AU Viborg is part of Aarhus University and is home to most of the university’s research in food and agriculture. Research areas include plants, animals, food, organic farming, bioenergy, environment, climate, soil, genetics and technology.
Within the centre you will find the Department of Animal Science, Department of Agroecology and research groups from the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics and the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering.
DCA – the Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture – is based at AU Viborg and is a supporting body for the collaboration with industry, organisations and authorities.
We welcome groups of visitors who are interested in knowing more about agriculture and food research. Visitors may be companies or groups with specialised interests, but all groups are welcome.
AU Viborg is located between Viborg and Randers close to main road 16. There is a sign for Aarhus University on the main road. See map.
When you get to AU Viborg please go to the reception in building A10.
By bus
There are several bus departures daily from Viborg and Randers bus station to AU Viborg.
More information
By train
All through the day trains arrive at Viborg Train Station, which is situated right next to the Bus Station, where you can take a bus to AU Foulum or you can catch a taxi. For train departures and arrivals click here.
Nearby airports
AU Viborg has a combined area of approx. 590 ha and buildings covering an area of around 120,000 m2, including offices, laboratories, animal houses, machine storage and a biogas plant.
Laboratories
AU Viborg has a wide range of specialised laboratories and research facilities, including odour laboratories, GIS laboratories and technological platforms. The research centre has climate chambers and a semi-field facility where precipitation can be controlled and plants and soil studied at root level.
Bioenergy
The biogas plant at AU Viborg is the world’s largest plant for biogas experiments. It consists of a main reactor, a pilot plant with four reactors ranging in size from 10 m3 to 30 m3, a micro-plant and a demonstration facility with 400 m2 floor space for experiments with animal manure. A laboratory has also been constructed for testing boilers with a view to optimising fuel use.
Organic farming
AU Viborg has an organic livestock platform for research into management, technology, nutrition, health and behaviour under organic conditions. The organic livestock platform is primarily for experiments with poultry, pigs and horses but can be used for other types of farm animals as well.
Field experiments
Actual field experiments are carried out at Foulumgård experimental station, which is a 90-ha arable farm. About 70 ha are used for conventional field experiments and 20 ha for organic experiments. Foulumgård has the facilities and machinery to carry out a wide range of different trials such as quality grading of agricultural crops, experiments on soil tillage, nutrient leaching, animal manure experiments and the growing of forages.
Livestock facilities
AU Viborg has flexible housing facilities for experiments with pigs, cattle, poultry and horses and a mink farm. The facilities include an experimental slaughterhouse, a feed mill and an intensive care unit. The intensive care unit contains a wide range of facilities, including highly specialised operating theatres, an infection unit, a rat house and isolators.
Arable facilities
The research centre has facilities for experimental cultivation and research in cropping systems in field plots and semi-field facilities. Approximately 500 ha are used for experiments and for feed production for the centre’s stock of animals.
Research results
The exchange and implementation of research results is undertaken in many different ways. This includes conferences, workshops and meetings and publishing in books, journals and technical publications.
There are approximately 700 members of staff at AU Viborg. About 400 of these are scientific staff and PhD students who represent a wide range of expertise within, for example, agronomy, biology, animal science and engineering science.
There is a strong international environment at AU Viborg. About 50% of the 150 or so PhD students come from abroad. There is also a constant flow of international visiting scientists who stay – and live – at the centre for shorter or longer periods. Students often stay at one of the student residences in Viborg and there is collaboration with the local authority in Viborg to ensure people from abroad are successfully introduced to the Danish society.
Many activities at AU Viborg are targeted high-priority concerns for society and are part of its collaboration with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries or other public authorities. Other activities focus on current issues in agriculture and in the food industry and are combined efforts with private companies or trade organisations. Much of the research is basic research carried out at international level.
In close proximity to AU Viborg are also the Agro Business Park and the Danish Cattle Research Centre (DKC) that both have close links with scientists at AU Viborg The Agro Business Park is a science park and home to 15-20 innovative and knowledge-intensive companies. DKC is a state-of-the-art cattle research farm that functions both as a research centre and a demonstration facility.
