Roskilde University has a strong and diverse profile when it comes to addressing issues within development research. In all six departments you will find researchers dealing with global issues. We have collected some examples of our activities in the folder Roskilde University - Our take on Development. We hope you will enjoy it.

Development research at RU
One characteristic of development research at RU has been the strong profile within Social Sciences and the Humanities. Despite the relatively small size of RU (in terms of staff) there are more than 20 full time employees (assistant professors, associate professors and professors) working with development within the fields of Social Sciences, Humanities and Natural Sciences. These figures do not include the approximately 35 PhD students that are also currently working with matters related to development. In this context the research groups at the Department of Society and Globalisation deserve special attention as they conduct a noticeable large amount of Social Science founded development research. Within the natural sciences a smaller number of staff has been involved, but the commitment has been consistent throughout several decades, focusing particularly on educational collaborations as well as the impact of climate changes.

Interdisciplinary approach
A trademark of RU is the interdisciplinary approach to research and learning. Throughout the years this principle has manifested itself in the extended collaboration between the various fields of study and not least across institutional boundaries. One example of cross-institutional collaboration is our many years of joint research on environment and climate change with the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen (KU). This collaboration is also visible in the ‘Danish university consortium on sustainable land use and natural resource management’, the so-called SLUSE programme.

Application-oriented development research
Development research at RU is characterised by being particularly application-oriented. It has been a fundamental ambition to ensure that research is geared towards usability and practical application, for example in relation to the Danish development activities in Asia and Africa. RU Graduates with a degree in International Development Studies have typically found employment in Danida, NGOs and consultant companies specialising in development and AID Relief.