
New research cooperation to improve public health
University College Capital and Metropolitan University College are joining the University of Copenhagen in a collaboration intended to promote practice-oriented research and improve study programmes.
The use of welfare technology such as telemedicine is increasing in Danish municipalities and regions. At the same time, there is an increasing requirement for more user involvement and more coherent treatment pathways. This is due to rising numbers of senior citizens and people with lifestyle diseases and chronic diseases, as well as the need to exploit our welfare resources as effectively as possible. But how do we design new healthcare solutions that can benefit both people and the economy?

How do we design new healthcare solutions that can benefit both people and the economy? The University of Copenhagen, UCC and the Metropolitan will attempt to find the answers in a new collaboration. Photo: Colour box
This is one of the many important questions about our society and public welfare that the University of Copenhagen, the Metropolitan and UCC will attempt to answer.
“The university colleges are experts in practice-oriented research, while the university researchers’ strength is to examine and analyse practices from a theoretical perspective. By collaborating we will be able to contribute to the solution of urgent social problems,” says Rector Ralf Hemmingsen of the University of Copenhagen.
The partnership is intended to support the three institutions’ research in areas such as diets and lifestyles, inclusion in primary schools, and teaching and learning foreign languages. Just as importantly, the partnership is designed to enhance knowledge sharing and professional collaboration within the welfare sectors.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we can use the increased cross-fertilisation between theory and practice to provide new answers and ask new questions about key social issues. The projects we will launch together will quickly be put into practice, e.g. through our study programmes for social workers, nurses, nutritionists and primary-school teachers,” says Rector Stefan Hermann from Metropolitan University College, who will sign the partnership agreement today along with Rector Laust Joen Jakobsen of UCC and Rector Ralf Hemmingsen of UCPH.
In the area of public health, the Metropolitan will form part of a number of PhD collaborations with the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, as well as the Heart Centre of Rigshospitalet (Danish National Hospital), among others.
Focus also on primary schools
UCC has expertise in the primary school area, and the partnership is also designed to help tackle significant challenges in relation to primary-school teaching, for example through a series of interdisciplinary research collaborations on how to teach and learn Danish, foreign languages and science.
“The partnership will give us a new opportunity to enhance practice-oriented educational research in a joint venture between the university and the university colleges. The cooperation is a response to an urgent need to coordinate and focus our research in the area of education. It will increase our opportunities to share, develop and apply our knowledge for the benefit of primary schools, daycare centres, etc.,” says Rector Laust Joen Jakobsen of University College Capital.
The partnership already has a number of successful collaborations in research, education and continuing and further education. The parties are also involved in two consortium collaborations. The experience from these partnerships creates a solid foundation for enhanced cooperation in the field of research.
ContactJens Erik Mogensen, Associate Dean for Education (chair of the working group behind the partnership agreement)The Faculty of HumanitiesUniversity of CopenhagenMobile: 28 75 84 06E-mail: jem@hum.ku.dkContact
Associate dean of education (chairman for the work group responsible for the partnership deal) Faculty of Humanities
The University of Copenhagen
Mobile phone: 28 75 84 06
E-mail: jem@hum.ku.dk
Lene Düwel Andersen
Communications Officer
UCPH Communication
Mobile phone: 28 75 42 68
Work schedule
The partnership prioritizes the following research themes in the time period 2014-2015:
- Subject matter didactics, such as Danish, Danish as a secondary language, foreign languages, mathematics and natural science.
- Communications of nature and culture, outdoors education
- Nutrition, health, physical activity and lifestyle
- Welfare and health technology
- Inclusion/Exclusion
Partnership in numbers
UCC and Metropol are two of the seven University Colleges in Denmark that educate leaders and employees for the country’s primary schools, institutions and health sector.
UCC and Metropol both have more than 10.000 students and about 1.000 employees.
The University of Copenhagen has about 40.000 students and almost 10.000 employees.