Annika Östman Wernerson: We will be strengthening collegial influence and organisational structures

My decision is based on a comprehensive assessment of the outcome of the advisory election, my interviews with the candidates and the guidelines for academic elections at KI, including the principles of gender distribution. I extend a warm welcome to the positions of dean and deputy to dean to Ewa Ehrenborg, Maria Hagströmer, Erika Franzén, Tobias Alfvén, Petter Höglund and Kristina Johnell!

I feel confident and expectant at the prospects of working with you and shouldering the necessary responsibility and commitment for education and research at KI that will ensure success in the mission of strengthening and growing our university.

This year, we will be taking important steps towards bolstering both collegial influence and the university’s organisation. Another important election is currently underway for the new faculty members of the faculty board and its committees. The results of the election in the nomination assembly will be ratified by the University Director in May.

Next step following the SFO applications

Last autumn, KI took part in the Swedish Research Council call for Strategic Research Areas (SFOs), in which higher education institutions can apply for long-term support to strengthen research environments. KI submitted eight applications in total and received notification that two have qualified for step 2 – an excellent outcome in a fiercely competitive process.

But not all passed on to the next step, and there are important lessons to be learned here about our strengths and development needs in our continuing work with the prioritised fields. 

I would like to thank everyone who took part in the application process. We will apply our experiences to future applications, for example in the upcoming call for excellence clusters. The Swedish Research Council and Vinnova call for excellence clusters for groundbreaking technologies commences on 1 April.

Welcome to sustainability day

This spring, we will be continuing our efforts to strengthen KI’s education and research through collegial engagement, long-term initiatives and meetings in which ideas can flourish. The cooperation between the line and collegial management is what characterises a university, and although sometimes a challenge, it can generate amazing results. The very subject of collegiality is the subject of a workshop I am taking part in at the General Assembly of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions on 18 March.

I am looking forward to continuing our work together and hope that many of you will also seize upon the opportunity to participate in KI’s Sustainability Day this April – an important meeting place for conversation on the relationship between food, environment and health. Sign up by 8 April and hope to see you there!