Industry To Fund Construction Of Sino-DK University

The Danish Industry Foundation, an independent business foundation established to promote Danish competitiveness, has committed 80 million DKK (10.8 million EUR) to the construction of a combined Sino-Danish university center in Beijing. The last obstacles to the realization of the first internationally established Danish academic institution has thereby been eliminated, and the ambitious project is now scheduled to be ready for business by 2012 or 2013.

The Sino-Danish university project has been under way for some years – both governments involved have already decided on a 50-50 split of the center's 100 million DKK (13.4 million EUR) annual budget – but progress has been slowed because of lack of funds for the actual construction of the campus facilities.

"It's a rare situation that the funding of the operation of such a project is already in place, but it still lacks an actual roof over its head", says Mads Lebech, managing director of the Danish Industry Foundation. "And that's something we would like to remedy with our 80 million DKK. This project can only help to promote Danish interests in China."

According to Mr. Lebech the Sino-Danish university center will offer Danish companies a unique opportunity to improve their presence on the Chinese market, provide valuable networking opportunities and bring Danish scientists and students into close contact with the Chinese research environment. At the same time Mr. Lebech also encourages Danish companies to consider their own sponsorship deals with the new university center, in order to provide the center with as strong an economic platform as possible.

Once the university center is completed - hopefully by 2013 at the latest – the facility is planned to employ around 100 scientists, 75 PhD students and 300 regular students, half of which are to be Danish citizens. The center is planned to be constructed as part of the acclaimed GUCAS University in Beijing, and the 50 million DKK (6.7 million EUR) Danish chunk of the annual-operations-budget bill is to be jointly footed by the Danish ministry of education and the eight existing universities in Denmark.

"The university center will be run according to the Danish model. Teachers and researchers will be employed under the same conditions applicable to all other Danish universities. But there will also be room for Chinese scientists", says Helge Sander, Danish minister of science and technology and one of the prime movers of the project. This also means that Danish students can bring their national student grants with them to China. According to the minister "it's not unreasonable to call this the ninth Danish university."

As for academic independence, Mads Lebech promises that the 80 million DKK saltwater injection from the Danish Industrial Foundation comes without any strings attached – a fairly safe bet for the business-promoting foundation, as the Sino-Danish university center has been dubbed "a very business-oriented" venture from the get-go.

According to Mr. Lebech the building planned to house the center will be christened "The Industrial Foundation House", even though the jury is still out on what to name the actual university center. The ultimate design of the building will be decided via an architectural competition which, according to Minister Sander, might very well end up with a Danish winner.

Full story in Danish

News category: Denmark