No more support

No central support from the University

– The UGOT centres have done an impressive job and much of what is going on within the initiative will continue to develop. But there will be no additional central funds.

These were Vice-Chancellor’s, Eva Wiberg, comments about the UGOT Challenges, whose six-year funding is now coming to an end.

THE UGOT CHALLENGES initiative began as a response to the fact that the University of Gothenburg received such a small share of the major research investments about fifteen years ago, for example the Swedish Research Council's Linnaeus Grants and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research’s strategic centre. It was also about using the university's retained capital in an innovative way, Eva Wiberg explains. – It was a historic investment and a way to create greater interdisciplinary collaboration to contribute to the immense societal challenges we face. The centres now have an established structure and have raised a lot of money. But investments in the formation of centres are usually time limited, and in the case of UGOT, it was clear from the outset that the funding would only cover the first six years.

Carina Mallard, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, explains that the UGOT centres have been discussed in the Research Board and that it was concluded that there will be no further funding. She also refers to the fact that the government has commissioned the research funders to develop a new model for research funding, and that that work is not yet complete.

– We are awaiting the research funders' report, Uppdrag att vidareutveckla en modell för kvalitetsbaserad fördelning av forskningsanslag (Assignment to further develop a model for quality-based distribution of research grants), i.e., an investment in profile areas, which also includes interdisciplinarity.

EVA WIBERG ALSO believes that the centres may need to look at different models for financing administrative support, for example joining forces to reduce costs. – The formation of centres can be a good way to handle interdisciplinarity. But since the employees are employed by a department, there is also a risk of additional administrative work and other difficulties. How the formation of centres should best be organized is another question that the Research Board will examine. Perhaps the national centres, such as Nordicom and the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, can serve as role models.

HOWEVER, Eva Wiberg emphasizes that the UGOT centres have been very successful in taking advantage of the opportunities that were given to them. – I am sure that operations will continue and develop further. At several centres, a generational change is also underway, which creates new opportunities. UGOT Challenges has led to impressive activities that the University of Gothenburg has reason to be proud of. But now it is time for them to stand on their own two feet.

Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG

Vice-Chancellor Eva Wiberg says that the centres need to stand on their own feet.

It was clear from the outset that the funding would only cover the first six years.

EVA WIBERG