European Research at the University of Copenhagen – Københavns Universitet

Department of Political Science
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European Research at the University of Copenhagen (EURECO)

The aims of European Research at the University of Copenhagen are to

  • Generate cutting-edge research with an international impact and attract leading scholars
     
  • Foster a dynamic environment for young and up-coming research talents
     
  • Provide research-based inputs to the setting of the Danish and international political agendas
     
  • Attract international research funding on a larger scale and on a more systematic basis
     
  • Develop new research-based courses at both the Master's and the PhD level

Denmark is facing a complex set of challenges which require European answers. More than ever before, Denmark's future is interlinked with processes of European integration. In addition, Europe itself faces new tasks as an international actor among other global players.

Immediate challenges concern for example climate change, financial crises, food and agricultural crises, secure energy supplies, the single European market, migratory flows, ageing populations, education, religion, language and diversity, and the need for technological and institutional innovation. Perceived risks emanate from transnational crime, international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and religious fundamentalism alongside a lack of generalized trust and social cohesion. On all these dimensions, Denmark is or will be proactively engaged in formulating not only Danish but also European solutions. The speed, intensity and scope of European integration have increased year by year and will continue to do so in the years to come. In only 5 years, the EU has grown from 15 to 27 member countries, and predictions that European integration has reached a final stage of maturity are presumptuous if not directly flawed.Til toppen

Consequently, more research is needed. More systematic and research-based knowledge on the specific role of European influence on the legal/political, social and cultural systems of Denmark in comparison to other European countries, on the role of Denmark in Europe as well as on the role of Europe in the world is required. In order to seriously address this complex patchwork of problems and reactions to these challenges, and, not least, the possible effects of Danish and European political action, a comprehensive but focused and internationally visible research programme is established.

The University of Copenhagen is well-prepared to face this research challenge. Time has come to accelerate and strengthen a focused research programme in order to make the University of Copenhagen a leading excellence forum for the study of European affairs. The aim is to attract international researchers and funding, to generate cutting-edge research with an international impact, to foster a dynamic environment for young and up-coming research talents, and to provide research-based inputs to the setting of the Danish and international political agendas. Furthermore the aim is to create a solid foundation for research-based teaching at a very high international level related to the research initiatives. The infrastructural and financial framework has been established in order to exploit international research networks, to attract leading scholars from Denmark and abroad, to engage in active dialogue and communication with European stakeholders, to supply research-based teaching within the field,  and to create a critical mass of PhDs and post.doc. researcher. Til toppen

Research focus

To focus research within the area of European studies does not mean to invest in wide-spread, scattered initiatives all over the University of Copenhagen, but, rather, to make choices that can enhance the coordination and goal-oriented planning of research activities. Focused research also implies that the University of Copenhagen can react to and constructively deal with a number of burning platforms that have become salient to the surrounding society as well as engage in long-term consolidation of basic research, which is essential to any serious research environment.

Of immediate urgency are matters like climate change, financial crises, food and agricultural crises, secure energy supplies, the single European market, streams of migration, trafficking, welfare challenges, technological and institutional innovation, generally perceived risks emanating from crime, international terrorism and religious issues, such as fundamentalism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and lack of trust and social cohesion. The University of Copenhagen must be able to rapidly and effectively engage in these international problems and contribute to their solution by way of targeted and goal-oriented European research.

Among areas on which basic research is being conducted on a more permanent basis, the role of "Europe in Denmark", the role of "Denmark in Europe" and the role of "Europe in the world" are central. Continuous basic research has to be carried out on the legal, political, economic and historical foundations of Europe and European integration. Still exigent questions to be studied on a long-term basis are, for example, the architecture of the European human rights area, the purported democratic deficit of the EU, the prerequisites and elements of European identity, or mechanisms for European integration at different speeds and in "variable geometries". At the same time, basic research is urgently needed to assess and anticipate Europe's future role and competitiveness as an international political, economic, military and "normative" power within the next decades. These are areas on which research has already been conducted at the University of Copenhagen. Further and focused investment in this well-established national platform firmly places the University of Copenhagen as a leading and high-ranking institution on the Nordic and international scales of excellent EU and European research.