Candidates for Academic Vice President for research highlight departmental resource allocation

"Although KI has improved over the last five years in terms of career issues, transparency in the career ladder is still lacking. We need open and competitive calls to get the best researchers. In addition, we must see the ambitious and competent people who already exist within KI and dare to invest in them," says Marie Arsenian-Henriksson.

She also stressed the need to strengthen the conditions for research through more reasonable premises costs, while investing in state-of-the-art core facilities, and creating a better balance between research groups of different sizes.

"We need to review resource allocation, INDI and co-financing. The landscape here has changed completely in recent years," she says.

Regarding collaboration, Marie Arsenian-Henriksson highlighted the need to be more proactive and also to approach surrounding universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics and Södertörn University.

Relations with the hospital

"Over the last month I have asked those around me: what do you want from your University, and received the answer that a job would be fantastic. We need to clarify the career paths that already exist with regular vacancy announcements," says Catharina Larsson.

"Here we also need to improve the flow, as it currently takes too long to fill vacancies. And preferably explore some form of centrally advertised, internally funded position programme.”

She also highlighted the possibility of lifelong learning with digital training for existing staff in areas such as precision medicine.

When the hearing turned into a question and answer session, one of the issues raised was how the candidates wanted to tackle the current unequal conditions among the 22 different departments of KI.

“This is a problem that KI shares with many of the country's higher education institutions. Here we need a continuous dialogue between top management and the departments, especially when it comes to solving financial problems that may be the result of historical decisions," says Martin Bergö.

Departmental differences

Marie Arsenian-Henriksson emphasised the differences in focus and activities among today's departments.

"We need to find a way to solve this without creating fragmentation or polarisation. A complete overhaul is needed to remedy this.”

She also highlighted increased rents and other overhead costs that are currently eating up funding which could be used for research.

Christian Giske advised against the solution of merging departments without further dialogue with Heads of Department.

“We need to look at what we can do to ensure that more of the funds reach the departments and don't stay centrally.”

Catharina Larsson said that it is important to continue to excel in the competition for the funds available nationally, and to try to curb the increase in internal costs.

"Rents have gone through the roof in an unreasonable way. It would also be desirable to arrive at some form of basic remuneration for teachers.”

Additional questions from the audience included how KI will handle large numbers of retirements, not least among professors, which may threaten the supply of skills. Also, how the candidates want to counteract the increasing desire for political control of research.