Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, was Rector Aarhus University, Denmark; Executive Director of the Sino-Danish Center Beijing; global lead specialist the World Bank, Washington DC. He was in charge of reforming research training in Denmark and for introducing Ph.D. programs in Denmark´s research universities. From councils, boards and advisory bodies in higher education and research he has extensive experience in working with, improving, and investing in framework conditions for publich research. During his 18 years abroad, incl. 12 at the World Bank in Washington, he was involved in designing and reforming higher education and research systems in many countries.

Further, he was member of the Danish Prime Minister’s Growth Forum; Vice-Chairman of the Danish Research Commission (White Paper), and the Danish Research Foundation; Chairman of the Science Research Council; Council for Development Research; the national commission. for research infrastructure; and of Denmark’s Fund for Nature; Nordic Academy for Advanced Study, and the Nordic University Coop.; President of EuroScience, Strasbourg; Vice-Preident of European University Association, Brussels; member of Governing Board. Gothenburg University, Sweden; and several OECD expert reviews and other international review and advisory panels.

He participated in the PSF review of Poland’s research system, and recently he chaired the independent review panel for Poland’s Excellence Initiative. At present he is member of the PSF review team for Romania’s research system.

Lauritz Holm-Nielsen is Commander of the Order of Dannebrog, Denmark and Gran Oficial del Orden Gabriela Mistral (Grand Officer), Chile. He received World Cultural Council’s Gold Medal, the World Bank’s outstanding performance award. He is member of Danish Academy of Natural Sciences, the Academy of Technical Sciences, and of the Learned Society.