Aarhus University will be a research-intensive university that strives for the highest international quality and excels in creating value through knowledge, new understanding and collaboration, as well as supporting the connections between Denmark and the world. The realization of Aarhus University's vision for 2025 will involve:

that new knowledge and scientific breakthroughs are created through free and independent research of the highest international quality
that the research-based educations are at the highest international level
that research-based authority advice is given at the highest international level and on an impartial basis
that the university's students, graduates and researchers bring their knowledge into play and help shape the society of the future
that collaboration across disciplines contributes to international collaboration, global commitment and solving major societal challenges
that the collaboration internally and with external partners creates innovation in existing and newly started private and public companies
that the university increasingly exchanges talents and knowledge locally, nationally and globally. 
The vision requires that the university uses its professional strength and breadth as well as its international position to create value for Danish and global society. In this strategy, value must be understood broadly and includes contributions to social, economic and cultural development of the entire society. It thus goes far beyond simply contributing to economic growth, as the university's task is also to develop critical and constructive dialogue, put human existence in context and contribute to democratic development and a sustainable future.

Democracy and sustainability are pervasive themes in the university's vision for 2025. The university sees it as its task to contribute to a democracy where opinions are broken and decisions are made on an informed basis and based on the latest knowledge. One of the biggest societal challenges is to ensure sustainable development, and here it is the university's task to contribute solutions through research, education and collaboration. The ongoing digital transformation will also affect society decisively in the coming years. Here, too, the university must contribute, help drive the development and at the same time research the social effects of it.

New insights and scientific breakthroughs are created both within the professional disciplines and in the meeting between the disciplines. The university will therefore attract international researchers and develop its own researchers, whether they are established researchers, promising young researchers or talented PhD students.

The university is one of society's cornerstones , and its students, graduates and researchers help shape the society of the future through the knowledge they bring into play. This applies from the broad communication to the citizens over the research-based advice to the authorities to the participation of researchers in state commissions and councils. 

Cooperation is central to this strategy. In particular, the university wants to strengthen cooperation partly across subject boundaries, partly with the private business community and public institutions and around innovation. In this way, the university can increase the value of its contribution to society and at the same time be at the forefront of future societal needs. 

Aarhus University's international cooperation is driven by the vision that the university's activities help to connect Denmark with the global community. In a time when international cooperation is politically challenged, and where the need to cooperate to find solutions to global societal challenges is greater than ever, the universities, with their strong tradition of international cooperation, have a special responsibility to take the lead. The university therefore wants to ensure an increased global exchange of knowledge and talents.

The vision is based on living campuses , where students, employees and external partners meet in close cooperation. The university's main campus in Aarhus is internationally renowned for its distinctive architecture and close-to-city location. In the coming years, the university will further develop and rethink this and the university's other campuses, so that they are characterized to an even greater extent by vibrant, engaging and innovative study and research environments as well as by sustainable operation and development. The university's visions for its own sustainable operation and development are described in the university's climate strategy, which supports the overall vision for 2025. 

Aarhus University's work to fulfill the vision will be realized through the university's six core tasks, which define the university's mission:

Research of the highest international quality
Research-based educations of the highest international quality
Research contribution to society's development and welfare
Transversal research to solve societal challenges
Graduates for the future labor market
Development of research talents and integration of research in the education programs
The core tasks cover the Danish universities' tasks as defined in the Universities Act. They can be gathered under the main headings of research, education and collaboration. In addition, the university has defined three overlapping areas where research, education and collaboration complement each other. The six core tasks together reflect the breadth of the university's activities and, together with ensuring a good working and study environment, form the framework for the work with strategy 2025. 

The core tasks are reviewed below, where goals, sub-goals and expected efforts are explained. 

Aarhus University is ranked #117 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.