Dear Chair of the Regional Council, mayors, Board, valued partners.
Dear colleagues and - not least - dear students.
'Shall we go to the forest, the beach or go for a long walk in Svanninge Bakker?'
That's how most Saturday mornings started in the kitchen at our house when the children were little. We had a chat about the possibilities. Then we packed up the old Volvo and hit the road.
When the children got a little older, my wife and I decided that the weekend trips were a good opportunity to introduce our three rascals to the concept of democracy. After a hearty feast of morning rolls and deliberation, we took a vote - and then we were off.
It worked well for a long time. The children learned about democratic principles, and we got out into nature - without too much fuss.
Until the day the children realised there were three of them - and my wife and I were only two.
Well, then. The time was ripe to introduce children to a new concept: the UN Security Council.
The UN Security Council and its two types of member state. The temporary and the permanent.
'You're a bit like the temporary member countries. You have one vote each. Mum is a bit like the US, and I'm a bit like France - we're permanent members of the Council. We have something called the right to veto.'
All was well again. The children built up knowledge about international politics in practice - and we went on a trip.
Until one day, our 10-year-old daughter stomped out of the kitchen in anger, turned round and shouted:
'You may well be like the permanent members of the UN Security Council. But you are China, and you are Russia!'
We chose not to play the veto card that morning.
*******
Now, you could be forgiven for thinking that this story will lead to a bitter point about the work of the Master's Degree Committee. The Committee - consisting of the head of department, two students and the eight rectors - who have been tasked with implementing the Master's Degree Reform. Nothing could be further from the truth - even if there are members of the Master's Degree Committee who seem to be more permanent than others...
The story, on the contrary, is about the value that knowledge creates.
Knowledge shifts things. Knowledge moves. And knowledge creates value. This is true for the 10-year-old who won the round that day many years ago. And it is particularly true when we at universities produce and share our knowledge with the world around us. To create societal value.
My speech tonight is about all the value that the universities' research, knowledge and graduates create every single day.
The value that universities send out from our campuses through many different channels for the benefit of our surroundings.
Because it is the value-creating university that we are celebrating here tonight.
****
Welcome to the 2024 Annual Celebration.
Welcome to an evening celebrating the founding of the University. Honouring curiosity-driven research and research-based solutions that benefit society. And it is the evening when we celebrate with our talented and dedicated students.
And tonight will be special and festive. For many reasons. But also because we earlier today launched great news, that I've been looking forward to sharing with you for a long time.
About new initiatives that will help SDU create even more value in the future. More about that later.
*****
First, let's focus on SDU as an internationally orientated university - of international class - with a special role as a value creator in the Region of Southern Denmark.
In my understanding, SDU creates value for its surroundings through - at least - four main channels:
- First of all,we do this through our education programmes. When we educate engineers, doctors, lawyers, high school teachers, business economists and many other talented graduates. Over the past decade, SDU has educated approximately 30,000 graduates who create value every day in public and private organisations across Denmark. But particularly in the Region of Southern Denmark.
- Secondly, we do it through innovation. When our researchers and students start their own companies that create growth, jobs and investments. Many of you are familiar with the success story of Universal Robots, which originated at SDU and was sold for DKK 1.9 billion in 2015.
But we continue to move towards new entrepreneurial horizons. The number of startups among SDU students has increased. Last year a total of 281 student startups was active across SDU's faculties and campuses. SDU researchers have established more than 50 research-based spin-outs to date. Spin-outs that together have created thousands of jobs in the region and attracted DKK 4 billion in investments.
- Thirdly,we do it by qualifying the public debate. When SDU researchers appear as experts in various media. Or as presenters, and in that way inform the public conversation. For example, what would the coverage of the US election campaign be without insights from SDU's Jørn Brøndal and Niels Bjerre Poulsen? Insights that provide a daily bulwark against misinformation and fake news.
- And fourthly, we do it through collaboration and public sector services. When we assist authorities and companies with knowledge and the development of new solutions. Based on SDU's five strong faculties, we contribute knowledge when major decisions need to be made, for instance, about health and prevention. Just as our research paves the way for new solutions at companies, large and small.
All of this value - and more - flows out of SDU every day. Always rooted in what is at the heart of it all: research-based knowledge.
*********
SDU's knowledge creates value in Denmark and internationally. But we take special pride in creating value for the Region of Southern Denmark. That is why our involvement in the Region has also been growing in recent years. This is happening with popular new programmes - medicine, psychology, law and data science - in Esbjerg and Kolding - and through a significant growth in the number of engineering students in Sønderborg.
And now we come to it. The new initiatives, that some of you maybe already heard about earlier today. Initiatives I have been so excited to tell you about. Because at SDU, we have never lost ourselves in the achievements of the past but have always looked to the future.
This was expressed in the very first sentence of the University's very first annual report. I quote:
'It would be natural to begin the University's first annual report with a review of the events that preceded the start of university education. However, it has not been possible to find the time to write a detailed historical account. Urgent tasks concerning the future of the university have had to take higher priority.' End quote.
In other words: we are simply too busy with the future to concern ourselves with the past.
At today's SDU, we have also been powering ahead in recent months. I am delighted that we earlier today launched two - for SDU and the Region - big announcements.
Firstly, we have decided to open a new campus with IT and STEM programmes in Vejle in 2026.
With SDU Vejle, we are building a world-class IT research and education environment. We will give companies direct access to in-demand IT graduates and the latest research in the field.
As is the case elsewhere in the region, this will be done through strong and binding partnerships with public and private organisations. In this connection, I would like to extend a tremendous and deeply felt thank you to Vejle Municipality and the Lego Group. For a strong collaboration and their generous financial support.
Secondly,SDU is now establishing, in close partnership with the Region of Southern Denmark, Odense University Hospital and Odense Municipality, a major mutual investment in future technological healthcare solutions. Under the title MedTech Denmark, we are creating a power centre where scientific discoveries are translated into innovation and concrete solutions. Solutions that can be used directly in the clinic for the benefit of patients.
MedTech Denmark will be a milestone in our endeavours to create better healthcare technology solutions. In this connection, I would like to thank the Region of Southern Denmark, Odense University Hospital and Odense Municipality for their always exemplary collaboration.
I make no secret of the fact that I am proud to lead a university at which dedicated employees dare to think new and big. And, perhaps just as importantly, have the will and the ability to turn visions into reality.
Therefore, I would like to thank all of you who have helped us establish the new campus in Vejle and launch MedTech Denmark.
I would also like to thank all of you who help us create so much value for and with our surroundings every day. Your dedicated efforts make SDU a fantastic, world-class university with strong roots in the Region of Southern Denmark.
The academic staff, the technical-administrative staff and SDU's fire-breathing students. Your work and efforts are tremendous. Thank you to each and every one.
The sun is shining on SDU. And it will continue to do so for many years to come. Thanks to your efforts.
Thank you for your attention.