Annika Östman Wernerson: We will continue to collaborate globally, but with a greater awareness

The Swedish Research Council published its national guidance for responsible internationalisation on 18 March. These guidelines are a response to the geopolitical tensions that are having a serious effect on collaborations in higher education, research and innovation.

For KI, this means that we – like all other universities and university colleges – need to tighten up the way we work. We will continue to collaborate globally, but with a greater awareness of benefits and potential risks. Everyone who embarks on a collaboration must therefore balance these two considerations and act responsibly without closing doors and protect what needs protecting, all while enabling the knowledge development that becomes possible when we work together across borders and boundaries.

We have now started to draw up KI-specific guidelines that will incorporate the national recommendations into our everyday activities. Once they have been finalised, we will publish them on the KI web along with the support that will make it easier to deal with collaborative situations correctly.

The aim is a clear balance: sustained openness and collaboration, combined with responsibility, integrity and risk awareness.

New initiative to recruit assistant professors in 2026

To strengthen our research environments and make space for the next generation of research leaders, the Faculty Board has decided on a new call for assistant professor positions in 2026, with the possibility of co-funding 20 posts. The previous recruitment round produced excellent results and brought new energy to Karolinska Institutet. This is one of the main reasons we have chosen to continue the initiative.

KI Research Assessment seminar 

On 17 June, KI will be hosting the KIRA quality seminar at which we will be presenting and discussing the results of the external review of research conditions at KI. The first round covered the departments on the Solna and Syd campuses. The focus will be on the expert panel’s recommendations, the departments’ action plans and how we will be taking the next step on our continuing quality and development work. The seminar is primarily aimed at the departmental management and process managers, but is also open to everyone at KI who wants to understand the results and contribute to our improvement efforts. 

Academic freedom and solidarity

I would also like to mention the open seminar on academic freedom that was held in mid-April. This is an issue that concerns us all. What has befallen Ahmadreza Djalali and his family is a cynical attack on knowledge, science, research and academic freedom. The campaign for justice – and for Ahmadreza’s immediate release – is more important and urgent than ever before, and we must continue to work tirelessly and collectively for Ahmadreza Djalali and his family.