University of Southern Denmark (SDU)

The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is a fusion from 1998. The University received its first students in Odense in September 1966. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength. SDU now have five faculties and about 32,000 students, more than 15% of whom come from abroad. Our more than 4,000 employees are divided between the main campus in Odense and regional campuses in Slagelse, Kolding, Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Copenhagen. Several international reports testify that we conduct world-class research.

Research, teaching, communication and the transfer of knowledge at SDU are grouped into five academic faculties:

• The Faculty of Humanities
• The Faculty of Science
• The Faculty of Business and Social Sciences  
• The Faculty of Health Sciences
• The Faculty of Engineering

SDU's strategy sets the course for the future

• It’s about doing something worth doing, for society, with society
• It’s about enabling every talent while encouraging the exceptional
• It’s about breaking through boundaries and shaping the future

As a university, we have to create visible results that generate value for the society of which we are a part. New technology, better health for citizens and high-quality research are just some of SDU’s contributions to doing this. We must also be able to adapt and fit in where needed, prioritize research resources and manage our operations in interaction with surroundings and events that are rapidly and continuously changing. That’s why SDU employs a strategy designed for maximum flexibility, so that we can be agile at the same time as setting ambitious goals and achieving good results. To make this happen, we employ a threefold approach, structured around one external and three internal parameters.

The external perspective is that our core tasks must generate value for the society of which we are a part, in collaboration with its members. The three internal parameters are that our implementation of these core tasks must always be characterized by quality, relevance and differentiation.