Press 2010

Denmark is among the European countries which are least successful at attracting foreign experts, according to a new Expat Study.

There are more Danes online than ever before and the gender and generational gaps have reduced even further. In the 60-74 age group in particular, 65 percent use the internet, compared to 54 percent in 2008.

Handwritten examinations submitted on carbon copy paper will be a thing of the past. As part of the "Digital Roads to Growth" programme, the Science Ministry has launched a pilot project for paperless examinations.

The Danish Council for Strategic Research has just awarded a grant of DKK 65 million (€8.7 million) for the establishment of the first Danish stem cell research centre. The centre will be headed by leading stem cell researcher Henrik Semb.

Danish researchers compete well in an international environment, but despite progress in recent years, collaboration with the business community continues to lag according to the Research Barometer 2010.

Up to 20 Danish researchers will now have the opportunity to go on guest researcher visits to Stanford University and UC Berkeley – which are among the top universities of the world.

More students spend study periods abroad. This is shown by the annual statistics on student mobility. – It is a positive thing, even though the increase is a modest one. We need far more young Danes with international understanding, experience and outlook, says the Science Minister.

On 12-15 September, Science Minister Sahl-Madsen will be visiting Shanghai and Hong Kong. The purpose is to maintain the good relations between Denmark and China and to focus on the potential for cooperation. This applies to fields such as research and education, innovation and business oportunities

This year, more than 23,000 young people can start a university education. It means that Danish universities are taking in 13 per cent more students than last year. About 8,000 are rejected, but in percentage terms fewer are turned down than last year. Natural sciences show the largest increase.

More and more highly educated people are looking for jobs in Denmark. Science Minister Charlotte Sahl-Madsen welcomes this development, hoping that it may contribute to creating growth in Denmark.

Today, Science Minister Charlotte Sahl-Madsen is launching NemID, the new digital signature that will give Danes a common entry to public and private digital self-service solutions.

Last Friday, Science Minister Charlotte Sahl-Madsen invited Schleswig-Holstein's Science Minister Jost de Jager to a meeting at the Alsion campus in Sønderborg. The purpose was to discuss how cross-border cooperation on research and university education can be strengthened.

For several years Denmark has made a targeted effort to establish national cutting-edge research environments and to build up modern and state-of-the-art research facilities. This makes Denmark an interesting partner for collaboration with foreign countries.

A private foundation grant of DKK 885 million will enable the University of Copenhagen to set up a new research centre focusing on metabolism, obesity and related diseases. "This type of public-private interaction can create new growth and welfare in Denmark," says the Science Minister.

Today, Crown Princess Mary and Science Minister Helge Sander are allocating five EliteForsk awards, each worth DKK 1.2 million, to some of Denmark's most talented researchers. This year, a large proportion of the award winners are from countries other than Denmark.

Nordic researchers are among the most productive in the world and also deliver impactful results. During its presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Denmark will therefore be strengthening and profiling the Nordic countries as a common research region.