Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School

Popular searches:

Independent University Newspaper

Copenhagen Business School

New university building facilitates collaboration between China and Denmark

Photo by Janie Huus Tange

The Sino-Danish Center (SDC) recently moved into a new building located north of Bejing. The new building will enhance collaboration between Danish and Chinese universities and benefit researchers and students alike, says the Principal Coordinator from CBS.

News |   11. Oct 2017

David Fulop

Student Writer

Students and researchers from China and Denmark have got themselves a new university building one hour north of Beijng. The new building will house the eight-year-old Sino-Danish Center (SDC), giving students and researchers new opportunities for collaborating and teaching.

Foremost, the center will create a better connection between the students from two contrasting worlds by bridging the gap between Chinese and Danish teaching styles.

Furthermore, it wants to build new partnerships with companies, attract more Chinese and Danish students for their master year, and invite more researchers to stay at the center.

“It’s a process of independence for the SDC, and the SDC will also become more of an institution,” expresses Stine Jessen Haakonsson.

Photo from SDC, Facebook

If we can get the best of these two sides, that would be a fantastic thing

Stine Jessen Haakonsson, Principal Coordinator for the Social Science programs at the SDC

Clash of Cultures

When describing the relationships between the students from Denmark and China, Stine Haakonsson explains that “before, there was a natural cultural split between the Danish students and the Chinese students in the classroom.”

The students are educated using diverse teaching methods; Chinese methods focusing more on studying and readings, while their Danish counterparts emphasize more critical thinking and conversation. Stine Jessen Haakonsson believes that during the master program both sides eventually come to realize that they are more similar than they think.

“On the teaching side, we can consolidate the people involved on both sides, get them closer together and develop their skills in the intercultural classroom,” says Stine Jessen Haakonsson.

One of the design objectives of the building is to create an environment that is “round and warm, and invites much more interaction than these big auditoriums that they have in China and CBS where you have no idea who the students are, so, in that sense the SDC much more open,” says Stine Jessen Haakonsson.

She hopes that this new environment will speed up the realization process and that the students from the diverse cultures will connect faster. “If we can get the best of these two sides, that would be a fantastic thing because I think there are a lot of benefits on both sides,” says Stine Jessen Haakonsson.

Photo from the SDC, Facebook

Making it attractive

The SDC is not only hoping to create stronger bonds between students from separate cultures but also to attract Chinese students with plans of traveling to Europe and Danish students who plan to stay for the long run.

Every Chinese student has an opportunity to travel to Denmark for two months where they can research, study, and engage with their Danish supervisor. Before the students set off, the SDC prepares them through an introductory course on how European scholars talk and think.

While the Chinese students go off to Europe for their master year, European students have a tendency to leave for internships elsewhere in China or in neighboring countries. With the construction of the new building, the SDC hopes to create an environment that is appealing for European students to stay throughout their master year.

“It’s going to be a nicer environment than being in a huge city like Beijing. And instead of wanting to do everything, there will be more focus on the study side of things and there will be more field trips going downtown but organized in a way where there will be some learning objectives when they are going,” says Stine Jessen Haakonsson.

Photo by Janie Huus Tange

There are many personal relationships being built, which is the foundation for good education and research

Stine Jessen Haakonsson

Also for researchers

But the SDC does not only want to attract students, they are also planning to invite more researchers from other universities in China as well. For Stine Jessen Haakonsson, not all of her research partners are from UCAS, several are from other high-ranking universities.

Which means that having 20 flats on the top floor of the building is a huge resource for the SDC. Not only because there is a grand view of the Great Wall climbing up the mountains, but because researchers can visit the research center and stay there for a couple of days or even weeks.

Having their own building also means that the SDC can host interdisciplinary forums and seminars. As an example, Stine Jessen Haakonsson explains that “people in the SDC’s department of Water and Environment working on water management in Beijing are extremely relevant for people working on public management in the Social Sciences Department at the SDC.”

It also means that there will be much more integration and overlap between the programs. For example, Stine Jessen Haakonsson’s research is on innovation and internationalization of renewable energy and the global governance of climate policy and researchers working in the energy section of the SDC are working on the technical aspect of her research. Consequently, the two departments can now work even more closely together.

Photo by Janie Huus Tange

Not to mention for businesses

With a donation of DKK 99 million, the Industriens Fond was the philanthropic force behind the construction of the new building for the SDC. With Industriens Fond as an ally, the research center has more possibilities to acquire grants and build stronger partnerships with companies.

The partnerships are not contractual but are mutual agreements between researchers, students, companies, and embassies. Thus far, Stine Jessen Haakonsson has worked with Danish companies that are innovating in China, such as; Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, Grundfos, Vestas, and Lego.

“There are many personal relationships being built, which is the foundation for good education and research,” says Stine Jessen Haakonsson.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

New university building facilitates collaboration between China and Denmarkby

  • News

    Staff layoffs: What happens if you’re fired

    The clock is ticking. On Thursday morning (5 October), CBS employees will know if they are up for dismissal or not. But what will happen on the day? What emotional stages are you likely to encounter? And who will be there to pick you up when you are feeling the blow of being laid off? CBS WIRE has talked to HR and the consulting agency Actief Hartmanns to provide you with answers.

  • News

    Network, network, network – CBS graduates advise on getting your first job

    There are many approaches to finding your first job. Three recent CBS graduates talk about how they landed theirs. Their approaches were quite different, yet they all highlight networking as a key element.

  • News

    A-Z of the dismissals

    In these final days of September, the fate of a number of CBS employees is being decided. The final amount of money saved on salaries via voluntary severance agreements (aka redundancy packages, Ed.) and senior agreements will be known.  After this, the actual number of employees up for dismissal will be decided by management – and then the individuals will be selected.

  • News

    Layoffs break the crucial trust between organisation and employee

    CBS is laying off a number of employees soon, which will affect our university in different ways. When employees are fired without having done anything wrong, it shatters the trust between the organisation and employees, while also taking a toll on productivity, according to a CBS expert. Layoffs also affect the ‘survivors’, who are forced to adapt to a changed workload and the loss of cherished colleagues.

  • News

    Here to help – at the touch of a button and at Campus Desk

    Exam anxiety? Lost student card? I’ve wedged my car between a Fiat 500 and a lamp post, can you help? You never know what you’ll be asked next. But that’s just how the Campus Desk team like it. And if they can’t fix your problem, they’ll know someone who can. CBS WIRE asked the team about the whole range of topics they advice on every day.

  • Gif of the week
  • News

    CBS Quiz Time: Unraveling the success story

    A successful university environment such as CBS is often associated with academic pursuits, but campus life extends far beyond the classroom. At CBS Quiz Time, a student society motivated by creative thinking and social engagement, students join in a refreshing range of creativity, excitement, and social interaction. CBS WIRE talked to Celine Møller-Andersen to find out about the society’s vision, strategies and the factors that are driving its rapid expansion.

  • News

    Why so sudden? The CBS financial crisis explained

    Employees and union representatives have posed many questions in the wake of the 17 August announcement of a firing round. In this interview, University Director Arnold Boon explains how Senior Management has been working with the budget and a change of financial strategy since the fall of 2022, and why layoffs are now necessary.

Follow CBS students studying abroad

CBS WIRE collaborates with Videnskab.dk

Stay connected

Close