Earlier this year, Aarhus University and VIA University College entered into a partnership agreement aimed at attracting more engineering students—a group in high demand among companies in Central Denmark Region’s regional business community.

The agreement has now been expanded. Going forward, Lotte Thøgersen will spend part of her working time as Director of Industry Collaboration at the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University. The arrangement will run for the next two years, during which she will particularly focus on industry-related activities within the new work-integrated Master’s degree programmes.

“We have chosen a joint initiative between VIA and Aarhus University because it provides the best conditions for an equal partnership between the two institutions and the greatest potential to create coherent engineering education pathways that benefit industry,” says Eskild Holm Nielsen, Dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University.

The collaboration agreement means, among other things, that Bachelors of engineering educated at VIA University College in Horsens will have the opportunity to progress directly into a relevant master’s degree programme at Aarhus University. Initially, the collaboration will focus on two programmes with specialisations in cybersecurity, and in climate, utilities and water technology—an initiative that will benefit companies across Central Denmark Region, explains Lotte Thøgersen:

“By working together on industry collaboration, VIA and Aarhus University can attract and retain even more of the talented students that technology-based companies in Central Denmark Region and the rest of Denmark are seeking. Our goal is to get even closer to the needs and wishes of companies and to offer students a more industry-oriented and relevant education—ultimately strengthening Denmark’s technological development,” says Lotte Thøgersen.

With the new industry-based master’s programmes, companies can employ a fully qualified diploma engineer on a part-time basis while the employee completes a university master’s degree and works on the company’s own development projects as part of their studies.

The collaboration applies to both Danish students and students from the EU.