"Start small - think big"
This was one of the headlines for the Biannual Advisory Seminar which many people could agree on when the seminar concluded on Wednesday afternoon. Particularly in connection with collaborations with companies, which often start with smaller projects and later develop into something bigger.
The seminar was held on 31 May at Svanninge Bjerge, where 55 of the Faculty's researchers, research support staff and others assembled. The day's topic was goal number 3 of the Faculty's long-term goals; Strengthening of research and engaging with society: More external funding and more large projects.
The morning saw presentations from three of our own researchers: Dorthe Bomholdt Ravnsbæk, Ole Nørregaard Jensen and Trond Ulven, which were about their experiences with International Training Network (ITN), networking and contract research respectively. This was followed by a panel debate with four external participants from Novo Nordisk A/S, Newtec Engineering A/S from here on Funen, the Region of Southern Denmark and SDU RIO.
The afternoon featured a number of workshops. First of all across the departments, and then later on by individual department.
Dean Martin Zachariasen was very pleased with the day:
"The Faculty's Management Group and Academic Council hold the Biannual Advisory Seminars twice a year, and previously the aim has mainly been to advise the Management and other fora at the Faculty on important academic development areas. This time, however, we have tried to make it a bit different, and that's why the morning was used to provide inspiration for the participants, while the afternoon still retained an advisory quality. My experience is that the new form has been very successful, and it has been a great pleasure to see the participants' desire to ask questions, particularly during the panel debate. I am looking forward to seeing what a day like Wednesday can lead to, in the form of new routes for the departments with regard to strengthening of their research and engaging with society".
The next Biannual Advisory Seminar will be held in November 2017, and the topic this time is expected to be related to teaching and education.