New Associate Dean wants to strengthen collaboration between academia and business - 13.01.2010

As of 1 April 2010, Erik Bisgaard Madsen has been appointed Associate Dean for Research at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE), University of Copenhagen. Erik Bisgaard Madsen’s ambition is to strengthen LIFE’s collaboration with national and international research institutions. He also wants to improve LIFE’s collaboration with the business community, especially the biotech companies that are emerging in Denmark and abroad.

 

Erik Bisgaard Madsen, who is 54 years old and holds an MSc in veterinary medicine and a PhD, will be taking up the position as Associate Dean for Research at LIFE with the special objective of further strengthening collaboration between the research and business communities. His aim is to ensure that the results from cutting-edge research are fully exploited for the benefit of both society and business. He will focus, in particular, on strengthening areas aimed at the biotech sector and sectors that contribute to the climate-friendly production of foods. Erik Bisgaard Madsen intends to establish stronger ties between LIFE and national and international partners. He plans to improve the Faculty’s ability to attract the external funding that is becoming increasingly important to Danish universities. Finally, he wants to further develop and internationalise the PhD programme.

 

Erik Bisgaard Madsen is driven by a lifelong interest in developing a sustainable agricultural sector that produces high-quality foods for our tables based on consideration for our natural resources. Throughout his career, which began in a veterinary clinic in Western Jutland, he has stayed in touch with the research community and developed his network. He wants to focus on the entire chain from basic research to production, product and consumer. By virtue of his comprehensive network of contacts, Erik Bisgaard Madsen hopes to make a positive contribution to LIFE’s networks and collaboration with the outside world.

 

Erik Bisgaard Madsen comes from a position as Director of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council. He holds a degree in veterinary medicine, a PhD and a BComm. His previous positions include Vice President of the Danish Bacon & Meat Council (Danske Slagterier) and of the Danish Meat Association. He has also worked at the Danish Veterinary Serum Institute (now the National Veterinary Institute at DTU) and at a veterinary clinic. For a number of years, he has been Chairman of the Danish Council for Strategic Research Programme Commission on Health, Food and Welfare. He is also a member of the DTU Board, the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries’ Food Inspection Committee and the Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Advisory Board (Det Rådgivende Fødevareudvalg).

 

Erik Bisgaard Madsen replaces Torben Greve, who is stepping down as Associate Dean for Research after five years.

 

For more information, please contact Dean Per Holten-Andersen on tel.: +45 3533 2000.