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Dear DEA, ladies and gentlemen, friends of science.
Firstly, I would like to thank DEA and The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation for hosting this first of three conferences today.
Thank you for your focus on internationalisation.
Thank you for fuelling the debate about how we can become even better at supporting researchers mobility.
And thank you for your report: "From quantity to quality in international mobility and networks".
I acknowledge the strong role played by Danish universities and researchers on the international scene. Your work makes me proud to be Minister for Higher Education and Science.
And I think I speak for many Danes when I say that your influence on the international research scene make us proud to be Danish.
Internationalisation strengthens the quality of Danish research
Internationalisation is important. Not as a goal in itself, but as a means to strengthen the quality of Danish research. And as a means to increase its impact.
Let me give you an example.
It is about the Greenland shark. A 5 meter long chap, living in the icy Arctic oceans.
A little while ago a sensational research result emerged in the world press:
The Greenland shark can be at least 272 years old.
272 years!
This means that a living shark of today, could have been swimming the icy Arctic waters when the French Revolution took place in 1789.
This means that the very same shark was alive when Hans Christian Andersen wrote "The Ugly Duckling" in 1843.
And this means that the shark was still swimming around in the ocean when the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989.
The shark is with its 272 years the vertebrate in the world with the longest life expectancy. A truly sensational discovery.
Of course it made me proud to learn that the discovery was made by a Danish scientist, the 32-year-old PhD student Julius Nielsen.
But Julius Nielsen did not do it alone.
He did it with a number of international scientists from Greenland, Norway, the UK and the USA. By reaching out to the world through binding international cooperation, Julius Nielsen solved the riddle of the Greenlandic shark's age.
The example underlines that in order to strengthen the quality of Danish research, we must continue crossing borders.
To find new answers and increase the impact of Danish research.
Innovation across borders
The report which is being presented today has many important points. Among other things it states that Denmark performs well when it comes to exchanging young researchers for short stays. Actually, we are among the best in the world.
This should make us proud!
But it also states that when it comes to long-term research stays abroad, Denmark is lagging behind. The so-called 'job-mobility' is not good enough.
The Ministry plays a role. We shall continuously strive to improve the framework needed to stimulate the researchers mobility.
This year we can celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first Innovation Centre that was established in Silicon Valley in 2006.
Since then - five more centres have come to life.
On the 27th of October the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I will open yet another centre in Tel Aviv.
The innovation centres work closely together with universities and companies. To help spread knowledge gained internationally to all parts of the Danish society.
And to help building bridges between Denmark and the greatest knowledge, science and innovation hubs in the world.
Let me give an example.
Our Innovation Centre in Silicon Valley recently established a partnership with the Lundbeck Foundation.
The goal is to give young and bright Danish medical students an opportunity to study and research at leading American universities.
During the stay, the students conduct research in the area of treating diseases like diabetes, prostate cancer and lymphoma.
The results can be ground-breaking.
With input from both Danish and foreign top universities, the students will gain a unique foundation to build their research on.
And the results can eventually be beneficial for Lundbeck and the entire pharmaceutical industry.
Joint project
When knowledge is spread across borders new solutions to old problems are found. Friendships and valuable networks occur. And excellent research is fuelled.
Denmark and Danish students and researchers are already doing very well at internationalisation. We are on the right way. And we must continuously strive at improving.
Let us all push together to make internationalisation flourish.
So we can increase the quality of Danish research - for the benefit of both business and society.
So we can give young researchers the very best conditions for treating diseases like cancer and diabetes.
And – of course – so we can provide more knowledge about the mysterious Greenland shark, even 200 years from now.
The report on researchers mobility, launched by DEA today, is just the beginning. Another two reports on international funding and recruitment awaits.
I am convinced that the knowledge in these reports and the hopefully following fruitful discussions will make us even better at what we are already good at in Denmark:
Providing research of high international quality for the benefit of both society and industry.
I wish you all a good conference and a fertile discussion.
Thank you.