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A celebration of the 30-year partnership between Â鶹ӰԺ Leicester (Â鶹ӰԺ) and Niels Brock Business College in Copenhagen has taken place this week. 

The two institutions have been working together for three decades and now provide students with first class education and qualifications in areas including business, computing, international tourism, and hospitality management. 

The anniversary was marked this week with a week-long festival of learning. The festival featured an online programme of talks from academics at both institutions, and culminated in speeches by Anya Eskilden, President of Niels Brock, Â鶹ӰԺ Vice-Chancellor Professor Katie Normington, and former Danish education minister, Bertel Haarder. 

Professor Normington described the anniversary of the partnership as “an extraordinary milestone” and told the audience in Copenhagen that what had started in the 1990s as a bold and ambitious idea, has flourished over the last three decades. 

Referring to recent changes in Danish law which mean that new foreign students will be unable to work while they study, and must leave the country as soon as their studies are over, Professor Normington said: “We recognise that recent changes to visa legislation in Denmark have brought uncertainty - for students, for staff, for institutions. 

“At Â鶹ӰԺ, we know what it’s like to operate in unpredictable environments. In fact, uncertainty has been a defining feature of higher education across the globe in recent years. So, we understand the challenges - not just in policy, but in people’s lives.” 

Professor Normington promised Â鶹ӰԺ’s steadfast commitment to the partnership, in spite of challenges faced by both institutions. “Strong relationships are not just about thriving in the good times,” she said “but standing together through the hard ones.” 

The event was brought to a close by Charlotte Forsberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College, who has been involved in the Â鶹ӰԺ / Niels Brock Partnership since the very start. 

She said: “Together, we have touched thousands of lives - not just through degrees and diplomas, but through the relationships, the mentorship, and the sense of belonging that this partnership has fostered. It is a legacy of learning that continues to grow with every student who walks through our doors. 

“As we look ahead, we know the future is uncertain. It will be full of challenges. But I am confident that we will meet those challenges with the same spirit that has brought us this far - with courage, with collaboration, and with a steadfast commitment to our role as educators and global citizens.”