DIALOGUE. At the most recent dialogue session with representations from the management of Sahlgrenska Academy, the vice-chancellor expressed support for many of the ideas presented by the academy’s leadership. Among the topics covered at the meeting, it was agreed that the possibility of future coordination of the academic and medical libraries should be investigated.
Twice a year, the vice-chancellor invites the heads of faculty to attend a dialogue regarding operational matters at the university. The spring semester dialogue session with Sahlgrenska Academy took place on April 6th.
The vice-chancellor opened the meeting by expressing how pleased and proud she was of the many awards and grants that have been garnered by Sahlgrenska Academy researchers. She stressed the importance of inter-faculty research projects, and specifically mentioned UGOT and AgeCap as excellent examples of such undertakings. The vice-chancellor also sees the fact that the faculty has increased the number of graduate student employees as a positive development. In the course of the dialogue, the vice-chancellor particularly stressed the importance of following an effective process during the upcoming evaluation of the ALF.
The faculty had submitted numerous discussion topics in advance of the dialogue session. Among other subjects, the faculty leadership wished to discuss the possibility of future coordination between the Stockholm University Library and those of GU. The vice-chancellor agreed to ask GU’s chief librarian to investigate this matter. Faculty members had also expressed an interest in discussing the university’s appointment procedures and promotion policy. The vice-chancellor informed them that the appointment procedure was currently under review, and that the findings of this investigation will be presented in the autumn. Eric Hanse voiced the faculty’s interest in establishing qualifying positions that could incorporate tasks associated with the school’s healthcare mission. The vice-chancellor’s reaction to this suggestion was favorable, but she stressed that such an undertaking would require ample consideration and care.
The faculty was asked to answer questions regarding a lack of productivity among its first-cycle students, and the distribution of capital across the faculty was also addressed. Many of the operations at Sahlgrenska Academy are in a state of rapid expansion, and it is not always possible to use and distribute funds exactly as they were initially intended.
Collaborative projects are being scrutinized ever more closely, and external evaluations will determine the allocation of funds to various universities. Therefore, the dialogue also covered the many manners in which we already collaborate – and that we often do so without even considering the fact that our actions could be used as examples in the course of such evaluations. This conversation segued into a discussion of the assessment of clinical research; the Swedish Research Council intends to carry out an exhaustive evaluation in the course of 2017. Based on the information we have so far, this evaluation will require the collection of extensive information from both the Västra Götaland Regional Council and Sahlgrenska Academy. This will occur in late spring and early summer to allow time for the formulation of a report, which must be sent in to the Swedish Research Council in September. Assessment panels will then visit Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital sometime during the latter half of 2017. The results of this evaluation will serve as the basis for a reallocation of 20 % of the so-called ALF funds, starting in 2019.
