Aalborg University (AAU)AAU was inaugurated in 1974 – after a long and intensive lobbying by many stakeholders in North Denmark. As a

consequence, ties between AAU and its environment have been strong right from the outset.

Four main areas of focus• Faculty of Humanities• Faculty of Social Sciences• Faculty of Engineering and Science• Faculty of Medicine

AAU• 21 departments• Danish Building Research Institute (merged 2007) • Main campus situated in Aalborg and departments in Copenhagen and Esbjerg• More than 14,000 students, ranging from students at preparatory courses through doctoral-level

candidates, 65 different educational programs

AAU Trademarks• Problem and Project Based Learning in teams– combining theory and practice• Interdisciplinary - combining different disciplinary approaches to obtain new knowledge, crossing

the fields of basic and applied research• Innovation – entrepreneurship and exchange of knowledge

Triple Helix at AAU

AAU

Public institutions

Private companies

Knowledge sharing activities at AAU

Open Lab

• Placed at Dept. of Business & Economics• Part of the new strategy• Supplement to central initiatives

• Pros and cons to centralization vs. decentralization

• Will engagement raise?

Pros

• Central – Strategic activities, more visible– Management Support– Top down approach– Coordination– External funding

• Decentral / Departments– Closer to the reseachers and students– Buttom Up approach– More people involved / engagement– Documentation– Integration