Researchers at Aarhus University are strongly involved in strengthening two areas of Danida’s Building Stronger Universities (BSU II) programme. These areas are bio-based energy at Kathmandu University and climate adaptation at the University of Ghana. Aarhus University is also involved in five of the six projects that were initiated in 2014 and will continue until November 2016. The university also heads two of the projects – bio-based energy in Nepal and climate adaptation in Ghana.

"The Danish team is helping to build up, develop and hold courses in how to write scientific articles, how to write applications and how to develop different methods. These courses are aimed at researchers and PhD students. We are also working on capacity building regarding how to clarify topics, i.e. paradigm development, and how to put together a PhD programme," explains Senior Adviser Torsten Rødel Berg, Research and Talent, who is head of the Danish consortium in the bio-based energy project in Nepal. The Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, is taking part in this consortium, as well as departments at Aalborg University and the University of Copenhagen. The Danish part of the project has a budget of DKK 5 million.

Continuation of earlier concept

The Building Stronger Universities concept originated in the Commission for Africa, where Lauritz Holm-Nielsen, former rector of Aarhus University, was a member. In the first phase (BSU I), the responsibility was in the hands of the Danish partners, as the distribution of budgets and administration was 60/40, with 60 per cent going to Denmark. The new phase (BSU II) has more responsibility from the south. Here it lies in the hands of the developing countries, as they are now responsible for 60 per cent of the budgets and administration.

"It’s very satisfying that BSU II enables us to continue with the work we began in BSU I. A considerable amount of energy and finance was put into BSU I, and it was a highly profiled programme. These resources must not go to waste. Instead, we must make use of the experience and contacts we built up," says Finn Plauborg, an academic employee at the Department of Agroecology. He is head of the Danish consortium for the project at the University of Ghana.

The project in Ghana is concerned with interdisciplinary research into climate change adaptation, strengthening food production and processing, malaria research, development policy, and poverty monitoring and assessment. The Danish consortium has a budget of DKK 15 million. Taking part from Aarhus University are the Department of Agroecology, the Department of Bioscience, the Department of Clinical Medicine and the Department of Public Health. The project also involves Aalborg University, the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark and the CG Consulting Group.

"BSU II is a platform we can use to make our mark in research into areas such as food and agriculture in developing countries. The programme provides us with an opportunity to identify collaborative partners, formulate new applications, carry out pilot projects, and teach researchers in developing countries how to write applications," says Finn Plauborg.

The Danida Fellowship Centre is responsible for the administration of BSU II. Only those universities that are involved in BSU II can apply to Danida for funding involving the south partners. The research fields are defined by the relevant developing countries in the south and reflect the fields in which Denmark can provide knowledge and experience.

Read more about Building Stronger Universities II

here.

For more information, please contact

Senior Adviser Torsten Rødel Berg, Research and Talent, e-mail:

torsten.berg@au.dk, phone: +45 8715 1269, mobile: +45 2485 8115

Academic Employee Finn Plauborg, Department of Agroecology, e-mail:

finn.plauborg@agro.au.dk, phone: +45 8715 7714, mobile: +45 2218 1809