By Sofie Astrup, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photos: Camilla Kristensen and personal

A wide range of AAU researchers took part in debates about current societal challenges on everything from digital gaming communities to chronic diseases and raw materials at Denmark’s Democracy Festival 2025. For some, it was a first-time experience, while for others, taking part in the annual event has become a tradition.

Four AAU researchers share both pictures and stories from the sunshine island of Bornholm. Here, they could engage in open dialogue about their research and share it with the audience under blue skies.

 

Meet them here and hear about their experiences at Denmark’s Democracy Festival 2025

Why were you at the Democracy Festival?

Ulla: I have a great research interest in COPD. The disease has been under-prioritized for a number of years, both in the context of clinical practice and research. But with the Health Reform and the chronic disease initiatives, where the COPD initiatives are the first to be rolled out, the disease has gained attention. So I was on Bornholm to participate in a number of debates.

Louise: I participated in the Democracy Festival to share my research on toxic gaming behaviour on the Democracy Festival's Research Stage. Not only to other researchers, but also especially to gamers, parents, professionals and volunteers who work with children and young people who game daily. Meeting the people who either directly or indirectly benefit from the knowledge I produce was an amazing confirmation of the importance of my research.   

Brian: I participated in the Democracy Festival to promote understanding of what is actually going quite well in terms of the green transition and the changes in the Danish and European energy systems, but also where difficulties exist. In our research group, we have many contacts with partners, decision-makers and companies where having a dialogue about our research results is also important. I also gain a lot of new knowledge about specific, current issues.

Ann-Louise: I was at the Democracy Festival to participate in two debates – one about critical raw materials in relation to the green transition and one about circular production. We had arranged the last one in collaboration with the Danish Industry Foundation.

What did you talk about?

Ulla: I participated in a number of debates on research on COPD, on the development of the chronic disease initiatives, how they should be structured, what they can and cannot do, and on the management of chronic disease in general.

Louise: I presented insights from my PhD thesis on digital gaming communities, gaming culture and toxic gaming behaviour. Computer gaming is a central part of many people’s everyday lives. It can be a path to meaningful social relationships and communities. But unfortunately, toxic behaviour is a major problem in many of the computer games that Danish children and young people play. Toxic gaming behaviour can exclude someone from communities and lead to poor well-being in the individual. Various types of initiatives and strategies, such as flagging and reporting, have aimed to solve the problem, but unfortunately with only with limited effect. There is a tendency to approach the issue top-down rather than bottom-up. So, the purpose of my presentation was to challenge how we imagine solutions to toxic gaming situations and present an alternative direction with a focus on how teammates can help each other avoid this.

Brian: I talked about power2X, biomass, energy communities and much more. For example, I talked about how wrong carbon capture (CCS) would be at biomass-fired combined heat and power plants like Avedøre. I also talked about the importance of the hydrogen pipeline to Germany for strategic autonomy in the EU, and about the fact that it is nevertheless a gamble with technical risks. 

Ann-Louise: In my first debate, I talked about our research in the Horizon Europe project, MAasive, that is coordinated by AAU. We touched on the world map for raw materials both in Denmark and nationally, and the challenges that price increases and geopolitical uncertainties pose to Danish manufacturing companies. Our research examines both resilient value chains and circularity to meet these challenges. 

On Friday, I talked about how there is still a gap between the abstract vision of circularity and the concrete action on the factory floor. Companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, lack the operational tools and actionable knowledge to implement circular principles in practice. Fortunately, there is over a decade of research on design for separation, reverse logistics and circular value chains. We know today what an efficient circular factory can technically look like. The potential is enormous: Remanufacturing alone can create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and billions of euros in market value – while significantly reducing CO2 and energy.

 

What was it like to participate, and what was the atmosphere like?

Ulla: It was intense but very rewarding. There was a really good atmosphere and a really nice debate culture at the sessions.

Louise: It was a wonderful experience! The atmosphere was good, the crowd engaged, and with views of cliffs and the Baltic Sea, I can't imagine a much better backdrop for presenting my research.

Brian: It was an intense and inspiring experience as always. There was an atmosphere of curiosity and openness, and it was clear that many attendees came to listen, engage and discuss seriously – but it was also a more relaxed way of networking.

Ann-Louise: It was an unbelievably good experience. It is exciting to debate with actors you don’t regularly talk to, as well as both talk about our research and get input on what we should do more of. A good experience with many attendees – at least on Friday.

 

What did you get out of being part of this event?

Ulla: In addition to a lot of inspiration from both the debates I participated in and the ones in my area, I got to talk to a lot of interesting people in and around my field. I got to network, establishing new and important contacts, and through conversations with old and new acquaintances I got inspiration for new initiatives. 

Louise: The Democracy Festival and its Research Stage are a good setting to meet the people who are faced daily with the issues that I do research on. The Research Stage itself is only slightly elevated above the ground, which means that as a researcher you are very close to your audience. It creates a really nice – almost intimate and informal setting – that allows for a conversation with space for curious and, not least, vulnerable questions from the audience. People don’t always want to identify themselves as 'gamers' – and certainly not in front of people they don’t know. Which is understandable given the many prejudices and negative stereotypes often associated with computer gaming. But on the Democracy Festival's Research Stage, we could come together around a mutual interest in well-being and online gaming communities.

Brian: I gained new perspectives on my own work and met both professionals and enthusiasts that I can hopefully collaborate with in the future. This year, it was particularly interesting to see how the security policy situation, strategic autonomy and Europe's competitiveness filled many debates – in line with the Draghi Report's points about Europe's economic future. Energy plays a central role here, both as a key geopolitical factor and as a prerequisite for growth and resilience. 

Ann-Louise: I got to know many new people and became more aware of how important and relevant it is that researchers have a presence at the Democracy Festival. It is important that we put our knowledge out there, because we have very specific knowledge that must be considered in debates. 

There were many debates about sustainability. But there was clearly a preponderance of debates about geopolitical uncertainties linked to circular economy as the solution.

 

Have you been to the Democracy Festival before? If no: Was there anything that surprised you, and if so, what? 

Ulla: I’ve been to the Democracy Festival before, so I wasn’t surprised. Just happy to have the opportunity to participate again.

Louise: Only as a member of the audience. I was actually a little surprised by the large number of young people who participated at the Research Stage of the Democracy Festival. It is no secret that the Democracy Festival has an impressive programme with many different events. So to see so many young people spend their time at the Research Stage of the Democracy Festival to discuss current research, I think is cool!

Brian: Yes, I’ve participated several times. But every year brings new insights and conversations. What struck me this year was precisely the broad focus on Europe's strategic position – and how energy policy is no longer just about climate and technology, but also about security and competitiveness. The Democracy Festival continues to be an important place to bring together perspectives across sectors and areas of expertise.

Ann-Louise: I haven’t been to the Democracy Festival or to Bornholm before – so both were positive surprises. It actually surprised me how many debates and people there were, and how well-received we were as researchers.

Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs