive.“strategic.schemes”,.even.though.the.research.is.restricted.to.certain.fields,.may.also.give.the.universities.a.framework.for.further.strategic.prioritisation.decisions.According.to.annex.7,.table.4,.the.overall.share.of.basic.funding.of.the.total.funding.for.re-search.has.dropped.from.64%.(2003).to.56%.(2009)..Nonetheless,.as.mentioned,.in.abso-lute.terms.the.amount.of.basic.funding.has.increased.during.the.later.years,.and.the.ques-tion.whether.the.universities.have.sufficient.room.for.deciding.on.strategic.prioritisations.of.their.own.within.the.present.financing.conditions.is.not.an.easy.one..It.also.depends.on.the.extent.to.which.basic.funding.is.used.for.co-financing.external.funding..The.Panel.finds.31

that.the.universities’.internal.considerations.for.outlining.an.institutional.strategy.or.profile,.amongst.other.things,.are.dependent.on.the.quality.and.competitiveness.of.their.academic.staff,.and.the.effectiveness.of.the.institutions’.personnel.policies..Development contractsThe.development.contracts.[described.in.background.document.E7].could.be.used.as.indi-vidual,.helpful.tools.for.the.universities’.strategic.development.and.profiling,.as.well.as.for.realising.important.targets,.such.as.speeding.up.graduation.and.specific.enrolment.targets..However,.we.do.not.find.the.development.contracts.in.their.current.practice.effective.enough.as.such.steering.instruments,.as.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.University.Act.make.them.less.appropriate.for.this.role..The.development.contracts.have.become.too.detailed.and.process-oriented..In.practice.they.consist.of.a.list.of.indicators,.on.which.universities.provide.data...For.an.overview.of.the.university.sector,.the.Parliament,.as.well.as.the.Ministry,.obviously.needs.comprehensive.information.and.statistics.on.the.universities’.performance..This.in-formation.is.necessary.and.can.be.developed.in.dialogue.with.the.universities,.but.it.does.not.necessarily.belong.in.a.development.contract...

Corrective action taken so farRecognising.the.constraints.placed.on.university.flexibility,.the.Minister.has.initiated.sev-eral.committees.and.working.groups.to.identify.areas.where.university.autonomy.could.be.strengthened.and.where.the.rules.do.not.correspond.with.requirements.in.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.Draft.Bill.for.the.2003.University.Act..Many.university-Ministry.issues.have.been.resolved.through.this.mechanism.and.the.Ministry.is.continuing.to.look.into.areas.where.regulation.can.be.simplified.or.scrapped..At.the.time.of.the.decision.on.the.2003.University.Act,.the.political.parties.behind.the.Act.listed.ten.degrees.of.freedom.which.should.be.sought.established..Nine.of.these.areas.were.implemented.[E2,.p.3]..The.tenth,.an.increase.in.the.maximum.amount.which.can.be.earmarked.for.university.construc-tion.without.separate.application.to.the.Finance.Committee,.has.been.approved.recently..However,.it.is.the.impression.of.the.Panel.that.the.universities.do.not.see.these.degrees.of.freedom.as.the.core.of.institutional.autonomy..In.2007,.the.Minister.appointed.a.committee.which.has.come.up.with.an.additional.ten.areas.where.further.de-regulation.is.being.con-sidered.[E2,.p.3]..Eight.of.these.areas.have.reportedly.been.implemented.in.2008.–.2009..

Universities’ progress regarding autonomyThe.development.of.university.autonomy.in.the.period.after.2003.was.dependent.on.the.extent.to.which.the.universities.have.been.able.to.use.the.opportunities.offered.by.the.University.Act.for.becoming.strategic.actors.and.develop.more.direct.and.effective.rela-tionships.with.society,.including.the.private.sector.and.the.international.research.com-munity..As.discussed.in.the.previous.sections,.the.Panel.has.observed.that.to.some.extent.the.universities.have.been.hampered.in.the.development.of.their.strategic.capacities.by.a.dense.set.of.government.regulations..Nonetheless,.this.situation.does.not.mean.that.the.universities.have.been.paralyzed.and.have.had.no.room.to.manoeuvre.at.all..Therefore,.in.this.section,.the.Panel.generally.discusses.how.the.universities.have.used.the.opportunities.for.autonomy.offered.by.the.2003.University.Act..Has.the.university.sector.as.a.whole.become.more.strategic.and.diverse?.Are.there.signs.of.differences.between.the.uni-versities.with.respect.to.the.ways.in.which.the.2003.University.Act.has.been.implemented?

The.Panel.has.conducted.its.evaluation.in.the.transition.from.what.has.been.called.the.first.generation.university.management.to.the.second.generation..The.first.generation.of.university.managers.has.in.many.respects.had.to.get.used.to.the.new.responsibilities.as.well.as.opportunities.offered.by.the.University.Act..At.the.same.time,.the.university.Boards.have.had.to.find.their.role.in.stimulating.the.strategic.positioning.of.the.universi-ties..As.indicated,.the.universities.have.been.hampered.by.the.Ministry.and.Parliament.who.have.interfered.in.many.ways.in.the.details.of.the.day-to-day.operations.of.the.uni-versities..In.addition,.as.will.be.discussed.in.following.sections,.overall.the.university.managers.have.also.had.difficulties.in.finding.the.right.balance.between.an.executive.leadership.style.and.the.need.to.involve.staff.and.students.in.academic.and.administrative.decision.making.processes.University.autonomy.is.not.an.aim.in.itself..In.the.Danish.case,.the.reforms.of.the.2000s.were.expected,.amongst.other.things,.to.lead.to.more.intra-sector.diversity.through.univer-sity.profiling..There.are.a.number.of.indications.that.suggest.that.the.universities.are.be-coming.more.strategically.oriented.and.are.taking.the.responsibilities.seriously.that.have.been.transferred.to.them..A.first.indication.consists.of.the.strategic.plans.that.most.of.the.universities.have.produced..Even.though.there.are.differences.between.these.plans.when.it.comes.to.strategic.focus.and.the.clarity.and.consistency.of.the.strategic.goals.included,.they.nonetheless.show.that.the.universities.are.in.a.process.of.becoming.strategic.actors..A.second.indication.can.be.found.in.the.careful.attempts.of.a.number.of.the.universities.to.develop.an.explicit.institutional.profile,.amongst.other.things,.by.using.part.of.the.basic.funding.to.stimulate.research.programmes.in.areas.where.they.have.a.strong.track.record..In.addition,.some.universities.have.begun.to.proactively.support.researchers.or.research.units.in.their.applications.to.strategic.research.funds,.e.g..the.ERC..The.university.Boards.have.played.an.important.role.in.this..Overall,.the.Board.members.whom.the.Panel.met.during.its.visits.in.August.2009.have.emphasized.the.importance.of.further.strengthening.the.relationships.of.the.universities.to.society.in.the.coming.period..Developing.a.clearer.institutional.profile.was.regarded.as.a.core.element.in.this.Many.countries.around.the.world,.e.g..Australia,.Finland,.Germany,.Japan,.the.Nether-lands,.and.the.UK,.are.adapting.their.university.governance.approach.in.order.to.create.the.conditions.under.which.their.universities.can.compete.at.world.class.level..If.the.Danish.university.system.is.to.become.a.genuine.world.class.system,.two.basic.govern-ance.conditions.have.to.be.fulfilled..Firstly,.the.Government.and.Parliament.have.to.shift.their.university.governance.approach.from.detailed.regulation.to.‘steering.at.a.distance’..Secondly,.the.universities.have.to.become.more.proactive.and.focused.in.developing.stra-tegic.priority.areas.and.activities..Only.the.universities.themselves.are.able.to.determine.in.which.areas.they.can.and.want.to.compete.at.world-class.level,.even.if.external.peer.reviews.are.helpful.for.their.decisions..In.the.abovementioned.institutional.strategic.plans,.confirmed.in.the.Panel’s.visits,.the.contours.of.these.university.priority.areas.carefully.become.visible..In.most.cases.an.important.first.step.has.been.made,.though.a.lot.of.work.still.needs.to.be.done.within.the.universities..The.first.years.after.2003.can.be.regarded.as.a.learning.period.for.all.involved.in.university.management.in.Denmark..The.Panel.points.in.this.report.to.changes.which.are.recom-mendable.in.the.governance.approach.with.respect.to.higher.education..The.recommend-ed.approach.can.be.summarised.as.moving.from.detailed.government.regulation.to.‘steer-ing.at.a.distance’,.based.on.a.high.level.of.trust.in.the.capacities.of.the.universities.to.use.the.institutional.autonomy.in.the.expected.way..Obviously,.such.a.trust.has.to.be.‘earned’.by.the.universities..They.have.to.show.that.they.are.capable.of.operating.as.strategic.ac-33

recommendations on autonomyIn.the.Panel’s.evaluation.framework.(chapter.3).a.main.issue.is.whether.the.2003.Uni-versity.Act.and.other.steering.instruments.following.the.Act,.have.influenced.university.autonomy.and.to.what.extent.the.universities.operate.as.autonomous.and.accountable.public.institutions..The.Panel.concludes.that.the.universities.have.gained.greater.autonomy.through.the.2003.University.Act.and.have.become.more.dynamic.because.of.the.newly.found.autonomy..Notwithstanding.these.developments,.there.remain.many.constraints.on.university.auton-omy..In.the.Panel’s.opinion,.these.are.an.expression.by.the.Parliament,.Government.and.ministries.of.low.trust.in.the.current.capacity.or.willingness.of.the.newly.autonomous.uni-versities.to.deliver.on.national.strategic.goals.set.for.them..Many.regulations.and.dialogue-based.demands.placed.on.the.universities.go.beyond.their.expected.role.as.general.steer-ing.strategies.in.pursuit.of.the.politically.set.system-wide.objectives..Instead.they.encroach.on.the.university.management.prerogatives.–.they.intrude.on.university.decision-making.regarding.“how.best.to.achieve”.the.overall.targets.of.the.political.system...

recommendations: implementing a high-trust strategyIn.the.Panel’s.opinion.the.way.forward.is.to.develop.a.high-trust.strategy.that.stimulates.the.universities.to.deliver.on.mutually.agreed.missions.by.allowing.them.to.operate.in.practice.under.higher.levels.of.autonomy.than.is.currently.the.case..The.approach.is.to.find.less.intrusive.accountability.mechanisms.that.would.go.hand.in.hand.with.new.de-regulations.and.would.require.changes.on.the.part.of.the.Parliament,.the.ministries.as.well.as.the.universities..To.this.end,.the.Panel.offers.the.following.two.recommendations,.which.may.require.ad-justment.of.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.bill.for.the.University.Act:.>. The.Parliament.and.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.should.con-sider.reviewing.current.regulations.and.reconsidering.those.that.curtail.universities’.freedom.in.their.fields.of.competence.The.Panel.recommends.that.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.in.col-laboration.with.the.universities.actively.examines.all.relevant.regulations,.including.those.from.other.Ministries,.with.a.view.to.determine.their.continued.use,.or.under-take.actions.for.scrapping.them.or.replacing.them.by.other.instruments..The.decision.should.be.based.on.the.Minister’s.task.[as.identified.in.the.background.document.E2].as.“formulating.the.framework.for.the.universities’.activities;.determining.society’s.requirements.for.the.universities’.activities.and.the.size.of.the.subsidies.from.the.Dan-ish.state.to.support.these.activities”..Regulations.that.infringe.on.the.task.of.the.univer-sities.to.“safeguard.the.university’s.interests.as.an.educational.and.research.institution.

and.determine.guidelines.for.its.organisation,.long.term.activities.and.development”.should.be.removed..This.may.require.an.adjusted.explanatory.note.to.the.University.Act.Thus.a.clear.distinction.should.be.drawn.between.what.constitutes.“strategic.objec-tives”.for.the.sector,.the.determination.of.which.should.be.the.province.of.the.Parlia-ment.and.the.Ministry,.and.what.constitutes.“how.to”.achieve.those.objectives,.which.properly.lies.within.the.competence.of.the.universities..Only.those.regulations.that.deal.with.setting.the.strategic.objectives.should.be.considered.for.retaining,.while.with.respect.to.those.regulations.that.deal.with.the.areas.where.the.universities.can.be.ex-pected.to.have.the.expertise.and.experience.“to.know.best”.removal.should.be.consid-ered.Dialogue.between.the.universities.and.the.Ministry.should.be.used.to.deal.with.sys-tem-wide.objectives..The.issue.of.reducing.drop-out.rates.is.an.example:.rather.than.the.Parliament.introducing.a.regulation.for.this.purpose,.it.should.engage.in.a.dialogue.with.the.universities.to.come.to.a.decision.concerning.the.actions.the.universities.can.take.themselves..The.taximeter.system.is.a.good.example.of.a.tool,.which.can.be.used.to.provide.incentives.for.achieving.system-wide.goals..Compared.to.the.structures.for.quality.assurance.of.university.study.programmes.in.other.countries,.the.current.Danish.accreditation.system.is.heavily.prescriptive.and.in.advance.control-oriented..It.symbolises.a.lack.of.trust.in.the.universities.since.the.qual-ity.and.relevance.of.programmes.offered.by.Danish.universities.do.not.seem.to.warrant.any.general.concern..The.present.control.is.taking.place.ex-ante,.while.the.experience.elsewhere.suggests.that.ex-post.control.is.much.more.effective..The.Panel.proposes.that.the.overall.directions.of.ACE.Denmark.should.be.reviewed.to.make.them.consist-ent.with.broad.policy.directions.aimed.at.further.strengthening.university.autonomy.and.consistent.with.governmental.steering.from.a.distance..An.alternative.model.should.be.considered,.which.puts.responsibility.on.each.university.to.maintain.rigor-ous.internal.quality.review.processes.and.allows.a.flexible.response.to.the.competence.needs.of.society..

>.The.Parliament.and.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.should.con-sider.to.define.the.development.contracts.as.goal.steering.instruments.As.various.autonomy.issues.arose.following.the.implementation.of.the.University.Act,.the.Minister.set.up.committees.and.working.groups,.composed.of.Ministry.and.uni-versity.officials,.to.discuss.emerging.problems.and.propose.their.resolution..Setting.up.these.mechanisms.is.a.clear.signal.of.the.Ministry’s.commitment.to.enhancing.univer-sity.autonomy..The.Panel.recommends.this.confidence-building,.positive.approach...However,.the.development.contracts.and.the.“rules”.for.them.laid.down.in.the.ex-planatory.notes.to.the.University.Act,.need.to.be.carefully.scrutinised.in.order.to.make.the.development.contracts.individual,.helpful.tools.for.the.universities’.strategic.devel-opment.and.profiling.as.well.as.tools.for.important.governmental.targets..The.Panel.recommends.the.development.contracts.to.become.more.evident.goal.steering.instru-ments..In.order.to.fulfil.such.a.role,.the.development.contracts.have.to.be.re-oriented.to.focus.on.overall.targets,.specific.for.each.university,.and.without.detailed.process.targets..This.may.well.include.system-wide.issues.which.at.present.are.tackled.by.regu-35

4.2 codetermination and academic freedom4.2.1codeterminationAs.explained.in.Chapter.3,.codetermination.of.employees.and.students.at.Danish.universi-ties.is.an.important.element.of.the.Danish.university.reforms,.closely.linked.to.the.issue.of.university.autonomy..The.Danish.tradition.places.high.value.on.codetermination.based.on.the.general.expectation.in.the.country.and.on.modern.management.practice.for.knowl-edge.organisations.such.as.universities..The.Panel.views.codetermination.at.the.Danish.universities.as.involvement.of.academic.staff.in.the.decision-making.processes.regarding.research.and.education.matters,.involvement.of.students.in.issues.related.to.education.and.study.programmes,.involvement.of.administrative.staff.in.the.decision-making.proc-esses.on.administrative.issues,.and.involvement.of.technical.staff.in.the.decision-making.processes.concerning.technical.matters..We.find.that.such.codetermination.at.the.universities.is.important.for.securing.the.best.possible.environment.for.education.and.research..We.are.therefore.of.the.opinion.that.this.area.requires.serious.attention.

4.2.1.1 changes brought by the 2003 University actThe.2003.University.Act.has.changed.the.framework.for.the.involvement.of.staff.and.students.in.university.decision.making.processes..Prior.to.the.Act,.university.leaders.were.elected.by.the.employees.and.the.students..The.Act.introduced.a.range.of.changes.to.the.organisation.of.university.leadership,.including.a.university.board.and.appointed.leaders,.and.left.internal.organisational.issues.in.the.hands.of.the.new.leadership.sub-ject.to.the.general.directions.provided.by.the.Act..The.Act.stipulates.rules.for.participa-tion.of.staff.and.students.in.the.university.board.and.various.decision.making.and.ad-visory.bodies.of.the.university..In.addition,.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.bill.for.the.Act.stipulate.obligations.of.deans.and.heads.of.department.to.ensure.involvement.of.staff.and.students.Under.the.2003.Act,.university.boards.include.representatives.from.the.academic.staff.(at.least.one),.the.technical.and.administrative.staff.(one).and.the.students.(two)..The.aca-demic.council.and.the.PhD.committee.at.university.or.faculty.level.have.representatives.from.academic.staff.and.students..Study.boards.operate.at.department.or.faculty.level.with.academic.staff.and.student.participation..Under.the.new.hierarchical,.unitary.management.system,.the.board.appoints.and.dis-36

misses.the.rector,.and.appoints.and.dismisses.the.pro-rectors.and.the.university.directors,.following.recommendations.from.the.rector..The.rector.appoints.the.deans.(in.the.institu-tions.where.there.are.deans),.who.in.turn.appoint.the.heads.of.department.and,.where.this.applies,.heads.of.the.PhD.schools.as.well.as.directors.of.studies,.based.on.recommen-dations.from.study.boards..This.system.replaces.the.previous.system.of.elections.to.these.positions.in.which.the.staff.and.the.students.participated..The.2003.University.Act.does.not.spell.out.internal.decision-making.procedures.in.detail;.these.are.left.to.the.individual.university.to.decide..The.Act.also.requires.for.each.univer-sity.that.academic.councils.are.set.up.composed.of.academic.staff.and.students,.while.technical.staff.can.participate.as.observers..The.composition.of.the.study.boards.has.re-mained.unchanged.since.the.1970.Higher.Education.Act..Study.board.members.comprise.in.equal.measure.of.elected.staff.and.student.representatives..Through.an.amendment.in.2007,.the.University.Act.now.includes.clauses.for.setting.up.PhD.committees,.with.equal.participation.from.academic.staff.and.PhD.students,.to.give.PhD.students.a.say.in.matters.with.respect.to.their.study.programmes.and.other.aspects.of.relevance.to.their.employ-ment.situation..As.implied.in.the.beginning.of.the.section,.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.University.Act.indicate.that.the.Dean.also.is.to.set.up.an.organisation.that.is.able.to.man-age.all.tasks.of.the.main.academic.area.by.involvement.of.students.and.the.academic,.technical.and.administrative.staff.and.that.the.Head.of.Department.is.to.organise.the.de-partment.so.that.it.is.able.to.manage.all.relevant.tasks.by.involvement.of.the.students.and.the.academic,.technical.and.administrative.staff.Furthermore,.within.the.general.labour.market.rules.in.Denmark,.collaboration.com-mittees.are.set.up.at.the.universities,.which.have.the.objective.of.bringing.together.staff.(academic.and.technical/administrative.staff).and.leadership.on.issues.of.staff.policy.and.working.conditions,.matters.concerning.long-term.development.as.well.as.routine.matters.affecting.the.work.environment..It.is.up.to.each.university.to.form.such.committees..Pro-vision.for.shop.stewards.(who.are.elected),.Safety.Committee.and.Workplace.assessments.(WPA).are.also.included.in.the.general.labour.market.framework..........

4.2.1.2 experience and problemsPanel.interviews.and.findings.of.the.Capacent.Survey.paint.a.mixed.picture.of.how.co-determination.is.working.out.in.Danish.universities..There.is.high.variety.in.the.degree.of.satisfaction.expressed.with.the.present.codetermination.processes,.across.institutions,.staff.categories.(academic.staff,.technical.and.administrative.staff,.students).and.levels.of.decision-making..During.its.visits,.the.Panel.heard.strong.voices.of.dissatisfaction.with.the.experienced.lack.of.effective.codetermination,.especially.among.the.academic.staff..The.academic.councils,.for.example,.are.seen.mostly.as.non-influential..Among.the.technical.and.ad-ministrative.staff,.the.Panel.got.the.impression.that.there.is.dissatisfaction.due.to.insuf-ficient.involvement.in.the.decision-making.processes.at.department.and.faculty.level..Among.students,.the.study.boards.and.PhD-committees.are.seen.as.important.bodies..Students.e.g..readily.referred.to.study.boards,.as.a.way.to.discuss.problems.with.educa-tion.programmes,.but.several.objected.to.the.limited.influence.of.study.boards.and.said,.for.example,.that.deans.hold.decision.powers.that.study.boards.should.have.Overall,.the.Panel.thus.heard.of.perceptions.of.a.decrease.in.involvement.of.academic.staff.and.students.in.the.decision-making.processes..Most.people.interviewed.relate.the.37

problem.not.in.the.first.place.to.the.hierarchical.management.provisions.of.the.Univer-sity.Act.as.such,.but.see.it.rather.resulting.from.a.lack.of.commitment.to.codetermina-tion.on.the.part.of.the.leadership,.and.lack.of.managerial.skills.for.establishing.intra-university.structures.and.procedures.for.involvement..The.Panel.gained.the.impression,.though,.that.in.some,.but.not.all,.institutions.the.leadership.has.attempted.seriously.to.develop.an.organisational.culture.in.support.of.codetermination.The.Panel.observes.that.current.weaknesses.in.the.codetermination.structures.and.proc-esses.are.also.recognised.by.several.stakeholders,.including.the.Danish.Confederation.of.Professional.Associations.(AC),.Universities.Denmark.and.the.university.top.leader-ship..These.stakeholders.have.expressed.to.the.Panel.that.they.consider.the.period.since.2003.as.representing.“first–generation.university.management”,.which.includes.an.in-sufficient.level.of.codetermination..The.stakeholders.see.a.challenge.in.the.need.to.move.university.governance.to.the.next.stage.–.second-generation university management.–.i.e..modern.management.adequate.for.knowledge-intensive.institutions.like.universities..This.would,.among.other.things,.include.a.satisfactory.level.of.academic.staff.and.stu-dent.involvement.in.the.intra-university.decision-making.processes..It.is.the.Panel’s.impression.that.the.university.top.leaders.find.it.a.challenge.to.recruit.qualified.leaders,.particularly.at.the.department.level..Many.of.the.present.Heads.of.De-partment.are.the.same.as.before.2003..Many.of.them.are.experienced.within.research.and.education,.but.not.in.the.area.of.university.management..We.find.it.particularly.impor-tant.that.the.leaders.have.experience.and.skills.in.both.research.and.education,.and.in.management..However,.according.to.the.top.managers.of.the.universities,.the.market.of.persons.who.at.the.same.time.have.leadership.and.management.qualifications,.and.expe-rience.at.a.senior.level.in.academic.research.and.education.is.still.small..This.aspect.has.to.be.taken.seriously.by.the.universities,.and.they.should.take.steps.to.develop.adequate.leadership.career.structures.as.well.as.adequate.leadership.training..Professional.leader-ship.training.programmes.for.university.leaders.at.all.levels.as.well.as.actual.and.potential.Board.members.are.very.important..The.issue.of.codetermination.should.form.an.impor-tant.element.of.such.training...Overall,.the.Panel.finds.that.the.decision-making.ability.has.been.strengthened.through.the.new.executive.leadership.provisions.of.the.2003.University.Act..However,.at.the.same.time.the.Panel.is.of.the.opinion.that.the.involvement.of.academic.staff.and.students.in.the.decision-making.processes.in.Danish.universities.is.in.need.of.specific.improvements..As.the.management.structure.introduced.in.the.2003.University.Act.forms.the.basis.for.the.decision-making.at.universities,.it.has.to.be.connected.with.a.greater.involvement.of.aca-demic.staff.and.students.in.academic.and.educational.issues..The.notes.to.the.bill.stipu-late.obligations.of.deans.and.heads.of.department.with.respect.to.involvement.of.staff.and.students,.but.we.find.that.this.has.not.been.implemented.by.the.universities.to.a.sufficient.extent..There.is.thus.need.for.an.improvement.of.the.culture.in.the.universities.in.sup-port.of.good.structures.and.procedures.for.involvement.of.staff.and.students.in.decision-making.processes..Improvements.in.this.area.cannot.be.left.to.leadership.sensitivity.on.the.issue,.and.ways.should.be.found.for.holding.management.accountable.for.their.perform-ance.regarding.codetermination..This.is.a.system-wide.and.strategic.issue.that.deserves.attention.at.national.political.level..We.recommend.therefore.that.the.University.Act,.or.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.Act,.should.be.amended.to.include.a.statement.directed.towards.the.university.boards.in.order.to.ensure.that.the.universities.implement.effective.involvement.of.staff.and.students..To.38

freedom of researchFreedom.of.research.is.a.fundamental.principle.of.university.life,.and.both.governments.and.universities.must.ensure.respect.for.this.fundamental.requirement..This.is,.among.other.things,.stated.in.the.Magna.Charta.Universitatum,.a.declaration,.signed.in.1988.by.a.few.hundred.rectors.from.European.universities..Since.then,.many.more.university.rec-tors.and.their.equivalents,.also.from.outside.Europe,.have.signed.the.Magna.Charta..As.indicated.in.this.declaration,.to.meet.the.needs.of.the.world.around.it,.university.research.must.be.morally.and.intellectually.independent..The.concept.of.freedom.of.research.is.often.used.very.broadly..Clearly,.this.is.not.un-limited,.as.researchers.have.to.do.research.in.the.field.of.their.employment.and.function.within.the.quality.standards.of.their.specific.academic.field..Within.these.constraints,.the.general.principles.often.invoke.to.give.the.concept.a.functional.definition.that.researchers.should.be.allowed.to.freely.select.their.research.topics,.freely.develop.their.research.meth-odology.and.be.free.to.publish.their.research.results.In.the.Danish.university.sector.the.topic.‘freedom.of.research’.is.a.complicated.issue.that.has.various.legal,.political.and.economic.dimensions..One.of.the.core.dimensions.with.le-gal.and.political.connotations.concerns.article.17.2.of.the.2003.University.Act..This.article.is.seen.by.many.academic.staff.members.of.the.universities.as.a.major.symbol.of.the.con-troversies.around.the.Act,.as.it.gives.the.institutional.leadership.the.formal.power.to.tell.individual.staff.members.which.academic.tasks.to.perform..The.article.could.be.regarded.as.an.intrusion.into.traditional.values.and.rights.of.academic.university.staff..During.the.university.visits.the.Panel.heard.very.strong.views.on.this.article.from.many.members.of.academic.staff..These.are.mainly.driven.by.a.fear.of.possible.infringements.of.the.individual.staff.members’.traditional.freedom.to.determine.the.nature.and.focus.of.their.own.teaching.and.research.activities..On.the.other.hand,.many.academic.staff.members.did.not.view.article.17.2.as.a.real.problem..In.their.view.practically.all.univer-sity.staff.members.can.in.practice.determine.their.own.research.agenda.and.choice.of.methodology.within.the.specific.strategic,.scientific.quality.and.financial.frameworks.of.their.institution.Although.the.Panel.has.heard.about.only.a.few.examples.of.the.explicit.use.of.the.article.in.practice,.we.find.that.the.question.can.be.raised.whether.article.17.2.in.all.its.details.fits.the.Danish.and.European.traditions.with.respect.to.academic.freedom..In.addition,.the.strong.controversies.around.the.article,.even.though.the.issue.may.be.mainly.symbolic,.have.a.negative.impact.on.the.intra-university.governance.relationships.and.the.effective-ness.of.the.university.leadership..Taking.these.considerations.into.account,.the.Panel.recommends.the.Parliament.to.remove.or.reformulate.the.article.17.2..39

Funding.is.another.important.dimension.in.relation.to.research.freedom..According.to.the.Capacent.survey,.“researchers.generally.believe.that.both.individual.and.institutional.free-dom.has.been.weakened.since.2003,.and.that.the.individual.freedom.has.been.weakened.the.most..However,.the.researchers.are.generally.satisfied.with.the.conditions.of.their.own.research.freedom.despite.the.increasing.limitations.of.research.freedom..This.tendency.is.also.supported.by.the.qualitative.interviews.”.The.individual.research.freedom.is,.according.to.the.participants.in.the.survey,.mainly.threatened.by.the.changes.in.the.public.research.funding.system.during.the.latest.years..A.majority.of.the.respondents.find.that.in.the.overall.public.research.funding,.the.relative.share.of.competitive.and.targeted.funding.has.increased.at.the.expense.of.a.decreasing.share.of.basic.funding..This.is.felt.to.have.had.a.negative.impact.on.the.individual.free-dom.of.research..As.discussed.above.(in.section.4.1.2),.the.overall.share.of.basic.funding.in.the.total.public.funding.of.research.has.dropped.from.64%.(2003).to.56%.(2009),.al-though.the.total.amount.of.basic.funding.has.increased..However,.the.figures.do.not.allow.for.a.more.careful.analysis.of.the.development.in.the.amounts.of.basic.research.funding.per.university,.nor.of.the.influence.of.the.mergers.on.the.balance.between.basic.and.tar-geted/competitive.research.funding.per.university..Internationally,.there.are.two.separate.approaches.when.it.comes.to.national.strategies.for.stimulating.excellent.research.through.public.funding.investments..The.first.concerns.a.focus.on.supporting.a.limited.number.of.centres.of.research.excellence.through.nation-ally.organised.competitions..This.approach.implies.that.the.universities.themselves.have.little.influence.on.the.selection.of.the.national.centres.that.in.general.are.selected.by.research.councils,.usually.in.a.close.alignment.with.the.national.science.ministry..The.other.approach.consists.of.making.a.large.amount.of.‘free.research.funding’.directly.avail-able.to.the.universities,.thereby.allowing.them.to.determine.how.they.themselves.want.to.stimulate.research.excellence.within.their.institution..Each.approach.leads.to.a.specific.kind.of.research.dynamics,.each.with.its.own.pros.and.cons..The.Danish.research.funding.mechanism.has.certain.elements.in.line.with.the.second.approach..As.a.consequence,.the.amount.of.direct.‘free.research.funding’.(basic.funding).available.within.the.Danish.uni-versities.for.strategic.research.investments.is.relative.large.in.comparison.with.most.other.European.countries,.e.g..the.Nordic.neighbours.Norway.and.Sweden.To.the.extent.that.the.competitive.funding.is.‘free’,.i.e..independent.of.pre-set.research.dis-ciplines,.as.is.the.funding.of.the.Danish.Independent.Research.Councils.and.the.European.Research.Council,.it.even.plays.a.role.for.promoting.freedom.of.research.in.the.sense.that.it.is.granted.to.individual.researchers.with.new.ideas.which.may.not.find.intra-institu-tional.funding.despite.high.quality..At.the.same.time,.the.Panel.finds.it.natural.in.national.and.international.context.to.have.funding.schemes.with.strategically.pre-set.research.dis-ciplines,.for.e.g..finding.solutions.for.particular.societal.needs.or.problems..Such.schemes.have,.of.course,.a.potential.for.impeding.the.research.freedom,.at.least.if.they.constitute.a.too.large.share.of.the.total.research.funding.All.in.all,.the.Panel.finds.it.important.with.a.balanced.funding.system.which.includes.a.substantial.share.of.basic.funding.directly.to.the.universities,.but.also.contains.substantial.competitive.funding.schemes.–.some.for.“free”.research.and.some.for.research.with.poli-cally/strategically.pre-set.research.fields..The.Panel.is.aware.that.an.increased.demand.for.applying.to.external.funds.contributes.to.the.reported.growing.time.pressure.experienced.by.the.academic.staff..In.the.surveys.40

available.to.the.Panel,.many.academic.staff.members.have.indicated.that.the.growing.time.pressure.has.had.a.negative.effect.on.their.ability.to.do.the.research.they.would.like.to.do..The.Panel.is.also.aware.of.the.negative.effects.of.growing.time.pressure,.such.as.stress.and.decreased.working.efficiency,.and.we.acknowledge.that.the.combined.effects.of.these.may.contribute.to.a.situation.in.which.less.time.is.available.to.the.academic.staff.for.conducting.research,.while.a.certain.amount.of.time.must.be.available.for.being.able.to.carry.out.research..However,.it.is.the.question.whether.this.can.be.regarded.as.an.aspect.of.‘freedom.of.research’,.since.the.Panel.find.that.the.latter.concerns.freedom.to.select.research.issues,.freedom.to.develop.research.methodology.and.freedom.to.publish.results,.rather.than.with.the.question.of.available.time.for.conducting.research.

freedom of debateOne.of.the.themes.of.the.evaluation.concerns.the.status.of.the.free.academic.debate.at.the.Danish.universities,.including.the.framework.conditions.under.which.the.academic.debate.takes.place..The.Panel.gained.the.clear.impression.that.there.are.no.essential.problems.with.freedom.of.academic.debate.in.Denmark..Our.observation.is.supported.by.the.results.of.the.Capacent.survey,.which.show.that.the.responding.academics.do.not.see.this.as.a.big.issue..During.our.visits,.we.did.hear.of.a.few.cases.where.freedom.for.debating.was.said.to.have.been.hampered,.but.these.are.few.and.incidental,.and.it.is.thus.our.overall.conclusion.that.the.Danish.researchers.in.general.are.allowed.to.publish.and.participate.in.the.academic.and.public.debate,.of.course.under.certain.ethical.restrictions.as.well.as.restrictions.laid.down.in.laws.on.freedom.of.speech..During.the.Panel’s.visits,.the.engagement.from.staff.and.students.to.give.their.opinion.to.us.shows.a.sound.basic.condition.for.possibilities.to.make.one’s.voice.heard..There.were.plenty.of.opinions.put.forward.to.us,.as.is.customary.in.universities,.especially.on.aca-demic.freedom.and.on.the.academic.leaders,.but.to.a.certain.extent.also.on.the.issue.of.free.academic.debate..Even.though.the.Panel.was.told.about.specific.occasions.where.the.free.expression.in.internal.university.magazines.or.newspapers.reportedly.had.been.de-nied,.it.has.not.been.on.the.Panel’s.agenda.to.further.examine.these.occasions..Neverthe-less,.the.internal.criticism.has.been.voiced,.which.is.important...Another.area.of.discussion.has.been.that.the.existence.of.government.commissioned.re-search.inside.the.universities.may.contribute.to.a.decrease.in.the.free.academic.debate..As.understood.by.the.Panel,.the.free.academic.debate.still.exists.at.the.Danish.universities.and.has.expanded.to.cover.the.merged.GRIs..This.extension.is.important.to.the.Danish.society.The.result.from.the.Capacent.survey.shows.that.academics.more.frequently.take.part.in.the.internal.academic.debate.than.in.the.public.debate..There.is.a.possibility.that.this.re-sult.shows.a.tendency.not.to.be.as.active.in.the.society.outside.the.university.walls.as.one.might.expect..The.burden.on.academics.in.a.competing.academic.world.might.contribute.to.this.tendency..The.awareness.of.the.importance.of.a.free.academic.debate.is.high.in.Denmark,.and.therefore,.the.slightest.restrictions.one.might.suspect.will.be.heavily.and.openly.criticised..This.is.a.good.sign.of.a.healthy.community..The.universities.are.important.institutions.in.contributing.to.an.open.debate.and.new.knowledge.in.society.and.are.thereby.also.a.fun-damental.part.of.a.democratic.society..The.free.press.contributes.to.this..It.is.the.opinion.of.the.Panel.that.the.universities.in.Denmark.fulfil.their.obligation.to.the.Danish.society.in.this.regard..It.is.also.the.opinion.of.the.Panel.that.the.present.legislation.in.Denmark,.41

recommendations: strengthening of codeterminationThe.Panel.finds.that.the.universities.have.not.implemented.codetermination.procedures.and.structures.to.a.sufficient.extent..The.involvement.of.academic.staff.and.students.in.the.university.decision-making.processes.needs.improvements,.even.though.there.is.a.high.variability.in.the.degree.of.satisfaction.with.the.codetermination.possibilities..As.the.governance.and.leadership.structure.introduced.in.the.2003.University.Act.and.the.ex-planatory.notes.to.the.Act.form.the.basis.for.the.decision-making.processes.at.universities.and.for.the.staff.and.student.involvement.in.these,.we.find.that.it.should.be.adapted.to.support.improved.involvement.of.staff.and.students.in.academic.issues..This.could.meet.the.present.need.for.a.change.in.the.culture.in.the.universities.in.support.of.structures.and.procedures.that.stimulate.involvement.wherever.appropriate..Improvements.in.this.area.may.be.outlined.for.holding.university.leadership.accountable.for.their.performance.re-garding.codetermination..This.is.a.system-wide.and.strategic.issue.that.deserves.attention.from.the.university.Boards.as.well.as.from.the.national.political.level..Accordingly,.the.Panel.makes.the.following.recommendations.regarding.codetermination:.>.The.universities.should.implement.codetermination.procedures.and.structures.to.a.suf-ficient.extent,.in.accordance.with.the.intentions.laid.down.in.the.University.Act..>.The.University.Act,.or.the.explanatory.notes.to.the.Act,.should.be.amended.to.include.a.statement.directed.towards.the.university.boards.to.ensure.intra-institutional.imple-mentation.of.procedures.and.structures.of.codetermination.>. The.university.Boards.should.require.senior.leaders.of.the.university.to.develop,.in.collaboration.with.academic.staff.and.students,.procedures.and.organisational.mecha-nisms.for.ensuring.effective.involvement.of.staff.and.students.in.compliance.with.modern.management.practice.in.knowledge.organisations.and.the.Danish.(and.Nordic).traditions.in.the.university.sector.>. The.university.Boards.should.ensure.implementation.of.procedures.for.a.high.degree.of.transparency.in.nominating.university.top.managers,.including.the.external.members.of.the.Board..>. Professional.leadership.training.programmes.should.be.established.for.university.lead-ers.at.all.levels.as.well.as.actual.and.potential.Board.members,.and.the.issue.of.code-termination.should.form.an.important.element.of.such.training..This.could.be.taken.up.by.Universities.Denmark.as.well.as.the.individual.universities,.since.it.is.in.the.first.place.the.responsibility.of.the.universities.themselves...

5.1 introductionThe.university.merger.processes.consisted.of.integration.of.government.research.insti-tutions.(GRIs).into.the.university.sector,.which.were.a.target.directly.embedded.in.the.Globalisation.Strategy;.and.mergers.between.universities,.which.were.initiated.by.the.gov-ernment.subsequent.to.the.decision.on.the.Globalisation.Strategy..The.integration.of.GRIs.had.as.its.main.aims:.to.stimulate.research.synergies.between.until.now.institutionally.separated.sectors,.to.fertilise.the.university.sector.with.practice.oriented.research.leading.to.close.contacts.with.societal,.i.e..private.and.public.sector.agencies,.and.to.make.addi-tional.research.resources.available.for.educational.processes,.leading.to.a.strengthening.of.the.link.between.higher.education.and.research.The.mergers.were.voluntary.as.regards.the.universities;.forced.mergers.would.only.have.been.possible.through.a.change.in.the.existing.University.Act.-.a.change.for.which.there.was.no.majority.in.Parliament..As.regards.the.GRIs.the.merging.decision.should.prefer-ably.be.supported.by.the.boards.of.the.GRIs..While.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.hinted.at.a.preferred.overall.result.of.6.universites,.the.actual.result.of.the.merger.processes.was.a.new.university.sector.consisting.of.8.universities,.while.also.some.of.the.government.research.institutions.remained.independent..The.mergers.were.overall.expected.to.stimulate:> more.interdisciplinary.cooperation.in.education;.> more.flexible.and.relevant.offerings.of.degree.programmes.for.the.Danish.students;> greater.success.for.Danish.universities.in.their.applications.for.EU.research.funding;> higher.quality.(in.the.sense.of.impact).of.the.Danish.university.research.output;.> better.cooperation.between.the.universities.and.the.private.sector.with.respect.to.inno-vation;.> more.effective.knowledge.relationship.between.the.public.research.sector.and.the.sec-tor.ministries..In.accordance.with.the.Panel’s.evaluation.framework,.the.mergers.may.be.seen.as.a.means.to.create.stronger.universities,.especially.in.research,.and.thereby.give.prerequisites.for.strengthening.university.profiles..Furthermore,.the.mergers.between.universities.and.GRIs.are.meant.to.support.the.universities.in.their.response.to.the.needs.of.society,.includ-ing.creating.better.conditions.for.the.universities.contributing.to.economically.relevant.45

innovations.in.the.private.sector..The.mergers.were.also.expected.to.strengthen.education,.by.bringing.research.staff.from.the.GRI.sector.into.the.universities..In.all.cases,.the.critical.mass.of.knowledge.production.were.supposed.to.be.improved..The.effects.of.the.mergers.are.still.too.early.to.be.clearly.identified,.as.the.merger.decisions.have.taken.place.only.three.years.ago..Obviously,.the.Panel.has.observed.that.the.implemen-tation.phase.is.still.going.on.and.in.some.cases.needs.to.be.accelerated.in.order.to.realise.the.intended.contributions.to.stronger.profiles..Nonetheless,.the.Panel.has.got.the.clear.impres-sion.that.at.most.universities.the.merger.processes.have.acted.in.certain.ways.as.change.drivers..This.concerns.in.the.first.place.changes.at.those.universities.that.have.been.involved.in.mergers..Even.though.at.these.institutions.it.was.in.general.indicated.by.the.academic.staff.that.the.mergers.have.had.limited.influence.and.had.no.direct.impact.on.their.research.activities.as.such,.many.staff.members.still.felt.that.the.mergers.had.either.strengthened.pre-merger.research.collaborations,.created.new.intra-institutional.cooperation.structures.or.other.structural.innovations,.or.had.led.to.new.intra-university.research.funding.initiatives..

international impact of danish university researchStrong starting positionIt.is.difficult.to.relate.the.effects.on.the.international.impact.of.research.to.the.mergers..In.addition.to.the.general.methodological.problem.resulting.from.the.recent.date.of.the.implementation.of.the.mergers,.there.is.much.overall.confusion.about.the.actual.nature.of.the.goals.set.by.the.Danish.political.system..“Impact.of.university.research”.is.not.op-erationalised.clearly,.implying.that.the.Panel.is.not.sure.what.is.expected.of.the.Danish.universities..What.is.e.g..meant.by.world.class?.Does.it.mean.that.one.Danish.university.should.be.among.the.10.best.in.the.world,.among.the.20.best?.Or.should.all.Danish.uni-versities.become.world.leaders.in.at.least.one.disciplinary.area?.What.are.the.indicators.to.be.used?.The.use.of.global.university.rankings.is,.for.example,.connected.with.severe.problems,.as.they.are.heavily.criticised.for.methodological.inconsistencies..In.addition,.the.starting.point.for.the.evaluation.is.not.a.university.sector.in.crisis..The.research.perform-ance.of.Danish.universities.was.in.2007.in.many.respects.good.to.excellent,.and.there.are.no.indications.that.it.is.deteriorating...Data.on.research.performance.show.that.Denmark.is.among.the.most.productive.countries.in.the.world..When.it.comes.to.the.number.of.scientific.articles.per.inhabitant.(see.table.1).only.Switzerland.and.Sweden.are.performing.better.than.Denmark,.and.the.productiv-ity.of.Switzerland.is.clearly.influenced.by.the.high.output.of.CERN.staff..Also.the.growth.of.the.productivity.of.the.Danish.universities.is.satisfying,.and.concerning.the.research.impact.Denmark.is.among.the.best.performing.countries.in.the.world,.with.Switzerland.being.the.only.country.performing.better.than.Denmark.(table.2)..

Concerning.the.rankings.of.Danish.universities.a.distinction.has.to.be.made.between.aca-demic.and.commercial.rankings..The.academic.rankings.attempt.to.use.academic.indica-tors.in.a.consistent.way..Here.one.can.in.general.see.a.rather.stable.list.of.universities.(or.university.programmes).from.year.to.year,.but.a.general.criticism.towards.these.rankings.concerns.their.methodology,.e.g..the.weight.of.specific.indicators..An.example.of.an.aca-demic.ranking.is.the.Shanghai.Jiao.Tong.University.ranking.of.the.top.500.research.univer-sities.in.the.world..Commercial.rankings.are.in.general.published.by.magazines.and.have.a.tendency.to.change.the.criteria.regularly,.leading.to.large.shifts.up.and.down.the.list.of.the.selected.universities..An.example.of.this.kind.of.ranking.is.the.Times.Higher.Educa-tion.ranking..Several.commercial.rankings.of.universities.are.national.only.Here,.we.refer.to.the.academic.rankings..In.general.the.four.largest.Danish.universities.(KU,.AU,.DTU.and.SDU).are.ranked.among.the.best.research.universities.in.the.world.when.it.comes.to.institutional.rankings,.such.as.the.Shanghai.Jiao.Tong.ranking..We.find.it.a.striking.feature.that.KU.and.AU.are.among.the.few.universities.that.have.improved.their.position.considerably.in.the.Shanghai.ranking.over.the.last.years,.which.could.be.a.result.of.the.mergers..According.to.the.disciplinary.ranking.produced.by.the.German.Cen-trum für Hochschulentwicklung.(CHE)2,.which.identifies.the.very.best.European.graduate.programmes.in.a.number.of.fields3,.KU.belongs.in.five.of.the.seven.included.disciplines.to.the.very.best.universities.in.Europe,.while.AU.belongs.in.one.discipline.to.the.Europe.sci-entific.top..The.other.Danish.universities.are.not.included.in.the.main.academic.rankings..The.diversity.in.research.performance.per.discipline.and.university.is.confirmed.by.data.presented.in.the.latest.Forskningsbarometer.2009.Furthermore,.Danish.universities.are.performing.well.to.very.well.compared.to.other.OECD.countries.when.it.comes.to.attracting.international.research.funds.from.other.sourc-es.than.the.EU..This.goes.for.funding.from.other.research.councils,.such.as.the.NIH.and.NSF.in.the.USA,.as.for.funding.from.foundations.and.other.non-profit.organisations.4.

Policy issue: University profiles emerging?The.Panel.finds.that,.by.and.large.the.Danish.universities.have.explicit.research.strategies,.but.with.different.ambition.levels.showing.clearly.that.not.all.universities.aim.at.perform-ing.as.world.class.research.universities.in.all.areas..This.is.one.of.the.aspects.that.should.be.included.in.a.further.development.of.the.system.diversity.in.Danish.higher.education..One.diversity.aspect.seems.to.be.given,.i.e..the.strict.separation.of.the.roles.of.universities.and.university.colleges.(professionshøjskoler),.with.the.latter.not.being.expected.to.do.basic.research.or.offer.research-based.master.and.PhD.programmes..However,.as.indicated.such.a.binary.divide.does.not.imply.that.all.universities.can.be.expected.to.have.identical.research.missions.and.perform.at.the.same.level..As.we.have.implied.above,.the.political.intention.to.further.improve.the.research.impact.of.Danish.universities.has.been.driven.neither.by.a.crisis.nor.by.perceived.problems.re-lated.to.the.current.quantity.and.quality.of.the.research.performance.of.Danish.universi-ties..The.Danish.universities’.research.performance.is.in.many.respects.impressive..Also.the.public.financing.of.academic.research.has.been.increased.quite.strongly.as.part.of.the.

implementation.of.the.Danish.Globalisation.Strategy..The.government.obviously.intends.to.stick.at.least.for.the.coming.three.years.to.its.intentions.to.invest.public.funds.at.a.level.of.around.1%.of.the.Danish.GDP.in.research,.despite.the.financial.crisis..The.report.has.noted.above.all.an.absence.of.clarity.about.the.aimed.at.research.targets.of.the.Danish.universities.and.the.university.reform.processes..This.calls.for.a.more.explicit.debate.on.the.role,.profile.and.mission.of.each.university.which.can.be.expected.to.be.beneficial.for.the.Danish.university.sector..The.reported.diversity.in.the.research.produc-tivity.and.impact.suggests.that.the.development.of.a.strategic.institutional.profile.could.be.anchored,.amongst.other.things,.in.the.disciplines,.fields.and.areas.where.the.university.in.question.is.performing.better.than.world.average..The.mergers.offered.potentially.another.element.in.the.further.development.of.institutional.profiles.in.the.sense.that.they.allowed.for.a.concentration.of.research.staff,.facilities.and.re-sources.in.specific.disciplines,.fields.and.areas..However,.given.that.there.were.several.other.factors.influencing.the.final.outcomes.of.the.mergers,.the.resulting.institutional.profiles.were.not.as.distinct.as.might.have.been.targeted.at..Therefore,.even.though.the.mergers.have.con-tributed.to.the.further.development.of.university.profiles,.the.Panel.can.identify.two.impor-tant.policy.issues,.which.are.unclear.to.us,.and.which.we.feel.need.to.be.debated:.First:.Have.the.reforms,.and.especially.the.merger.processes,.led.to.the.development.of.the.institutional.research.strategies,.performance.and.innovations.that.were.expected?.In.other.words,.what.were.the.expected.features.of.the.strategic.institutional.profiles,.and.is.the.new.Danish.university.landscape.moving.in.that.direction?.Second:.What.kind.of.university.system.diversity.is.preferred?.For.example,.should.the.system.move.into.the.direction.of.a.‘University.of.Denmark’.system,.with.agreed.profiles.and.roles.for.each.university?.Or.is.a.more.open.competition.(nationally.and.internation-ally).preferable.in.which.the.universities’.profiles.and.roles.are.less.the.result.of.mutual.agreements,.and.more.of.institutional.decisions.on.investments,.academic.staff.quality,.and.research.and.teaching.facilities?

A.first.examination.of.the.results.of.Danish.applicants.in.the.first.period.(around.2.5.years).of.FP7.shows.that.the.overall.level.of.Danish.participation.in.FP7.is.high.for.the.Cooperation.programme.and.the.infrastructure.part.of.the.Capacities.programme,.and.relatively.low.for.the.remainder.of.the.Capacities.programme.and.the.entire.People.programme,.especially.when.it.comes.to.the.coordination.of.Marie.Curie.Initial.Training.Networks..Nonetheless,.overall.the.level.of.Danish.participation.in.these.three.FP7.programmes.implies.that.Danish.researchers.receive.more.funding.from.these.three.FP7.programmes.than.the.level.of.the.net.return.rate.for.Denmark..This.implies.that.Denmark.‘receives.more.funding.from.FP7.than.it.invests.’.However,.despite.the.high.overall.participation.rate.in.the.Cooperation.programme.and.the.research.infrastructure.part.of.the.Capacities.programme.in.FP7,.the.general.picture.is.that.Danish.universities.like.to.participate.in.projects.but.not.to.coordinate.them..This.can.be.illustrated.by.the.following.figures:.while.around.17.%.of.all.projects.in.the.FP7.Coopera-tion.programme.have.one.or.more.Danish.partner,.only.around.1.%.of.all.FP7.Cooperation.projects.is.coordinated.by.a.Danish.university..This.raises.some.questions.among.the.Panel..Given.the.high.productivity.and.quality.of.Danish.university.research.one.might.have.expected.a.somewhat.different.balance.be-tween.participation.and.coordination..In.a.number.of.areas.Danish.universities.are.at.the.global.research.forefront,.and.the.merger-related.aim.to.increase.the.success.of.Danish.universities.in.EU.research.funding.can.be.regarded.as.an.expression.of.the.connection.made.in.the.research.policy.arena.between.research.quality.and.EU.research.funding6..This.is.based.on.the.assumption.that.the.competition.for.EU.funding.is.tougher.than.for.national.competitive.research.funding,.and.the.quality.of.Danish.research.might.lead.to.the.expectation.that.Danish.universities.would.be.more.active.in.applying.as.FP7.funded.project.coordinators.than.is.currently.the.case..Why.is.it.necessary.to.point.to.the.different.performance.of.Danish.universities.in.FP7.project.coordination.compared.to.project.participation?.Is.the.high.level.of.participation.of.Danish.universities.not.satisfying.enough?.What.would.be.the.advantage.of.a.higher.number.of.projects.coordinated.by.a.Danish.university?.A.possible.answer.to.these.ques-tions.is.that.a.project.coordinator.has.more.influence.on.and.control.over.the.nature.and.focus.of.the.research.activities.undertaken.in.an.FP7.project..This.is.confirmed.by.a.recent.study.from.NIFU.STEP.that.suggests.that.the.level.of.satisfaction.with.project.outcomes,.effects.and.follow.up.action.is.significantly.higher.for.project.coordinators.in.the.Coopera-tion.programme.than.for.project.participants.

budget..The.Ideas.programme.of.FP7.is.implemented.by.the.ERC,.with.a.budget.of.around.€.7.5.billion..The.ERC.has.been.established.under.FP7.and.consists.of.an.independent.scientific.committee.and.an.executive.agency.responsible.for.its.administration..The.People.programme.is.aimed.at.making.Europe.more.attractive.for.the.world’s.best.researchers..It.includes.the.Marie.Curie.actions,.and.has.a.budget.of.over.€.4.7.billion..Finally,.the.Capacities.programme.wants.to.enhance.research.and.innovation.capacities.throughout.Europe.and.ensure.their.optimal.use..It.has.a.budget.of.almost.€.4.1.billion.and.supports,.amongst.other.things,.research.for.the.benefit.of.SMEs.and.research.infrastructure.6.In.its.most.recent.research.barometer.(Forskningsbarometer 2009 – Dansk forskning i internationalt perspektiv..København:.Ministeriet.for.Videnskab,.Teknologi.og.Udvikling,.p..19).the.Danish.Ministry.of.Science,.Technol-ogy.and.Innovation.has.presented.the.following.arguments.concerning.the.use.of.the.EU’s.FP7.as.an.indicator.for.research.quality:.”Bevillingsstatistik.fra.EU’s.7..rammeprogram.er.anvendt.som.kvalitetsindikator.i.barometeret,.fordi.konkurrence.om.forskningsmidler.generelt.antages.at.være.kvalitetsfremmende..Hertil.kommer.flere.ana-lyser,.der.identificerer.sammenhæng.mellem.forskningskvalitet.og.rammeprogramdeltagelse..En.nylig.bibliom-etrisk.analyse.af.forskere.fra.forskningsprojekter.finansieret.af.EU’s.6..Rammeprogram.har.således.påvist,.at.de.pågældende.forskere.lå.bedre,.hvad.angik.publikationer.og.citationer.end.deres.respektive.fagfæller..Den.nylige.evaluering.af.Sveriges.deltagelse.i.EU’s.rammeprogrammer.konkluderer.tilsvarende.med.henvisning.til.nationale.svenske.forskningsfinansierende.organer,.som.har.vurderet.kvaliteten.af.EU-finansierede.forskningsprojekter,.at.projekter.finansieret.via.EU’s.rammeprogrammer.generelt.er.af.høj.kvalitet.”

During.the.visits.to.the.universities.the.Panel.heard.a.number.of.explanations.for.the.rela-tive.low.number.of.FP7.projects.and.networks.coordinated.by.Danish.universities..The.main.explanations.heard.were.first.the.overall.Danish.scepticism.against.the.EU.in.gen-eral;.second.the.ineffective.or.even.lack.of.lobbying.in.Brussels.for.inclusion.of.research.themes.(especially.in.FP/.Cooperation).of.relevance.for.Danish.researchers.and.Denmark.in.general;.third.the.reluctance.among.Danish.researchers.to.invest.in.bureaucratic.FP7.application.procedures;.fourth.the.administrative.burden.of.coordinating.an.EU.project;.and.fifth.the.relative.abundance.of.research.funding.in.Denmark..The.Panel.did.hear.some.worries.or.even.complaints.about.the.intra-university.support.structures.for.academic.staff.wanting.to.apply.for.EU.funding..The.evidence.gathered.dur-ing.the.visits.is.not.convincing.enough.to.come.to.a.final.conclusion.in.this..But.overall.the.Panel.would.like.to.recommend.the.Danish.universities.to.carefully.review.the.effectiveness.of.their.EU.funding.support.structure..Nonetheless,.the.Panel.did.not.get.the.impression.that.problems.with.the.support.structure.was.among.the.main.reasons.for.the.relative.underper-formance.of.Danish.universities.when.it.comes.to.coordinating.EU.projects.The.overall.observation.the.Panel.made.is.that.despite.the.high.level.of.participation.of.Danish.researchers.in.projects.funded.by.FP7,.with.respect.to.application.for.EU.funding.there.is.a.gap.between.the.political/ministerial.expectations.and.the.formal.universities.strategies.on.the.one.hand.and.the.experiences,.capacities,.actions.and.perceptions.of.aca-demic.university.staff.on.the.other.hand..In.this.the.Panel.recommends.the.university.leadership.to.assess.the.appropriateness.of.their.research.strategy.when.it.comes.to.attracting.EU.funding..An.active.research.strategy.implies.a.proactive.and.not.a.reactive.approach..As.a.consequence,.it.could.be.argued.that.part.of.the.process.of.attracting.EU.funding.should.be.a.top.down.process.through.the.identification.of.institutional.top.researchers,.followed.by.stimulating.and.supporting.them.in.their.application.for.EU.funding,.instead.of.a.bottom.up.process.in.which.researchers.are.expected.to.ask.their.administration.for.support.before.action.is.undertaken...ERC – the Ideas FP7 programmeThe.fourth.FP7.programme,.‘Ideas’,.is.implemented.by.the.ERC..The.objective.of.the.spe-cific.programme.‘Ideas’.is.to.reinforce.excellence,.dynamism.and.creativity.in.European.research.and.improve.the.attractiveness.of.Europe.for.the.best.researchers.from.both.European.and.third.countries,.as.well.as.for.industrial.research.investment,.by.providing.a.Europe-wide.competitive.funding.structure,.in.addition.to.and.not.replacing.national.funding,.for.‘frontier.research’.executed.by.individual.teams..Contrary.to.the.‘Cooperation’.programme,.the.ERC.is.aimed.at.funding.individual.researchers.and.their.project.teams,.instead.of.collaborative.trans-national.projects.or.networks..In.this.the.ERC.awards.grants.to.two.types.of.researchers,.i.e..Starting.and.Advanced.researchers..In.addition,.in.the.ERC.selection.procedure.scientific.excellence.is.the.sole.evaluation.criterion..The.ERC.was.established.in.2007..Until.now.the.results.of.two.rounds.for.awarding.Start-ing.researcher.grants.(in.2007.and.2009).and.one.for.awarding.Advanced.researcher.grants.(in.2008).have.been.published..In.the.first.rounds.of.both.the.Starting.and.the.Advanced.grants.four.grants.were.awarded.to.researchers.employed.by.Danish.universities,.leading.to.a.total.of.eight.grants.(out.of.a.total.of.573.≈.1.4.%).awarded.to.researchers.at.two.Dan-ish.universities,.i.e..AU.(5.grants),.and.KU.(3.grants)..This.result.can.be.regarded.as.rather.disappointing,.also.in.comparison.to.the.performance.of.other.‘small’.countries,.such.as.Switzerland.(43.grants),.Sweden.(29.grants).and.Finland.(15.grants)..51

Given.the.ERC.aims,.the.straightforward.application.procedure,.which.is.much.less.bu-reaucratic.than.the.application.procedure.for.the.other.FP7.programmes,.and.the.limited.requirements.for.administrating.the.ERC.grants,.some.of.the.main.arguments.put.forward.for.explaining.the.relative.underperformance.of.Danish.universities.in.the.coordination.of.FP7.projects.in.the.other.three.FP7.programmes,.do.not.apply.to.the.relative.lack.of.suc-cess.of.Danish.researchers.in.the.first.two.ERC.rounds..An.additional.argument.heard.dur-ing.the.university.visits,.i.e..that.Danish.researchers.are.not.motivated.to.apply.because.of.the.overall.low.success.rates.of.applicants..In.our.view.this.argument.is.not.valid,.espe-cially.given.the.high.quality.of.Danish.university.research.The.second.round.for.awarding.Starting.researcher.grants.(in.2009).shows.a.somewhat.different.picture..In.this.round.among.the.selected.applicants.7.researchers.are.working.at.Danish.universities.(out.of.a.total.of.237.selected.applicants.=.around.3.%,.implying.a.doubling.compared.to.the.first.two.rounds)..The.selected.researchers.are.working.at.KU.(3),.DTU.(1),.and.AU.(1)..In.addition,.a.researcher.employed.at.Statens.Serum.Institute.and.a.researcher.working.at.a.specialised.hospital,.but.also.employed.at.AU,.have.been.selected..An.additional.positive.aspect.is.that.Danish.researchers.have.been.selected.in.all.three.disciplinary.areas.of.the.Starting.grant.programme,.i.e..Life.sciences;.Physical.sci-ences.and.engineering;.and.Social.sciences.and.humanities..In.this.round.Swedish.and.Finnish.researchers.performed.less.well,.with.5.Swedish.and.6.Finnish.researchers.being.selected.

Policy issue: Stimulate EU funded researchThere.is.a.gap.between,.on.the.one.side.political.and.university.leadership’s.expectations.with.respect.to.the.role.and.importance.of.EU.research.funding,.and.on.the.other.side.the.perceptions.and.experiences.of.researchers..One.of.the.consequences.is.that.Danish.re-searchers.give.the.impression.(also.being.confirmed.by.FP7.results).of.not.being.as.active.in.taking.leadership.roles.in.the.EU.research.community.through.coordination.of.projects.and.networks.as.could.be.expected.on.the.basis.of.the.quality.of.their.research.output..The.underlying.reasons.for.and.consequences.of.this.gap.should.be.addressed.in.an.open.and.transparent.way..The.Government,.the.Danish.research.councils.as.well.as.the.univer-sity.leadership.need.to.clarify.and.explain.their.arguments.for.putting.so.much.emphasis.on.EU.funding..In.addition,.the.way.in.which.Danish.research.interests.are.promoted.in.Brussels.needs.to.be.carefully.evaluated..There.are.clear.indications.that.these.research.interests.are.serious-ly.underrepresented.in.the.EU’s.decision.making.with.respect.to.the.EU’s.research.strate-gies.and.thematic.focus.areas,.especially.in.the.FP7.Cooperation.programme..

5.3 educationIn.this.section,.the.Panel.will.refer.to.the.goals.of.the.mergers.related.to.education..One.of.the.goals.of.the.mergers.was.to.make.additional.research.resources.available.for.edu-cational.processes,.leading.to.a.strengthening.of.the.link.between.higher.education.and.research..Another.expectation.was.that.the.mergers.would.lead.to.more.interdisciplinary.cooperation.in.education.and.more.flexible.and.relevant.degree.programmes..In.addition,.important.policy.goals.to.strengthen.education.were.introduced.in.connection.with.the.globalisation.strategy..The.Panel.will.therefore.also.refer.to.some.of.these.goals.in.this.section,.including.the.following.goals:.to.double.the.number.of.PhD.students,.to.increase.higher.education.participation.from.45.to.50.%.of.the.age.group,.to.stimulate.faster.study.completion.of.higher.education.students.and.to.introduce.better.and.more.structured.op-tions.for.Danish.students.for.studying.abroad.As.noted.earlier,.it.is.too.early.after.the.merger.process.to.assess.definitive.effects.on.education..The.Panel’s.observations.and.assessments.in.this.section.are.based.on.several.sources.–.university.statements;.available.data;.and.Panel’s.meetings.with.stakeholders.–.keeping.in.mind.that.the.effects.of.mergers.are.intertwined.with.those.of.other.policy.reforms.introduced.over.the.last.few.years,.as.indicated.in.the.first.paragraph..Three.areas.are.examined:.study.programmes,.student.intakes.and.study.progression,.and.conditions.of.study...A.sense.of.momentum.is.clearly.evident..New.study.programmes.and.subject.offerings.are.in.place.or.being.developed,.and.there.is.evidence.that.the.universities.have.strengthened.their.capacity.to.offer.research-based.education.and.career-relevant.study.programmes.that.fit.Denmark’s.needs.for.highly.skilled.labour...

study programmesNew offeringsNew.study.programmes.and.new.subject.offerings.have.been.introduced.by.the.Danish.universities.over.the.last.few.years.[A9]..The.university.leaders.with.whom.we.met.typi-cally.offered.a.strategic.explanation.for.their.choices.of.new.programmes,.aware.of.their.overall.strengths.and.how.their.programmes.are.attractive.to.students.and.to.the.labour.market.The.Panel.also.was.told.about.new.offerings.that.were.directly.linked.to.the.mergers..New.programmes,.for.example,.have.been.designed.around.student.projects.in.laboratories.of.the.previous.GRIs..New.subject.areas.have.been.established.that.combine.the.strengths.of.two.merged.units.to.offer.study.programmes.responsive.to.emerging.research.areas.or.employer.needs..Some.academic.staff.noted.that.merger.conversations.resulted.in.new.col-laborations.on.study.programmes.among.two.universities.even.if.a.merger.did.not.occur..Some.academics,.especially.at.non-merged.universities,.reported.that.the.merger.process.had.hindered.their.previous.partnerships.with.GRIs.that.were.merged..Others.noted.that.their.departments.and.programmes.had.not.yet.been.affected..University.statements.and.our.visits.also.offered.examples.of.interdisciplinary.pro-grammes.resulting.from.the.mergers.among.universities.or.with.former.GRIs..On.the.whole,.such.developments.still.have.limited.scope,.and.are.found.in.some.universities.more.than.in.others..Most.universities.have.working.groups.that.are.developing.such.programmes,.and.universities.offered.examples.of.new.combinations.of.subjects.that.they.are.considering..53

Researchers.from.the.merged.GRIs.have.become.involved.in.teaching.of.both.master’s.and.bachelor’s.students.and.in.supervision.of.PhD.students,.typically.with.specific.assistance.and.support.offered.by.the.university’s.departments..In.several.universities.both.master’s.and.PhD.students.have.more.access.to.sophisticated.research.laboratories..The.relevance.of.study.programmes.–.generally.judged.by.their.fit.with.the.needs.of.future.employers.–.is.given.direct.attention.by.all.universities.when.they.review.existing.pro-grammes.or.design.new.programmes..“Market”.or.“user”.needs.appear.to.have.become.a.routine.part.of.university.deliberations.about.new.programmes..A.number.of.mechanisms.support.this.perspective..Regular.surveys.of.employers’.views.and.of.recent.graduates.of-fer.universities.up-to-date.information.on.labour.market.needs.and.whether.graduates.have.the.skills.they.need...External.members.of.the.Board.offer.valuable.perspective,.as.do.members.of.advisory.councils.or.participants.in.partnerships.and.other.collaborations.with.business,.industry,.local.communities.or.practitioner.groups..For.many.universities,.still.further.opportunities.for.closer.links.with.industry.and.with.practitioners.have.been.made.possible.by.the.mergers.with.the.GRIs.It.appears.that.the.universities.have.smoothly.completed.the.transformation.to.Bologna.study.structures..Students.report,.for.example,.a.clear.understanding.of.the.bachelor’s.to.master’s.progression,.speak.readily.about.the.ECTS.system,.appreciate.the.flexibility.of.course.choices.that.are.available,.especially.in.master’s.programmes,.and.are.fully.aware.of.credit.transfer.options.and.procedures...Several.universities.noted.that.they.have.worked.hard.to.establish.an.internal.education.market..This.often.involved.holding.multi-ple.meetings.to.communicate.the.changes.to.students.

Internationalisation of educationInternational.study.is.of.interest.to.students,.and.available.data.suggest.that.a.good.number.of.Danish.students.are.studying.in.other.countries..The.data.also.show.some.increase.in.the.number.of.students.coming.to.Danish.universities.from.other.countries..Danish.stu-dents.we.met.with.were.quite.aware.of.international.exchange.opportunities,.were.open.to.such.study.when.it.meshed.with.their.educational.goals,.and.thought.clearly.about.how.such.study.could.augment.their.Danish.coursework..As.is.true.in.other.countries,.it.remains.difficult.for.students.to.coordinate.the.time.they.can.study.in.EU.or.other.settings.with.their.own.programme.requirements,.especially.in.bachelor’s.programmes..This.is.an.EU-wide.problem,.as.there.is.limited.overlap.in.term.of.calendars.among.countries.International.exchange.of.academic.staff.also.takes.place.in.both.directions..Universities.frequently.reported.problems.in.trying.to.offer.attractive.salaries.to.incoming.academics,.however..Students.expressed.no.concerns.about.having.instruction.by.academics.from.other.countries..They.noted.that.master’s.level.courses.are.taught.in.English.but.had.no.complaints..As.addressed.in.our.assessments.regarding.autonomy.(section.4.1),.Danish.regulations.limit.the.international.marketing.of.Danish.study.programmes,.the.establishment.of.joint.degrees,.and.Danish.universities’.participation.in.the.Erasmus.Mundus.programme..Nevertheless,.figures.from.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.concerning.bachelor’s.and.master’s.level.students.show.that.the.number.of.foreign.exchange.students.enrolled.in.Danish.universities.has.increased.consistently.over.the.period.2001-2007,.from.almost.3,000.to.a.little.over.5,000..The.number.of.Danish.exchange.students.spending.54

PhD EducationConditions.for.PhD.study.appear.to.have.been.strengthened.during.the.latest.years..Sever-al.universities.have.established.new.PhD.schools..The.Panel.notes.that.the.2007.change.of.the.University.Act.stipulated.establishment.of.further.PhD.schools,.and.this.development.may.therefore.well.be.caused.by.the.2007.change.of.the.University.Act.rather.than.being.a.direct.consequence.of.the.mergers..Data.from.the.Ministry.also.point.to.increased.PhD.in-take.over.the.last.several.years..The.total.number.of.new.PhD.students.in.2007.was.about.1,800.and.was.2,423.in.2009,.a.significant.increase.compared.to.2005.(1,352)..Funding.of.PhD.fellowships.remains.vitally.important..Several.academics.noted.that.funding.has.led.to.greater.growth.in.“wet”.fields7.than.in.“dry”.fields..The.Government’s.announced.goal.of.doubling.the.number.of.PhD.fellowships.by.2010.seems.to.be.much.needed,.and.may.not.be.enough..Academic.staff.in.many.locations.reported.that.they.could.accept.and.su-pervise.more.PhD.students.An.important.indicator.for.measuring.the.international.attractiveness.of.the.Danish.uni-versities.is.the.number.of.their.foreign.PhD.students..Data.from.the.Ministry8.show.that.the.number.has.increased.by.almost.150.%.in.the.period.2000.–.2008..

recommendation: stimulate development of new study programmes>.Consider.funding.a.one-time.scheme.for.the.development.and.early.evaluation.of.new.study.programmes..In.general,.Danish.universities.are.at.an.early.stage.in.exploiting.the.opportunities.created.by.the.mergers,.and.further.development.of.new.study.pro-grammes.can.be.expected...It.should.be.recognized.that.good.planning.takes.time.and.resources..Interdisciplinary.programmes.have.special.problems.of.integration.and.co-herence,.and.may.need.“piloting”.and.revision..In.many.countries,.universities.expect.academic.staff.to.simply.add.such.planning.duties.to.their.other.assignments..However,.some.allocate.separate.funds.for.summer.stipends.or.short-term.“release”.time.from.teaching.duties.to.allow.for.planning..The.combined.effects.of.the.Danish.taximeter.system.and.research.funding.may.make.it.especially.difficult.to.fund.such.planning.adequately.in.certain.fields..While.this.could.be.construed.as.a.problem.for.university.

student intake, progress and completionAvailable.data.and.university.reports.all.document.increasing.enrolment.in.Danish.univer-sities.at.each.level,(except.for.a.drop.in.2008.which.reportedly.was.due.to.new.demands.for.admission.and.a.favourable.situation.on.the.labour.market)..The.two-year.master’s.programmes.have.seen.significant.enrolment.growth..This.appears.to.be.a.good.devel-opment,.with.no.reports.of.overcrowding.or.disarray.with.growth..Universities.reported.plans.for.increased.enrolment.that.reflect.strategy.choices.and.new.recruitment.initiatives..The.upward.trend.fits.with.political.goals,.but.cannot.be.narrowly.termed.a.“merger.ef-fect.”.Other.factors.–.including.economic.uncertainties.affecting.employers.and.increased.numbers.in.the.youth.age.group.–.may.have.played.a.role...The.Panel.obtained.limited.information.with.respect.to.the.overall.political.goal.of.increas-ing.the.higher.education.graduation.rate.of.the.age.group.to.50.%.by.2015..Data.from.the.Ministry.indicated.that,.in.2006,.45.%.of.a.youth.group.completed.a.higher.education.pro-gramme,.suggesting.that.the.50.%.goal.is.achievable..International.experience.is.that.gains.are.made.slowly.but.cannot.be.assumed.to.occur.On-time.study.completion.is.currently.an.important.priority.in.Denmark.and.other.coun-tries..The.Danish.government.has.set.financial.incentives.to.promote.greater.efficiency.in.this.area..Data.from.Statistics.Denmark.and.the.Ministry.show.positive.trends.on.two.indicators:.steadily.improving.rates.of.on-time.plus.one.year.completion.and.some.decline.in.the.average.time.spent.on.study.through.the.master’s.level..Such.data.always.have.a.time.lag,.however,.as.the.information.for.1999.through.2007.actually.involves.students.who.began.university.study.in.2003.or.earlier...EU.data.we.received.for.average.age.of.completion.were.for.an.earlier.year,.2005..Since.the.time.reflected.in.such.data,.Danish.universities.have.experienced.a.transitional.period,.as.mergers.were.put.into.ef-fect,.as.the.Bologna.structures.were.established,.and.as.students.experienced.greater.op-portunities.for.transfer..On.these.policy.areas.–.promoting.increased.enrolment,.a.higher.percentage.of.youth.com-pleting.tertiary.education,.and.on-time.study.completion.–.available.data.provide.a.limited.perspective.on.any.effects.of.the.mergers..However,.the.general.trend.is.favourable.and.Danish.universities.report.a.range.of.initiatives.that.offer.a.basis.for.expecting.progress..In.most.countries,.slow.progress.is.most.realistic.to.expect,.given.the.many.factors.that.af-fect.overall.completion..Most.countries.also.experience.differences.between.subject.areas.in.average.completion.times,.but.factors.vary.and.are.best.addressed.within.universities.rather.than.by.governmental.or.Parliamentary.actions..The.Panel.has.heard.of.examples.that.the.change.of..taximeter.financing.for.shortening.completion.times.has.made.the.uni-versities.introduce.rules.aiming.at.increasing.completion.time,.including.stricter.rules.of.completion.of.Master’s.theses.On-time.study.completion.also.might.be.enhanced.by.allowing.greater.flexibility.for.stu-dents.who.change.study.programmes..The.“lost”.time.reported.by.such.students.may.be.educationally.sound,.rather.than.a.problem,.as.some.“catch-up”.work.should.be.expected.when.they.enter.a.new.study.field..Nonetheless,.universities.might.review.their.transfer.

conditions of studyThe.Panel’s.meetings.with.students.focused.in.part.on.their.experiences.with.study.pro-grammes.and.possible.effects.of.the.mergers..Overall,.students.reported.few.negative.ef-fects.of.the.merger.on.education,.often.cited.positive.results,.and.expressed.satisfaction,.both.for.themselves.and.for.other.students..However,.the.Panel.has.not.found.clear.evi-dence.of.particular.effects.of.the.mergers.on.the.conditions.of.study..Most.students.displayed.a.strong.sense.of.ownership.in.their.universities.and.their.educa-tion..A.pedagogical.focus.on.project.work,.both.individual.and.in.groups,.was.strongly.valued.Student.representatives.reported.that.their.universities.offer.ample.sources.of.careers.guid-ance..Representatives.also.reported.that.students.are.generally.aware.of.a.range.of.univer-sity.services.and.use.them.when.they.want.such.assistance..The.universities.offer.careers.counselling,.seminars,.job.fairs.for.different.study.areas,.and.information.on.their.websites.regarding.job.opportunities..Some.universities.offer.careers.guidance.in.the.early.years.of.university.study,.as.well.as.for.those.nearing.study.completion....Students.readily.referred.to.study.boards,.organised.for.each.department.or.study.pro-gramme,.as.a.way.to.discuss.problems.with.education.programmes..However,.as.also.indicated.in.section.4.2.1.2,.students.often.objected.to.the.limited.influence.of.the.study.boards.Online.course.evaluations.are.conducted.each.term,.allowing.university.leaders.and.study.boards.to.monitor.and.correct.problems.that.arise..Students.understand.the.ECTS.system.of.credits,.plan.according.to.it,.and.appear.to.appreciate.the.more.flexible.course.choices.that.are.now.built.into.most.study.programmes..At.some.universities,.students.felt.that.programme.requirements.in.some.subjects.were.quite.restrictive,.making.it.difficult.to.pur-sue.related.courses.or.study.abroad..Most.student.groups.we.met.with.expressed.concern.with.the.ban.on.group.exams..Some.argued.persuasively.that.the.strong.emphasis.on.group.projects.in.Danish.universities.calls.for.a.style.of.examining.consistent.with.this.group.orientation..Some.suggested.that.the.different.styles.of.examining.lead.to.differences.in.how.students.prepare.for.exams.and.what.they.learn..57

5.4 innovation and relationship to the business sectorThe.current.dominant.political.use.of.the.term.innovation.has.emerged.from.an.econom-ic.debate,.stressing.the.importance.of.product.and.process.innovation.for.growth.and.jobs.in.a.globalised.world..Universities.participate.in.this.debate.and.pursue.different.ways.how.to.link.education.and.research.to.innovation.activities.in.the.economy.and.in.society..For.some.years,.firms.have.increasingly.practiced.“open.innovation”..They.use.“external.ideas.as.well.as.internal.ideas,.and.internal.and.external.paths.to.market,.as.they.look.to.advance.their.technology”.(Chesbrough.2006)..For.example,.large.international.compa-nies,.when.locating.their.research.facilities,.search.for.sites.near.universities.so.that.they.can.best.practice.“open.innovation”..Firms.look.for.locations.with.strong.frontier.research,.with.a.general.competence.base,.with.open-mindedness,.and.with.flexibility..When.engaging.in.innovation.activities,.it.will.be.important.for.universities.not.only.to.better.exploit.existing.knowledge,.but.also.to.develop.upstream.strategies..Upstream.strategies.should.look.for.building.up.new.knowledge.in.emerging.fields.by.hiring.world.class.people.and.by.investing.in.the.appropriate.infrastructure..This.implies.institutional.strategies,.which.should.include.the.shifting.of.human.and.non-human.resources.“out.of.old.fields.and.into.new.fields”..It.also.implies.changing.curricula.in.order.to.attract.students.in.areas.where.new.jobs.are.created.and.growth.occurs..Up-stream.strategies.are.especially.needed.in.the.fields.of.pharmaceuticals,.energy,.envi-ronment,.e-health,.transport,.and.logistics,.where.there.are.and.will.be.a.strong.innova-tion.demand.(Aho-Report.2006).Innovation-oriented.collaboration.of.universities.can.be.studied,.amongst.other.things,.by.looking.at.research-financing.by.private.sources.(see.section.5.4.1)..The.integration.of.GRIs.into.universities.(see.section.5.4.2).is.supposed.to.strengthen.the.universities.in.such.a.way.that.they.can.play.a.more.important.role.in.innovation.activities,.in.private.sector.companies.as.well.as.public.sector.organisations.

As.shown.in.table.4,.the.Danish.university.sector.receives.a.much.higher.share.of.the.public.national.R&D.expenditures.than.the.universities.in.many.comparable.countries..Only.the.Netherlands.shows.a.higher.value.for.HERD.than.Denmark..However,.the.Dan-ish.figure.of.26.1%.in.2006.is.obviously.not.including.the.results.of.the.mergers.of.2007..If.only.half.of.the.Danish.governmental.research.(GOVRD).reported.in.2006.is.included.in.HERD,.Danish.universities.would.receive.the.highest.share.of.all.countries.reported.in.the.list..Yet,.when.it.comes.to.financing.university.research.by.business.enterprises,.Danish.uni-versities.are.situated.at.the.lowest.end.of.comparable.countries..The.last.column.in.table.4.indicates.that.the.share.of.private.companies.in.financing.public.research.is,.compara-tively.speaking,.very.low,.only.2.3.%.Table 4: private and public shares of research financing for selected countriesr&d shareof gdpdenmarkswedenfinlandgermanyUkUsanetherlandsswitzerland2.43%3.73%3.37%2.53%1.78%2.61%1.67%2.90%businessresearch as shareof total r&d66,6%74,9%71,5%69,9%61,7%70,3%57,6%73,7%Universityresearch asshare of totalr&d (herd)26.1%20.4%18.7%16.3%26.1%14.3%28.2%22.9%governmentalresearch as shareof totalr&d (gov rd)6.7%4.5 %9.7%13.8%10.0%11.1%14.1%1.1%herd+govrdfinanced bybusinessenterprise2.3%4.5%8.6%12.2%5.9%2.7%10.0%8.3%

The.low.share.is.confirmed.by.a.recently.published.report.of.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation9..According.to.this.report,.around.2.3.%.of.university.research.is.funded.by.private.companies..This.figure.implies.that.Danish.universities.are.ranked.at.the.27th.position.among.a.total.of.34.OECD,.EU.and.BRIC.countries.when.it.comes.to.the.proportion.of.university.research.that.is.funded.by.private.sector..Regarding.this.is-sue,.Danish.university.research.is.thus.far.away.from.those.countries.where.universities.have.the.highest.level.of.external.research.funds.from.the.private.sector..Among.the.most.research.intensive.OECD.countries,.South.Korea.and.Germany.are.ranked.highest.with.about.14.%.of.university.research.funded.by.the.private.sector..A.comparison.among.Nor-dic.countries.shows.that.Danish.universities,.with.2.3.%.of.their.research.funded.by.pri-vate.companies,.are.below.the.level.of.Sweden.and.Norway.(resp..5.%.and.4.%),.Finland.(7.%).and.Iceland.(11.%).The.quantitative.implication.of.private.financing.to.universities.is.underlined.by.the.fol-lowing.scenario:.If.Denmark.had.a.situation.comparable.to.Germany,.the.Netherlands,.Switzerland.or.Finland.(around.10.%.of.university.research.financed.by.the.private.sector,.instead.of.the.present.2.3-2.5.%),.universities.in.Denmark.could.raise.an.amount.of.up.to.€100.million.per.year.from.the.private.sector.as.a.financial.contribution.to.their.research..9

A.first.possible.explanation.for.the.low.ratio.of.private.financing.of.Danish.university.re-search.could.be.that.Danish.university.research.is.rather.irrelevant.to.private.companies..It.may.be.too.academic.for.business.or.concentrated.in.areas.with.low.business.interest..However,.another.and.probably.more.likely.explanation,.is.the.tradition.in.Denmark.for.a.high.ratio.of.public.funding.of.university.research.combined.with.the.high.level.of.Danish.taxes..This.tradition.would.imply.that.university.research.is.regarded.to.be.the.responsibil-ity.of.the.State.and.that.publicly.financed.university.research.is.considered.to.be.a.public.good,.from.which.the.Danish.enterprises.may.benefit..The.expectation.of.high.public.financing.of.university.research.is.underlined.by.the.par-ticular.Danish.industry.structure,.which.is.dominated.by.small.and.medium.sized.enter-prises.with.only.a.few.large.companies..The.Danish.SMEs.have.less.tradition.and.much.less.means.for.financing.university.research.than.the.large.companies.Furthermore,.the.low.business.financing.percentage.only.shows.the.direct.industry.financ-ing.to.universities..It.does.not.include.the.financing.to.university.research.from.large.in-dependent.foundations.established.by.large.Danish.companies,.such.as.Carlsberg,.Novo.Nordisk,.Lundbeck,.Velux,.Rockwool,.Realdania.and.many.others.

recommendation: develop a strategy regarding university-industry collaborationDespite.the.various.explanations.contributing.to.the.particularly.low.Danish.percentage.of.private.financing.for.universities.compared.with.other.countries,.it.is.the.overall.impres-sion.of.the.Panel.that.the.private.financing.for.Danish.universities.is.much.lower.than.in.comparable.countries..It.is.highly.likely.that.the.low.percentage.reflects.a.much.lower.level.of.university-industry.collaboration.in.Denmark.than.in.comparable.countries..We.find.this.a.matter.of.concern.in.relation.to.the.policy.goals.of.strengthened.innovation.in.the.Danish.society.and.industry.>. The.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation,.together.with.the.universities.and.the.business.sector,.should.develop.a.strategy.for.how.to.intensify.the.relation.of.universities.with.the.business.sector..The.strategy.could.for.example.be.based.on.the.Danish.‘Innovation.Action.Plan’,.and.on.further.investigations.regarding.Danish.university-industry.collaboration.and.private.funding.of.university.research,.including.an.assessment.on.the.appropriate.balance.between.public.and.private.financing.of.uni-versity.research.in.the.context.of.the.Danish.system..>. The.universities.should.intensify.their.relations.with.the.business.sector.>. Danish.business.should.be.ready.to.treat.the.outcome.of.university.research.not.just.as.a.public.good..The.government.may.help.Danish.firms.by.granting.special.tax.deduc-tions..The.issue,.of.course,.is.where.to.fix.the.borderline.between.the.production.of.public.and.of.private.goods..

prove.the.quality.and.relevance.of.higher.education.by.making.research.resources.avail-able.for.strengthening.the.research.basis.of.educational.activities..Our.assessments.related.to.these.goals.are.addressed.in.previous.sections..In.addition,.it.was.a.goal.to.strengthen.the.collaboration.between.universities.and.industry.in.order.to.increase.innovation.in.Danish.industry..We.have.addressed.the.industrial.innovation.and.universities’.relation.to.private.sector.in.section.5.4.1..Here,.we.focus.on.the.strengthening.of.the.universities'.contribution.to.public.innovation.and.their.relation.to.public.autorities.as.a.consequence.of.the.mergers.betweeen.universi-ties.and.GRIs..Although.no.guiding.model.or."master.plan".was.provided.by.the.govern-ment,.two.principles.guided.the.integration.of.GRIs.in.universities:.(1).the.integration.should.preferably.be.supported.by.the.boards.of.the.GRIs,.which.had.an.advisory.role.towards.the.responsible.minister.and.(2).induvidual.GRIs.should.not.be.divided.into.small.units.or.be.divided.between.different.universities.[A2].

Strengthening of education activities as well as of research at universitiesDuring.its.visits,.the.Panel.observed.that.the.goals.of.strengthening.education.as.well.as.research.at.universities.are.increasingly.met..Researchers.of.the.merged-in.GRIs.seem.to.be.satisfied.with.finding.teaching.opportunities,.and.students.appear.to.appreciate.the.ten-dency.of.further.and.broadened.study.programmes..We.heard.it.suggested,.though,.that.the.training.opportunities.in.teaching.for.the.integrated.previous.GRI-researchers.should.be.widened..Although.there.appeared.to.have.been.an.initial.scepticism.on.how.the.more.service.oriented.research.of.GRIs.would.get.along.with.the.more.scholarship.type.of.research.at.universities,.a.constructive.dialogue.between.the.two.sides.of.research.seems.to.have.been.initiated..This.constructive.dialogue.paves.the.way.for.new.research.opportunities.within.the.merged.institutions..

recommendations: strengthening of university profiles>. Support.the.further.development.of.appropriate.university.profiles..The.voluntary.char-acter.of.the.mergers.as.well.as.the.decision.not.to.accept.any.division.of.a.GRI.between.various.universities.raises.the.question.whether.the.mergers.have.provided.sufficient.support.for.developing.appropriate.university.profiles..From.that.perspective.it.can.be.recommended.that.the.development.in.the.long.run.of.those.mergers.where.geography.(distance).or.substantive.differences.might.lead.to.diminishing.synergies.should.be.monitored.carefully.>. The.broad.research.strength.of.the.universities.should.be.further.elaborated.for.further.strengthening.research.areas.and.profiles.of.universities..This.work.would.benefit.from.becoming.linked.with.the.considerations.recommended.in.section.5.5.2.on.integrating.still.non-merged.GRIs.into.universities..>. Secure.that.the.research.basis.for.the.government.commissioned.services.at.universi-ties.is.sustainable..The.Panel.recommends.perseverance.and.long-term.planning.for.the.research.basis.of.the.universities’.provision.of.the.government.commissioned.services,.even.if.public.calls.for.some.of.the.services.will.be.introduced..

5.5 non-merged universities and government researchinstitutions5.5.1Three non-merged universitiesThe.Panel’s.schedule.included.visits.to.the.three.Danish.universities.that.were.not.merged:.Copenhagen.Business.School,.IT.University,.and.Roskilde.University..Each.had.considered.some.forms.of.merger.during.the.planning.process,.but.at.this.point.remain.stand-alone.universities...Each.has.a.distinctive.profile..CBS.has.a.large.student.body,.with.more.than.12,000.students.in.2007,.spread.evenly.between.bachelor’s.and.master’s.students,.and.with.168.PhD.students..It.offers.22.bachelor’s.programmes.and.27.master’s.programmes,.generally.in.business.and.related.subjects.(e.g.,.law,.economics,.communications),.and.has.an.international.profile,.including.international.accrediting.credentials,.a.large.number.of.partnerships.with.foreign.universities,.and.a.sizeable.international.student.popula-tion..ITU,.founded.in.2003,.had.a.student.body.of.about.1,000.students.in.2007,.primarily.master’s.students.but.also.including.43.PhD.students.and.46.students.admitted.to.the.first.bachelor’s.programme.at.ITU,.which.was.opened.by.2007..ITU.offers.7.master’s.pro-grammes,.including.e-Business..Roskilde.University.had.a.student.body.of.about.7,300.students.in.2007,.including.4,000.for.bachelor’s.programmes,.another.3,300.in.master’s.programmes,.and.246.PhD.students..Its.largest.programmes.are.in.the.social.sciences.and.humanities,.along.with.communication.and.related.fields.The.Danish.Government.obviously.expects.each.of.these.non-merged.universities.to.con-tribute.to.the.broad.goals.announced.as.part.of.the.merger.process,.including.strength-ened.education.and.research..The.recent.period.undoubtedly.created.some.uncertainties.for.each.of.these.universities..While.all.three.expressed.positive.views.about.their.non-merged.status,.each.faces.special.challenges.in.the.changed.university.landscape.in.Denmark..For.CBS,.the.Panel.recognises.its.ambition.to.be.a.top-level.business.school.acknowledged.across.Europe.and.globally,.and.notes.its.strong.record.in.attracting.international.students.and.in.arranging.study.abroad.opportunities.for.its.Danish.students..CBS,.in.its.written.statement,.indicated.that.in.2008.it.was.successful.with.8.out.of.19.FP7.applications,.and.that.it.has.set.further.im-provement.in.such.funding.as.a.priority...Roskilde.University.also.has.a.distinctive.profile.and.contribution.within.Denmark..It.is.well.known.for.its.interdisciplinary.research.and.education,.including.a.project-.and.prob-lem-oriented.approach.that.is.much.valued.by.its.students.and.graduates..IT.University,.the.newest.university.in.Denmark,.is.distinctive.for.its.emphasis.on.several.IT.study.fields.and.its.pedagogical.approach.that.allows.bachelor’s.degree.students.from.other.study.fields.to.begin.IT.study.at.the.master’s.level.The.Panel.notes.that.both.CBS.and.Roskilde.University.share.some.special.challenges.re-lated.to.their.current.profiles..Both.enrol.most.of.their.students.in.study.fields.that.receive.the.lowest.taximeter.rates.and.both.state.that.historically.they.have.received.lower.levels.of.public.research.funding..As.can.be.seen.in.Table.5.in.Annex.7,.CBS.still.receives.by.far.the.lowest.level.of.basic.research.funding.as.part.of.its.overall.budget..As.they.report,.they.thus.suffer.from.modest.overall.funding.on.an.ongoing.basis...Both.universities.have.plans.to.expand.and.diversify.their.other.sources.of.funding..CBS,.for.example,.has.decided.to.62

build.its.tuition.fee.income.from.foreign.students.and.to.increase.its.international.research.funding...ITU,.as.a.new.institution.with.students.primarily.enrolled.in.a.higher.taximeter.tier,.does.not.share.these.challenges.but,.due.to.its.small.size,.faces.other.challenges..As.noted.in.the.Research.section.of.this.report,.ITU.has.not,.as.yet,.been.successful.in.winning.EU.research.funding.in.the.Cooperation.programme.of.FP7...This.is.all.the.more.striking.since.AAU.has.been.highly.successful.in.winning.research.funding.in.the.IT.sub-programme.of.FP7.Cooperation..In.addition,.the.ITU.has.not.established.a.record.of.strong.commerciali-sation.of.its.research.The.Panel.also.has.concern.that.ITU’s.educational.programmes.are.vulnerable,.not.only.because.the.programmes.are.small.but.also.because.the.administrative.and.academic.infrastructure.is.quite.small..With.a.limited.number.of.full.professors.and.associate.pro-fessors.at.ITU,.they.must.share.a.heavy.burden.of.serving.on.committees,.as.heads.of.studies,.as.PhD.supervisors,.or.administrators.and,.consequently,.are.less.available.for.teaching..It.is.difficult.for.small.programmes.with.relatively.few.instructors.to.provide.the.sustained.education.quality.and.coherence.that.is.needed.to.ensure.successful.comple-tion.of.studies.over.the.long.term..We.were.told.that,.for.some.study.programmes,.teach-ing.is.carried.out.largely.by.professors.affiliated.with.other.universities..The.e-Business.programme.is,.for.example,.taught.by.professors.from.the.Copenhagen.Business.School..ITU.students.regularly.take.courses.offered.by.the.University.of.Copenhagen.or.other.universities..This.raises.the.question.of.whether.the.distinctive.pedagogical.approach.and.philosophy.espoused.by.the.ITU.experiment.can.be.executed.effectively.under.the.vulner-able.situation.of.ITU..It.should.also.be.noted.that.ITU’s.initial.objective.and.distinctive.approach.can.now.be.found.in.other.universities..The.small.size.of.ITU’s.academic.staff.also.creates.vulnerability.for.PhD.education..PhD.students.need.to.have.close,.continuing.supervision.on.a.very.specific.research.area.from.a.supervisor.with.expertise.in.that.area,.yet.ITU.can.provide.only.a.limited.range.of.exper-tise.to.support.PhD.research..Because.ITU.has.relatively.few.professors,.some.with.ties.to.business.or.industry.that.might.draw.them.away,.there.is.a.further.risk.for.maintaining.the.continuity.of.supervision.needed.by.PhD.students..In.addition,.at.our.visit.in.August.some.of.the.industry.representatives.indicated.that.they.realise.the.enormous.efforts.necessary.for.attaining.the.critical.mass.needed.to.develop.ITU.into.a.sustainable.university,.and.that.they.no.longer.insist.on.a.separate.IT.university..ITU.has.apparently.not.been.able.to.develop.a.sufficiently.broad.research.platform.to.support.a.sustainable.PhD.education.structure.of.its.own.nor.been.able.to.sufficiently.satisfy.the.expectations.of.private.sector.companies.operating.in.the.IT.areas.covered.by.ITU.

The non-merged grisBackground and institutional profiles In.January.2007,.nine.public.GRIs.were.integrated.into.universities,.in.the.form.of.facul-ties,.departments.or.professional.units..The.overall.positive.experience.of.the.merged.GRIs.was.discussed.in.section.5.4.2..Here.the.focus.is.on.the.four.GRIs.which.were.not.merged:.NFA.(National.Research.Centre.for.the.Working.Environment,.under.the.Ministry.of.Em-ployment);.the.Danish.National.Centre.for.Social.Research.(SFI,.under.the.Ministry.of.Interior.and.Social.Affairs);.the.Kennedy.Centre.(under.the.Ministry.of.Health.and.Preven-tion);.and.the.Geological.Survey.of.Denmark.and.Greenland.(GEUS,.under.the.Ministry.of.Climate.and.Energy)..The.Statens.Serum.Institut.was.not.part.of.the.evaluation.on.the.grounds.that.this.GRI.holds.particular.national.responsibilities,.amongst.other.things,.for.preventing.epidemia/pandemia..Furthermore.80-90.percent.of.the.institution’s.turnover.is.generated.from.commercial.sales.of.vaccines,.serums,.etc.The.Panel.met.with.representatives.of.the.four.non-merged.GRIs.and.officials.of.the.re-sponsible.Ministries..The.four.GRIs.have.very.different.profiles.and.face.very.different.situations..The.Geological.Survey.is.the.largest.with.an.annual.turnover.of.280.million.DKK.and.over.300.full.time.staff..Its.main.tasks.are.geological.mapping,.data.collection.and.storage,.carrying.out.research.projects,.giving.advice.and.disseminating.geo-scientific.knowledge..It.supports.administrative.and.legislative.work.in.Danish.Ministries.and.the.Greenland.Home.Rule.Authority..At.the.same.time,.it.participates.in.cooperative.arrange-ments.with.the.University.of.Copenhagen.(Departments.of.Geography.and.Geology,.and.the.Geology.Museum).as.part.of.Geocenter.Denmark,.which.numbers.500.employees.and.1,000.graduate.and.PhD.students.......NFA.has.a.staff.of.154.and.had.in.2007.a.total.budget.of.approximately.105.million.DKK,.of.which.63.%.was.basic.government.grants..As.a.national.institute.for.working.environ-ment.research,.NFA.is.dedicated.to.promoting.a.safe,.healthy.and.progressive.working.environment..It.conducts.strategic.research,.especially.in.support.of.companies’.efforts.to.improve.working.environment,.and.monitors.and.coordinates.Danish.work.environment.research..There.is.teaching.and.PhD.mentoring.The.SFI.has.a.full.time.staff.of.140.(60.researchers).and.an.annual.income.of.over.115.million.DKK,.70.%.of.which.is.allocated.to.research.and.evaluation.projects..SFI’s.main.objective.is.to.supply.relevant.knowledge.for.shaping.and.evaluating.Danish.social.welfare.policies..It.pursues.these.objectives.through.two.main.arms:.SFI.Survey.collects.and.processes.data.for.use.by.researchers,.public.authorities,.private.organisations.and.enterprises..SFI.CAMPBELL.conducts.multi-disciplinary.research.on.the.impact.of.social.programmes..SFI.has.bilateral.co-operation.agreements.with.the.universities.of.Copenhagen,.Aarhus.and.Aalborg,.and.with.Universities.Denmark..11.of.SFI’s.researchers.teach.at.four.universities.and.SFI.staff.super-vises.35.MSc.students.and.are.primary.and.secondary.supervisors.to.12.PhD.students...The.Kennedy.Centre.is.a.national.research.and.advisory.centre.on.genetics,.visual.impair-ment,.and.mental.retardation..Its.staff.numbers.approximately.85.and.it.has.an.annual.income.of.70.million.DKK..This.institution.has.been.involved.in.a.special.process..The.Government.had.aimed.to.integrate.this.institution.into.Region.Copenhagen.and.associate.

it.with.Glostrup.Hospital.and.the.Copenhagen.University.Hospital..However,.the.final.sta-tus.of.the.institution.has.not.been.decided.by.the.Government.yet.[A5,.8.June.2009]..Issues and OptionsThe.nine.GRI.mergers.raise.the.question.of.the.continued.usefulness.and.viability.of.the.still.non-merged.part.of.the.research-based.public.service.sector.in.Denmark..The.Govern-ment.should.face.the.question.whether.the.four.non-merged.GRIs.should.be.maintained.as.independent.organisations.or.be.merged.as.well,.whether.with.a.university.or.another.institution..One.consideration.is.that.where.previously.the.GRIs.formed.a.specific.sector.with.their.own.legal.foundation.and.labour.conditions,.the.remaining.GRIs.are.too.few.in.number.and.small.in.size.to.legitimately.still.be.able.to.be.regarded.as.a.separate.sector.The.background.documentation.provided.by.the.four.unmerged.institutions.and.the.in-terviews.with.their.representatives.made.a.case.for.maintaining.the.status.quo..The.argu-ments.differed.because.of.the.differing.circumstances.of.the.GRIs...GEUS.argued.that.parts.of.its.services.to.the.government.are.of.a.confidential.nature,.which.could.be.compromised.if.it.was.part.of.a.university..In.any.event,.through.participation.in.Geocenter.it.has.good.synergies.with.the.University.of.Copenhagen..The.Board.of.Gover-nors.of.NFA.recommends.the.Institute’s.continued.independence.on.the.grounds.that.it.is.fully.meeting.the.goals.of.the.Globalisation.Strategy..regarding.research-based.ministerial.preparedness,.research.quality,.and.internationalisation..It.has.good.quality.(justified.to.some.extent.on.the.basis.of.a.recent.evaluation),.benefits.from.synergies.with.universities,.and.responds.well.to.societal.demands..NFA.argues.that.the.multi-disciplinary.OSH.(occu-pational.safety.and.health).research.would.be.hard.to.maintain.within.a.university.setting..In.addition,.it.is.argued.that.OSH.needs.to.be.close.to.the.practitioners.in.the.industry.and.the.Ministry..Similar.arguments.have.been.advanced.by.the.Kennedy.Centre:.Health.care.is.not.usually.a.part.of.the.universities..The.Centre.provides.a.way.of.capturing.the.syner-gies.between.care.and.treatment.on.the.one.hand.and.research.on.the.other,.which.would.be.lost.in.a.university.setting..SFI’s.Board.argued.that.the.Centre.serves.as.a.network.that.brings.researchers.from.universities.and.research.institutions.together.in.multidisciplinary.teams,.and.that.this.pivotal.role.will.be.lost.with.a.university.merger..One.SFI.representa-tive.put.the.case.strongly:.if.SFI.is.merged.with.a.university,.it.will.need.to.be.reinvented..In.any.event,.according.to.SFI,.there.is.already.good.co-operation.with.the.university.sector..The.Panel.has.thus.heard.the.arguments.put.forward.by.the.unmerged.GRIs.for.continued.independence..In.most.cases.we.do.not.find.these.arguments.persuasive,.but.find.that.they.need.to.be.assessed.on.the.basis.of.clearly.articulated.criteria.for.decision.making.on.whether.or.not.a.merger.should.be.pursued..Several.elements.of.the.criteria.need.to.be.considered..But.first.two.general.observations:.Whether.or.not.a.specific.GRI.should.be.merged.depends.in.the.first.place.on.the.pos-sibility.of.a.good.match.with.a.university..The.Panel.does.for.example.not.find.that.the.confidentiality.argument.raised.by.GEUS.is.particularly.strong.in.justifying.its.continuous.independence..Arrangements.for.confidential.research.can.be.made.with.the.universities,.just.as.it.can.be.with.a.government.research.institution..The.most.important.elements.of.the.decision.criteria.concern.the.impact.of.a.merger.on.quality..Defined.broadly,.it.includes.the.following.elements:.contribution.to.strategic.pro-filing.of.the.merged.institutions.through.creation.of.a.critical.mass;.synergies.in.research;.contribution.to.education.and.relating.existing.teaching.and.tutoring.in.a.controlled.uni-65

versity.setting;.quality.of.service.to.the.government;.and.strengthening.connections.with.industry.and.society..The.potential.impact.of.a.merger.based.on.these.criteria.may.be.illustrated.with.a.few.exam-ples..Assuming.that.there.is.a.positive.match,.a.merger.can.potentially.improve.strategic.pro-filing.of.a.university.by.strengthening.specialisation.in.a.particular.area..A.pooling.of.resourc-es.that.a.merger.can.bring.about.should.assist.in.developing.a.critical.mass.in.more.areas,.contrary.to.a.dilution.of.resources,.as.NFA.argues.would.be.the.case..In.fact,.the.independent.evaluation.of.NFA.carried.out.in.2008.recommended.a.reduced.number.of.research.priorities.(from.seven.to.four).precisely.because.of.a.lack.of.a.critical.mass.in.those.areas..With.regard.to.the.impact.on.quality.of.service.to.the.government,.a.post-merger.agreement.for.compe-tition-based.contracts.for.those.services.offers.a.means.for.improved.quality..With.regard.to.linkages.with.industry,.the.applied.nature.of.the.research.done.by.the.GRIs.can.potentially.strengthen.this.aspect.of.the.universities,.which.is.at.present.relatively.weak.in.Denmark..Similarly,.the.Panel.does.not.find.SFI’s.arguments.–.that.it.already.co-operates.with.the.uni-versities.and.that.its.critical.role.as.a.network.coordinator.would.be.lost.if.it.was.located.within.a.university.–.persuasive..On.the.contrary.we.think.that.there.can.be.significant.ben-efits.from.a.merger.with.a.university.in.developing.synergies.in.both.education.and.research.through.building.stronger.multi-disciplinary.critical.mass.and.in.being.subject.to.more.strin-gent.quality.demands..A.merger.would.be.an.appropriate.solution.to.the.two.major.obstacles.faced.by.SFI,.as.identified.by.a.2009.evaluation.of.the.institution:.a.methodological.divide.of.qualitative.and.quantitative.work,.with.insufficient.use.made.of.its.surveys;.and.a.“two-box”.divide.between.basic.research.and.evaluation.research.[Evaluation.of.SFI.2009]..

5.6 food forumIn.the.framework.of.the.merger.processes.the.Danish.agriculture.and.food.industry.made.a.plea.for.the.establishment.of.one.strong.university.for.agricultural.and.food.sciences;.a.plea.that.was.not.realised..Instead,.the.agricultural.and.food.sciences.have.been.placed.in.three.universities,.and.the.Danish.Food.Forum.was.established.with.a.mandate.to.coor-dinate.between.the.agricultural.and.food.industry,.the.agricultural.sector.and.the.univer-sity.sector..From.the.beginning.the.Food.Forum.was.in.a.rather.disadvantageous.position.since.its.terms.of.reference.were.rather.unclear,.and.the.Forum.did.not.receive.a.sufficient.budget.of.its.own..This.position.is.also.reflected.in.the.opinions.of.those.involved.with.the.Forum,.ranging.from.strong.support.(“if.the.Forum.did.not.exist.it.should.be.invented”),.indifference,.to.strong.criticism,.and.the.suggestion.to.abandon.it..It.is.the.impression.of.the.Panel.that.the.involved.parties.find.that.the.mergers.as.such.have.not.had.a.positive.impact.on.the.cooperation.between.the.food.and.agricultural.industry.and.the.universities,.partly.as.a.result.of.the.lack.of.coordination.and.cooperation.between.the.66

post-merger.universities..Instead.of.cooperation,.the.specific.areas.covered.by.the.Food.Fo-rum.are.characterised.by.more.competition.apparently.making.it.difficult.to.initiate.projects.that.would.require.the.involvement.of.more.than.one.university..An.evaluation.by.the.LMC.(Centre.for.Advanced.Food.Studies).International.Advisory.Board.has.even.drawn.the.con-clusion.that.the.inter-university.competition.might.jeopardize.the.leading.international.posi-tion.of.the.Danish.food.industry..Also.the.dissatisfying.results.of.the.Danish.universities,.especially.in.the.KBBE.part.of.the.EU’s.FP710,.are.partly.blamed.on.the.limited.post-merger.coordination.between.universities,.agricultural.sector,.and.industry..Furthermore.the.uni-versities.have.not.been.able.to.increase.the.number.of.students.in.the.programmes.of.direct.relevance.for.the.food.and.agricultural.industry,.while.also.the.cooperation.between.the.universities.and.Danish.university.colleges.was.seen.as.insufficient..Finally,.there.seems.to.be.a.lack.of.coordination.with.respect.to.the.PhD.schools.in.the.areas.in.question..All.in.all.the.Panel.got.the.impression.that,.first,.many.of.the.participants.are.dissatisfied.with.the.functioning.of.the.Food.Forum;.second,.the.expectations.with.respect.to.the.posi-tive.effects.of.the.Food.Forum.and.the.university.mergers.on.the.number.of.students.in.food.(and.agricultural).related.fields.(especially.in.master’s.programmes),.and.on.food.(and.agricultural).research.(including.an.increase.in.EU.funding).have.not.been.realised..From.that.starting.point.the.Panel.wonders.whether.the.main.underlying.national.issue.is.whether.Denmark.wants.to.maintain.if.not.strengthen.its.leading.role.in.agricultural.and.food.industry.production.and.export..Assuming.that.this.is.the.case,.the.food.and.agricul-tural.industry.(and.agricultural.export).related.university.education.and.research.activities.can.be.supported.and.stimulated.more.effectively.and.transparently.in.the.framework.of.a.national.‘Food.strategy’,.including.health.and.sustainable.agriculture.aspects.(not.unlike.the.Globalisation.Strategy)..

recommendation: develop a national food strategy>. Consider.setting.up.a.working.group.for.the.development.of.a.national.strategy.ad-dressing.a.national.food.strategy..The.mandate.of.such.a.working.group.should.also.include.the.development.of.a.more.effective.‘meeting.point’.for.the.food/agricultural.industry.interests.and.the.universities.(and.other.knowledge.organisations).involved.in.teaching.and.research.activities.in.food/agricultural.fields..From.the.observations.the.Panel.has.made.it.can.be.concluded.that.the.Food.Forum.in.its.current.set.up.is.not.functioning.effectively..If.the.Danish.Government.wants.to.make.the.interaction.between.the.food/agricultural.industry.and.the.public.sector.on.the.one.side.and.the.universities.on.the.other.side.more.effective,.it.could.consider.setting.up.a.working.group.for.the.development.of.a.national.strategy.addressing.the.above.questions..The.mandate.of.such.a.working.group.should.also.include.the.development.of.a.more.effective.‘meeting.point’.for.the.food/agricultural.industry.interests.and.the.universities.(and.other.knowledge.organisations).involved.in.teaching.and.research.activities.in.food/agricultural.fields..The.Danish.food.industry.is.a.world.leader,.based.on.long.traditions,.and.represents.many.important.national.interests..Consequently,.the.knowledge,.skills.and.competence.base.for.the.food.industry.is.a.national.strategic.issue..If.the.leadership.position.of.the.Danish.food.

industry.is.to.be.maintained.in.the.future,.it.is.important.to.develop.a.national.strategy.for.food.industry.and.food.industry.related.research.and.innovation..The.main.questions.in.this.include.first.with.respect.to.research.and.innovation:.>. What.are.the.food.and.agricultural.areas.where.Denmark.is/wants.to.be.world.leader?>. What.kind.of.knowledge.basis.is.needed?.Is.the.current.knowledge.basis.satisfying?>. Which.universities/university.units.are.the.nodes.in.the.Danish.food.and.agricultural.industry.focused.knowledge.basis?.How.can.this.basis.be.maintained.and.strengthened?>. Is.the.research./.knowledge.production.and.application.capacity.sufficient.(qualita-tively.and.quantitatively)?.>. How.does.the.Danish.food.and.agricultural.industry.research.capacity.relate.to.interna-tional.knowledge.and.research.nodes?.>. How.successful.are.Danish.universities.(and.other.units).in.attracting.competitive.re-search.funding,.nationally.and.internationally.(especially.in.the.EU’s.FP7)?Second,.with.respect.to.the.education.and.training.of.people.working.as.researchers.in./.leading.the.food.and.agricultural.industry,.as.well.as.related.areas.such.as.food.control,.and.agricultural.sustainability,.the.main.questions.include:>. What.kind.of.master/PhD.programmes.does.Denmark.have?.>. What.are.the.student.behaviour.factors.that.influence.the.enrolment.level.in.these.pro-grammes?>. How.do.the.programmes.relate.to.the.training.needs.of.industry?.>. Do.the.universities.have.satisfying.lifelong.learning.structures?

5.7 recommendations on mergersIn.chapter.3.the.Panel.has.posed.the.question.whether.the.new.Danish.landscape.of.uni-versities.and.research.is.adequate.for.best.serving.the.interests.of.the.Danish.society.and.economy.and.whether.the.mergers.have.created.a.basis.for.stronger.university.profiles.>. With.respect.to.the.individual.universities,.though.the.mergers.are.not.yet.fully.material-ised,.the.Panel.finds.overall.positive.effects.from.the.integration.of.the.GRIs.and.universi-ties.as.well.as.the.mergers.between.universities..The.mergers.have.been.change.drivers.for.the.universities..The.Panel.has.found.that.the.mergers.have.created.an.input.for.stronger.university.profiles.and.thereby.improved.the.universities’.capacity.for.strategic.prioritising..As.the.question.of.university.profiles.did.not.exist.as.a.key.issue.for.the.merg-ers,.it.might.now.be.time.for.discussing.the.advantages.and.disadvantages.of.profiling.the.universities..The.Panel.therefore.recommends.a.debate.on.university.system.diversity,.aimed.at.determining.what.kind.of.diversity.basis.the.system.should.have..The.discussion.may.include.possible.targets.for.the.university.system.as.well.as.for.each.individual.uni-versity.when.it.comes.to.research.output.and.impact..Such.targets.may.be.included.in.the.development.contracts.and.should.be.based.on.proposals.from.the.universities..>. The.mergers.have.created.a.new.Danish.‘map.of.universities.and.research’..The.Panel’s.overall.impression.is.that.this.new.landscape.offers.a.potentially.diverse.research.basis.of.both.basic.and.applied.research.for.the.diverse.educational.programmes.developed.in.recent.years..Nevertheless,.we.recommend.the.adequacy.of.this.new.landscape.to.be.discussed.for.serving.the.interests.of.the.Danish.society.and.economy..The.Panel.rec-ommends.the.landscape.to.be.adjusted.with.further.mergers.and.other.adjustments.68

>. The.three.non-merged.universities.all.have.distinctive.institutional.profiles..The.Panel.finds,.though,.that.the.situation.of.ITU.clearly.differs.from.the.situation.of.the.other.two.non-merged.universities..The.IT.University.is.overall.too.small.and.vulnerable.to.be.able.to.operate.in.a.satisfying.way.as.a.stand-alone.university..Amongst.other.things,.the.vulnerability.of.the.PhD.education.of.ITU.is.high.and.the.institutional.basic.research.platform.to.support.the.PhD.education,.as.well.as.the.relationship.to.indus-try,.is.not.sufficiently.strong..The.Panel.therefore.recommends.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.to.start.a.dialogue.with.ITU.for.determining.its.future.posi-tion.in.the.Danish.university.landscape..The.aim.of.this.dialogue.should.be.to.identify.one.or.more.possible.merger.partners.for.ITU.>. Concerning.the.still.non-merged.GRIs,.the.Panel.recommends.the.government.to.recon-sider.the.position.of.them.as.separate.institutions.outside.the.university.sector..The.Panel.does.not.consider.it.within.its.competence.to.identify.specific.merger.matches.for.the.re-maining.unmerged.GRIs..These.decisions.should.be.made.on.the.basis.of.clear.and.trans-parent.criteria.in.order.to.strengthen.certain.research.areas,.research.based.education.and.improved.relations.to.other.parts.of.society..The.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.In-novation.should.develop.criteria.for.strategic.decision.regarding.the.unmerged.GRIs...>. In.recognising.the.methodological.limitations,.imposed.by.the.very.short.period.since.the.mergers,.the.evaluation.framework.also.addresses.the.possible.effects.of.the.merg-ers.on.education,.research,.and.innovation,.as.well.as.the.universities’.relationship.with.the.private.sector.and.with.government-oriented.research..The.Panel.finds.it.difficult.to.relate.the.international.impact.of.research.to.the.mergers,.not.only.regarding.the.men-tioned.limitations,.but.also.as.“impact.on.research”.is.not.operationalised.clearly..The.Panel.recommends.EU-funding.to.be.further.stimulated,.especially.regarding.ERC.and.by.taking.leadership.roles.through.coordination.of.Cooperation.projects.and.networks.>. The.Panel.has.seen.some.new.offerings.in.education.as.a.result.of.the.mergers.and.the.competence.from.the.GRIs.has.to.some.extent.been.introduced.in.study.programmes..We.recommend.further.exploitation.of.the.opportunities.created.by.the.mergers,.as.well.as.regular.reviews.of.programmes..In.addition,.we.recommend.an.evaluation.of.the.challenges.and.difficulties.the.Danish.universities.face.in.comparison.with.other.European.universities.in.developing.and.maintaining.international.collaborations.in.education,.e.g..in.the.area.of.joint.degree.programmes.>. As.regards.university.relation.to.the.private.sector,.the.Panel.recommends.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation,.in.collaboration.with.the.universities,.to.initiate.further.investigations.and.develop.a.strategy.regarding.the.Danish.university-industry.collaboration.and.the.private.sector.funding.of.university.research..The.further.strat-egy.planning.could.take.basis.in.the.2007.Innovation.Action.Plan,.and.should.include.specific.actions.to.strengthen.university-private.sector.collaboration,.including.private.sector.funding.of.university.research.>. The.Panel.recommends.the.Danish.Government.to.make.the.interaction.between.the.food/agricultural.industry.and.the.universities.more.effective..This.may.be.based.on.the.development.of.a.national.strategy,.for.instance,.by.setting.up.a.working.group..The.mandate.of.such.a.working.group.should.include.an.evaluation.of.the.earlier.mergers.involving.food/.agricultural.institutions.in.order.to.develop.a.more.effective.arena.for.the.food/agricultural.industry.interests.and.the.universities.and.other.knowledge.or-ganisations.involved.in.teaching.and.research.activities.in.food/agricultural.fields.69

1. Terms of reference for the evaluation ...................................................................................................... 722. proposal for minimum contents of the 2009 evaluation of 18 november 2008 ....................................... 743. brief presentation of the evaluation panel members ............................................................................. 774. reference list of background documents for the evaluation .................................................................. 795. list of abbreviations used in the evaluation report ................................................................................. 836. meeting schedule for the evaluation, including programme for the evaluationpanel’s site visits in august ....................................................................................................................... 847. The danish university sector – a factual overview .................................................................................. 93

PreambleWith.the.changes.of.the.university.law.in.2003.a.comprehensive.reform.of.the.university.management.structure.and.a.new.status.as.self.governing.institutions.for.universities.were.implemented.In.2007.this.was.followed.by.the.merging.of.12.universities.and.13.government.research.institutions.into.8.universities.and.4.government.research.institutions.The.aim.of.the.reforms.in.the.university.area.was.to.provide.universities.with.an.en-hanced.capacity.for.strategic.prioritization.across.their.core.areas.of.activity:.education,.research,.and.knowledge.transfer,.as.well.as.with.an.enhanced.ability.to.meet.demands.of.society.The.purpose.of.the.evaluation.is.to.investigate.the.issues.described.in.the.Danish.Parlia-ment’s.resolution.V9,.as.well.as.issues.concerning.the.development.of.degrees.of.freedom.for.the.universities,.cf..below.The.creation,.through.the.reform.of.2003,.of.a.clear.and.transparent.management.struc-ture.including.appointed.leaders.and.government.boards.with.a.majority.of.members.from.outside.the.university,.forms.the.basis.for.the.evaluation.The content of the evaluationThe.Danish.Parliament’s.resolution.V9.(Denmark’s.Liberal.Party,.The.Conservative.People’s.Party,.and.The.Danish.Social.Democrats).of.November.16,.2006.sets.out.the.framework.for.the.evaluation:“The.Danish.Parliament.accepts.the.answer.from.the.Minister.of.Science,.in.that.it:>. Notes.that.the.purpose.of.the.mergers.are.more.education,.greater.international.impact.of.research,.more.innovation.and.collaboration.with.industry,.the.attraction.of.more.research.funding.from.the.EU,.as.well.as.a.continued.competent.service.in.the.area.of.government.commissioned.research.>. Notes.that.the.institutions’.self-determination.has.been.the.core.principle.in.the.mergers.of.the.universities.and.the.government.research.institutions,.which.are.to.come.into.effect.on.January.1,.2007.>. Underlines.the.importance.of.the.university.law’s.provisions.concerning.research.freedom.and.employees’.freedom.to.participate.in.the.public.debate.>. Notes.that.the.Minister.of.Science.in.2009.will.conduct.an.evaluation.of.the.extent.to.which.the.purpose.of.the.university.mergers.has.been.achieved.>. Notes.that.the.Minister.of.Science.in.2009.furthermore.will.conduct.an.evaluation.of.the.state.of.codetermination.for.employees.and.students.at.the.universities,.the.free.academic.debate,.and.research.freedom,.under.the.current.university.law.”In.addition.the.development.of.degrees.of.freedom.for.the.universities.will.be.included.in.72

the.evaluation..This.will.entail.an.investigation.of.the.development.and.effect.of.both.the.regulatory.framework.for.universities.and.the.regulation.of.universities.through.financial.instruments.Relevant.stakeholders.within.the.different.subject.areas.of.the.evaluation,.including.employees,.students,.and.management.representatives.from.different.levels.of.the.university.organizations,.will.be.consulted.as.part.of.the.evaluation.process.The.evaluation.will.be.commenced.in.the.autumn.of.2008.and.finalized.before.the.end.of.2009.Evaluation panelThe.evaluation.will.be.conducted.independently,.cf..the.explanatory.notes.for.The Draft Bill to Changing the University Act (L140) of 31 January 2007.The.evaluation.will.be.organized.and.undertaken.by.an.independent.panel.of.experts.appointed.by.the.minister.of.science..The.panel.can.request.analysis.and.studies.from.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.or.private.consultants..Private.consultants.will.be.chosen.on.the.basis.of.a.public.tender..The.panel.will.be.given.secretary.assistance.independently.of.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.

Based.on.the.Danish.Parliament’s.resolution.V9.(Denmark’s.Liberal.Party,.Conservatives,.The.Social.Democrats).of.November.16,.2006.as.well.as.the.wish.to.examine.the.status.of.the.development.of.degrees.of.freedom.for.the.universities,.the.independent.evaluation.in.the.university.area,.which.the.minister.of.science.must.undertake.in.2009,.will.focus.on.five.main.areas.A.. Fulfillment.of.the.purpose.of.university.mergers1.. More.education2.. Greater.international.impact.of.research3.. More.innovation.and.collaboration.with.industry4.. Attraction.of.more.EU-funding5.. Continued.competence.in.commissioned.services.to.governmentB.. Codetermination.for.employees.and.studentsC.. The.free.academic.debateD.. Research.freedomE.. Degrees.of.freedomExpected surveys and analysisThe.evaluation.will.be.based.on.a.number.of.surveys.and.analysis..Where.requested.data.is.already.available,.as.is.the.case.for.most.statistical.data,.UBST.will.be.responsible.for.the.analysis..Where.new.material.needs.to.be.produced,.e.g..in.interviews.and.surveys,.private.consultants.will.be.responsible.In.addition.to.the.following.analysis.and.surveys,.the.evaluation.panel.will.also.be.pro-vided.with.statements.from.the.universities.concerned.with.substantial.issues.related.to.the.evaluation’s.subject.areas..Area A1.. The.effect.of.the.mergers.on.university.education.will.be.examined..This.will.include.data.on.the.establishment.of.new.education.programs,.student.recruitment,.and.the.development.of.new.subject.areas.2.. The.effect.of.the.mergers.on.the.international.impact.of.research.will.be.examined..This.will.include.data.on.university.publication.activities,.the.attraction.of.foreign.re-search.funding,.university.ranking,.the.international.recruitment.of.students,.as.well.as.statements.from.the.universities.3.. The.effect.of.the.mergers.on.universities’.performance.within.innovation.and.collabo-ration.with.industry.will.be.examined..This.will.include.statistical.material.on.universi-ty-industry.links.as.well.as.on.patenting..4.. The.attraction.of.EU-funding.will.be.examined.based.on.the.success-rate.of.Danish.universities.in.EU-applications.5.. The.state.of.Danish.universities.activities.in.the.area.of.government.commissioned.services.will.be.examined.through.the.analysis.of.statistics.on.the.number.and.size.of.contracts.between.government.ministries.and.universities.

Area BThe.status.of.codetermination.for.employees.and.students.at.the.Danish.universities.will.be.examined..This.will.be.done.through.a.survey.of.the.actual.organization.of.codeter-mination.at.all.levels.of.the.different.universities...Included.in.this.will.be.an.overview.over.the.internal.organization.of.each.university,.an.analysis.of.the.content.of.the.differ-ent.committees’.work.based.on.agendas.and.minutes,.and.interviews.with.leaders.from.all.levels.of.the.universities,.as.well.as.student.and.employees,.and.including.members.of.study.councils.and.academic.councils.Area CThe.state.of.the.free.academic.debate.at.Danish.universities.will.be.examined..This.will.be.done.through.an.examination.of.the.legal.and.organizational.framework.for.the.academic.debate,.through.the.analysis.of.statistics.on.the.participation.of.researchers.in.the.public.debate,.and.through.conducting.a.survey.among.researchers.Area DThe.state.of.research.freedom.at.the.Danish.universities.will.be.examined.both.in.relation.to.government.commissioned.research.and.university.research.in.general..Both.the.overall.academic.freedom.of.the.universities.as.described.in.articke.2.2.of.the.university.law,.and.the.research.freedom.of.the.individual.researcher.as.described.in.article.16a.7.and.article.17.2..The.analysis.will.include.statistics.on.university.financing.and.a.survey.among.re-searchers.Area EThe.development.of.degrees.of.freedom.for.the.universities.will.be.examined..The.analysis.will.include.analysis.of.the.development.of.the.regulatory.framework.for.universities.-.in-cluding.the.regulation.of.university.education.-.as.well.as.financial.incentives,.which.uni-versities.respond.to..Further.more,.leaders.at.all.level.of.the.university.will.be.interviewed.Universities,.which.were.not.part.of.the.merger.process,.will.be.included.in.all.areas.of.the.evaluation..Government.research.institutions.that.were.not.part.of.the.merger.process.will.be.included.when.relevant.Evaluation panelThe.evaluation.will.be.organized.and.carried.out.by.an.international.panel.of.experts.The.panel.can.request.further.studies.and.analysis.to.use.in.the.evaluation.The.evaluation.panel.will.have.secretary.assistance.independently.of.the.Ministry.of.Sci-ence,.Technology.and.Innovation..The.secretary.assistance.will.include.practical.and.or-ganizational.tasks,.as.well.as.help.in.producing.the.panel’s.final.report.

appendix 1 draft list of expected analysis for the 2009-evaluationanalysisa1subject areaeducationQuantitative datanumber of new educationprogramsnumber of enrolled studentsdevelopment of new subjectsa2international impact ofresearchbibliometrics / citationspublicationsrankinginternational research fundingph.d.-school enrollmenta2a3international reputationof institutionsinnovation andcollaboration withindustrycollaboration with industryfi’s entrepreneurshipbarometerdea’s industry-researchbarometerstatistics on innovationpatentsa4a5attraction of eUfundingcompetence in thearea of governmentcommissionedresearchcompetence in thearea of governmentcommissionedresearchco-determinationco-determinationorganizational framework atparticular universitiesapplication success ratenumber and size of reportsdelivered to state agenciesstatement from universitiesUbsTstatement from universitiesUbsTQualitative dataconducted bydanishUniversityand propertyagency(UbsT)UbsT

Brief.presentations.of.the.Panel.Members.are.indicated.in.the.following:Agneta Bladh (Panel Chair)Agneta.Bladh.holds.a.PhD.in.Political.Science..She.has.been.rector.at.University.of.Kalmar.since.2004..She.has.a.background.as.Director.General.at.the.Swedish.National.Agency.for.Higher.Education.1995-1998.and.as.State.Secretary.at.the.Swedish.Ministry.of.Education.and.Science.1998-2004..Agneta.Bladh.was.a.member.of.the.recent.Norwegian.government.commission.on.higher.education.(Stjernö-utvalget)..Agneta.Bladh.has.also.been.member.of.the.OECD.review.teams.on.tertiary.education.in.Denmark.(1997).and.China.(2000)...She.was.a.member of.the.Nordic.Science.Policy.Council.1995-98..Since.2008,.Agneta.Bladh.is.a.member.of.the.Administrative.Board.of.the.International.Association.of.Universities.(IAU).Elaine El-KhawasElaine.El-Khawas.is.a.professor.of.education.policy.at.George.Washington.University..She.has.been.a.consultant.and.advisor.for.UNESCO.and.OECD..She.participated.in.the.evaluation.of.the.Danish.university.policies.in.2003.and.in.the.evaluation.of.research.and.development.in.the.field.of.education.in.Denmark.in.2004..Abrar HasanAbrar.Hasan.holds.a.PhD.in.Economics..Currently.a.policy.consultant.to.governments.and.international.organisations,.Dr.Hasan.is.a.Consultant.Fellow.at.International.Institute.for.Educational.Planning.at.UNESCO.in.Paris..In.2007.he.retired.from.the.OECD.after.serving.as.Head.of.Education.and.Training.Policy.Division.since.1992..Dr.Hasan.has.conducted.comparative.education.and.labour.market.policy.studies.for.over.thirty.years,.focusing.primarily.on.the.OECD.countries.but.also.covering.many.developing.countries..He.is.cur-rently.writing.a.book.for.Springer.on.comparative.education.policy.in.OECD.countries,.covering.the.period.1990.-.2007...Peter MaassenPeter.Maassen.is.professor.in.Higher.Education.Studies,.and.member.of.the.Department.Board.with.responsibility.for.research,.at.the.Institute.for.Educational.Research,.Faculty.77

of.Education,.University.of.Oslo..He.is.currently.a.member.of.the.Board.of.University.Col-lege.Oslo.(Høyskole.i.Oslo),.and.of.the.Board.of.the.Centrum.für.Hochschulentwicklung.(CHE)..Previously.he.has.been.the.director.of.the.Center.for.Higher.Education.Policy.Stud-ies.(CHEPS),.University.of.Twente,.the.Netherlands..He.has.been.a.member.of.the.recent.Norwegian.governmental.commission.on.higher.education.(Stjernö-utvalget),.as.well.as.of.OECD.review.teams.of.Japan.and.Finland..He.has.produced.over.100.international.publi-cations.on.higher.education.policy.issues.Georg WincklerProf..Georg.Winckler.studied.economics.at.Princeton.University.and.at.the.University.of.Vienna,.PhD.1968..Since.1978.he.has.been.Professor.of.Economics.and.since.1999.Rector.of.the.University.of.Vienna.(reelected.2003.and.2007)..From.2000.to.2005.he.was.Presi-dent.of.the.Austrian.Rectors’.Conference..From.2004.to.2007.he.was.a.member.of.EURAB.(European.Union.Research.Advisory.Board)..Prof..Winckler.was.Vice.President.of.the.EUA.(European.University.Association).from.2001-2005.and.President.of.the.EUA.from.2005-2009..Since.April.2008.he.has.been.a.member.of.ERAB.(European.Research.Area.Board).and,.since.February.2009,.Member.of.the.PEOPLE.Advisory.Group,.European.Commis-sion,.Brussels.

overview of enclosuresdUpa: fulfilment of the purpose of the mergersdUpa: The merger processdUpa: fact sheet on the danish universitiesdUpa: fact sheet on present and former government research institutionsdUpa: The process regarding The kennedy centredUpa: international tendencies regarding university mergersdUpa: The danish quality assurance systemace-denmark: The development of the danish quality assurance systemdUpa: Trend and background note on the educational areadUpa: Trend and background note on the research areadUpa: Trend and background note on the innovation areadasTi: Trend and background note on the eU-funding areadUpa: Trend and background note of the research-based public-sector servicesdUpa: The national food forumdUpa: codetermination for employees and studentsdUpa: The existing institutional and legal framework for codeterminationdUpa: participation in elections at the universitiesdUpa: free academic debatedUpa: The existing institutional and legal framework for the academic debatedUpa: researchers participation in public and academic debatedUpa: research freedomdUpa: The existing institutional and legal framework for the research freedomdUpa: research financing analysisdasTi: description of the danish public research financing systemdUpa: development in the taximeter for educationdUpa: autonomydUpa: Theme paper on levels of autonomydUpa’s reply to universities’ response regarding levels of autonomydUpa: international debate on autonomydUpa: The financial regulation of the danish UniversitiesdUpa: The legal regulation of the danish UniversitiesdUpa: development contractsdUpa: academic staff at the universitiesdUpa: factual changes to the theme paper on autonomyprevious evaluations (not available on the evaluation web site)dUpa: independent institutions in the public sector administrationdUpa: equity and liquiditydUpa: analyses of the universities’ and the government research institutions’ financing and organisationdUpa: overview of legal acts on the universities (danish)dasTi: research evaluation guidelinesdasTi: action plan for research evaluationaalborg University – statementaalborg University - statement regarding autonomyaalborg University - reply regarding autonomyUniversity of aarhus - statement

overview of enclosuresUniversity of aarhus - statement regarding autonomyUniversity of aarhus - statement reply regarding autonomyUniversity of aarhus - strategy 2008-2012copenhagen business school – statementcopenhagen business school - statement regarding autonomycopenhagen business school - statement reply regarding autonomyiT-University – statementiT-University - statement regarding autonomyroskilde University - statementroskilde University - statement regarding autonomyTechnical University of denmark (dTU) - statementdTU - statement regarding autonomydTU - strategy 2008-2013dTU – from the dTU newspaper (in danish)dTU – new master programs (in danish)dTU – new further education degrees (in danish)dTU – statutes (in danish)dTU – rector’s speeches (in danish)University of copenhagen (kU) - statementUniversity of copenhagen (kU) - statement regarding autonomyUniversity of copenhagen (kU) - statement reply regarding autonomykU - appendix 1 – method and processkU - appendix 2 – strategy for University of copenhagenkU – appendix 3 – merger basis 2006 (in danish)kU – appendix 4 – merger finances (in danish)kU – appendix 5 – interdisciplinary researchkU – appendix 8 – organisation chartkU - appendix 7 – report on academic councils (in danish)kU – appendix 8 – organisation of faculties (in danish)kU – appendix 9 – section 17.2 in the university law (in danish)University of southern denmark (sdU) – statementUniversity of southern denmark (sdU) - statement regarding autonomysdU – attachment 1 – slide with presentation of mergersdU – outcome of consultation at faculty of engineeringsdU – outcome of consultation at faculty of health sciencesdU – outcome of consultation at faculty of humanitiessdU – outcome of consultation at the University libraryUniversities denmark: autonomyUniversities denmark: position papers on autonomyUniversities denmark: report: research-based public-sector servicesUniversities denmark: autonomy –replyUniversities denmark: forum for research-based public-sector services 090809statement from eUs - The geological survey of denmark and greenlandstatement from geUsgeUs publication catalogue 2008geUs: evaluation report - water resources - 2007geUs: evaluation of oil and gas related research - 2001geUs: evaluation report - programme area 4geUs: evaluation report - programme area 5geUs: act 536 on geUs.geUs: bill for geUs act with comments as introducedgeUs: statutes for geocenter danmark

overview of enclosuresgeUs: executive order on evaluation of research at geUsgeUs: list of members of the geUs board of directorsnfa – The national centre for working environment - cover letternfa - statementsfi – The danish national centre for social research – statementsfi evaluation cover letter to panelsfi: evaluation reportThe kennedy centre - statementministry of climate and energy - statementministry of climate and energy – danish energy agency-statementministry of climate and energy – danish north sea partner-statementministry of climate and energy – ministry of environment – statementministry of climate and energy – ministry of science etc. – statementministry of climate and energy – bureau of minerals etc. – statementministry of climate and energy – geUs science evaluationministry of climate and energy – minister’s letter to geUsministry of economic and business affairs – statementministry of employment – statementministry of employment – cover letterministry of employment – international evaluation of nfaministry of environment – statementministry of environment – toxicology statementministry of environment – geodesy and mapping statementministry of food, agriculture and fisheries - statementcontract between aarhus University and the ministry of food etc.appendix 1a to the contract between aarhus University and the ministry of food etc.appendix 1b to the contract between aarhus University and the ministry of food etc.appendix 2 to the contract between aarhus University and the ministry of food etc.appendix 3 to the contract between aarhus University and the ministry of food etc.appendix 4 to the contract between aarhus University and the ministry of food etc.framework agreement between ministry of food etc. and Technical University of dkperformance agreement between ministry of food etc. and dTUperformance agreement - danish veterinary and food adm. and dTU foodperformance agreement - danish veterinary and food adm. and dTU veterinary inst.ministry of health and preventionministry of health and prevention – framework agreement between ministry of health etc. andUniversity of southern denmarkpublications 2003 statens institut for folkesundhed (danish)publications 2004 statens institut for folkesundhed (danish)publications 2005 statens institut for folkesundhed (danish)publications 2006-2008 statens institut for folkesundhed (danish)ministry of health and prevension - statement of kennedy centreThe kennedy centre annual report (in danish) 2008ministry of social welfare – statementministry of Transport – statementdanish association of the pharmaceutical industrydanish consumer councildi – confederation of danish industryThe agricultural council of denmarkconsultancy report: research-based public-sector servicesconsultancy report: co-determinationconsultancy report: academic freedom

References Aho,.E..et.al..(2006).Creating an Innovative Europe..Report.of.the.Independent.Expert.Group.on. R&D. and. Innovation. appointed. following. the. Hampton. Court. Summit.. (http://Eu-rope.eu.int/invest-in-research/)Amaral,.A.,.Jones,.G.A.,.and.Karseth,.B..(2202),.“Governing.Higher.Education:.Comparing.National. Perspectives”. in. Amaral,. A.,. Jones,. G.A.,. and. Karseth,. B.. (Eds.),.Governing Higher Education: National Perspectives on Institutional Governance, pp..279-298,.Dor-drecht:.Kluwer.Chesbrough,.H..(2006).Open Innovation. Researching a New Paradigm..Oxford:.Oxford.Uni-versity.Press.Harman,.G..(1992),.Governance, Administration and Finance, Oxford:.Pergamon.Kelleher,.Michael.F.(2006),.‘The.Effectiveness.of.Governing.Bodies”,.IMHE.Seminar.on.Gov-erning Bodies of Higher Education Institutions: Roles and Responsibilities, OECD-IMHE.Website. ..King,.Roger.(2005),.“Higher.Educational.and.other.Charities.in.England”,.Seminar on High-er Education, 28-30.October,.Novi.Sad,.Serbia,.mimeo. .OECD.(2003),.Education Policy Analysis, Chapter.3,.“Changing.Patterns.of.Governance.in.Higher.Education”,.Paris..Olsen,.J.P..(2007).Europe in Search of Political Order. An Institutional Perspective on Unity/Diversity, Citizen/their Helpers, Democratic Design/Historical Drift, and the Co-Existence of orders..Oxford:.Oxford.University.Press.Salmi,.J...2009...The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities. (Washington,.DC:..World.Bank)Science.(2004),.Reinventing.Europe’s.universities..Science.vol..304,.14.May.2004Walters,.Colin.(2006),.“University.Governance”,.IMHE.Seminar.on.Governing Bodies of Higher Education Institutions: Roles and Responsibilities, OECD-IMHE.Website. ...

abbreviationaaUacace denmarkasbaUbriccbscernchedffdTUdUpaecTseheaeraerceUfpfp7gdpgeUsgovrdgriherdiTUkbbe (fp7)kUlmcnfanifU-sTepnihnsfoecdoshr&drUcsbisdUsfismesUkUswpaaalborg Universitydanish confederation of professional associationsaccreditation agency for higher educationaarhus school of businessaarhus Universitybrazil, russia, india, and chinacopenhagen business schooleuropean organization for nuclear researchcentrum für hochschulentwicklungdanish food forumTechnical University of denmarkdanish University and property agencyeuropean credit Transfer and accumulation systemeuropean higher education areaeuropean research areaeuropean research councileuropean Unionframework programmeseventh framework programmegross domestic productgeological survey of denmark and greenlandgovernment research and developmentgovernment research institutehigher education research and developmentiT University of copenhagenknowledge based bio-economy (food, agriculture and fisheries, biotechnology)University of copenhagencentre for advanced food studiesnational research centre for the working environmentnorsk institutt for studier av innovasjon, forskning og utdanningnational institutes of healthnational science foundationorganisation for economic co-operation and developmentoccupational safety and healthresearch and developmentroskilde Universitydanish building research instituteUniversity of southern denmarkdanish national centre for social researchsmall and medium sized enterprisesUnited kingdomUnited states of americaworkplace assessments

Deputy.Director.General.Helle.Pilsgaard,.Agency.for.Spatial.and.Environmental.PlanningSpecial.Adviser.Susanne.MartensMinistry.of.Food,.Agriculture.and.FisheriesHead.of.Division.Morten.EjrnæsMinistry.of.Economic.and.Business.AffairsHead.of.Division.Lasse.Sundahl,.Danish.Enterprise.and.Construction.Agency.(arrives.14.45)Ministry.of.TransportHead.of.Division.Tine.Lund.JensenHead.of.Section.Anne.Louise.KristiansenMinistry.of.Health.and.PreventionHead.of.Division.Katrine.Schjønning.15.30.-.17.00Non-merged institutions and their ministriesMeeting.room.BMinistry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation,.Bredgade.43Ministry.of.Climate.and.EnergyHead.of.Section.Line.Skou.HauschildtGEUS.–.The.Geological.Survey.of.Denmark.and.GreenlandChair.of.Board.Per.Buch.AndreasenDirector.Johnny.Fredericia.Deputy.Director.Bjørn.Kaare.Jensen.Deputy.Director.Getruer.ChristiansenMinistry.of.EmploymentHead.of.Division.Søren.KryhlmandNFA.–.The.National.Centre.for.Working.EnvironmentDirector.Palle.ØrbækMinistry.of.Interior.and.Social.AffairsHead.of.Division.Jens.Kristian.PoulsenHead.of.Section.Carsten.Skovgaard.NielsenHead.of.Section.Palle.Dam.LeegaardSFI.–.The.Danish.National.Centre.for.Social.ResearchChair.of.Board.Peter.Nannestad.Director.Jørgen.SøndergaardMinistry.of.Health.and.PreventionHead.of.Division.John.Erik.PedersenSpecial.Adviser.Jacob.StudsgaardThe.Kennedy.CentreDirector.Karen.Brøndum-NielsenDeputy.Director.Inger.Marie.Bruun-VierøResearch.Professor.Zeynep.Tümer17.00.-.18.00The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations’s negotiation preparatory committee on the university and research area (AC/FUF)Meeting.room.BDanish.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation,.Bredgade.43Ingrid.Stage,.chair.of.AC/FUF.and.chair.of.DM,.Dansk.MagisterforeningAssociate.Professor.Ole.Sonne,.Danish.Medical.Association’s.representative.in.AC/FUFAssociate.Professor.Leif.Søndergaard,.Member.of.Board.in.DMSenior.Adviser.Philip.Nordentoft,.AC.Friday 21st August 20098.30.-.12.15University of Copenhagen.Udvalgsværelse.3.og.4,.Nørregade.10,.opgang.N

Ingrid.Stage,.chair.of.AC/FUF.and.chair.of.DM,.Dansk.MagisterforeningAssociate.Professor.Ole.Sonne,.Danish.Medical.Association’s.representative.in.AC/FUFAnnex 6: Meeting schedule for the evAluAtion, including progrAMMe for the evAluAtion pAnel’s site visits in AugustAssociate.Professor.Leif.Søndergaard,.Member.of.Board.in.DMSenior.Adviser.Philip.Nordentoft,.AC.Friday 21st August 20098.30.-.12.158.30.-.8.45University of Copenhagen.Udvalgsværelse.3.og.4,.Nørregade.10,.opgang.NManagementChair.of.Board.Bodil.Nyboe.AndersenRector.Ralf.HemmingsenPro-rector.Lykke.FriisUniversity.Director.Jørgen.Honoré.Chief.Adviser.Torben.Rytter.KristensenAcademic staff 1Academic staff 2Appointed.by.collaboration.committeeAppointed.by.deansAssociate.Professor.Henrik.prebensen.Professor.Margit.Warburg.Associate.Professor.Leif.Søndergaard.Professor.Peter.Gundelach.Associate.Professor.Thomas.Vils.Pedersen.Associate.Professor.Ylva.Hellsten.Professor,.dr..scient..Harald.S..Hansen.Professor.Merete.Fredholm.Professor.Kirsten.Busch.NielsenAssociate.Professor.Mikael.Rask.Madsen.Professor,.dr..med..Niels.Tommerup.BreakStudents Technical and administrative staffAppointed.by.deansJan.Nejdl.RasmussenLouise.LipczakSpecial.Adviser.Katja.Sander.Johansen.Ronnie.TaarnborgHead.of.Section.Sune.Germann.Jensen.Catherine.LindDepartment.administrator.Maja.Puk.NielsenLaboratory.coordinator.Anette.L..EriksenAll.participants.are.members.of.The.Students. Department.administrator.Margit.BendtsenHead.of.Section.Peter.Haugegaard.LaugesenCouncil.at.University.of.CopenhagenResearch.Adviser.Hans.Christian.Køie.Poulsen.Special.Adviser.Maj.Hendin.Leth-EspensenAppointed.by.collaboration.committeeLaboratory.technician.Joan.Lykkeaa.Librarian.Lene.Kaad.Ingrid.Kryhlmand.11.15.-.12.15Management Chair.of.Board.Bodil.Nyboe.AndersenRector.Ralf.HemmingsenPro-rector.Lykke.FriisUniversity.Director.Jørgen.Honoré.Chief.Adviser.Torben.RytterRoskilde University Welcome by rectorat Rector.Henning.Salling.OlesenPro-rector.Jørgen.Ole.BærenholdtMembers of academic council, liaison committeeAssociate.Professor.Leif.Emil.HansenAssociate.Professor.Niels.Christian.Juul.Laboratory.Senior.Assistant.Anne-Grete.Winding.Student.Kirstine.Fabricius.Student.Torben.Holm-Lauritzen

Re. tor.Finn.Kjærsdamc.Pro-rector.Hanne.Kathrine.KrogstrupUniversity.Director.Peter.PlengeAnnex 6: Meeting schedule for the evAluAtion, including progrAMMe for the evAluAtion pAnel’s site visits in AugustDean.Frede.Blaabjerg,.The.Faculties.of.Engineering,.Science.and.MedicineDean.Allan.Næs.Gjerding,.Faculty.of.Social.SciencesDean.Lone.Dirckinck-Holmfeld,.Faculty.of.HumanitiesChief.Librarian.Niels-Henrik.Gylstorff,.Aalborg.University.LibraryDirector.Thorkild.Ærø,.Danish.Building.Research.Institute.(SBi)Head.of.Secretariat.Lene.Krogh-Jørgensen,.Management.SecretariatSpecial.Adviser.Niels.Dahl.Thellufsen,.Management.Secretariat13.45.-.14.30Academic staff I Academic staff 2Senior.Researcher.Jacob.Norvig.Associate.Professor.Lars.Bo.Henriksen.Associate.Professor.Jesper.Lindgaard.Associate.Professor.Lars.Andersen.Christensen.Associate.Professor.Jens.Kirk.Professor.Peter.Kragh.Jespersen.14.30.-.15.15StudentsTechnical and administrative staffChair.Thea.Kristensen,.Studentersamfundet.Assistant.Engineer.Per.Knudsen(Student.organisation.at.AAU).Head.of.Division.Lisbeth.RostedLasse.Brunø.Morten.Tychsen15.15.-.16.00ManagementRector.Finn.KjærsdamPro-rector.Hanne.Kathrine.KrogstrupUniversity.Director.Peter.PlengeHead.of.Secretariat.Lene.Krogh-Jørgensen,.Management.SecretariatSpecial.Consultant.Niels.Dahl.Thellufsen,.Management.Secretariat

Tuesday 25th August 20098.15Departure hotel8.30.-.12.15Aarhus University.Rektoratets.mødelokale,.bygn..1430,.1..etage8.30.-.9.30Board and managementChair.of.Board.Jens.BigumRector.Lauritz.B..Holm-NielsenPro-rector.of.the.strategic.area.Søren.Elkjær.FrandsenUniversitety.Director.Jørgen.JørgensenAcademic staff 1 – old Aarhus UniversityAcademic staff 2 – merged institutionsResearch.Professor.Bent.Tolstrup.Christensen.Associate.Professor.Søren.PoldSenior.Researcher.Rasmus.Ejrnæs.Professor.John.Michael.Hasenkam.Associate.Professor.Paul.Krüger.Andersen.Professor.Tonny.Brems.KnudsenProfessor.Per.Ingesman.Research.Programme.Manager.Steen.Høyrup.PedersenProfessor.Klaus.MølmerProfessor.Susan.Wright.Professor.Dion.Sommer.Associate.Associate.Researcher.Helle.Ørsted.Nielsen.Professor.Finn.Folkmann.Senior.Researcher.Jacob.SehestedAssociate.Professor.Per.Dahl.StudentsTechnical and administrative staffSvend.Dyrholm.Biomedical.Scientist.Anne.Marie.Bundsgaard.HK.Joint.Union.Representative.Anna.Louise.Maja.Viola.BuskbjergAnna.Bagger.Plaskett.TAP.Joint.Union.Representative.Aase.Pedersen.Ronni.Mikkelsen.Buildings.Manager.Uffe.Pilegaard.LarsenRasmus.Kerrn.International.Students.Adviser.Steen.Weisner.Thea.Frederiksen.Mette.Tovsigs.Member.of.technical.and.administrative.staff.Michael.StjernholmManagementChair.of.Board.Jens.BigumRector.Lauritz.B..Holm-NielsenPro-rector.of.the.strategic.area.Søren.Elkjær.Frandsen

Ronni.Mikkelsen.TAP.Joint.Union.Representative.Aase.Pedersen.Rasmus.Kerrn.Buildings.Manager.Uffe.Pilegaard.LarsenAnnex 6: Meeting schedule for the evAluAtion, including progrAMMe for the evAluAtion pAnel’s site visits in AugustThea.Frederiksen.International.Students.Adviser.Steen.Weisner.Member.of.technical.and.administrative.staff.Mette.Tovsigs.Michael.Stjernholm11.30.-.12.00ManagementChair.of.Board.Jens.BigumRector.Lauritz.B..Holm-NielsenPro-rector.of.the.strategic.area.Søren.Elkjær.FrandsenUniversity.Director.Jørgen.Jørgensen 15.00.-.16.30The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC)Rectors.meeting.roomCampusvej.55,.Odense.Chair.of.AC.Erik.JyllingDirector.Martin.TeilmannChief.analyser.Birgit.Bangskjær16.30.-.18.00Universities DenmarkRectors.meeting.room,.Campusvej.55,.OdenseRector.Jens.Oddershede,.University.of.Southern.DenmarkRector.Lauritz.Holm-Nielsen,.Aarhus.UniversityRector.Ralf.Hemmingsen,.University.of.Copenhagen19.00.-.Dinner with Universities DenmarkParticipants.Universities.DenmarkRector.Jens.Oddershede,.University.of.Southern.DenmarkRector.Lauritz.Holm-Nielsen,.Aarhus.UniversityRector.Ralf.Hemmingsen,.University.of.CopenhagenParticipants.Panel.members,.internal.secretariat.and.Pernille.Meyn.Milthers

1. Organisational structure of the university sectorDenmark.has.eight.universities.–.University.of.Copenhagen,.Aarhus.University,.Techni-cal.University.of.Denmark,.University.of.Southern.Denmark,.Aalborg.University,.Roskilde.University,.Copenhagen.Business.School,.and.the.IT.University..The.universities.varies.in.size.but.are.all.regulated.by.the.University.Act.To.the.institutional.structure.for.research.and.education.belong.also.five.government.re-search.institutions.(GRIs).which.are.placed.under.four.different.government.ministries..The.five.institutions.are:.The.National.Research.Centre.for.the.Working.Environment.(NFA),.The.Geological.Survey.of.Denmark.and.Greenland.(GEUS),.the.Kennedy.Center,.The.Danish.National.Centre.for.Social.Research.(SFI).and.Statens.Serum.Institut.The.present.“map.of.universities.and.research”.was.implemented.in.the.Danish.univer-sity.sector.with.effect.from.1.January.2007..New.universities.were.established.on.basis.of.mergers.between.some.universities.and.GRIs..Before.the.merger.there.existed.a.total.of.25.institutions.–.12.universities.and.13.GRIs.Figure.1.shows.the.present.“map.of.universities.and.research”..For.each.of.the.eight.uni-versities,.the.figure.also.lists.the.institutions.with.which.the.university.merged.

A.total.of.nine.GRIs.merged.with.universities..Five.GRIs.were.merged.with.the.Technical.University.of.Denmark,.namely.Risoe.National.Laboratory,.the.Danish.Institute.for.Food.and.Veterinary.Research,.the.Danish.Institute.for.Fisheries.Research,.the.Danish.National.Space.Centre.and.the.Danish.Transport.Research.Institute.Aarhus.University.merged.with.two.GRIs.–.the.Danish.Institute.of.Agricultural.Sciences.and.the.National.Environmental.Research.Institute.–.while.the.National.Institute.of.Public.Health.was.integrated.into.the.University.of.Southern.Denmark.and.The.Danish.Building.Research.Institute.was.integrated.into.Aalborg.University..The.GRIs.were.integrated.into.the.universities.in.the.form.of.faculties,.departments.or.pro-fessional.units..The.mergers.resulted.in.significant.alterations.in.profiles.or.task.structures,.which.were.mirrored.in.the.new.university.boards.appointed..At.several.universities.new.management.structures.were.introduced.concurrently.with.the.mergers..

2. Activities of the university sector.The.main.functions.of.the.eight.universities.are.education.and.research.as.well.as.ex-change.and.dissemination.of.knowledge..Following.the.mergers.with.GRIs.the.university.sector.moreover.has.competence.in.the.area.of.research-based.public-sector.services.as.the.sector.now.delivers.research-based.public-sector.services.to.some.of.the.ministries..The.aim.of.this.broadened.university.competence.is.to.conduct.research.and.related.serv-ices.directed.at.aiding.the.decision.making.of.the.authorities..The.universities.thereby,.like.the.remaining.GRIs.contribute.to.development.of.knowledge.to.be.used.by.public.authori-ties.in.the.political.and.administrative.decision.process.and.public.debate,.in.innovation.in.private.enterprises.and.for.research.based.education..In.addition,.the.universities.conduct.a.range.of.services.related.to.statistics,.to.supervisory.and.advisory.functions,.and.to.authori-ties.that.are.important.to.society..Moreover,.the.universities.train.researchers.and.graduates.Table.1.shows.the.respective.turnovers.and.numbers.of.bachelor,.master.and.PhD.students.at.the.eight.universities..Table.2.shows.the.numbers.of.researchers.(divided.over.different.positions).at.the.universities..In.section.3.5.and.3.6,.further.key.figures.on.the.activities.and.financing.of.the.universities.as.well.as.of.the.GRIs.are.presented.Table 1: Turnovers (2009)* and numbers (2007)** of bachelor, master and phd studentsUniversityaalborg Universityaarhus Universitycopenhagen business schoolTechnical University ofdenmarkiT-UniversityUniversity of copenhagenroskilde UniversityUniversity of southerndenmarkTotalTurnovermdkk1,8135,1401,0403,5271896,2916822,10220,7847,15914,5646,6703,7484221,1524,0038,14665,4843,81314,7586,1942,42299716,4703,3376,07554,0666291,194168798432,1682465445,790bamaphdTotal numberof students10,97229,55012,8646,1701,03937,7967,34014,252119,983

3. The legal/regulatory framework for the sectorThe.eight.universities.operate.within.the.framework.of.the.2003.University.Act.(Act.no.403.of.28.05.2003).with.amendments.(Act.no.538.of.12.06.2009)..The.aim.of.the.2003.Act.was.to.strengthen.university.research,.education.and.knowledge.exchange.based.on.a.strength-ening.of.the.institutional.framework.of.the.universities..The.Act.entailed.changes.in.the.institutional.area,.with.the.aim.to.increase.the.universities’.prioritisation.and.decision-making.capacity.within.a.framework.in.which.the.academic.self-government.was.main-tained.and.where.the.universities.could.remain.independent.from.special.interests.With.the.2003.University.Act,.the.status.of.the.universities.changed.from.government.in-stitutions.into.“independent.institutions.under.the.public-sector.administration”..The.uni-versities.thus.perform.their.activities.within.the.framework.set.out.in.the.University.Act..The.extent.and.scope.of.the.self-government.can.be.changed.pursuant.to.amendments.implemented.in.the.University.Act..The.Minister.for.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.is.under.a.duty.to.supervise.the.activities.of.the.universities.The.self-governing.status.entails.that.the.universities.are.institutions.within.the.public.law.domain..They.are,.however,.entities.with.legal.and.procedural.capacity,.i.e..they.can.have.rights.and.obligations.and.can.institute.proceedings.before.the.courts.–.e.g..against.the.Danish.state.–.to.settle.disputes..The.universities.are.to.a.wide.extent.subject.to.the.rules.applying.to.government.institu-tions.(certain.staff.issues,.financial.rules.of.disposal,.accounting.regulations.etc.)..Further-more,.in.a.number.of.areas,.a.set.of.rules.has.been.laid.down.governing.issues.pertaining.to.the.academic.activities.of.the.universities..The.universities.are.furthermore.covered.by.the.Danish.Public.Administration.Act.(For-valtningsloven),.the.Danish.Access.to.Public.Administration.Files.Act.(Lov om offentlighed i forvaltningen),.the.Danish.Ombudsman.Act.(Ombudsmandsloven).etc..The.universities.can.abolish.themselves.or.merge.with.other.institutions.subject.to.ap-proval.by.the.Minister.for.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation..If.the.Danish.state.wishes.to.abolish.a.university,.and.it.is.not.possible.to.obtain.the.Board’s.endorsement.of.this,.such.an.abolishment.requires.adoption.by.the.Danish.Parliament..95

The development contractsBesides.the.legal.instruments,.the.individual.universities.are.regulated.via.dialogue.be-tween.the.university.and.the.Ministry.of.Science..The.most.important.of.the.dialogue-based.instruments.are.the.development.contracts..The.universities.draft.proposals.for.their.development.contract..The.contract.is.finalised.following.negotiations.with.the.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation..The.Min-istry.does.not.have.the.authority.to.impose.specific.targets.on.the.university,.nor.does.it.have.the.instruments.to.sanction.any.underperformance,.since.this.would.demand.a.change.of.the.2003.University.Act.The.development.contracts.were.first.introduced.in.connection.with.a.revision.of.the.University.Act.in.spring.1999,.where.each.university.was.offered.a.development.con-tract..There.was.no.obligation.on.the.universities.to.enter.into.contracts..Each.univer-sity.that.wished.to.participate.had.to.prepare.a.framework.and.formulate.a.proposal.in.which.it.stated.its.values.and.targets.and.what.it.intended.to.achieve.in.a.four.year.period.The.second-generation.university.development.contracts.were.introduced.in.2004.aim-ing.at.a.stronger.focus.on.quantitative.targets.and.indicators..Like.the.first.generation.the.second-generation.contracts.were.not.legally.binding.documents..The.contracts.were.supposed.to.serve.as.the.university.board’s.tool.to.monitor.overall.qualitative.targets.and.simple.quantitative.targets..In.2007,.the.third.generation.of.development.contracts.–.for.the.period.2008-2010.–.was.introduced..The.change.was.mainly.reasoned.by.the.mergers.in.2007,.since.they.resulted.in.significant.changes.to.the.map.of.the.research.and.university.area..In.the.2008-2010.development.contracts,.targets.for.the.activities.of.the.university.must.be.set.regarding.research,.education,.dissemination.of.knowledge.and.–.where.appropriate.–.research-based.public-sector.services..All.development.contracts.include.targets.for.16.activities.which.were.considered.relevant.in.establishing.the.basic.targets.for.the.performance.of.the.universities..

4. University managementThe University BoardThe.Board.is.the.highest.authority.of.the.university..The.tasks.of.the.Board.comprise,.among.others:.approving.the.university’s.budget,.approving.the.accounts,.entering.into.a.development.contract.with.the.Minister.and.employing.and.dismissing.the.rector..The.Board.has.no.authority.in.individual.cases.regarding.other.employees.of.the.university.or.students..The.Board.comprises.a.majority.of.external.members,.i.e..persons.who.are.not.employed.within.the.university..The.Board.elects.a.chair.from.among.its.external.members..The.in-ternal.members.of.the.Board.are.elected.by.and.from.the.academic.staff.of.the.university,.including.PhD.students,.the.technical.and.administrative.staff.and.the.students..Students.must.be.represented.by.a.minimum.of.two.members..The.external.members.are.selected.on.the.merit.of.their.personal.qualifications..The.board.members.are.appointed.for.a.period.of.four.years.(students.one.year.term)..The.members.may.be.re-appointed.to.serve.an.additional.four-year.period.The.University.Act.stipulates.that,.together,.the.members.of.the.Board.must.contribute.to.the.promotion.of.the.university’s.strategic.aims.to.ensure.a.composition.of.the.Board.which.is.so.broad-based.as.to.avoid.a.one-sided.representation.of.specific.competencies,.interests.and.experience..

Executive managementThe.Rector.is.employed.by.the.Board..The.Rector’s.overall.tasks.are.set.out.in.the.Uni-versity.Act..The.Rector.has.the.overall.responsibility.of.the.management.of.the.university.and.makes.recommendations.to.the.Board.regarding.the.appointment.and.dismissal.of.the.other.members.of.the.university’s.executive.management..The.Rector.employs.and.dismisses.deans.at.universities.which.have.a.structure.with.sev-eral.academic.areas..Pursuant.to.the.Act,.the.dean.manages.a.main.academic.area.and.ensures.the.interac-tion.between.research,.study.programmes.and.research-based.public-sector.consultancy.services.within.the.main.academic.area..The.dean.(or.the.rector.at.universities.without.a.main.academic.area.structure).employs.and.dismisses.heads.of.department,.appoints.and.removes.heads.of.studies.and.appoints.and.dismisses.heads.of.PhD.schools.Research.and.teaching.are.normally.the.responsibility.–.as.prescribed.by.the.Act.–.of.the.departments..The.head.of.department.undertakes.the.day-to-day.management.of.the.department..In.consultancy.with.the.study.board.and.the.head.of.studies,.the.head.of.de-partment.must.follow.up.on.evaluations.of.study.programmes.and.teaching.

The.University.Act.does.not.have.a.general.paragraph.on.the.importance.of.co-determi-nation.for.staff.and.students,.but.it.points.out.three.special.bodies,.the.Academy.Council,.the.Study.Board.and.the.PhD-committee..The.remarks.to.the.bill.for.the.University.Act.say.that.Academy.Council.is.empowered.to.safeguard.academic.freedom.and.that.study.boards.are.empowered.to.safeguard.student’s.influence.(sections.15.and.16)..The.Academy.Council.consists.of.academic.staff.members,.including.PhD.students,.stu-dents,.and.a.chairman.representing.Rector.or.Dean,.depending.on.the.level.at.which.the.council.is.established..The.Academy.Council.has.decision-making.authority.with.respect.to.the.award.of.PhD.and.doctoral.degrees,.and.otherwise.an.advisory.function.on.research.and.educational.issues..The.dean.sets.up.“the.necessary.number”.of.study.boards.with.equal.representation.of.academic.staff.and.students..The.study.board.selects.from.among.its.members.a.chairper-son.from.the.representatives.of.the.academic.staff.and.a.vice-chairperson.from.the.student.representatives..The.study.board.must.ensure.the.organisation,.realisation.and.develop-ment.of.the.study.programme.and.teaching.In.order.to.guarantee.students’.influence.on.the.PhD.process,.the.deans.must.set.up.PhD.committees..The.PhD.committee.issues.pronouncements.within.its.area.on.all.issues.of.importance.for.the.PhD.programme.and.PhD.supervision..The.PhD.committee.consists.of.representatives.of.the.academic.staff.and.of.the.PhD.students..The.other.track.of.influence.is.based.on.the.general.rules.in.the.Danish.labour.market..Each.university.is.required.to.set.up.a.number.of.collaboration.committees.and.an.overall.collaboration.committee.in.the.institution..The.framework.for.the.joint.collaboration.com-mittees.is.determined.in.agreements.set.up.between.the.Danish.state.and.the.trade.unions..The.tasks.of.the.joint.collaboration.committees.concern.general.matters.which.belong.un-der.the.employer’s.managerial.rights..

5. The financial framework for the sectorAs.a.main.principle,.the.financing.basis.of.the.universities.is.based.on.two.sources:.1.. State.funding.earmarked.for.the.universities.in.the.annual.Danish.Appropriations.Act.(Finansloven).under.Section.19(2).–.the.so-called.basic.funding2.. Other.income.from.public.research.councils,.the.EU,.private.donors.etc.State.funding.is.generally.distributed.through.four.channels:1.. Funding.for.education.(taximeter.funding)2.. Basic.grants.for.research3.. Competitive.research.funding.from.the.State,.foundations.etc.4.. Research-based.public-sector.services.fundingThe.Ministry.of.Science,.Technology.and.Innovation.provides.grants.for.the.universities’.general.activities.through.three.of.the.four.channels.(1,.2.and.3).within.the.areas.listed.under.the.individual.universities’.account.under.the.Danish.Appropriations.Act..According.to.the.University.Act.the.university.has.at.its.free.disposal.–.within.its.scope.–.subsidies,.income.and.capital.as.a.whole..The.third.channel.differs.significantly.in.this.respect,.since.universities.grant.conditions.relating.to.competitive.funds.will.typically.be.described.in.detail.in.terms.of.both.purpose.and.disposition..The.fourth.type.of.funding.–.for.research.bases.public.sector.services.–.is.provided.by.the.different.commissioning.ministries.98