Centre for Higher Education Futures was launched at a festive event on January 13, 2017, with interesting talks and engaged debates. We look forward to taking the enthusiasm, the ideas and relationships formed at the event forward in activities over the next year.

The official launch of Centre for Higher Education Futures took place at DPU, Aarhus University as a collaboration between CUDiM (Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media) and DPU. More than 70 people from several Danish universities, think tanks, foundations, and the Ministry for Higher Education and Science took part in the celebrations.

Institute leader from DPU, Claus Holm, and Centre leader, Arne Kjær, from CUDiM gave a welcoming speech followed by an introduction to CHEF by the centre's leader, professor Susan Wright, and associated professor Søren Bengtsen who is the vice leader in CHEF.

Professor Fazal Rizvi from University of Melbourne, Australia and professor Gita Steiner-Khamsi from Columbia University, New York gave two talks around the theme The business of higher education: A new internationalisation supply chain? The talkes shared insights into the contemporary developments within universities and future prospects for the role of universities. Following the two talks people were invited to share their experiences and reflections in table talks which led to questions for a plenary discussion.

In the plenary, questions such as What is the meaning and role of higher education? and What should future students expect from their higher education? were raised for discussion among the panelists including: Johnny Laursen, dean at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, Anders Michael Tetens-Hoff from the Confederation of Danish Industry, Gita Steiner-Khamsi, and Fazal Rizvi.