NO 1 | MARCH 2016
From Santiago to Gothenburg Jessica Coria lives in a world full of contrasts JOINT PUBLICATIONS
NEW UNIVERSITY BOARD
PUBLISH OR PERISH
But GU has a long way to go
They cherish collegiality
A competion on unequal terms
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Vice Chancellor
A MAGAZINE FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF GOTHENBURG
2015 a year of turmoil LO O K I N G BAC K , I can say that 2015 was an exceptionally eventful year. We were shocked by a number of dramatic events in the world and had to get used to a never-ending stream of crises. Everything from the euro crisis with Greece to the terrorist attacks on European soil, and the escalating war in Syria and subsequent flows of refugees. Ever more clearly than in a long time, we have been reminded of the importance of social responsibility and global engagement. It is gratifying to see, for example, how both the staff and students here at GU have shown significant involvement and contributed in various ways in the resulting refugee situation. The University of Gothenburg received a special opportunity to show social responsibility via directed mandate from the national government: to establish a national resource centre to focus on counteracting ideologies of violent extremism and their movements. This became the Segerstedt Institute. The task is to facilitate meetings between the academic community and the working life, as well as to increase the possibilities for cross-fertilisation between academic research and practical experience. A great challenge, but also a chance to make a difference in one of the most important contemporary issues facing us. T H I S E V E N T- PAC K E D last year also contained many other things. The large multidisciplinary research initiative, UGOT Challenges, got underway: six projects were given the financial and other resources to address specific global societal challenges. We saw success with both the Swedish Research Council and the Wallenberg Foundation, not least gratifying is that six of our young researchers were named Wallenberg Fellows. The interaction with the community outside of the university is an important part of the university’s mission. But the knowledge
PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
about and understanding of our activities is not always self-evident. In my role as Vice Chancellor, I try to take advantage of the possibilities available when they arise to point out the importance higher education and research has for societal development. One area I highlighted last year in different contexts, including in the Prime Minister’s National Council for Innovation and Quality in the Public Sector where I also participate, is the social innovations that can be created if we take advantage of the full breadth of our faculties and institutions. One example is the model for person-centred care developed within the University of Gothenburg; it enables the increased participation and empowerment of the individual patient as well as major efficiency and effectiveness gains for society. T H E D E V E LO PM E N T of our educational activities is vitally important to us. Therefore it is a very positive thing that during the year the University of Gothenburg’s first “Excellent Teachers” were designated within the programme which is to clarify the importance of pedagogical competence and teaching skills, as well as establishing recognition for pedagogical merit. We also began work on a new organisation for a teacher training programme and I look forward to developing the teacher training programme as this is an important responsibility for the entire University. Our common working environment has a crucial role for us to be able to enjoy our time at work, as well as also being a prerequisite so that our activities will develop and grow successfully. The 2015-year version of the Working Environment Barometer, which is produced from a survey conducted every three years, in many respects yielded a positive picture of the working climate at the University of Gothenburg. What I have addressed here and much more can be read about in the University of Gothenburg’s Annual Report for 2015 which has been presented to the University Board. If last year was characterised by great drama, especially around the refugee situation, there is much to suggest that again in 2016, it is also going to be an eventful year. While it is difficult to predict the future, it is important that we are well-prepared to encounter a society that is in constant change. This is something that in my perception, we do.
March 2016 E D I TO R - I N C H I E F A N D P U B L I S H E R
Allan Eriksson 031 - 786 10 21 allan.eriksson@gu.se E D I TO R A N D V I C E P U B L I S H E R
Eva Lundgren 031 - 786 10 81 eva.lundgren@gu.se P H OTO G R A P H Y A N D R E P R O D U C T I O N
Johan Wingborg 031 - 786 29 29 johan.wingborg@gu.se G R A P H I C F O R M A N D L AYO U T
Anders Eurén 031 - 786 43 81 anders.euren@gu.se
T R A N S L AT I O N
Charles Phillips , Semantix ADDRESS
GU Journal University of Gothenburg Box 100, 405 30 Gothenburg E-MAIL
gu-journalen@gu.se INTERNET
www.gu-journalen.gu.se ISSUES
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21 March 2016. M AT E R I A L
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Jessica Coria, research leader of Centre for Future Chemical Risk Assessment and Management Strategies, supported by UGOT Challenges. Photo: Johan Wingborg
Reg.nr: 3750M
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Contents
GUJOURNAL 1 | 2016
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No homesickness Guest researcher family from Alexandria thrives in Gothenburg.
THE VICE-CHANCELLOR
2 Pam Fredman summarises 2015. NEWS
4 The University of Gothenburg is not at the top in international collaborative publications. 6 GMV arranges a national climate conference. 7 GU wants to give refugees the chance to continue their studies. 8 This is what the new faculty representatives want to achieve. 10 Bibliometrics – the only effective way to assess research, says Kaj Blennow. PROFILE 12 Jessica Coria leads a new UGOT project. NEWS 15 Has the Freedom of Press Act played out its role?
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12 Fighting environmental degradation Jessica Coria has the whole world as her workplace.
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REPORT 16 Exchanged the Egyptian sun for the Swedish snow. DEBATE 18 Freedom is not enough, what is needed now is courage.
Ranked third in the world Kaj Blennow regards bibliometrics as the best measure of quality.
The Editors: Few limitations in Swedish freedom of expression IT I S E S S E N TI A LLY very positive that there are career paths for talented lecturers. In this issue we introduce the first seven teachers who have now become designated as “excellent” and who will form the basis of the new teaching academy. Certainly more will join later, but it is too bad that the requirements are set so high. At this rate, it will take many years before the group becomes sufficiently large and dynamic. We have recently received word of the proposal for a revised Rules of Procedure which the University Board is expected to decide upon on 16 February, the same day that the GU Journal comes out. When it comes to the appointment of a head of depart-
ment, the old Rules of Procedure states the following: “After the elections have been conducted, the Dean appoints the Head of Department and Deputy Head of Department.” Many have interpreted the wording as that the Dean appoints the individual who received the most votes in the election. In the proposal for new rules of procedure the wording is changed to: “The votes concerning the Head of Department and Deputy Head of Department are consultative. After the completion of the consultative voting, the Dean appoints the Head of Department and Deputy Head of Department.” Angela Wulff, a former faculty representative on the University Board, points out that the
word “votes” is thus misleading and that instead a different term should be used, such as “consultation.” Another proposed change is that a dean’s term of office be six years and that no longer there will be any review after half of the time has passed. I N T H I S I S S U E we have published several opinion articles, including an anonymous post from the Faculty of Arts. Some ten or so of the staff dare not publically associate their name to this, for fear of potential reprisals. The post is about a fundamentally important issue, if a superior has the right to censor the debate in social media. The Freedom of Press Act is very clear regarding statements that
one makes as a private individual. An employee of the national government, a municipality or a county has the right to express their opinions, provided that they do not thereby disclose confidential or otherwise protected information. Nor may the employer inquire into who expressed themselves. The public employees’ freedom of expression is constitutionally protected. It is not only appropriate and positive statements that are protected, but also those which may be considered as being inconvenient or inappropriate.
ALLAN ERIKSSON EVA LUNDGREN
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News
Nordic universities most popular Despite that GU’s researchers have become better at international collaborative publications, the University lies a good distance after other major Swedish universities. “Increased external recruitment” is one of the proposals that might assist in increasing international cooperation. has increased from 44.5 percent to 50.4 percent. “I’m not at all surprised. This is an expected development. Research is becoming more and more global,” comments Staffan Edén, Deputy ViceChancellor. So how does GU stand in comparison with other Swedish institutions of higher education? The 2015 CWTS Leiden Ranking, which uses bibliographic citation data from the Web of Science database, ranks among other things which universities have had the greatest percentage of international collaborative publications during 2010–2013. In this measurement, GU GUNNAR TOBIN finds itself ranked in ninth place in Sweden.
G U J O U R N A L H A S commissioned UB to produce statistics concerning which universities and which countries GU has had the most research collaboration with during the ten-year period 2005–2014. The results show that GU’s researchers have the most international jointly-authored publications with researchers in the US, UK and Germany. If one, on the other hand, looks at which academic institutions GU cooperates with the most, Nordic countries completely dominate with the Karolinska Institute, Lund University and Chalmers. The Uni versity of London comes on place 6. At the same time, the figures show that the proportion of international jointly-authored publications at GU
»One can conclude that the Stockholm region is at the forefront.«
80 70 60 50
2006–2008
2009–2011
2012–2014
0 CO-PUBLICATION WITH SWEDISH UNIVERSITIES The Leiden Ranking uses bibliographic data from the Web of Science and ranks the universities with the greatest percentage of international collaborative publications during (2010–2013). The diagram above shows publications co-authored with an international university.
Linköping University
Univ. of Gothenburg
Chalmers
40 Umeå University
Sw. Univ. of Agricultural Sciences
Uppsala University
10
Lund University
20
Karolinska institute
30
Stockholm University
40
Royal Inst. of Technology
60 50
Elisabet Ahlberg
30 20 10 0
INTERNATIONAL CO-PUBLICATIONS The diagram shows co-publications at the University of Gothenburg in per cent during the period 2006–2014. GU has increased its international publications during the period from 44.5 procent to 50.4 per cent. SOURCE: WEB OF SCIENCE, JANUARY 2016
Margareta Hallberg
“It depends upon which subject area is the dominate one. We have relatively little natural science and technology compared to Uppsala, Lund and Stockholm,” comments Staffan Edén. Not surprisingly, the international jointly-authored publications rate is greatest within the Sahlgrenska Academy. However Gunnar Tobin, International Director at the Sahlgrenska Academy, does not think that the differences between the Swedish universities are spectacularly large. not mean that we are satisfied with our position. One can conclude that the Stockholm region is at the forefront. The Swedish Research Council noted in a report that internal recruitment is far too high at Swedish universities. This is most likely one reason for the slightly disappointing figures. We must also become better at highlighting international joint collaborations. Here, the Gothenburg University Publications might be improved so that the co-authors from the other foreign educational institutions are made more visible,” comments Gunnar Tobin, who wants
“ B U T T H AT D O E S
GUJOURNAL 1 | 2016
5
9 4 6 2
10
8
3
7 TOP 10 – RESEARCH COOPERATION
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GU has most research cooperation with the following countries (2005–2014): 1 2 3 4 5
1
10 8 6 4
to see increased external recruitment. Faculty of Science Dean Elisabet Ahlberg also thinks it is gratifying to see the increases in jointly-authored publications. But according to her, there is ample room for improvement. “First, we must carry out a selfcritical and more in-depth analysis of the statistics in the context of the various different goals and needs of the University’s activities, before we can suggest any effective improvement measures. But generally, the increased mobility and incentives for international collaborative efforts are two concrete examples of what can be done,” observes Elisabet Ahlberg. M A RG A R E TA H A LLB E RG , Dean of the Faculty of Arts, explains that the publishing culture within medical research is different from, for instance, the humanities where publishing largely takes place in anthologies and monographs.
USA UNITED KINGDOM GERMANY NORWAY ITALY
6 7 8 9 10
DENMARK FRANCE THE NETHERLANDS FINLAND CANADA
1 2
3 4 5 6
7 8
9 10
2 0 SOURCE: WEB OF SCIENCE, JANUARY 2016
TOP 10 – COOPERATION PARTNERS Universities and other partners that GU has had most research cooperation with during 2005–2014: 1 KAROLINSKA INSTITUTE 2 LUND UNIVERSITY 3 CHALMERS 4 UPPSALA UNIVERSITY 5 UMEÅ UNIVERSITY 6 UNIVERSITY OF LONDON 7 LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY 8 UNIVERS. OF COPENHAGEN 9 OSLO UNIVERSITY 10 ASTRAZENECA
“Meanwhile, within the humanities, we have taken several steps forward in order to expand international jointly-authored publications. Every year we announce funding for the recruitment of foreign guest researchers, something which ultimately will produce results. I also see clear signs that doctoral students and young researchers now work in joint collaboration with researchers in other countries.” A L S O AT T H E Faculty of Education, the amount of jointly-authored publications has increased. “It is interesting to note that our faculty has a high proportion of collaborative publications with individuals at other faculties, but internationally we are at a lower ranking. But we can clearly see a trend of more international cooperation among a larger group of researchers,” observes Dean Åke Ingerman.
However increased jointlyauthored publications is not an end in and of itself, but rather one of several ways to measure international research collaboration, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Birger Simonson, points out. Another is to monitor up the progress with international recruitment. “We evaluate what is actually happening at the departments in order to see whether our strategic work on internationalisation, in accordance with Vision 2020, is yielding results. All calls for applications are today announced internationally and our ambition is to bring in more applicants from outside Sweden, particularly young academic researchers. In the longer term, this eventually leads to increased international exchange and cooperation.” ALLAN ERIKSSON
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News
Climate issues require practical solutions GMV has become the northern European node for the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). One task is to develop an interactive sustainability atlas that shows research in this field. T H E I N T E R N ATI O N A L S D S N network was launched in 2012 by the UN’s SecretaryGeneral, Ban Ki-moon. The Centre for Environment and Sustainability, GMV, has been involved since 2013. “The idea is to mobilise the academic community, business community and governments to find practical solutions to the major sustainability challenges facing the world,” explains Katarina Gårdfeldt, Director of the GMV. ”With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a joint universal game plan was established, and now finally there are possibilities to establish more long-term and transnational decisions for sustainable development, for example beyond the borders of political mandates, which so far has been extremely difficult.” The SDSN has both regional and national nodes. That GMV now becomes a node for northern Europe will facilitate greater cooperation between all the various involved parties in Scandinavia. “ S O FA R W E have about thirty universities and knowledge organisations, primarily in Norway, Denmark and Iceland included in the network, in addition to Sweden. But we look forward to more countries joining, such as the Baltic states.” The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals is the focus of the activities. And all the goals are interrelated, therefore
one cannot point out any that are more important than others, according to Katarina Gårdfeldt. “One cannot, for example, work with increasing food production while ignoring whether the land is poisoned with pollutants, or work to fight poverty without investing in education, and so on. But if I nonetheless would point out a few areas where we in Gothenburg already have a lot to contribute with, we will be working on sustainable transport, waste management, eco-friendly materials, sustainable consumption and climate-smart cities. Education for sustainable development is also a vitally important area. which already has received funding from Formas, concerns the development of a sustainability atlas. “To visualise research and expertise is extremely important, both in order to better understand what knowledge and technology is already available, as well as to highlight areas that we need to learn more about. The tool will be available for use by any interested party.” The UN’s sustainable development goals concern not only the newly developing countries but rather is important for everyone, stresses Katarina Gårdfeldt. “I am super delighted with the great interest our researchers have shown in this O N E PROJ EC T,
»To visualise research and expertise is extremely important, both in order to better understand what knowledge and technology is already available, as well as to highlight areas that we need to learn more about.« KATARINA GÅRDFELDT
initiative. Many would really benefit from their research, but do not always know where to turn. Also, the government is involved and committed.” Among others, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will come to the launch, which takes place in late February, along with a number of other significant leaders of academia and the business community. Katarina Gårdfeldt
EVA LUNDGREN
FACTS The Sustainable Development Solutions Network(SDSN) was formed in 2012 by the United Nations and its purpose is to develop potential solutions for sustainable development. The network has 3 main secretariats, 10 regional and 11 domesticnetworks. Gothenburg’s GMV, the Centre for Environment and Sustainability, has been appointed the node for SDSN Northern Europe.
The launch takes place on 25–26 February. The first day is open for all those interested (registration required); at the second day, Prime MinisterStefan Löfven along with other representatives of the national government plus the business community and academia, will be among those participating. More information is available here: http://unsdsn-ne.se/.
GUJOURNAL 1 | 2016
THE REFUGEE CRISIS
We must take action “We cannot simply sit and wait for others to take the initiative, but must ourselves be active,” explains Pro-Vice-Chancellor Helena Lindholm, in connection with the big refugee crisis. This deals with, among other things, temporary placements, validation, and improved student information to new arrivals.
I N CO O PE R ATI O N with Swedish Public Employment Service, work is also underway to review and show possibilities of student counselling. “Individuals with aborted university studies that are within the scope of the Public Employment Service’s established measures will be invited to a meeting about what can be studied at the University of Gothenburg, how the
application process works, and what support is available for assistance.” The information will be interpreted into Arabic and possibly more languages, and those who so desire will be informed about student counselling and offered help to review the eligibility for admission requirements. When at the end of the year GU went out with an invitation to all departments and entities to offer practical placements, eighty proposals came in, reports Helena Lindholm. “The Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, for example, offers about 20 practical placements. It is not certain that we will be able to match all placements with the proper individual, but intensive work is ongoing. Otherwise, we are generally not as good in offering practical
»Obiously we’re not going to be comprimising on eligibility…« HELENA LINDHOLM
PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
S I N C E L A ST FA LL , not only have many departments collected money, but also more concrete plans to help the newcomers have been put forward for discussions. For example, GU and Swedish Public Employment Service collaborates with Folkuniversitetet, and discussions are underway with the Swedish Migration Agency regarding the possibility of informing the newcomers regarding studies at an institution of higher education. “One step is to hire an individual who can coordinate these activities. Valuable things take place in different places, but we need someone who can coordinate all of our efforts that public authority, potential employers, education providers, research institutions and nyttiggörare do.” Helena Lindholm points out the importance of meaningful activities also for the refugees who have not yet received a residence permit. “Among these are fully trained academics, individuals who had to interrupt their academic studies, plus adolescents who are at a normal age for higher education studies. We hope to be able to invite to the open lectures or other events, which can reduce the gap between the current situation and the expectation of future studies.”
Helena Lindholm, Pro-Vice-Chancellor
training, while we expect that other employers should be there for us, so it’s something we should consider.” The stream of refugees in general raises several issues which the University should become better at, no matter who is involved, says Helena Lindholm. not going to be compromising on eligibility for admission requirements, but we need to review our selection methods and consider what can be accommodated within the alternative selection. It is about broadening participation in general, not simply refugees. We must also consider the knowledge and skills acquired in ways other than those we normally evaluate and assess.” A consequence of the large number of refugees is that Sweden gets more individuals at an age when they usually pursue university studies. Helena Lindholm does not anticipate however any additional student slots being
“O BV I O U S LY W E ’ R E
allocated from the national government, at least not as of yet. “The national government has made a lot of investments in independent supplementary educational programmes, in validation of processes, and the assessment of real skills, but to my knowledge no discussion is taking place regarding an expanded number of student slots due to the large number of new arrivals. The higher education institutions have however, their own responsibility to contribute. Perhaps we should, for example, reintroduce the Qualifying course in Swedish for university studies which was given previously. What is most important is to not simply passively wait for others to do the job, but rather that we get involved ourselves and assume our own responsibility.” EVA LUNDGREN ALLAN ERIKSSON
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News
New teachers on the University Board The three faculty representatives that are now taking their seats on the University Board are all professors. Agnes Wold has made a reputation for herself as a fearless medical researcher; Staffan I. Lindberg has put the democracy database V-Dem on the map; and Rickard Bergqvist is the Head of the School of Business, Economics and Law’s Graduate School. But what do they actually want to achieve?
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Why did you agree to serve as a member of the University Board?
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How do you think GU has developed over the past five years?
2
Which issues will you promote and focus?
4
To what extent do you think you will be able to influence?
1. I agreed to serve as a member because I was nominated and because they thought that I would be a suitable representative of the university’s teachers. It is a great honour and a big responsibility.
PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
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AGNES WOLD Title: Professor of Clinical Bacteriology, chief physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital Department: The Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy Age: 61 years of age
2. Since I of yet don’t have a clear picture of the issues that are important for the teachers within the GU’s various parts, it would be foolish to have too many preconceived notions about what issues can and should be pursued. But an issue that I think is important to all the teachers at the University is that the central administration should be supportive and not live a life of their own in isolation from the activities the university engages in. There, I think we have a problem today, at least as it sometimes looks like from my horizon. As a faculty representative, I would like to see a bit more of the collegial decision-making in the University. The line organisation needs to be supplemented
»GU plays a rather small role in Gothenburg.«
with bodies that put the researchers and teachers’ opinions and perspectives to good use. Exactly how this should be done, I am not sure yet, but one idea would be to reinstate the departmental boards. Then you have to consider how to divide the power between them and the department heads. 3. GU’s is of course quite large as an institution, and quite decentralised, which I think is a good thing. Such a big organisation cannot be summarised in a simple way. Sometimes we read that GU has climbed (or fallen)
in some university ranking, but such we shouldn’t put too much concern in this - and certainly not try to change to become more “trendy.” I still think that GU plays a rather small role in Gothenburg, which is still seen as a city mostly for cars and boats, despite that we have such a large university. 4. Yes, this remains to be seen, it’s not something that one knows in advance. I’ve sat on a university board previously, at the Karolinska Institute during the years 1997–2003, and at time as a general representative. Some issues that one thought they might have an influence on were already settled and set in stone, and impossible to alter. In other cases, it was the opposite. In order to have influence, you have to get others on the Board to understand that the faculty is not a “special interest.” but rather the very foundation of the university and those who know the operations the best.
Notice
GUJOURNAL 1 | 2016
More money goes to the faculties
RICKARD BERGQVIST Title: Professor of Logistics and Transport Economics Department: The Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law Age: 36 years of age
PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
1. With the increased line control at the universities, it is extremely important that the academic community, and in particular the faculty, maintains the greatest possible influence at all levels. I hope to be able to contribute to this at GU. 2. I would like to pursue the issues of simplified and improved rules for recruitment, particularly regarding postdocs and associate senior lecturers, the elimination of the possibilities of multiple re-examinations (which I do not believe benefits the students and that quite simply overloads many teachers/graduate students,) and the question of a much larger assumption of responsibility from GU’s side regarding co-financing of external research funding and infrastructure, which I think is a very important issue for GU’s long-term ability to become an even better university. Last but not least, to constantly monitor and if necessary pursue questions about simplifying and eliminating unnecessary administrative things imposed upon departments and researchers.
PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
»I see good possibilities for constructive discussion.«
STAFFAN I. LINDBERG Title: Professor of Political Science Department: Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences Age: 47 years of age
1. I have always been interested in the challenges we face as an academy and university, and how we can best address them.
»This is a quite disturbing and dangerous trend.«
3. In many respects good, but there is a very worrying tendency to think of the university as some kind of private business enterprise. This is a quite disturbing and dangerous trend.
2. This is difficult to answer at this stage. However, I think it’s always important to be careful to safeguard and try to achieve as high degree of transparency and clarity as possible, both internally and externally. Internationalisation is another crucial issue which I’ve been working with a lot in recent years in my role as of Head of the School of Business, Economics and Law’s Graduate School with its international Master’s Degree programmes. In pace with that the competition within the academic world has increased, for both students as well as for research funding, it is of course vitally important that the University of Gothenburg is highly competitive, not least from an international perspective.
4. We shall see!
FACTS On 18 December, the Elector Committé appointed new faculty representatives to sit on the University Board (for the 2016-2018 mandate period). The three full members are Agnes Wold, Staffan I. Lindberg, and Rickard Bergqvist. For group alternates, Alexandra Weilenmann, Department of Applied IT at the IT Faculty, and Christian Munthe, Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, at the Faculty of Arts, were appointed.
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3. I think GU has really grown and evolved a lot in recent years, not the least via for instance the reorganisations, and our environment has changed rapidly. We can also see what great and profound challenges our society is facing today, and here I think the university has a specific and important role. 4. I see good possibilities for constructive discussions about the challenges we face and how these can be managed in the best possible way, and I look forward to discussing this in the University Board.
From the start, the projection was a negative SEK 50 million. When the results for 2015 were recently added up, the result was instead a surplus of SEK 41 million. “There is a lot of money in the system and this shows the weaknesses in our ability to adapt,” comments CFO Lars Nilsson. But it is not solely the University’s fault. The uncertain political situation prior to 2015 meant that allocation of new student slots came late in the year and in addition, the government provided a boost of SEK 15 million extra for higher price tags in the humanities, education science and social sciences. Another reason was that GU received SEK 40 million more in grant revenues than had been planned. “It is not surprising that the University has not been able to expend the money this year, but now we need to get going with the educational initiatives that has been decided upon and to hire new staff. Prior to 2016, we sent out SEK 105 million more to the faculties, which places big demands on that the activities utilise these new funds. If nothing happens, the University Board and Vice Chancellor can begin to draw the money back in.” In 2015, the number of employees increased by 279, which is the largest increase in many years. 120 of these belong to the research and teaching staff, and another 90 are doctoral students. All faculties used less money than anticipated and the highest net surplus was in the Faculty of Science, an entire SEK 25 million. At the end of the year, GU’s administrative capital reserve has grown to nearly SEK 1.1 billion. “It is really a shame that the money simply sits and gathers dust. It could be better used to generate even better activities.”, says Lars Nilsson.
No MOOCs in sight It will be possible and easier in the future for higher education institutions to organise open online courses, so-called MOOCs. Among other things, a small, limited amount of government grants can go to such courses. So suggests the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) in a new report. But it does not change the GU’s restrictive stance on the issue, at least not for the moment, reports Pro-Vice-Chancellor Helena Lindholm. “There are many positive aspects in developing and offering MOOCs, not the least in relation to lifelong learning, but it is still unclear what status will be assigned to the programme; there is no selection and it is not possible to obtain any academic degree. We would rather do more of blended learning.”
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Bibliometrics
Publish and prosper “My goal is to help patients, not to write articles,” states Kaj Blennow, one of the world’s foremost Alzheimer’s researchers. Nevertheless, publishing articles in highly regarded scientific journals is what counts to get research grants. It is called bibliometrics and works just fine in some fields of research – but not in all. A J B LE N N OW is one of the world’s leading Alzheimer’s researchers and has recently been awarded the Söderberg Prize, the most significant distinction in Sweden in the field of medical research. He is also a very prolific article writer. In 2009, i.e., the same year that the government began using bibliometrics for the allocation of grants, he was ranked in 13th place in an international evaluation of Alzheimer’s researchers’ scientific output. During the period 1985–2008, he published 310 articles, in other words an average of 13.5 peer-reviewed scientific articles per year. Kaj Blennow now ranks as 3rd in the world, according to a similar study in the journal Scientometrics, where his publishing rate landed at 19.3 articles per year. Although Kaj Blennow puts a lot of time into writing articles, he does not think it affects his way of working. “The research that I do surely must lead to something.” AT T H E SA M E time, he stresses that it is important that the research results reaches out to as wide an audience as possible. This is where the publications enter into the picture, and where the choice which journal is crucial. “When the results are to be published, one chooses the journal based upon how interesting or useful something is, and how quickly you want to get it out there. The
review process can often take months, and then you have to ask yourself how much time you want to put into it. Is there a risk that someone else will publish before you do? When it comes to some research findings, it is perhaps more important to get them out quickly and then the emphasis may be on a lower ranked journal.” Caroline Hansson is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, just as Kaj Blennow. She does not place any significant emphasis on bibliometrics, but feels that she should get more involved because this is a really significant issue. “So far, I have not had so much say when it comes to the choice of journal. Most often it is a more senior author, such as an academic supervisor, who chooses where they want the article to be published. But I think it becomes more important the higher up in the hierarchy that one rises.” “I, and many others in my position, primarily focus on the number of articles and especially the articles where one appears as the first name listed among the authors. For a docentship for example, it is important to be the first name on the article where the academic supervisor for the dissertation is not the co-author.” W IT H I N M E D I C A L research, most often several names appear as the authors. The most important are the first author and the last listed author, i.e., the researcher who conducted and respectively supervised and bore ultimate responsibility for the research. Additionally, there may be several so-called “names in the middle,” those who in any of a multitude of different ways have contributed. But both Kaj Blennow and Caroline Hansson see a problem with this system. Among other things, Caroline Hansson mentions the fact that researchers who publish very often appear as author in the middle of the list. “They are therefore listed on a number of publications that they might not have writ-
»Take for example the Beatles. Whatever you think of their music, they’ve sold more than anyone!« KAJ BLENNOW
ten so much in.” Also, in terms of the names listed between the first and last author mentioned, there are different practices in respect of which and how many names one brings with them. According to Caroline Hansson, laboratory assistants, who have performed the practical work, are rarely included in the list of authors. “It is virtually only the intellectual work that is valued in the writing process.” An author’s name in the middle can also represent the source of different types of patient data that has been used in the studies. “There is a lot of work done to develop an interesting material. To be named as a co-author provides incentive to share with other researchers. That, in turn, advances science,” says Caroline Hansson.
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informed him that he had been awarded the most significant prize in medical research in Sweden. At the same time, there are major differences between the various different medical research fields, which with a comparison can give a skewed picture. There are also a big diversity and significant differences between the various journals. According to Caroline Hansson, there are also differences between research groups and between countries in terms of the authors who are referred to in the publications. “Everyone is competing against each other in the same game, but with different rules.” If we are nevertheless to make comparisons, the bibliometric model is the best, says Kaj Blennow.
”Today’s system isn’t perfect but the best we have,” says Alzheimer researcher Kaj Blennow.
must mean some other researchers have thought that it has been good research.” Kaj Blennow’s research is widely known. His most frequently cited article, from 2006, has been citied 1,220 times. He makes a comparison with the sale of music. “Take for example the Beatles. Whatever you think of their music, they have sold more than anyone! That must mean something, I think – even if a high level of sales doesn’t always mean that the music is of high quality.”
B U T T H E C I RC U M STA N C E S can be very different from one discipline to another, explains Kaj Blennow. “Within genetics, everyone who submitted a sample is mentioned as an author of the article. If we look instead at pharmaceutical studies, it is only those who have developed the pharmaceutical drug and wrote the article, who are listed.” ACCO R D I N G TO Kaj Blennow, the citation model, despite its deficiencies, is the most objective basis or criterion for assessment. “If one has received many citations, that
I N T H E R E P O R T Focus the Government proposes that publications should be judged by a panel of experts. This is something Kaj Blennow has doubts about. “That system could easily be based on luck rather than objective criteria. It never feels good if someone has been working on something a long time and thinks that they have done a really good job, and then comes along an expert who is critical of the application.” As an example he mentions what happened last autumn. He had just been rejected in his Swedish Research Council application; one week later, he received a phone call. On the line was someone who
“ T H E C U R R E N T SYST E M is not ideal, but it is objective, at least as I see it. I think it’s more accurate to make an assessment based on how much researchers cite one another, thus consider the results to be useful, than to let an expert make an assessment, who decides on his/her own terms on what is good. Then the question arises to what precision an expert can predict which new projects may have the potential to provide truly useable results, apart from looking at a proven track record and citations. It is extremely difficult with only one single project description to consider, which is always intriguingly written, and this is the thing I grapple with most when I sit as an expert.”
TEXT: KARIN WESTIN TIKKANEN PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
FACTS In issue 7/2015, GU Journal took up the issue of how bibliometrics currently affects the researcher’s everyday life. The topics discussed included the so-called Norwegian model, a publication index that was developed in Norway and is currently used at several Swedish higher education institutions for bibliometric evaluations, including by the humanities and social sciences faculties. Bibliometrics as a scientific method was developed in the 1960s for the purpose of analysing natural sciences, medical and technical research.
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Profile
Concern for the environment brought her to Sweden Every time Jessica Coria returns to Chile, she is amazed at how much has changed since the last time. “Of course I too have changed over the years. But my interest in the environment, which arose due to the major air pollution in Santiago, still remains with me and is now developing further within FRAM, a research environment that has received financial support from UGOT Challenges.” E A R E in the Botanical Garden on an overcast January day. Jessica Coria, Associate Professor of environmental economics, is heading up the slope with her two children, Michelle and André. They have new umbrellas which they are proudly spinning around. Soon, they squat beside the pond in the greenhouse and are watching the fish. “I have always been interested in flowers, animals and nature,” Jessica Coria says. ”In Santiago, where I grew up, we children always had dogs, cats and rabbits around us. I even had a hen, Amalia, whom I put on a leash and walked to the park with. Tourists stopped, pointed, and took photos.” Therefore, as a young woman, Jessica
Santiago is one of the most polluted cities in Latin America.
Coria worked as a volunteer to help abandoned animals. “My family took care of one of these dogs and he’s still alive today, even though he has reached the grand old age of 20 years. My own dog also lives with my parents in Santiago. In my house in Torslanda, I have two cats instead, Einstein and Newton.” Chile is a beautiful country, Jessica Coria stresses. In the north, we have the world’s driest desert, the Atacama Desert, and in the south, it is full of fjords. also quite well-functioning; the police can be trusted, the buses stop at their bus stops, one can get in contact with various government agencies online. But corruption is causing so much damage. Parents save for example so that their children can attend university, then it turns out that the education provided is so bad that it doesn’t lead to any good job, and young people receive salaries that might not even cover the repayment of study loans. This leads to a great distrust of those in power and the policymakers. I myself am not very politically engaged, but now that I live in Sweden, at least I vote. That’s something I didn’t care about in Chile.” One-third of the population lives in Santiago, a city of six million inhabitants, which is like a pot between high mountains. Winter transforms the air pollutants into a lid over the centre, explains Jessica Coria. “Santiago is one of Latin America’s most
“ T H E CO U N T RY I S
absolutely polluted cities. However, it has gotten better in recent years, partly because the city has invested in public transport buses with natural gas, and environmental zones for heavy vehicles.” Jessica Coria studied economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. “It was when I was a master’s student; I participated in a project, funded by the Chilean Environmental Protection Agency, where I became aware of the problems that exist in Latin America, with countries that want to grow economically while at the same time the environment risks serious deterioration. So when I thought about what field I wanted to carry out further research in, at first I alternated between economics and environmental economics, and my interests in environmental matters prevailed.” I N A D D ITI O N TO her research studies in Chile, she also had the opportunity to spend half a year at Harvard University. But it was when, some time after obtaining her doctorate, she participated in a workshop in Costa Rica, that she met professors of environmental economics at the University of Gothenburg Thomas Sterner and Fredrik Carlsson. They thought that she should apply for a postdoctoral position in Gothenburg, and in 2008 she came here. After arriving here, she has conducted research in the BECC, a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and Lund University which deals with under-
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JESSICA CORIA IMPORTANT PROJECT: Together with Thomas Backhaus, Professor in the Department of Biology and Environ mental Science, she is the research leader for FRAM, The Centre for Future Chemical Risk Assessment and Management Strategiesat the University of Gothen burg, one of six centres supported by UGOT Challenges. WORKS AS: Associate Professor of Environmental Economics at the School of Business, Economics and Law. FAMILY: Husband Magnus and children Michelle, age 7, and André, 5 years old. PETS: Cats, Einstein and Newton. RESIDES IN: Torslanda. AGE: 36 years old. RECENTLY READ BOOK: Chronicles of the Vikings. RECENT MOVIE SEEN: The Good Dinosaur. FAVOURITE FOOD: My mom’s cooking. BEST/WORST SIDE: Strong will and energy/Likes sweets a little too much. INTERESTS: Cooking, running, t raveling, being in nature.
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Profile
Jessica Coria lives in a world of contrasts, both at work and at home.
cannot simply take over our laws, they must have reliable, local rules that properly fit their particular situation and lead to a fair distribution of the available extent of emissions.”
standing how land use and climate change impacts ecosystems and biodiversity. “That an economist has the opportunity to work together with natural scientists provides new perspectives. One of the objectives of research is that of providing support to political leaders and policy-makers, and it’s important to be able to explain both how the ecosystem works and what is economically feasible.” I N L ATI N A M E R I C A , Chileans have about the same reputation as the Swedes have in Europe: they are seen as a bit reserved and quiet, explains Jessica Coria. “I don’t personally know if I agree with that, but I myself am not so talkative. However I am punctual and organised. And I have never had any problems with adapting myself to Sweden, not to the climate, the people nor to the way of life.” Now Jessica Coria is one of the two leaders of FRAM, one of six centres that has received funding from GU’s major initiative, UGOT Challenges. The field is regulation of chemical discharges and spills. “The project can be summarised in two questions: what levels of pollution are acceptable, and which governing instruments can lead to less pollution from discharges or spills? This may sound like a simple problem, but actually it is pretty complicated.” REACH, the European legislation that regulates the amount of chemicals discharge that is allowable, only sees the risks of one single chemical at a time. In reality, different
»It is important to be as open as possible, both in science and privately.«
substances are mixed into a cocktail which can be significantly more toxic than the individual ingredients, explains Jessica Coria. “We already have lots of chemicals in the environment and just continue to add even more. But we have no really good overall picture of the actual cumulate volume of the discharges, and regulation within one area can lead to increased emissions in another. At the same time, we want a functioning economy with good preconditions for companies so that they can grow in a good way. All of this together makes the environmental concerns quite difficult to reconcile.” A D D ITI O N A LLY , environmental challenges must be solved internationally. Therefore, within FRAM, GU researchers work in collaboration with colleagues in the United States, Chile and Kenya. “Sweden and the US have been regulating their emissions and discharges for a long time, but this is not so in Kenya. We have to realise though that the people there
T H E R E S E A RC H scientists within FRAM do not only come from different countries, but also from different disciplines, including ecotoxicology, ecology, environmental chemistry, environmental economics, environmental law and tax law. And this mixture of cultures, languages, disciplines, approaches and scientific methods – Jessica Coria thinks exceptionally exciting. “I live in a world of contrasts. My parents live in Chile, my husband is Swedish, I have an aunt in Spain, and both colleagues and friends in a whole range of various countries. Our research projects are international and multidisciplinary. My research has led to many trips, mainly in Latin America but also in Europe and even to China. I am fascinated by different cultures, but take no position on what is “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong.” People behave differently depending upon the particular circumstances in which they live and it is important to be as open as possible, both in science and privately.” About once a year, Jessica Coria returns to Santiago, where her parents and siblings and their families live. “ T H E C IT Y H A S changed since I lived there. It steadily grows, traffic increases, but nevertheless it manages to reduce environmental problems. But protests against corruption and weaknesses in the economy have grown, especially among students. For me, it takes at least a full day to travel there and last year, when my father suddenly had a heart attack, it felt very uneasy living so far away from them. But I spend time with my family via Skype and think that it works out quite well.” The rain hangs in the air when Jessica Coria open the greenhouse door to go out with Michelle and André. “My children are adopted from Colombia and have only been in Sweden since last November. My husband speaks Swedish with them, I speak Spanish, and in school, they will learn English. So to them, much of the world will be open when they grow up.”
TEXT: EVA LUNDGREN PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
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”We need a law for the Internet” This year, the Freedom of Press Act marks its 250th year. But how does it work today? Not so good, in the opinion of science theorist Christopher Kullenberg. “In the media landscape that the Internet has given rise to, both freedom and protectionagainst threats and attacks need to be guaranteed again.” H E PROT EC TI O N FO R
those providing information is central to the Freedom of Press Act. This means that anyone who tells journalists or writers about something concerning irregularities at governmental authorities or other public institutions is guaranteed anonymity. But what the law says it is one thing, and another thing what the reality looks like. “Whatever we do online – e-mailing, chatting, skyping – we leave a digital trail that is very easy to follow,” explains Christopher Kullenberg, researcher at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science. “Therefore when I contact a journalist regarding a sensitive issue, I am always sure to encrypt my communications. But that means that the responsibility has shifted; it is not sufficient that the journalist promises confidentiality, the individual must also ensure that they protect themselves.” T H E FR E E D O M O F Press Act is also based on the concept that there is an editor and a publisher with ultimate responsibility, who can be prosecuted if the particular media outlet engages in anything criminal, such as incitement to racial hatred or other hate speech. “But today, anyone at all can start a blog, without an editor or being constrained by ethical guidelines, where one can write whatever comes out. Anyone who breaks the law can of course still be prosecuted, but in practice, this hardly ever occurs. The blogger can be engaged, for example, in Internet hate speech or psychological harassment, or perhaps even intimidating journalists or politicians into silence. This may in turn lead to calls for tougher laws and therefore perhaps restrictions on freedom of the press.” Facebook and other social media sites on the Web admittedly have codes of conduct and ethical guideli-
nes, Christopher Kullenberg concedes. “But a global company does not have the possibility to control everything that happens at the local level. Therefore, Facebook to take an example, reacts to nude photos, but maybe not to posts with racist remarks, because one does not fully comprehend what it is that is out there.” T H AT T H E I N FO R M ATI O N on the Web is often rather unprotected also means that what we post may be used by others for unknown purposes, Christopher Kullenberg emphasises. “The technology has indeed become more secure, but that is offset by the fact that we constantly use the Web for more and more activities: banking, hotel reservations, international orders to buy goods, and so on. There are simply more places where Christopher Kullenberg information can leak or fall into the wrong hands. At the same time, a change of attitude is underway: it is not true that people are so naive that they do not understand that the pictures on their private blog can pop up somewhere else, but they do not care so much anymore. In exchange for a lot of fantastic services, we are willing to accept that the boundary between public and private has become blurred.” T H E I N T E R N E T I S often seen as something democratic because it is freely available to everyone. But transparency can quickly be limited, warns Christopher Kullenberg. “In Sweden, child pornography is blocked and discussions are underway to also include foreign online gambling sites. In other countries,
such as Russia and Hungary, a much larger share of the Internet is blocked, and many pages are risky to browse, for example for those who are gay or have different views and opinions. That is not to say that I think something similar will happen here, but we should not be complacent with that Scandinavia is so secure, free and democratic, but rather realise that these are values we constantly have to fight for.”
»The statute needs a complement to take the Internet into regard.« CHRISTOPHER KULLENBERG
A F T E R 2 5 0 Y E A R S , it is perhaps time to replace the Freedom of Press Act with something more modern? “Maybe not replace. But the statute needs a complement to take the Internet into regard, something which guarantees freedom of expression even though we constantly are heavily observed. We have to find a way that both ensures everyone’s right to be heard, even anonymously, while those who perpetrate criminal acts on the Internet can be held accountable.”
TEXT: EVA LUNDGREN PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
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Report
Family from Egypt found home in Gothenburg Darkness, cold, and coffee breaks. For the guest researching family from Egypt, the encounter with Gothenburg and the University has been both challenging and exciting. “It was scary to move here, but now I cannot imagine living anywhere else,” comments Maha El Shahawy, a doctoral student at the Institute of Odontology.
HEN WE
meet Gothenburg is showing off its most beautiful winter side. Some days earlier, the entire city was embedded in a soft blanket of snow and the trees on Avenyn were glistening in the waning afternoon sun. It is like taken from a book of fairy tales by Elsa Beskow. “I remember the first time we saw snow. We were so happy and jumping around on the street outside our apartment in Olofshöjd and just laughed,” explains Maha El Shahawy, who smiles at the memory when we meet outside the Gothenburg City Library at Götaplatsen. That first encounter with snow was just over seven years ago. Maha, who is a trained dentist, was a researcher
at the Alexandria University and was offered a scholarship for two years for further research at the Institute of Odontology at GU. In June 2008, Maha moved here and her husband Mohamed and the children Ahmed and Hana joined her in the autumn a few months later. terrified at first,” says Maha. ”In Egypt, it is not so accepted that women travel alone. It was the first time for me and I had no idea what awaited me.” “I had heard that people here are nice, but still, I felt anxious since all the new things were so foreign to me.” Despite the fact that she immediately felt at home at the Institute of Odontology and got on well in her student apartment, she explains that at first, times were difficult, as
“ I WA S R E A LLY
she longed very much for her family back home. “It was like there was a big hole in me and I missed them terribly. But once they arrived here, I felt that I had all the possibilities and potential here, everything was in my hands,” she explains. Maha also has a relative nearby who was a source of support and assistance on arrival. “My father’s brother resides in Uddevalla and he had said that Sweden is a paradise for children, and in my experience this is certainly true.” M O H A M E D N O D S in agreement. He had a position as lecturer at the university in Alexandria and managed to get a position as a visiting researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences, where he conducts research on climate
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Even though the first time was difficult, today the family can not imagine living anywhere else than in Gothenburg.
THE VISITING RESEARCHER FAMILY
change in the Mediterranean sea. “Also, everything works much better at the university here,” he says. ”We have more resources and it is more about teamwork, everyone helps each other. I like that.” “The only thing I miss from my job in Alexandria is that I do not meet with the students and give lectures here.” W H AT M O H A M E D thought was the hardest to get used to in Gothenburg was the darkness. To get up and go to work in the dark and then be met with the dark again when he left the building from work in the afternoon had a heavy impact on him. The family was of course more used to significantly more sunlight. “Ahmed, who was 5 years old then, was wondering if there was no sun in Sweden,” comments Mohamed, laughing. TO DAY, T H E Y H AV E grown accustomed to the situation. Even with the cold. “I love the fact that it is cold in the winter. And summer is really fantastic. The darkness in the winter is a big contrast to the beautiful sum-
mer,” comments Maha. In addition to snow, the darkness, the cold and the lovely summer nights, Sweden offers a few other things that felt a bit unusual for the Egyptian family. “Coffee, for example. I never drank coffee in Alexandria but here I have coffee all the time,” comments Mohamed. “In addition, I was used to getting together with friends to socialise starting around nine at night, but here it seems that people are in bed by that time.” “Yes, and to me seemed that everyone always ate potatoes. I had no idea you could cook potatoes in so many different ways,” says Maha. “And they are good too!” B OT H M A H A A N D Muhammad agree that it has worked out amazingly well to come into the life here. They are both passionate about their jobs and commend the sense of community at work and the Swedes’ friendliness and helpfulness. They think it is a big advantage that both of them have been able to establish their own life and professional identity in their new country. That has meant that both
EL SHAHAW Y– SHALTOUT NAME: Mother Maha El Shahawy, 40, father Mohamed Shaltout, 41, and the children Ahmed, 12, Hana, 10, Nora, 2 ACTIVE WITH: Maha is a doctoral student at the Institute of Odontology. Mohamed is a visiting researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences RESIDES IN: Gothenburg FROM: Alexandria, Egypt
quickly got to know Swedes and entered into the Swedish society in a smooth manner. When Maha’s scholarship had ended, it was a foregone conclusion that they would remain here. A new scholarship was received from the Swedish Institute, and after that doctoral student employment. Sometime before the spring, Maha will present her dissertation. The family is rooted here after nearly eight years in Sweden. The parents point out that it is not only their
professional lives that have received a boost here; the children are far better off in Gothenburg than they would be back in Alexandria. “The preschool is fantastic, the school is less strict. There are playgrounds, football fields and a lot of nature. The children have an entirely different freedom than they had in Egypt,” mentions Mohamed. T H E YO U N G E ST N O R A was born here and the big kids both have lived most of their lives in Gothenburg. Thanks to the preschool, they quickly got friends and learned Swedish in only a few months. “I like the Liseberg amusement park and to play football,” mentions Ahmed, talking about his life in Gothenburg. “And I am working on learning swimming,” explains Hana. It has been a little harder on the parents, to conquer the new language. “Everyone here is so good in English so it’s hard to get the chance to practice speaking Swedish,” mentions Maha, who quickly shows however that her skills in
understanding and speaking Swedish are very well. Mohamed has recently taken a Swedish C-level test at the SFI, Swedish for Immigrants. “Hana helped me with the studying, it’s very practical,” he says. As to plans of moving back to Alexandria, they don’t have any. Their dream is to eventually be able to buy a house in Gothenburg. Maha would like to supplement her dental school education so that she can get a Swedish license and work as a dentist in Sweden. M O H A M E D I S T H E one who possibly is eager to try to live somewhere else for a while. From his childhood, he is accustomed to moving around and trying out living in different countries. His father was a surgeon and the family moved with him when he worked in Syria and Libya among other places. “But I would never get to have my family with me,” he says. “They love Gothenburg, so we will remain here.”
TEXT: KARIN FREJRUD PHOTO: EMILIE ASPLUND
Debate
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Response:
A misguided major initiative IT I S N OT O N LY the weather that is unstable. Even around the University of Gothenburg, it has been stormy lately, not the least in connection with the new Segerstedt Institute. Certainly it is important that the University’s activities are scrutinised both from within and from the outside. At the same time, there is a real risk of just talking about operational errors and not about the ongoing daily activities. A FE W W E E K S before the winter break, UGOT Challenges, GU’s new major initiative, should have been inaugurated with pomp and circumstance in Vasa Park – but because of the storm damage on the old main building, at the last moment, the event received permission to move to Medicinareberget. The fact remains, however: in the coming years 300 million Swedish kronor is to be invested in six new interdisciplinary centres where the answers to some of today’s global challenges are to be developed from the investigations and research. “With the new knowledge, new perspectives, and good collaborating partners, the University of Gothenburg will contribute to a better future,” so it reads in the announcement. The formulation of the wording gives the impression of a change of course, but unfortunately the risk is that there will only be more of the same. In this case, it is not because of the research itself, which will surely be first class (or “excellent,” as it is called in yesterday’s research policy jargon), but rather on that the UGOT venture by no means appears to have taken into account the challenges that the University as an institution itself is facing today. T H E ACQ U I S ITI O N of scientific knowledge is inconceivable without specialisation, but today the specialisation has been pushed so far that the basic fundamental academic values are at risk of being compromised. Despite the fact that the conversation between scientific researchers constitutes science’s lifeblood, today’s university is characterised in an alarmingly degree of various forms of one-way communication. What is at stake is not just one or another area of research, but rather the integrity of science itself. In recent decades, the policy reforms related to the university, along with an increasingly pervasive financially-focused management, has meant that individual academic researchers have hardly had any reason to actually talk to each other anymore. Instead, more and more time is spent on scoring points in various systems for
“quality assurance,” which in fact has more to do with quantity than anything else. Within the schools, social and health care, and the police, an analogous situation has aroused considerable attention as it leads to so obvious effectiveness problems, but the situation within academia is discussed only in exceptional cases beyond the academic’s narrow circles. This is regrettable. In a democratic society, universities have an inestimable role. If the preconditions in order to fulfil this role are deteriorated, this should be a public concern. IT I S H E R E T H AT GU’s new major initiative emerges as being misdirected. The desire to bring together researchers from various different areas surrounding key societal issues is excellent, but so far the UGOT Challenges has by no means addressed the equally key issues related to the academic conversation’s integrity, the form of control’s unintended effects and, last but not least, the preconditions for truly innovative research environments. The historian of ideas Sverker Sörlin, who previously was on GU’s University Board, has recently put his finger on the need in the last of a series of interesting articles in Dagens Nyheter. What our society primarily has a shortage is not a deficiency in new expertise but rather new “alliances between available knowledge and values.” Not only specialisation, thus, but also a counterweight in the form of new comprehensive, integrated approaches, ways of working and functioning, new visions for the future. In short: not just more of the same but rather a genuine rethinking of the university’s role and function. Without a clear insight into these problems and a clear will to solve them, unfortunately the UGOT Challenges will only be a drop in the bucket.
be done? The all more stronger centrifugal forces operating at today’s universities need to be balanced by a focus also on what Sörlin calls integrative research, where various forms of scientific expertise can face each other and the wider public without being subjected to a predetermined set goal. At first glance, UGOT Challenges may appear to respond to this need – it is after all the researchers who have been able to formulate and articulate their “challenges” – but when what is demanded is only solutions to limited and manageable societal problems, the scientific project risks being reduced to one or another form of social engineering art. Similarly, the venture can appear as “integrative” in the sense that W H AT S H O U LD T H E N
different types of scientific expertise is brought together under one common umbrella, but in practice, the risk is high that, as a consequence of their narrow focus, it will only push the prevailing overspecialisation to new heights. A more promising approach in the integrative direction is the activities that for over a decade have been conducted at Jonsered Manor. Despite its obvious limitations, here is the embryo of a freer and more genuinely interdisciplinary conversation. How this discussion can be expanded and further developed is obviously an open question, but I venture nevertheless to bring forth a few suggestions. To begin with, Jonsered could constitute a forum for a broad, yet in-depth discussion of the University’s present and future tasks and responsibilities in relation to its current form of governance and forms of working. By extension, the University should complement the activities at Jonsered with a full-scale research institute for what has come to be called “advanced studies” – in the style of the Gothenburg Centre for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology (GoCAS), which was established last year in collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers, albeit with representation from all scientific fields. The fact that such an institution would need to operate in a different and more outward-looking manner than, for example, the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) in Uppsala, I regard as a matter of course: not as a chambre séparée in the top of the ivory tower, but rather, to quote one of our previous Vice Chancellors, as “a window that is always open to the world.” T H E I D E A H A S been discussed before, but the developments in terms of research politics and policy– with the UGOT Challenges as an example – have given it increasing relevance. The good news is that after the autonomy reform, educational institutions are free to take this type of initiative. The bad news is that freedom alone is not sufficient. In order to go against the tide in an increasingly globalised university system, it also requires courage. That which we continue to associate with Torgny Segerstedt’s name.
ANDREJ SLAVIK
RESEARCHER, MEMBER OF THE JONSERED ACADEMY, A FORMER MEMBER OF HUMTANK (HTTP://HUMTANK.SE).
— NEXT ISSUE OUT IN APRIL —
Welcomes a lively discussion U G OT C H A LLE N G E S is a strategic investment designed to contribute to the realisation of Vision 2020 for the University of Gothenburg. It is far from the only initiative. Within all areas of the University, work is underway to develop and enhance the operations in the direction which Vision 2020 identifies. Also recurring vision seminars are held in order to keep the discussion alive and further develop our shared vision. Seminars and other activities at Jonsered Manor is an important venue for creating the dynamics and transboundary cooperation. They constitute a further prioritisation within the University. UGOT Challenges is the result of a long and open discussion about how Vision 2020 is to be implemented. The proposal was discussed at many levels and was finally given the assent of the University’s Governing Board, which allocated funds to be disbursed over the next six years. It is hoped that the initiative will generate knowledge that is of significant importance in relation to the global challenges, which in turn be a vehicle for open-ended, free interdisciplinary discussions and meetings both within and between these centres as well as with their outside contacts in the relevant fields. The University of Gothenburg benefits from a vibrant discussion on key issues surrounding the preconditions for the activities of the University. It better prepares us for future prioritisations and we welcome involvement in issues such as these.
STAFFAN EDÉN
DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR, FOR RESEARCH
Final Response:
Not much of a dialogue That the Deputy Vice-Chancellor encourages a “lively discussion” about the University’s well-being feels reassuring, but unfortunately his response does not show proof of any great willingness to engage in dialogue. Irrespective of which, UGOT Challenges must reasonably be said to constitute an interdisciplinary investment in and of itself, not simply just another normal scientific initiative that possibly could give rise to one or other interdisciplinary dialogue. As long as the question of the integrative research’s preconditions remain unanswered and left open, the hope that the UGOT Challenges will result in truly significant knowledge can thus only remain just that – wishful thinking. Surely we have reason to expect more of an investment in the 300 million kronor class? ANDREJ SLAVIK