Talks & Debate 2026
DEBATE // UCPH: A place where Research thrives and teaching survives?
Teaching is a core activity of UCPH. However, most funding bodies strongly value research excellence as the prime qualification, and so does UCPH (e.g., promotions, salary negotiations), despite the emphasis on teaching in the merit criteria. In a time where focus on research and external funding is increasing, how can UCPH ensure world class research-based teaching and how can we ensure that teaching achieves the same respect and credit as research?
Taking part in the discussion of possible future scenarios of UCPH teaching will be:
- David Dreyer Lassen, Rector at UCPH
- Bente Stallknecht, Dean Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
- TBN, Studenterrådet
- Camilla Moring, Deputy Head of Department for Education & Head of Studies, Department of Communication.
The debate is moderated by the authors of Tackling the Teaching Paradox – a group of professors (at all levels) from five faculties who participated in the UCPH Forward Program in 2025: Jannie Nielsen (HEALTH), Camilla Hartmann Friis Hansen (HEALTH), Janice Wang (SCIENCE), Katrine Barnekow Rasmussen (LAW), Karen Waltorp (SOCIAL SCIENCES), Jacob Ørmen (HUM).
This talk is in English
TALK // Apology, compensation or both?
Lawyer Mads Pramming has led a number of cases about historical abuses – including the Spiral case, the Sprogø case and the case of the Greenlandic adopted children. What the cases have in common is that the victims have called for a sincere apology, while successive governments have hesitated for fear of compensation claims.
This has created a paradox: The Prime Minister can apologize with tears in his eyes, while the victims must then fight in court for financial compensation.
Based on restorative law, Pramming and Associate Professor Ida Helene Asmussen from the Faculty of Law discuss questions such as: Does compensation have value without an apology – and vice versa? What role does the state’s apology play in a compensation process? And is our legal system even designed to provide victims with real redress?
This talk is in Danish
TALK // Who are you cursing from afar?
In ancient times, curses and spells were used by private individuals and the state as a tool to threaten, protect, and even cause illness. As a tool, they could be used against everything from enemies to the weather, and to ensure compliance with agreements.
Researchers from the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies present curses and black magic from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Mesoamerica’s early colonial period.
Participants: Annika Hvithamar (Head of Department), Jesper Nielsen (Mesoamerican Studies), Fredrik Hagen (Egyptology) and Troels Pank Arbøll (Assyriology).
This talk is in Danish
TED TALKS // Welcome
Here you’ll encounter the diverse landscape of innovation and impact.
TED TALKS
15.00
Welcome by deputy director Andreas Blohm Graversen
Meet UCPH start ups
15.10
Nøgensnegl is a startup from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) that produces theatre performances
15.20
Søster til Søster
A startup from UCPH that disseminates research and knowledge on gender and equality via the platform søstertilsøster.dk.
This talk is in English
TALK // Researchers in the Innovation District
This Innovation Talk gathers top names from KU research and innovation to discuss how research and innovation can shape KU and Innovation District Copenhagen.
Meet Nobel Prize winner Morten Meldahl and IDC CEO Annemarie Munk Riis.
This talk is in English
TALK // Research in the minefield: When the public debate turns toxic
Climate and climate activism, MeToo and the Israel/Palestine conflict. These are just selected examples of areas that often arouse strong emotions and become ‘political minefields’ in the public debate.
In this conversation, you will gain insight into how researchers working in political minefields handle anger and actual threats, and why some even place themselves in the firing line by getting politically involved. At the same time, we will talk about the dynamics behind the strong reactions: Why do some political issues become minefields, and is anger – or researcher activism – always a problem?
On stage are:
Frida Hviid Broberg, rhetorician and postdoc at the Department of Communication. In her research, Frida has investigated political anger based on, among other things, climate activism, MeToo, Black Lives Matter and Palestine solidarity activism.
Frederik Appel Olsen, rhetorician and postdoc at the Center for Applied Ecological Thinking, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies. Frederik has, among other things, investigated science activist movements and their social significance.
The conversation is moderated by Søren Bang, who is a communications advisor in the Advisory and Media Training team at UCPH.
Photo of Frederik: Freja Wille
This talk is in Danish
DEBATE // Column of dilemmas: Freedom and Differences
“Dear Advice Column for Freedom and Differences. I hope you can help me…”
Come and listen in when the two advice‑column editors, the deans and strategic sponsors for, respectively, diversity and academic freedom — Bente Stallknecht and Kirsten Busch – respond to dilemmas sent in by students who need help navigating situations where diversity, inclusion, freedom, and differences collide or unfold.
What is at stake in each dilemma? How does UCPH’s strategic work address these themes? And what is good advice in such situations?
The Advice Column for Freedoms and Differences is here to answer exactly that!
Arranged by KU’s diversitetsteam
This talk is in Danish
TALK // To write oneself closer to nature
What you eat, and how the food is grown, says a lot about you.
Author Malte Tellerup writes about nature and agriculture. Lecturer in literature Sophie Wennerscheid researches ecocriticism and agriculture in Danish literature. Together they talk about how the way we cultivate the land and eat is connected to our view of nature and of each other.
The conversation stems from Tellerup’s residency as a house author at the University of Copenhagen, supported by the Velux Foundation, where he has collaborated with, among others, Sophie Wennerscheid to develop his literary work in dialogue with current research.
Organized by the University Library in Fiolstræde.
This talk is in Danish
TALK // Creative writing and mental health in fertility treatment
Can creative and collective writing help ease fertility treatment?
Author Tine Høeg works with experiences of the body, fertility, and vulnerability in her writing. Associate Professor Anders Juhl Rasmussen researches medical humanities and how literature can be used in healthcare contexts. Together, they talk based on a writing workshop about how creative writing can provide language for an emotionally demanding fertility treatment.
The conversation stems from Tine Høeg’s residency as a writer-in-residence at the University of Copenhagen, supported by the Velux Foundation, where she collaborated with Anders Juhl Rasmussen to develop writing workshops in dialogue with current research.
Organized by the University Library in Fiolstræde.
This talk is in Danish
DEBATE // Exploring Green Dilemmas in Shaping a Sustainable University
Join the conversation on how UCPH can push its green transition forward. The One Planet Board — UCPH’s council for climate and environmental sustainability with members from across the university — will be there to discuss challenges, opportunities, and new ideas.
Meet representatives from the board, bring new ideas to the table and discuss role of the university in the green transition.
TALK // Student innovation for sustainable futures: Lessons from Kibera, Kenya
How can students create real change in the world’s most challenging environments?
Come meet 15 fellow students who spent two transformative weeks in Kenya, working side-by-side with local partners in Kibera – Africa’s largest informal settlement – to understand community needs from the inside out. Get an insider look at the Study and Innovation Programme in Kenya, where UCPH students came up with solutions to four challenges on menstrual products, water access, adoption of biogas, and sexual education for youth. Through stories, photos, pitches and interactive activities you are invited to reflect on your own role in tackling global challenges and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals – whether on campus, abroad, or in your future career.
If you’re curious about sustainability, innovation, global development – or simply want to see how students like you can make a real‑world impact – this event is your chance to explore how meaningful change starts with listening, collaborating, and daring to rethink what’s possible outside the classroom.
This talk is in English
TALK // AI is upon us. Where does it leave the planet and love?
A conversation for the future: With the exponential growth of AI, an important question emerges: how does AI impact both planetary and human health? We are already seeing how AI drives soaring demand for energy and resources. How do we mitigate these challenges while still harnessing AI’s benefits for research, business, and society? At the same time, AI is reshaping human relationships — from friendships to romantic life. Should we feel hopeful or concerned? We have invited leading experts to help guide us through this complex landscape.
Professor Anders Søgaard, Assistant Professor Raghavendra Selvan & Assistant Professor Jason William Burton.
Moderated by Charlotte Fischer, KU One Planet.
This talk is in English
