University College of Northern Denmark (UCN) was established on the 1. of January 2008 after the passing of the ‘Danish Act on University Colleges of Higher Educations’ in 2007. UCN was formed by the merger of CVU Nordjylland (comprised of three teachers’ colleges and one college of social education) with Sundheds CVU Nordjylland (comprised of schools and colleges of nursing, radiography, midwifery, physiotherapy and occupational therapy). In 2009 UCN also merged with Nordjyllands Erhvervsakademi (NOEA – Academy of Professional Higher Education). At this time, UCN became the first Danish university college to offer in-depth research and education competences within business- and technology-oriented fields in addition to education and research within education/social studies and health. UCN has approx. 10,000 students and 1,000 employees and offers close to 40 different study programmes.

UCN research takes its point of departure in the professions and industries towards which our study programmes are targeted. In any project or research collaboration, the approach is practice-based and with a clear aim towards achieving a concrete, practically applicable solution to the challenge in question, ensuring that UCN bring about a marked improvement for the people who will actively use or benefit from the solution in their everyday lives.

The research activities at UCN are handled by assistant professors, associate professors, docents and Ph.D. students covering a wide range of competences. In many cases, they themselves have worked as professional practicians, and through internship supervision, teaching and supervision within our continuing education programmes, they are continually up-to-date with the challenges and work conditions that companies and organisations in practice are subject to. Their research experience has been gained at university colleges, universities, public institutions such as schools, hospitals and professional practices, as well as from private businesses – national as well as international.

UCN research results are published, translated, adapted and implemented in close collaboration with companies and organisations in which the knowledge and solutions generated may bring about a concrete difference in their everyday work – for citizens, for practicians, for companies or for society at large. Common to all UCN research activities is the fact that they are subject to identical quality requirements. Among other things, the purpose of these is to ensure that UCN research activities adhere to OECD’s Frascati Manual of 2002, which specifies joint European standards for research. For the same purpose, results are preferably published in peer-review journals.

University College of Northern Denmark (UCN) is situated in Northern Jutland in Denmark and has campus locations in the cities of Hjørring, Thisted and Aalborg. We are a university of applied sciences and provide higher education and perform research, development and innovation activities within the four main areas of business, social education, health and technology.