An industry-university collaboration in power electronics and drives

In 1997 Danfoss Drives A/S and the Institute of Energy Technology at Aalborg University in Denmark started an initial four-year collaboration called “The Danfoss Professor Program”. The main goal of the program is to attract more students to the multidisciplinary area of power electronics and drives by offering a world-class curriculum taught by world-class teachers. During the four years of the program distinguished professors will visit the university, giving advanced courses in their specialty areas and interacting with postgraduate students. A new curriculum in power electronics and drives is also now being implemented at the university, based on courses developed together with professors from the program. Another goal is to strengthen the research team at the university in the area by fostering new contacts and research areas. Finally, training and education of engineers in industry is a major aim of the program. After 2 1/2 yr, the Danfoss Professor Program has resulted in a significant increase in the number of students and research output of Aalborg University in the power electronics and drives area. It is beginning to be recognized world wide as a model of successful Industry/University collaboration. This paper describes the major goals, implementation and an evaluation of the program