Strong Support for SDU Vejle: Morning Meeting Shows Significant Interest

Dear staff

Last Friday, our Rector hosted a morning meeting in Vejle. It is a new initiative in which he visits the various campus cities and invites stakeholders to breakfast. The Rector gives a brief update on SDU in general, followed by key highlights for the individual campus.

On Friday, deans, heads of departments, and researchers also participated in the meeting, along with more than 20 external stakeholders. They represented both large and small companies from Vejle and the surrounding area. It was a highly interesting meeting, and one cannot help but feel proud of SDU when seeing how far we have come with Campus Vejle.

It all began with a meeting between the mayor of Vejle and the Rector at the end of 2021, and now we are preparing to open four bachelor programmes in the city this September.

In the meantime, facilities have been secured, funding raised, and researchers and staff recruited for SDU Vejle. Currently, IMADA has five employees at the location, and by September this number is expected to double.

The administration at IMADA, the faculty secretariat, and the central administrative units are deeply involved in onboarding new employees, finalising the study programmes, and preparing everything needed to welcome students in September.

The atmosphere at the morning meeting was very positive, as the application numbers already indicated strong interest in the programmes. It has been crucial to attract students to study in Vejle, and a great deal of effort has been invested in marketing the programmes, especially on social media.

On 15 March, we received the final application numbers for quota 2, which includes all international applicants along with Danish quota 2 applicants.

The numbers exceed expectations, with approximately 130 first-priority applicants for each of IMADA’s programmes. In total, more than 900 students have applied for admission in Vejle, which should be sufficient to enroll 30 students in each programme.

Most applications come from EU countries, but Danish applicants are also represented. A good mix of Danish and international students will be highly beneficial, as it makes it easier for international students to integrate into life in Denmark when they study alongside peers of the same age.

External stakeholders also showed strong interest in the students. They need qualified labour, and the importance of ensuring that students — both Danish and international — have access to student jobs was made very clear.

Beyond the financial benefit, student jobs help students gain insight into the labour market in the Triangle Region. Experience from Sønderborg shows that this increases the likelihood that graduates will remain in the area after completing their studies.

Researchers are very keen to collaborate with industry, and the two LEGO® Chairs presented ideas for cooperation ranging from smaller consultancy-like tasks to larger, long-term research projects.

All in all, it is incredibly inspiring to sit in old factory halls and discuss business collaboration. I left with a clear impression that companies have tremendous energy around Campus Vejle and see it as a unique opportunity to support continued development in the Triangle Region.

Marianne Holmer, dean