Aarhus University is one of the organisers of Internet Week Denmark to be held from 28 April to 2 May in celebration of the Internet and its importance for the development of Danish society and economic growth.

2014.04.28 | Bjørg Tulinius

The Internet will be in focus for a whole week when Internet Week Denmark kicks off in Aarhus. This international festival is open to everyone – digital professionals, students and citizens – because the Internet is also open to one and all.

Visitors attending the festival will be able to hear researchers from Aarhus University talk about the way the digital network will change our urban lifestyle. Digital technology can be used for purposes such as creating more sustainable solutions. The Aarhus University researchers will also talk about studies of the dark side of the Internet and how to protect sensitive data as well as possible. And they will present a study of the performance of the Danish municipalities in the social media.

“It’s no coincidence that Internet Week Denmark is taking place in Aarhus. We are one of the world leaders in terms of using digital technology, which also involves urban development,” says Associate Professor Martin Brynskov, coordinator of AU Smart Cities and co-founder of Smart Aarhus, which is responsible for organising the festival.

Annual event

This is the first time that Internet Week Denmark is on the programme, but Associate Professor Brynskov hopes that it will be an annually recurring event in Aarhus on a par with the SPOT Festival, NorthSide and the Aarhus Festival.

“The Internet is something that has actually changed our lives in many ways. From being a geek pastime or research interest for the few, it’s now become something that people all over the world carry around in their pockets. It’s important that we all take part in discussions about its impact on us and our society – at both a practical level and more generally, where it concerns the significance of the Internet for our democracy,” says Associate Professor Brynskov.

The festival will be officially opened by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, whose dream from the start of the Internet was to set up a freely accessible online encyclopaedia.

Internet Week Denmark will also focus on the entrepreneurs and companies that create digital growth in the Danish economy every day. The digital economy currently accounts for more than 5.8% of Denmark’s total BNP.

Facts

The festival is an offshoot of Smart Aarhus, a regional partnership for digital development in sustainable urban innovation and growth. Smart Aarhus was launched in 2012 as a partnership between the City of Aarhus, Aarhus University, the Alexandra Institute, VIA University College, the Danish Technological Institute and the privately owned company Systematic.

See the programme here.