Annika Östman Wernerson: A new academic year begins with new students and fresh perspectives

The start of a new academic year is a special time not only for KI but also for all the new students we’ll be welcoming, and I look forward to doing my best to help make their dreams come true.

I myself began my summer with the Almedalen political week, where I and many other KI researchers took part in discussions on such topics as preparedness, health ad innovation. Trust, knowledge and academic freedoms were recurring themes that really got people talking. All this made the week in Visby a reminder of the crucial role that universities have in our society. Given the current climate, it’s more important than ever that universities engage in the public debate and stand up for the value of science.

This year’s Pride week was another highlight for me. A record turnout at the Pride Parade shows that issues of inclusion, respect and equal worth engage more people than ever; at the same time, however, we know that we can’t always take these values for granted. As a university, KI has a responsibility to use its academic vigour to defend an open and inclusive society. We in the university management aspire to demonstrate this viewpoint, not least for our students and staff, so our involvement in Pride has become an important and natural aspect of our efforts to promote equal opportunities all year round. 

Towards a new strategy for KI 

A volatile world places new demands on a university. When we see all the unrest and contempt for science rising around us, we must ask ourselves how our own organisation can better contribute to a democratic, well-informed society. 

It is in light of this that we see a need to update Strategy 2030, which KI formulated in 2009.

A new strategy will enable us to embark on a discourse on our education, research, outreach and professional services policies, and strengthen KI’s role as a societal stakeholder and knowledge-bearer.  

We’ll be asking for your contributions as to the global part KI is to play and to the ensuing priorities and choices, and for your help making relevant predictions about the world in which we operate. We’ll be starting work on the strategy this autumn under the guidance of Senior Advisor to the President Maja Fjaestad and a strategy group made up of representatives from around KI. I expect a new strategy to be in place by the end of next year. I look forward to meeting you at this autumn’s dialogue meetings, which are a forum for discussing the new strategy and other issues of importance to KI. Dialogue meetings will be held in Solna in October and in Flemingsberg in November.

Greater participation in decisions shaping KI’s future 

A number of important changes came into effect to strengthen collegial governance at KI during the summer. New deans, deputy deans and faculty representatives took up office following the spring term’s academic elections, and the Faculty Board was given a clearer role to play in determining the university’s future. In line with this, I have handed over the chairmanship of the Faculty Board to Vice-President Martin Bergö, but will continue to be present at its meetings. 

All these changes are being implemented to create better opportunities for everyone to have a say, which will ultimately give a more solid foundation for taking informed decisions on our university’s development. The issue of influence is, in other words, an important one not just for the individual student or member of staff, but for KI as a whole. Without the input of the academic competence and experience possessed by our organisation in the decisions that shape our future, we would be jeopardising our position as one of the top medical universities in the world.

I welcome you all to an exciting autumn term.