The University of Southern Denmark emphasises employee interaction with the community and supports employees in their involvement in the transfer of knowledge to the surrounding world and their experiences obtained through contact with the rest of society. It is therefore important to be transparent about cooperation with external operators.
Cooperation with the outside world, including both public and private organisations, is promoted by University of Southern Denmark employees being permitted to take up applicable secondary professional employment outside the University of Southern Denmark.
University of Southern Denmark employees are permitted to take up secondary employment in addition to their employment at the University in so far as the secondary employment is consistent with the duties required of the employee in the employee’s main job at the University.
This is enshrined in section 17 of the Danish Civil Service Act, section 15 of the Danish Salaried Employees Act and section 7 of the Danish Act on Employment Certificates.
These guidelines are not intended to restrict access to secondary employment, but the University of Southern Denmark emphasises that secondary employment should not harm the University’s reputation as an independent research institution or staff competence and credibility, and that secondary employment does not lead to unwanted knowledge transfer.
All employees are covered by the general basic principles contained in Danish law, which means that employees are permitted to take up secondary employment as long as it does not affect their employment at the University of Southern Denmark or the credibility of the University’s research, courses and communication in general. See also point 4. If in doubt, employees (both academic staff members (VIP) and technical and administrative staff (TAP)) should discuss the option of secondary employment with a manager who is authorised to handle employment issues or a head of department.
Employees employed in scientific posts at associate professor level or above, as well as the rectorate, deans, heads of faculty secretariat, heads of department, directors, deputy directors and area managers are further covered by special SDU rules relating to secondary employment. See Section 4.2.
Secondary employment must be compatible with the esteem and confidence (decorum) associated with employment at the University of Southern Denmark and be kept within the limits of the ordinary obligations of loyalty, the provisions on professional secrecy contained in the Danish Marketing Practices Act and the European charter for researchers.
Secondary employment must not be in competition with University activities and core services and must not undermine confidence in the University of Southern Denmark’s research, courses or communication. Neither must it be of such a nature as to be detrimental to the University’s activities.
Secondary employment must be organised in such a way that employees are able fully to meet their employment obligations to the University of Southern Denmark.
A distinction is made below between professional secondary employment, which must/not be reported, and jobs that are of the grade of hobbies and civic duties. Secondary professional employment is an activity that is a natural extension of the employee's position at SDU and is performed for another employer or client. It is not important whether the position is paid or unpaid.
4. 1 Secondary professional employment, which does not need to be reported
Secondary professional employment that is a natural extension of a researcher’s scientific position at the University of Southern Denmark and performed under the auspices of the University of Southern Denmark does not need to be reported as secondary employment. For example, membership of review committees for scientific positions at other institutions in Denmark and abroad, guest lectures at other institutions, as well as membership of commissions, boards, councils, associations, foundations, committees or expert groups to which the employee has been appointed by the University of Southern Denmark.
4.2 Secondary professional and/or commercial employment to be reported
Employees employed in scientific positions at associate professor level or above as well as the rectorate, deans, heads of faculty secretariat, heads of department, directors, deputy directors and area managers must report the following types of secondary employment to the immediate superior who is authorised to handle employment issues when they take up their position and once a year; however, associate professors and professors must report to the head of department:
- Employment with other public or private undertaking, including own business
- Duties or activities on commissions, boards, councils, associations, foundations, committees or expert groups, to which the employee has not appointed by the University of Southern Denmark
- Long-term teaching commitments at other institutions
- Advisor/Consultant to private or public enterprises
If the management authorised to manage employment/head of department at the University of Southern Denmark finds that the secondary employment is not compatible with the main post at the University, management may instruct the employee not to take up the secondary employment or to reduce the secondary employment or to terminate it altogether. Such an instruction must be made in writing and specific reasons given.
The dean/university director may, on the basis of a request from the employee, assess the instruction issued by the management and decide on the retention or rejection of the instruction.
4.3 Secondary employment in countries at risk of unwanted knowledge transfer
According to the Ministry of Education and Research's guidelines for international cooperation (URIS guidelines), universities must protect employees from inadvertently contributing to the unwanted transfer of knowledge about critical research to countries to which the authorities assess that there is a risk of unwanted knowledge transfer (currently China, Russia and Iran).
Therefore, all employees (both VIP and TAP) who will be involved in or have access to critical research must report or pre-notify secondary employment in such countries. The authorised management/head of department at SDU must guide employees who are to engage in critical research about the obligation to report or pre-notify such secondary employment.
4.4 Duties or activities that have the nature of recreational interests
All employees may without having to report them to the University take up duties or engage in activities that have the nature of recreational interests, provided the employee meets his or her employment obligations to the University of Southern Denmark.
Activities that have the nature of recreational interests are not covered by these rules, whether they are paid or unpaid. Neither is the performance of civic duties to be regarded as secondary employment, but to the extent that it has or may have an impact on the employee’s main employment, the employee’s immediate superior who is authorised to handle employment issues must be informed.The Central Administration at the University of Southern Denmark may in connection with requests for access to documents disclose information about public secondary employment, e.g. membership of boards, councils and commissions, etc., but not information about private secondary employment.
The management at the University of Southern Denmark is entitled to decide whether secondary employment is to be reduced or terminated if the secondary employment is incompatible with the employee’s post at SDU. Failure to comply with such an instruction from the management or these guidelines may have employment-related consequences.
Adopted by the Executive Board and the Main Liaison Committee 2025