Yesterday the Management Council made its annual visit to Campus Gotland. After our ordinary meeting, at which we discussed the University’s annual report and budget documentation, which is being prepared, Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor Olle Jansson told us about strategic and current issues at Campus Gotland. The University is well on the way to meeting its goal of 1,500 on-campus students. Most new students are studying game design, public health/caring sciences, law, business administration and earth sciences and with several new degree programmes, this trend is set to continue.
Research developments are also very promising. Several major research initiatives are in progress in areas such as energy, cultural heritage and tourism. A completely new graduate school in sustainable development will start up in August, with 8–12 doctoral students.
Senior university officers lunched with representatives of the students’ union Rindi
It will tie in with local circumstances and will be very exciting to follow. It was also interesting to see a presentation of the internationalisation project that has been carried out in Visby. Needs have been identified and measures taken. The work and study environment has quickly become considerably more international – Campus Gotland is now Uppsala University’s most international campus.
Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor Olle Jansson talks about strategic work at Campus Gotland
Campus Gotland’s successful development since the merger shows the potential benefits when a larger higher education institution links up with a smaller institution in a way that they choose themselves and that benefits both parties. However, it’s important to remember that extra government development funds are essential, not just to begin with but permanently. And nothing will happen without strenuous efforts and deep commitment from both sides.
Vice-Rector Stellan Sandler talks about current issues in his disciplinary domain
After a meeting with staff at which we presented the latest news from the disciplinary domains in Uppsala, we had a chance to meet local politicians and representatives of Region Gotland. It was encouraging to hear the positive views about the importance of the University for regional growth. The cooperation has gone very well. The strategic partnership we have entered into has provided a very good platform and needless to say, it is pleasing that research, innovation and new student housing are included in the proposed strategic development plan for Gotland.
Regional Director Peter Lindvall talks about the region’s development
Uppsala University is a member of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities (LINK). This network, which was established in 2016, gives our University a more distinct presence in Brussels and better opportunities to influence European research and education policies.
Early this morning, cannon salutes and Cathedral bells resounded across Uppsala. Today we have celebrated 84 new doctoral graduates, 17 honorary doctors and 13 prizewinners at our University in the traditional grand ceremony. Congratulations!
The speech at this year’s Conferment Ceremony was given by the degree conferrer of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Roland Roberts, who spoke on the subject of science and humankind. Read more about the ceremony and traditions here.
After the ceremony in the Grand Auditorium, celebrations continue at the faculties’ receptions, followed in the evening by a banquet at Uppsala Castle.
Just before Christmas I signed a decision to distribute scholarships for a total of SEK 19 million, which was no doubt a welcome Christmas present for the many students – and some researchers – who received the news. Of all the decisions I take as Vice-Chancellor, this is one of those that give me most pleasure. Tomorrow, 30 January, the next application round opens, with a deadline for applications of 19 February. Here you find more information about this springs´ scholarships.
Scholarships are distributed to some 1,100 individuals each year at Uppsala University, from the roughly 400 different scholarship foundations created by donations to the University. Some of them were established as far back as the 17th century to give more people a chance to study at university. There are still students today who do not have to take out student loans because they receive a scholarship covering several years of studies. The large number of scholarship funds represent an extraordinary possibility to provide financial support to those who choose to study specifically at Uppsala University. As Vice-Chancellor, I take decisions on approximately half the scholarships, while the decisions in the other cases are taken by faculties and student associations (nations).
Every year three or four thousand people apply for an average of ten scholarships each, so the total number of applications received can be as high as around 35,000. Despite this, some scholarships have few applicants. Some foundations give precedence to relatives, others have more general requirements, such as diligence, talent or need. Sometimes a geographical connection is required or membership of a particular student nation. However, if no applicant meets the criteria for precedence, the scholarship can usually be awarded to some other applicant, so it can be worth applying even if you don’t meet all the criteria. About half the scholarships are for undergraduate and Master’s students, and range from SEK 5,000 to SEK 120,000 per year. The other half go to researchers and doctoral students, who can apply for grants for research projects or travel.
Most of the scholarships are managed by Uppsala University Foundations Management of Estates and Funds. In total, they manage no less than 604 different foundations associated with the University. The groundwork was laid by donations to the University from the 1620s onwards. The purpose of the donations was generally to support a specific area of research or other activities at the University, or to encourage individuals to study at Uppsala University. The assets have been well looked after for many generations and benefit both education and research. I’m sure it would please the donors to know that their gifts continue to lead to new discoveries today.
In addition, they create opportunities in other areas as well. For example, they enable us to organise ceremonies and festivities in ways that would be impossible without them. Several prizes awarded by the University come from foundations, including the Geijer Prize, the Oscar Prize, the Gösta Naeslund Prize and many others. Other areas in which the foundations contribute and that also benefit the city and the community are the University’s cultural heritage, gardens and musical activities.
But not all foundations are old. Uppsala University has many friends and has received many donations of a later date. Research inspires interest and many people realise that new knowledge is always needed, not least to tackle major challenges facing society. The University has an office that can be contacted about such matters. You can read about some examples of deserving causes that need support here.
On Friday, I (Eva) took part in a dialogue seminar on topical issues organised by the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF). The agenda included an update and analysis of HEI input to the government’s research bill, research infrastructure, the 2030 Agenda and European research policy.
According to the analysis presented by Professor Lars Geschwind of KTH Royal Institute of Technology, HEI input to the research bill reveals a clear consensus on certain issues: the research-education link, research infrastructure and health and life sciences were three major themes that recurred in the input from HEIs. It was pleasing to see that more HEIS raised the importance of autonomy and self-determination than in the past. The need to eliminate barriers hindering HEIs’ development has increased further in the context of international competition. We are also witnessing a tougher environment for academics, who are subjected to threats in Sweden and even more so in other countries. There is every reason to continue to take a clear stand for autonomy and increased self-determination, both individually and together. We chose to make this issue the starting point of our input. However, there was less unanimity among those of who had submitted input on some other issues, including exposure to competition and incentives for collaboration.
Lively discussion on topical issues during the SUHF dialogue seminar
An in-depth discussion on research infrastructure came next. I was one of several participants to identify this as one of the key issues for the future in an opinion piece published by the newspaper UNT before Christmas. Funding is naturally a vital concern, with large amounts having been lost due to the weakening of the Swedish krona. The fact that research is an international activity is striklingly obvious in this context. Needless to say, increased costs make it more of a challenge to prioritise national research infrastructure, if there is actually any money to allocate. A heavy responsibility falls on the larger universities, like Uppsala, to cope with the situation. Of course it is also important for Sweden to work on increasing revenue at MAX IV and other facilities.
The afternoon began with a discussion on the 2030 Agenda from an HEI perspective. Olle Lundberg, Secretary General of Forte (the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare), and Johanna Adami, SUHF’s spokesperson for the 2030 Agenda, introduced the session. We noted that discussions on the issue of sustainability tend to focus on the environment and climate, and that the social dimension of sustainability also poses many serious challenges. If the sustainable development goals are to be met, there is an urgent need for evidence and long-term knowledge-building in areas such as widening inequalities, social exclusion and strained health and welfare systems as well. It is important that knowledge based on research is available and finds an audience so that the right measures are taken in society.
The day ended with a welcome discussion on European research policy, a highly topical issue. The EU is the third largest funder of Swedish research and an important platform for international cooperation, so it is important that we are involved in the shaping of policy. The Horizon Europe framework programme, which will come into effect in 2021, has been negotiated and contains much that is positive. The European Research Council (ERC), for example, will continue its mission to support frontier research, and the most important instruments for mobility and infrastructure will also continue. But there is also cause for concern. Financing is currently under debate and Finland, holding the Presidency, has proposed a reduction from 1.11 per cent of GDP to 1.07 per cent. Moreover, Brexit will leave a hole in the finances – though at the same time, it may open up new opportunities in our relations with the UK, which we must be sure to take (read the EUA briefing on Brexit).
In my invited comments, I emphasised the importance of a Swedish voice in Brussels and that the Swedish funding bodies’ coordination function EU-SAM needs to involve the HEIs in its work. Also, Swedish politicians are far too lukewarm in their interest, even though for every krona we invest in research we receive more money in return from the EU. They need to stand up for adequate funding for research and education, both in Sweden and in Brussels. The HEIs act through various university networks, but it would be an advantage to come together and pursue a common Swedish line. This would enable us to contribute things we are good at, such as synergies between research and education, where EU interest is growing, and to bring pressure to bear on important future issues. We should be involved and work for continued openness to the wider world, a long-term perspective in major partnerships and influence on the shaping of policy. The vision of increased cooperation between European universities has so far focused primarily on education, but research and innovation show up increasingly in the rhetoric. At the end of February I will be travelling to Brussels to discuss these issues with my colleagues in the Guild network. So we will come back to this issue during the spring.
A new semester is beginning. Welcome back! We hope that staff and students alike have had an enjoyable and well-deserved break over the Christmas and New Year holidays and feel inspired as they return at the start of a new year and a new decade. Eager new students have arrived to begin their studies at our University. We take this opportunity to remind anyone who can to offer a home to a student looking for somewhere to live at the beginning of the semester, so that more students can get off to a good start at Uppsala University. Do get in touch with the student housing agency, Studentboet!
We have kicked off this eventful year with a two-day conference with the Management Council, focusing on the future. This is a University-wide strategic group and an important interface between the University Management and academic operations, between the three disciplinary domains, between the administration and the core activities, and between students and the University.
Management Council members and deputies
The springboard for our work this year is the revised Mission, Goals and Strategies document that will now be put into practice by many people’s combined efforts. The document sets out goals for our work on developing and renewing our education and research, along with strategies for how to achieve the overall goal of contributing to a better world through education and research of the highest quality and relevance. We had a long, productive discussion on how to succeed in inspiring involvement throughout the University and how to check that we are achieving our goals. It isn’t easy to select the right indicators for follow-up. We want to know whether we are on the right track, without what we measure having unintended consequences or being used in the wrong way. The indicators must be broadly accepted, easy to measure and understand, and be specified at the right level in the University.
Having a Mission, Goals and Strategies document that brings together governance documents that were previously separate, and then incorporating as much as possible of what we want to do in our ordinary operational planning, provides a better foundation for the University’s development and renewal. Conflicting goals will be brought to the surface, which will facilitate necessary prioritisation.
At the conference we also took up all the important news from the disciplinary domains and the University Administration, it’s useful to hear about other people’s challenges, and to discover potential synergies. For example, an investigation into freestanding courses in the humanities and social sciences may naturally interest the rest of the University as well.
The students informed us that they have now formally established the organisation Uppsala University Student Unions, which will give the students a clearer voice (read more about this here). Cooperation between the student nations and students’ unions has also moved forwards, with several joint activities. All in all, this is very beneficial for student influence.
We also had interesting presentations on the ongoing work on Development Plan 2050 and the Buildings and Premises Plan, which between them will set us up well for the development of the University’s spatial and physical shape in Uppsala and Visby in the years to come.
2019 is drawing to a close – another eventful year in the world and at Uppsala University. The January Agreement gave us a government and has influenced politics in Sweden ever since. The climate crisis, Brexit and growing political unrest in various parts of the world have dominated the news. For the first time, we urged students on foreign exchanges to come home, because of the reports from Hong Kong.
Yet, though overshadowed by the headlines, progress is being made around the world, often on the basis of science. Every day at Uppsala University, new knowledge is created that helps to make the world a better place.
A great deal happens at our large University in the course of a year. Our research remains at the forefront. We have done well in the competition for research funding. As usual we were successful when the Swedish Research Council shared out project grants. Particularly in technology and natural sciences, and in humanities and social sciences, Uppsala received a high proportion of the available funding. We also did well in the Swedish Cancer Society’s call. Recently, three new Wallenberg Academy Fellows were approved. At international level, we received several large EU grants during the year. It is particularly pleasing that Europe’s research and development on future batteries is led from Uppsala University in the Battery 2030+ initiative.
Battery2030 group visits Uppsala
At home, we are seeing more multidisciplinary environments develop, for example in research on sustainability, antibiotic resistance, artificial intelligence, digital humanities and women’s mental health. CIRCUS offers a platform for interdisciplinary research on culture and society. The opportunities for cross-disciplinary initiatives are almost unlimited at our broad University. On Campus Gotland, we are getting underway with a multidisciplinary graduate school.
The internationalisation of education continues and we have an increasing number of students from other countries. The number of applications from fee-paying students increased more than at any other Swedish higher education institution – by all of 50 per cent. More new international Master’s programmes will be starting next autumn, so the expansion is likely to continue. Uppsala University won the Erasmus+ Actor of the Year distinction for systematic and successful work on international exchanges. One measure that attracted special attention from many quarters was the climate scholarships, which enabled exchange students to travel to their destinations by climate-friendly transport.
The students’ unions and nations are important for Uppsala University. We are pleased that the unions have formalised their close mutual cooperation – this will further strengthen student influence. We support the students’ efforts to draw attention to the erosion of resources for higher education. We are also pleased that the cooperation between students’ unions and nations is progressing well following the joint investigation that was presented during the spring.
Work on the new Ångström Laboratory has continued and the first part, a new wing, is due to open next year. In this context, the Development Plan 2050 project is important for the future development of our city. The report that has been produced will now be discussed within the University to benefit from everyone’s thoughts. Consultations are due to be completed in March, after which the roadmap to the future can hopefully be finalised. The investments in our campus environments continue. Hardly had the partially remodelled Carolina Rediviva reopened before Gustavianum closed for much-needed renovation.
The main entrance after renovation Photo: Magnus Hjalmarsson
Our task in the University management is about creating conditions for the continued success of our University. This year we have benefited from the valuable advice of our newly established International Advisory Board, which visited us in the summer. Two major projects have just crossed the finishing line. After a process that started three years ago, the University Board has approved the University’s new rules of procedure. This document sets out the structure of the University’s governance – with management based on collegiality and active student influence – and clarifies roles and responsibilities in the University. At the same meeting, the University Board also adopted Uppsala University’s new mission statement (Mission, Goals and Strategies). The University’s overall goal of course remains unchanged: to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance. One change is that a number of medium-term development targets are formulated; another is that the strategically prioritised areas that were previously described in separate programmes – for Campus Gotland, collaboration, equal opportunities, internationalisation, quality and sustainable development – are now integrated in the Mission, Goals and Strategies.
Another important activity this year was to formulate Uppsala University’s proposals and comments on the government’s upcoming research bill. In our input, we particularly highlight the need for enhanced funding for vital but increasingly costly research infrastructure.
We have also started a review of our Appointment Regulations – the document that governs the forms of employment that exist at the University and arrangements for recruitment and career paths. Now we are taking the opportunity to move forwards when it comes to attracting the best researchers and teachers.
While world leaders face increasing expectations to agree on climate measures, we as a university are working to reduce our own climate footprint. The University’s environmental plan is under revision to ensure that our environmental ambitions are at the cutting edge. We welcome the great interest and commitment from staff and students. As usual, though, we would like to recall that the best contribution the University can make to a sustainable world is our research on climate leadership, energy technologies, battery storage, democracy, integration, antibiotic resistance and many other areas. Equally important are the many young people who graduate every year and leave the University to contribute by their expertise to the development of society.
The University can look back on yet another successful year and forward to an exciting 2020. We look forward to the research bill towards the end of the year, which we hope will give us even better conditions for long-term development and for helping to create a better world.
Many thanks to all of you – staff, students, friends and partners – who together contribute to the University’s success. We now wish you all an enjoyable and relaxing break over the holidays.
This evening (10 December) we will be at the Nobel festivities in Stockholm. I (Vice-Chancellor Eva) will be wearing jewellery lent by Médecins Sans Frontières to draw attention to the global health challenges of antibiotic resistance and drug-resistant tuberculosis. The jewellery is part of a collection created by alumni of Beckmans College of Design and exhibited at the Nobel Museum. The assignment was to give visual form to the lack of access to vital medicines in certain parts of the world.
The letters XDR-TB stand on the hair clasp. This is the most difficult form of tuberculosis to treat.
Several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals have to do with health. Achieving these goals requires both multidisciplinary research and goal-oriented cooperation between different actors. Uppsala University is heavily involved in this area, notably through Uppsala Antibiotic Center, the international network ReAct and the annual Uppsala Health Summit, which next year will focus on antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem
affecting all types of modern healthcare, including cancer therapies,
transplantation and prematurely born children. It is a complex issue. While we need
to use antibiotics as restrictively as possible to limit the development of resistance,
in poorer parts of the world many people are dying because they lack access to
antibiotics.
Research to develop effective new drugs
takes a long time and costs a lot of money, and as a result the medicines are
expensive. If, on top of that, they have to be sold restrictively, the
companies either have to set very high prices or sell large quantities. Neither
of these options is desirable. Tackling these problems requires a combination
of research, behavioural change and a solution to the issue of profitability.
This means knowledge is needed from various
disciplines: medicine, economics, behavioural science. Uppsala University has
research in many areas, from new drug development and knowledge about the
development of drug resistance to research on new business models and
behavioural change. Uppsala Antibiotic Center, which is a strategic initiative
at the University with doctoral students from several different disciplines,
takes an interdisciplinary approach to the issue. This generates new questions,
which can lead to new answers as to how to solve the problems.
Uppsala University also has a leading role in COMBINE, a multinational EU project in which 11 partners from academia and industry together seek to pave the way for more effective antibiotic development. Anders Karlén, Professor of Computer-Assisted Drug Design, has the important role of project coordinator. The six-year project has a budget of EUR 25 million and is backed by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) – a partnership between the EU and the EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations).
This week we have celebrated the formalisation of cooperation between all the students’ unions at the University. This means better conditions for our students to remain actively involved in the affairs of the University – which is good. A university must listen to its students to keep up with the times and adapt the programmes and courses it offers to meet new needs. Those who represent the students have an important role to play and should be involved in as many contexts as possible.
This year we celebrate 100 years of democracy in Sweden. A lot has changed since Uppsala Student Union was established in 1849. At that time, there were few students and they came from the upper echelons of society. The first woman student, Betty Pettersson from Gotland, for example, was only admitted in 1872. These days we have tremendous breadth in our student body, and this is a great advantage. Our University is open and international. Naturally, that makes demands on us as a University and on the unions that represent the entire student body. We need the help of the unions to pick up issues from across the entire student body, not least our international students, who bring experience from other countries that is important and useful for us. The unions also face challenges channelling issues that engage many students, such as the climate issue, into arenas for student influence, as well as issues associated with students’ wellbeing.
Meeting students and the students’ unions gives those of us in the University management new perspectives on how best to approach the future. This inspires us and helps us to develop. We hope that the cooperation now established between the unions will give all students a stronger voice.
Today Uppsala University signed sustainability pledges at a ceremony at Uppsala Castle, together with representatives of the region and municipalities, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and County Governor Göran Ernander.
County Governor Göran Ernander and Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor Anna Rutgersson
This constitutes a declaration of intent that we will act jointly to reduce our climate impact by various measures. The more actors in the region join this platform on their own individual basis, the greater the effect will be. It provides direction and creates commitment. We describe our undertaking in a joint opinion piece in the Uppsala newspaper UNT.
The climate challenge demands commitment and action at every level: international, national and regional. Others have praised the climate efforts in the county, but to achieve the national targets, we need to raise our level of ambition. We who created a common platform today can create change in our own organisations through governance documents and plans, but together we can achieve more.
A while ago we signed an agreement with
Akademiska Hus to collaborate on shared sustainability goals, and the other day
I decided on a climate pot to stimulate climate initiatives at the University,
with a view to reducing our own climate footprint. We have long participated in
the Uppsala Climate Protocol initiative, aimed at making Uppsala fossil-free by
2030 and climate-positive by 2050. Another current development is that we are
poised to begin a revision of the University’s environmental plan, an important
document to hone our internal efforts. And most importantly: Uppsala University
continues to educate students and conduct research, thereby contributing the
skills and knowledge required to solve the challenges facing society. Here we
have long been at the forefront. But here too, we are taking new steps, for
example by identifying areas where we can work in interdisciplinary ways with
research, and education, in the area of sustainability. Change does not happen
from one day to the next, it happens step by step.
