Key figures - research
Here you can find key figures for research at Aalborg University.
Number of PhD students
PhD education is research training and advanced studies following a Master’s degree. Aalborg University offers PhD education within four different fields under four faculties.
A PhD programme comprises three years of full-time study and must be based on a Master’s degree. Within the tree years, sufficient time must be set aside for individual research work and preparation of the thesis. Furthermore, students must gain experience with teaching activities or other types of knowledge dissemination.
When the thesis has been submitted, an assessment committee will be appointed, and they will give their recommendation after the public defence. The PhD degree is awarded to scholars who have satisfactorily completed their research training and submitted a thesis.
The tables below illustrate the total number of PhD students and the total PhD student intake for each faculty. The numbers are calculated each year on 31 December.
| PhD students | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 123 | 113 | 114 | 110 | 127 |
| Medicine | 210 | 209 | 226 | 242 | 240 |
| TECH | 195 | 215 | 215 | 208 | 189 |
| Engineering | 292 | 289 | 294 | 235 | 209 |
| Total | 820 | 826 | 849 | 795 | 765 |
PhD student intake
The table below shows the number of PhD students intake at each faculty. The number is calculated on the basis of the entire calendar year.
| PhD intake | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 33 | 33 | 27 | 27 | 51 |
| Medicine | 69 | 53 | 74 | 78 | 66 |
| TECH | 61 | 71 | 59 | 55 | 57 |
| Engineering | 96 | 87 | 80 | 47 | 61 |
| Total | 259 | 244 | 240 | 207 | 235 |
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PhD degrees
The table below shows the number of PhD degrees awarded at each faculty. The number is calculated on the basis of the entire calendar year.
| PhD degrees | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 27 | 30 | 19 | 28 | 28 |
| Medicine | 56 | 50 | 49 | 48 | 59 |
| TECH | 42 | 44 | 56 | 43 | 50 |
| Engineering | 70 | 57 | 49 | 87 | 81 |
| Total | 195 | 181 | 187 | 206 | 218 |
Research publications?
The number of research publications is a key figure representing the production of the University. The total shows the unique number of publications at AAU and therefore differs from the sum of the individual faculties. You may study the University’s many publications at the AAU research portal.
| Research publications? | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 1,358 | 1,269 | 1,174 | 1,167 | 1,139 |
| Medicine | 1,733 | 1,932 | 2,127 | 2,075 | 2,113 |
| Engineering | 2,073 | 2,013 | 1,933 | 1,923 | 1,852 |
| TECH | 1,107 | 1,148 | 1,216 | 1,212 | 1,244 |
| Total | 6,132 | 6,173 | 6,289 | 6,206 | 6,172 |
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Activities
Aalborg University’s knowledge exchange and cooperation with the surrounding world may be found in the national statistics on the commercialisation of research results published by the The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation since 2005.
Each year, researchers at Aalborg University generate world class inventions and research results with great commercial potential on the basis of research undertaken at the University and research collaborations with companies and other research institutions.
The focus of the Technology Transfer Office is the transfer of new technologies to the business community according to the Act on inventions at public research institutions, applying to inventions made after 2000.
Each year, the Technology Transfer Office receives a number of reports on new inventions, and a large part of these turn into commercial technology transfers.
| Activities | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reported inventions | 58 | 41 | 47 | 41 | 87 |
| Patent applications | 6 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 16 |
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