Aarhus University has always responded to requests to inspect files and documents, and in full compliance with legislation

7 November 2019 by Science and Technology

Today, the national newspaper Information has an article in which lawyers criticise the university's processing of requests for access to documents. "The university retained documents for two months," claims the article.

However, this is not the case. The many requests have been answered ongoing as they are received:

In the period 25 September - 29 October, eight requests were answered
On 4 November a further seven requests were answered.
One request is still being processed

In the period 2 - 16 September, Aarhus University received 16 requests for access to documents. 15 of them from the media. These are large and complex cases and often extend over a number of years back in time. They include all documents on large research collaborations, including all incoming and outgoing correspondence between individual researchers. In some cases, email correspondence alone covers several hundred pages.

As a rule, all requests for access to documents are dealt with in accordance with the Danish Act on public access to information on environmental information (lov om aktindsigt i miljøoplysninger). The point of departure in the Act is that cases should be settled as quickly as possible, and the university has endeavoured to do so, despite the volume and complexity of documents

In other words, Information is incorrect with its claim that the university has postponed the submission of documents for two months.

Furthermore, since Monday, 4 November, six new requests for access to documents have been received.

The case regarding the same highly controversial meat report motivated the implementation of an investigation by Science and Technology on 4 September of all DCA reports over the past five years.

Among other things, the study of the DCA report was based on personal interviews with the researchers involved, and it was completed in two months. Science and Technology has presented its investigation as quickly as possible, for the sake of the employees who have had their reports reviewed.

These have been two separate processes.