Morten Østergaard was appointed Danish Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education on 3 October 2011. He was born in Aarhus and holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Aarhus University. Morten Østergaard was marketing director for Dafolo A/S ICT consultancy firm, before he focused his attention firmly on politics and became a member of parliament in 2005. He has retained his seat since then and also assumed other responsibilities such as holding the vice-chair position of the Social Liberal Party's parliamentary group.
Since taking on his ministerial post, Morten Østergaard has worked tirelessly to establish the government’s ambitious plan to improve the quality of higher education and ensure that 60 per cent of every Danish year group completes a higher education. Furthermore, the advance of science and breaking down barriers between research and private industry are important parts of his policy. And as an example, Morten Østergaard is tasked with heading up a national innovation strategy, which will be the first of its kind in Denmark.
