The Sino-Danish Center (SDC) in Beijing is searching for a new director after current director Morten Laugesen announced he will step down later this year following more than 17 years at the center.
“I have had plenty of time to think about whether I should continue in this fantastic job that I have really enjoyed, or whether, at the age of almost 52, it was time to try something else,” he said to ScandAsia.
The position was recently officially posted, with the new director expected to take over from December 2026.
“It will be my successor who has to take the next big turn.”
New director faces changing China relations
The Sino-Danish Center is a collaboration between eight Danish universities and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, bringing together Danish and Chinese students and researchers under one campus.
The new director will take over at a time when cooperation with China has become more complicated than when the center was first created.
According to the job posting, the role now involves balancing politics, research cooperation and growing tensions between China and Western countries.
Fewer Danish students applying
SDC and Morten Laugesen also states that fewer Danish students are choosing SDC’s programs than before.
Because of that, the center is now looking into developing shorter and more flexible educational stays in China in hopes of attracting more students again.
At the same time, SDC wants to strengthen cooperation with Danish companies operating in China and involve businesses more closely in the center’s activities.
The next director is expected to help shape the center’s future strategy together with both Danish and Chinese partners.