The idea of the lighthouse concept is to raise AU-IBT’s profile in order to attract more students to AU-IBT, particularly to the electronic engineering study programme. The lighthouse concept will - like a lighthouse - light up the country and attract students. In addition, the lighthouse concept will bring together students from different study programmes, since the concept calls for interdisciplinary competences - from engineers to study programmes in communication and business. The students can contribute with their own competences and interests. The lighthouse concept will appeal to both male and female students. It will appeal to future students who may not have thought of a technical education. Thus, the lighthouse concept will result in great institutional integration. With the concept, AU-IBT will follow up on the commitment of being elected the most innovative public organisation in Denmark in 2006, and will develop the innovation culture to all student, teachers and project employees at AU-IBT.
The lighthouse concept should also be seen as a concept that will contribute to establishing a closer cooperation with University of Aarhus (AU). It is the management of the electronic engineering study programme and CITU’s invitation to integration not only with AU but also with the already established HIBAT institution (i.e. the other study programmes in engineering as well as study programmes in business economics, management and business languages).
The lighthouse concept will provide a platform for different interdisciplinary projects and at the same time form the basis of different project applications for national as well as international research and development programmes. In other words, the projects that are initiated should be seen as part of the lighthouse project.
The image we want to create with the lighthouse concept is that the students can contribute to creating the systems of the future.
The demands to the topics and each project under each topic is that they must have a simple philosophy, be inventive as well as user-centered and user-oriented. The students should choose the projects from own interest. In addition, each student will have to have an “admission interview”, since the student must qualify him or herself in order to participate in the projects.
Companies will be invited to collaborative project work, and will be asked to provide funding for the different projects. Each year, there will be a so-called “lighthouse lightening” where the students will have the opportunity of presenting their projects. The best project is rewarded a diploma and a prize.
