DENMARK

DENMARK: Long-time universities' minister loses job

Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen's decision to appoint Sahl-Madsen to the science portfolio surprised observers who had predicted other more likely contenders.
Sander had held the post for more than eight years, making him a veteran among Danish ministers but deeply unpopular among academics, researchers and students. He attracted the ire of academe for his business-like slogan "from thought to invoice" - an expression that generated a wave of anger among researchers.
State universities were also alarmed by his call last year for the creation of private universities. Changes he introduced to university governance have resulted in professional boards of managers, with a majority of non-university members, that critics claim are more like the corporate world of business.
Sander was also responsible for a shift in the way research is carried out so that universities and their departments now have to compete for funding.