GU-Journal 1-2023

GUJOURNAL

Thrives when it is windy

New Vice-Chancellor

Malin Broberg is trimming her sails.

Editor-in-chief:

Allan Eriksson, Phone: 031–786 10 21, e-mail: allan.eriksson@ gu.se

Editor:

Eva Lundgren

Phone: 031–786 10 81, e-mail: eva.lundgren@ gu.se

Photographer:

Johan Wingborg, Phone: 070–595 38 01, e-mail: johan.wingborg@gu.se

Layout: Anders Eurén, Phone: 031–786 43 81, e-mail:

anders.euren@gu.se

Address: GU Journal, University of Gothenburg, Box 100, 405 30 Göteborg , Sweden

E-mail: gu-journalen@gu.se

Internet: gu-journalen.gu.se

ISSN: 1402-9626

The GU Journal has a free and independent position, and is made according to journalistic principles.

Let’s Go West

hen this issue reaches pigeonholes and inboxes, a university delegation will be on their way to the western United States, a trip that has been long in the planning but which was postponed because of the pandemic. Comprising representatives from the School of Business, Economics and Law, the Faculty of Science and the IT Faculty we will spend one week visiting no fewer than five potential partner universities in California. We will also have time to meet students at our existing partner university in Sacramento, organise an alumni event and meet with Barbro Osher, Sweden’s Consul General in San Francisco, who was also appointed honorary doctor at the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts in 2006.

We are hoping that the trip will lead to new joint university partnership agreements for student exchanges, new contacts at faculty level and that we establish “key contacts” among alumni, thus extending out networking opportunities. The U.S. continues to be a popular destination amongst our students, and exchanges of various types are being prioritised by several faculties. Fingers crossed that we will be able to make way for new agreements.

In this issue of the GU Journal you will also meet my intended successor, Malin Broberg. Summer and July 1 still currently feel a long way away, but that is when I will be handing over the reins to Malin. She is a solid and driven leader who feels tremendous humility about the task at hand, and who has shown great commitment to university-wide issues. But there are still several months remaining with me at the helm!

Rektor EVA WIBERG

News 04–13

04 Change of election procedure is underway, says Peter Larsson.

05 Election facts and figures.

06 Small chance reaching climate goals.

08 Few in leading position with foreign background.

10 How to cooperate with China.

12 Responsible internationalization.

13 No surprises in University’s budget..

Profile 14–17

14 Malin Broberg at the helm of the University.

Report 18–21

18 Europe – united and divided.

20 Wikipedia – soon in your own language.

People 22–25

22 Blinking droplets as molecular models.

24 Searching for seafarers’ origins

How to deal with democracy

“

uman rights are like the sea; when the water recedes in one place, it recedes everywhere. This is why the fight for human rights in Ukraine is part of the fight for human rights everywhere.” This was the argument made by Oleksandra Romantsova, representative for the Center for Civil Liberties, in a Nobel Laureate Lecture for students and employees at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers. According to a report from V-Dem, only 13 percent of the world’s population currently live in a democratic state governed by the rule of law. The level of democracy has fallen to the level that prevailed in 1989, with only 34 liberal democracies. That can be compared to 2012 when there were 42 democracies in the world.

What does this mean for the University of Gothenburg? One thing is that many of the countries with which we collaborate are quite different to us. In this issue, sinologist Fredrik Fällman highlights the importance of international partnerships, while at the same time we must not be too naive, such as when collaborating with China.

One of the most fundamental democratic rights is freedom of expression. “Cancel culture” is a new word that has begun to be used to describe the act of preventing people from expressing themselves. At the same time, there is value in polite conversation, not least in order to ensure that everyone has the courage to take part.

The global trend, however, seems to be heading in the wrong direction. But there is a glimmer of hope. A research team at the university is in the process of helping Wikipedia translate all its content to a large number of languages, which is truly about promoting.

At the end of January, Jonsered Manor hosted a seminar on journalism within public sector administration. The seminar was a birthday present for the GU Journal and included a well-needed in-depth discussion about what we do, which perhaps most of us need in order to be inspired to continue our efforts.

Allan Eriksson and Eva Lundgren

Masthead

Difficult being foreign staff.

Malin Broberg new Vice-Chancellor.

All Photos: Johan Wingborg

“We can improve the process”

There will be a thorough review of the process. This is what Peter Larsson, Chairman of the Board, has promised. And some changes will come into force as early as during the ongoing election of a new pro-vice chancellor.

– But I will not compromise with the formalities. The matter is in the hands of the board. But we can involve the consultative assembly to a greater extent, he says.

THE SEVERE CRITICISM of the process of electing a vice-chancellor has been reignited and received extensive media attention.

– I am quite jaded. I have no interest in reviewing the debate itself, but there are reasons for being self-critical, says Peter Larsson, who for the past few weeks has had discussions with colleagues and vice-chancellors at around ten universities.

– My assessment is that we have complied with the usual national process and that we are not appreciably different from other universities. But we will conduct an evaluation to see how we can improve the process in the future.

In the wake of the criticism Peter Larsson has proposed appointing a recruiting committee to work together with the consultative assembly. He thinks that this will make for better clarity

and more extensive support.

– But we need to be very aware of accountability and the applicants’ need for privacy.

According to the Higher Education Ordinance, the board is accountable to the government. That cannot be negotiated away. However, we can have a more or less comprehensive dialogue with the consultative assembly.

– I AM SURE THAT the format for the vice-chancellor election process can be improved but when we receive the nominations, everyone must be treated equally. There may be some individuals who are open about their candidacy, but others may not be. Having different processes in such an instance would be wrong.

Peter Larsson points out that the criticism has come from a small group in the consultative

assembly, 13 out of a total of 70 people have signed the missive.

– The critics have not been in the majority, but I will not dismiss their opinions, instead I take the matter very seriously.

HOW WE WILL GO about it next time will be determined by the review, but if the staff want total transparency then all candidates will have to accept that premise.

As early as in March last year the recruitment committee was appointed with 7 members led by Peter Larsson. It comprised 2 teacher representatives, 2 students and 1 representative from the other employees, as well as 1 external member of the board. Since then , the committee has worked on drafting a “comprehensive process in open competition,” which Peter Larsson argues was a clear request from the staff. A total of 40 people were

»But we need to be very aware of accountability and the applicants' need for privacy.«

Peter Larsson

nominated. Of those, 22 declined. Of the remaining 18, 12 were internal. After a review, the number of candidates was whittled down to 6 who advanced to a final round, where 3 people were eventually selected by the recruitment committee and whose names were subsequently made public. But soon thereafter, Georgia Destouni from Stockholm University withdrew her candidacy.

– It was a minor debacle, but it goes with the territory.

The day the consultative assembly gathered to interview the final two candidates, Peter Larsson told them about how the recruitment committee had approached it. He stressed that it was possible to nominate anyone, and that those proposals should be sent to the recruitment agency whose services the university had procured.

The role played by the agency is clear from a comprehensive mission statement, but Peter Larsson denies that they had anything to do with the actual selection.

– THE CONSULTANTS have in no way intervened. The recruitment committee made the actual selection. We have been assisted by the consultant, who was also tasked with finding more external applicants.

The 13 members stated in a missive that the university board had chosen to “again opt for a closed selection process that is perceived as muddled and vague”. There were demands to restart the process.

But that did not happen.

– No, there was no justification for that. We have identified three strong candidates and done what we had undertaken to do. But we do need to be self-critical. The advertisement was well disseminated and the applicant profile was unambiguous. But I am somewhat concerned about the small number of external applicants, which tells you something about the complexity of the task and the challenges associated with it.

ALL IN ALL, Peter Larsson believes that there is strong support for the future vice-chancellor of the University of Gothenburg, Malin Broberg, who also received the most votes in the consultative assembly. 10 people submitted a blank ballot.

– Now it is about providing the best possible conditions for our new vice-chancellor and pro-vice chancellor.

→Formally, the government appoints the vice-chancellor. But even though the board is in control of the matter, according to the Higher Education Ordinance, lecturers, other employees and students must be consulted. At the University of Gothenburg, the composition of the consultative assembly is as follows: 30 lecturers, 20 other employees and 20 students.

Brief history: For more than 10 years, criticism has been levelled at the process.

2011 80 percent of the consultative assembly voted for Pam Fredman to remain vice-chancellor for an additional three years. There was only one potential candidate, which meant that many of those in the assembly felt they were being steamrolled.

– It was as if we were being consulted solely because it says so in the ordinance, but they were not really interested in what we had to say, said Professor Anders Linde, chair of the consultative assembly at the time.

2014 A significant majority of the consultative assembly supported the proposal to give Pam Fredman their continued confidence up until June 30, 2017. But again, there was criticism of the process. One of the critics was Kristoffer Hellstrand, at the time the Associate Dean of Research at Sahlgrenska Academy, who objected to “the deeply undemocratic election process”, which the board seemed to ignore, he said.

– No other candidates to the most important position at the university could be discussed, not to mention nominated.

At the time, the chair of the board, Cecilia Schelin Seidegård, promised that the process would be reviewed.

2017 When the current vice-chancellor was appointed, there was also criticism voiced regarding the process. Five candidates were announced, but three of them dropped out at an early stage, so only two could be interviewed by the consultative assembly. When one of them, Ole Petter Ottersen, also chose to withdraw his candidacy to become vice-chancellor of Karolinska Institutet instead, the only remaining candidate, Eva Wiberg, was appointed. There were demands for a new process, but the board disagreed and pointed out that both candidates were “fully eligible” as vice-chancellors.

The criticism against the election of pro-vice chancellor was even more scathing. Again, the consultative assembly only got to meet with one single candidate, Professor Mattias Goksör. However, he received extensive support from the assembly, where 22 of the 25 members voted yes. But only 25 of the 70 members participated in the vote.

In a missive, which was signed by 11 assembly members, the handling of the matter of pro-vice chancellor was described as “part of a pattern of threats against collegial influence”. They argued that “the role of the consultative assembly is to rubber stamp decisions that have already been made”. A process that they believed undermines trust in the management, and they demanded that the consultative assembly be taken more seriously.

Text: Allan Eriksson

Photo: Johan Wingborg

Peter Larsson

A challenge reaching climate goals

Last year, air travel increased by as much as 600 percent. However, this is not very strange considering the low level during the pandemic. It is still a reduction of 44 percent compared to 2019, which is the baseline year. Fixed procurement of goods and services account for the largest part of all emissions, and the big question is whether the University of Gothenburg will achieve their climate targets?

LAST YEAR, OVERALL emissions amounted to 39,600 tonnes, which was 8 percent lower than the baseline year 2019. One reason is that fewer people used air travel in 2022 compared to 2019, according to new statistics on business travel. Above all, domestic flights of less than 500 km decreased by 19 percent compared to 2021.

– From the extremely low level of travel during the pandemic, we are now starting to see the effects of the world opening up again, even if we are not reaching the same level as before 2020. One explanation for the decline since 2019 is that we have become accustomed to using digital tools, and no

longer see the need to travel to as many conferences, says Fredrik Högberg, Sustainability Coordinator.

MOST AIR TRAVEL is to Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain and France – 39 percent of all air travel emissions are within Europe. A positive trend is that more and more people are travelling by train, an increase of 181 percent compared to 2021. Train emissions amount to no more than 14 kilos of carbon dioxide.

by implementing this system

– IT IS GREAT THAT more people want to travel by train in Europe. But the available statistics are not entirely reliable, as only emissions from electrically powered trains in Sweden are measured. Europe commonly uses diesel-powered trains that, of course, generate a higher level of emissions.

The long-term goal is as follows: The university’s CO2 emissions will be reduced by a quarter by the end of

»The University of Gothenburg has come further than any other Swedish university

…«

Fredrik Högberg

Fredrik Högberg

Photo: Johan Wingborg

2023 and halved by 2030. This is the aim of the Climate Framework that the University of Gothenburg has signed together with all Swedish universities in order to achieve the national climate goals. Currently, it is not looking likely that the university will achieve this goal by 2023, Fredrik Högberg predicts.

– IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY, considering the wheels are starting to roll again with more people choosing air travel. The reduction is a mere 8 percent compared to 2019 – to cut another 17 percentage points would probably require more stringent measures, he says.

The increased default surcharge of 400 krona per plane ticket, payable to the university’s climate fund for joint measures, does not seem to have had much of an effect

in discouraging air travel, says Fredrik Högberg.

But it is actually not flying that is the greatest source of emissions, but the purchase of goods and services, corresponding to over 50 percent of all emissions. Transport and travel only comprise 16 percent.

In the new web-based climate tool, Carbon Intelligence System, all invoices are converted into CO2 equivalents. It applies to all types of purchases of goods, services, transport and travel, etc.

– THE UNIVERSITY OF Gothenburg has come further than any other Swedish university by implementing this system, giving heads of departments, deans and financial controllers a good overview of department emissions allocated across different categories. This provides feedback about which emissions can be cut.

Several departments have paved the way in controlling their employees’ business flights. For example, the Department of Conservation and the School of Public Administration have introduced a cap of two flights per year and employee. The recommendation is to travel by train as much as possible within Europe.

Any other potential measures will also be imposed by the Swedish Climate Policy Council.

– We are all in this together. It will be interesting to see what measures the government will implement, Fredrik Högberg concludes.

Text: Allan Eriksson Photo: Shutterstock

Air trevel increased last year but still decreased by 44 percent compared to 2019.

Language support needed

At the University of Gothenburg, like most universities, there are not very many people with a foreign background in important management bodies.

– It is fundamentally a democratic problem, says Professor Roland Barthel, who until recently was head of the Department of Earth Sciences.

ROLAND BARTHEL is originally from Germany and moved here ten years ago with his wife and four children. He believes that it is embarrassing, if not scandalous, that foreign staff are barely represented in higher management bodies, especially given that the University of Gothenburg's vision is to be an international university.

– Without having exact figures, my assessment is that the University of Gothenburg is worse in terms of foreign representation than the national average of 12 percent. The higher up you go in the management bodies, for example at the vice-chancellor's strategy meetings and management councils, as well as in the consultative assembly, the fewer people you will find with a foreign background. The fact that the official language is Swedish makes it even more difficult.

ROLAND BARTHEL points out that half of all lecturers at the Department of Earth Sciences have a foreign background. Eighty percent of all lecturers hired in the last 10 years come from other countries.

– Today, integration more or less means coming here, getting a job and paying taxes, but social integration is often forgotten. But if we want to be a responsible international university, we

cannot see our employees only in terms of skills supply. We have a responsibility to take care of everyone who comes here and give them the best conditions for learning Swedish and being involved in the entire organization, including taking on management assignments. Furthermore, it is equally important that Swedes learn what it means to work in an international organization. What does it entail, for example, bringing a family here from India?

Roland Barthel points out that he is a Swedish citizen and professor, his wife is a doctor, their children go to good schools and they live in a well-established residential area.

– STILL, I DON'T FEEL that I am integrated into Swedish society. Here at work, I spend most of my time with people from abroad, I have almost no social network with Swedes.

As head of department and a lecturer, he has become much more aware of how other groups feel at the department, not least doctoral students and students from Asia and Africa.

– Many of them are very lonely and are far from integrated into society.

To learn Swedish well, both incentive and time are required, Roland Barthel points out, something that steals time from lecturing, research and writing articles.

– There is a notion that everyone can learn Swedish in a year if you put in enough effort, but you that’s not the case. I speak with a strong accent, at times I cannot find the right words, and to this day often say what I can rather than what I want to say, especially when it comes to nuances in the language, says Roland Barthel, who remembers that the hardest part was when

he started to speak Swedish fairly well but still not well enough to take part in a conversation.

– If you switch to English, it is even more difficult to learn.

THE MOST important thing is to get plenty of support at the beginning, so that you have a chance to learn the language and to learn about Swedish society and culture, but also about government authorities, he believes.

– Many Swedes want to show how good they are at English, which is not so strange, but it does not help those who want to learn the language. Here at work, groups are formed where Swedish is spoken at one table, English at another, German at a third. Parallel worlds work for a while, but eventually are doomed to fail if you don't do something about it in time. Welcome Services offers a lot of good activities, but you only meet other foreigners, no Swedes.

He points out that foreign employees and students are a completely free educational resource.

– Think what an untapped potential this group represents! They can enrich the organization not only with their scientific expertise but also with their organizational and management culture.

IT IS A WELL-KNOWN problem that it is difficult to recruit researchers for jobs such as head of department or dean.

– Many people think that it should be about academic leadership and leading education and research, but in reality you mostly deal with administrative tasks, conflict management and health & safety issues. It is probably particularly unattractive for employees from abroad, Roland Barthel believes.

»Most people are extremely ambitious, publish a lot and attract a lot of external research funds, but it takes a lot of time to learn Swedish well.«

Merritt Polk

– The collegial influence in appointing a head of department and a dean does not favour foreign representation either, as the elections are not as open and transparent as one would like. It is solely about voting based on the nominating committee's proposal.

AT THE SCHOOL of Global Studies, where half of the forty employees come from other countries, for the first two years 10 percent of the skills development for foreign staff is paid for by the university, and they also receive grants of up to SEK 30,000 to study intensive courses. Professor Merritt Polk, who resigned as head of department at the beginning of the year after nine years in the job, is doubtful about everyone needing to learn Swedish.

– Most people are extremely ambitious, publish a lot and attract a lot of external research funds, but it takes a lot of time to learn Swedish well. Some people learn quickly while others need a lot of support and training. Is it really our job to offer language support or is it up to each individual to use public resources? Merritt Polk asks.

At the University of Gothenburg there is a strategic skills supply group led by Dean Malin Broberg. In this group, attention has been drawn to the lack of international personnel in management bodies.

– We don't have any solutions right now, but we are in a phase where we are talking to various groups, including Roland Barthel, to capture general problems around strategic skills supply, says Magnus Petersson of the university's management team.

IF IT IS DIFFICUL t to get foreign personnel into management bodies, one idea could be to create a reference group to brainstorm ideas and exchange information, Roland Barthel proposes. – If the university cannot solve the problem how can one expect to succeed in the rest of society? However, internationalization must not only be designed for the good of the university, but also for the well-being of our foreign students and employees.

Ø Roland Barthel believes that there are two fundamental problems: one is that the composition of Swedish society is not reflected within academia, the other is that employees who are recruited here to stay do not learn Swedish.

→ Few senior managers in academia have a foreign background

Among all university employees, 34 percent have a foreign background and in Sweden as a whole the figure is 31 percent. Among those who sit in the higher education institutions' management teams, the corresponding figure is 12 percent, Universitetsläraren’s survey shows. More than a quarter of these employees come from one of the Nordic countries.

Statistics Sweden, SCB, defines a foreign background as being born abroad, or as being born in the country but where both parents were born aboard. One of the various interim goals that the government has set for state employers is that the proportion of employees with a foreign background should increase at “all levels”.

Text: Allan Eriksson

Photo: Johan Wingborg

» The collegial influence in appointing a head of department and dean does not favour foreign representation either ....«

Roland Barthel

Required: A good judgement

How should the University of Gothenburg's researchers and lecturers deal with China? There are no simple answers, says Fredrik Fällman, Associate Professor of Sinology. – We must be able to cooperate. But at the same time, it is important that we make our position very clear when it comes to freedom of expression and human rights.

RECENTLY, Dagens Nyheter published a couple of articles about how students funded by the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) are required to be loyal to the Chinese regime. Unlike Karolinska Institutet for example, the University of Gothenburg does not have a central agreement with CSC. That doesn't prevent individual Chinese students who come here from being able to get funding from them anyway, explains Fredrik Fällman, Associate Professor of Sinology.

– It is no secret that students applying for CSC scholarships must support the “system of socialism with Chinese cha-

racteristics”. The regulations are openly presented on CSC's website, albeit only in Chinese. That kind of requirement has been around for a long time; the Communist Party's special position as a leading force in society is enshrined in the preamble to the Chinese constitution.

The CSC agreement also states that students must pay back their tuition fees if they fail in their studies.

– A lecturer who gives a failing grade to such a student thus risks impoverishing the entire family. It's terrible and nothing a university should ever agree to.

THE UNIVERSITY OR the individual employee who has some form of exchange with China must therefore be aware that Chinese researchers and students are expected to show solidarity with their country's regime, emphasizes Fredrik Fällman.

– Many Chinese researchers are members of the Communist party, it can be a prerequisite for having a career at all. This does not mean that you cannot have open and honest dialogue with Chinese colleagues, but it is important to be careful, for

your own sake but also out of concern for your colleague.

Vigilance also applies in a business context, Fredrik Fällman points out.

– You have to be aware that when a group of Chinese people come to visit, there is usually a party representative with them. It is therefore important to find a balance where, on the one hand, you treat Chinese researchers and lecturers like everyone else, and on the other, you do not naively enter into various collaborations.

– FOR EXAMPLE, China is showing an increasing commitment to the Arctic and has begun to market itself as a semi-Arctic country. Chinese researchers can, of course, have a genuine interest in the area and should not be excluded from collaboration, but one must be aware that behind the involvement lies a strategic interest from the Chinese state.

The Chinese regime has also increasingly begun to use the term “community of humanity's destiny”, with the aim of strengthening global collaboration on environmental and

»The West has a tendency to exoticize China, something the Chinese regime benefits from.«

Fredrik Fällman

climate issues for mutual benefit – while at the same time believing that different countries' views on democracy and human rights must be respected, says Fredrik Fällman.

– The West has a tendency to exoticize China, something the Chinese regime benefits from; it believes that the country is democratic in its own way and that universal values cannot be applied to China. But of course that is not true. It is even the case that one of the main authors of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948 was the Chinese diplomat Peng Chun Chang.

IT WOULD BE BEST if people who want to collaborate with China first acquire the requisite knowledge, Fredrik Fällman explains.

– China has a population of 1.4 billion. However, last year, for the first time since the 1960s, the population began to shrink. This means that in China, just like here, you have an aging population. Many Chinese people are poor, especially in rural areas. But the urban middle class today consists of several hundred million people – as many as or more than the population of the United States. They probably have different expectations than their parents and they will influence the country's future. There are therefore good reasons to be interested in this vast country.

Eva Lundgren

→ About the articles: Dagens Nyheter's articles about the Chinese Scholarship Council were published on 2023-01-12.

Fredrik Fällman is Associate Professor of Sinology.

Risky but important to cooperate

There is now special support on the Staff Portal for those who collaborate with countries whose governance, laws and values differ from our own.

– Fundamentally our position is that international collaboration is important. But you have to be aware that in some cases it can involve risks, explains Linn Gabrielsson, Project Manager at the International Centre.

IT'S NOT ABOUT TRYING to control or give guidelines about which countries you can collaborate with, emphasizes Miroslaw Staron, Professor of Software Development and convener of the team at the International Council that developed the support.

– Instead, we have put together a framework that will help employees take a position on questions that may arise during international contacts. It might involve big things, like how to draft an agreement with countries where academic freedom is limited, but also practical advice, like finding out what laws apply in a country; for example, the fact that chewing gum is banned in Singapore. For people who are going to a conflict zone, it can be important to find out if there is a consulate nearby and, of course, to make contact with researchers who have been there before.

Photo: Private

Linn Gabrielsson

International sanctions are another important area, points out Miroslaw Staron.

– The US, for example, has placed an embargo on certain countries when it comes to importing technology, such as graphics cards for computers. It is the head of department who is responsible and the department can be fined heavily if the ban is violated.

RESPONSIBLE internationalization is increasingly being discussed, both at an international level and at various universities in Sweden. Two years ago, STINT launched a document to provide assistance. The Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) has also appointed an expert group for these issues. And together with five other universities, the University of Gothenburg is involved in the CASI project which analyses the conditions for international academic partnerships, says Linn Gabrielsson.

– Our partnerships should be based on trust, but we must also be able to handle complicated situations in countries that differ greatly from our own. It's about safety and ethics and not putting yourself, your university, or those you work with at risk. The main message is that we need to help each other and benefit from the knowledge and experience that already exists among our employees!

Eva Lundgren

→About the International Council: The team at the International Council that developed a framework for responsible internationalization consists of Linn Gabrielsson, International Centre, Sylva Frisk, Faculty of Social Sciences and Ann Wennerberg, Sahlgrenska Academy. The team has been led by Miroslaw Staron, IT Faculty.

You can find more information at: https://medarbetarportalen.gu.se/ internationalisation/responsibleinternationalisation/.

Coordinated Assessment for Strategic Internationalisation (CASI) is a project for the analysis of the conditions for international academic collaboration run by the universities of Lund, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Uppsala as well as Karolinska Institutet and KTH.

A Vasapark discussion on responsible internationalization is planned for April 17. All interested parties are welcome.

No budget surprises

Last year, the University of Gothenburg ended up with a surplus of SEK 83 million. It was exactly as expected. Small changes were made in terms of education, research, revenue and personnel.

The costs are increasing at a slightly greater rate, in particular through increased rental costs that will take effect this year.

BY AND LARGE , there are not many surprises in the 2022 annual report that was adopted by the board recently.

– It's probably the most boring financial statement I've ever delivered. Everything is going to plan, says CFO Peter Tellberg.

The University of Gothenburg's turnover is SEK 7.5 billion, which is a new record. Grant income for research increased by 1.6 percent and 80 percent comes from research councils and other Swedish donors. As far as the educational mandate is concerned, the target was reached with a small discrepancy of minus SEK 32 million. The Faculty of Education accounts for the greater part of this and which, according to internal rules, must repay SEK 25 million to the board. However, this does not affect the University of Gothenburg as a whole, which has saved study places equivalent to SEK 43 million.

– WE CAN'T GET MORE precise than this. The only concern is that the performance rate for the Faculty of Humanities, which has a wide range of independent courses, has fallen by 4.9 percent to 61.1 percent.

Over the past five years, the number of employees has increased, albeit at a rather slow pace, at an average of 3.7 percentage points. Last year, the increase was only 0.2 percent, which is about 12 yearly employees.

– It is difficult to interpret this is. Maybe it's a backlog in the wake of the pandemic. Considering the substantial retained capital, there are good opportunities, in some areas, to employ more people, Peter Tellberg comments.

LAST YEAR

A BUDGET of plus SEK 90 million was set, the outcome was SEK 83 million and the largest surplus is in education (SEK 82 million). As expected, all the faculties reported a slightly worse result for 2022, worst of all was the Faculty of Science, which was 45 million worse than planned. The Central University Administration reported a deficit of 20 million, which was 5 million better than forecast. Last year's stock market crash also hit the University of Gothenburg's fund management hard, whose assets fell by SEK 17 million.

For 2023, the Finance Unit has set a zero budget.

– We see increased costs in terms of the purchase of goods and services, as well as travel and electricity. Above all, we expect rent increases of around SEK 100 million this year. A significant portion, 35 million, is accounted for by Natrium, which is ready for occupancy mid-year. But the plan is for us to use up our grants and carry out the research and education that we are required to do. The University of Gothenburg has substantial retained capital of over SEK 1.5 billion, so we can afford to be in the red for several years, says Peter Tellberg.

Allan Eriksson

With wind in her sails

– It is important to be tactical, be able to analyse new situations and keep track of how the winds are changing, explains Malin Broberg. She is talking about sailing. But perhaps she could just as well have been talking about the job of vice-chancellor at the University of Gothenburg.

Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg

t is called a 505, the two-man boat that Malin Broberg competes in, together with her husband-to-be, Johan Röök. On August 3–13 last year they competed in the World Championships in Cork, Ireland.

– It started with a few days of training before the actual competition began. It involved long days that often lasted from nine in the morning until five thirty at night. Most crews in this class consist of fairly large men, as the person leaning off the boat must have a certain heft. But there are mixed crews as well, even though it is quite unusual. We ended in 20th place in the competition, but second in the mixed crews which resulted in us being interviewed by TV.

The competitions are not only about winning, but just as much about having fun together with other people.

– The discussions in between races are often quite nerdy, where we talk about tactics and equipment. We rarely have time for sightseeing on our trips, it's mostly about winds and waves.

Malin Broberg’s interest in sailing has led to a lot of travelling, mainly in Europe but also the USA. At the beginning of 2019, she and Johan competed in Australia.

– When we travel in Europe, we transport the boat on a trailer. But before the World Championships in Australia, all the European competitors assembled in Germany to fill containers with boats, masts, booms, sails, tools and clothing, which were then shipped to Fremantle outside Perth. Transportation took three months, from October to December, and then we did not get the boat back again until March. But, of course, we never sail during the winter months so that was alright. Competing as a couple is great, as we get to spend a lot of time together. But it is also practical, we never have to negotiate about where to go when we compete.

Malin Broberg has been sailing since she was 8 years old. In the beginning, her father, Anders Broberg, acted as both coach and driver. Eventually, she attended the yachting upper-secondary school in Lerum, started competing at an elite level and for a while nurtured the

idea of a career in sports, or perhaps becoming a PE teacher.

– Eventually, I decided to become a psychologist, just like my dad. However, I did not work in a clinical setting for very long before an opportunity arose for me to be a doctoral student. And after presenting my doctoral thesis, I continued working at the university.

Malin Broberg’s field of research is child development, particularly in children with functional disabilities. Her field is wide-ranging, including everything from how the welfare system operates to more medical matters about how brain damage can affect children, and the effects of various treatments.

– I have supervised seven doctoral students, four of whom were externally employed and combined their research with clinical work. For three years I was also the R&D coordinator within the administration for “Habilitering & Hälsa”, tasked with developing their research environment.

Malin Broberg has always enjoyed getting things done in various associations and making things happen together with others. When various opportunities have knocked, she has often taken advantage of them.

One such example was at the end of 2016 when she was asked, at short notice, whether she could step in as pro-dean at the Faculty of Social Sciences. She was replacing Marie Demker who had been elected Dean at the Faculty of Humanities.

– I had been on the faculty board for a term and a half, but it was still unexpected. But you don’t get an opportunity like that every day so I accepted. In the summer of 2018 our dean, Birger Simonson, retired, and I was elected to be his successor.

Malin Broberg argues that her leadership style is characterised by three things: accessibility, trust and transparency.

– At each level where I have worked I have broadened my mind and learned something new. I have gained ever greater insights into how the organisation works, how funds are allocated and how I can provide support to both managers and other employees. One important aspect is how we prepare matters that are to be decided upon. It is about being transparent, letting things take time and listening to others rather than talking myself. We have so many incredibly skilled employees, everyone with their own their view on matters that you need to understand. Sometimes a compromise may be good, but in other instances it may lead to nobody being particularly happy. If the process has been an open one, then perhaps those who were disappointed can at least understand why the decision was what it was.

One example of how management suddenly can be put to the test was the pandemic.

– My husband works for a company with plenty of contacts in China, so I was perhaps not entirely unprepared for the fact that a contagious virus was spreading. But getting a university organisation with its inertia to change and start working differently in just

a few days, that was truly a feat. We were successful because we all took responsibility together.

The lessons the university can learn from the pandemic include the matter of the students’ study environment, Malin Broberg believes.

– Not everybody has the opportunity to study at home, so the university should provide plenty of places to study, but perhaps also other things, such as lockers and the possibility to shower if you cycle to lectures. It is also important to use digital tools in the best way possible, while at the same time making good use of the periods we spend together in person. Traditional lectures can be good, but the truly deep learning often happens in discussions with others, when you train your analytical ability and learn to listen. I also believe that we need to stay at home when we are sick; coming to the university sick has been far too common an occurrence.

It was in September last year that Malin Broberg found out that she was one of around 50 nominees to the position as vice-chancellor.

– Of course, it was a great honour and declining it would have felt wrong. Since then I have had to sit a number of tests, been interviewed and been asked to present what I hope to contribute. Primarily, this entails how this extensive and interesting university can be strengthened, both internally and externally.

The comprehensive range is the University of Gothenburg’s great strength, Malin Broberg argues.

– But we need to understand the different needs of the various parts: An internal allocation that may appear unfair can be justified by the bigger picture. Sahlgrenska Academy, for example, competes with the independent Karolinska Institutet, and the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts competes with various universities in Stockholm.

At the same time, it is important that the university is perceived as one unit.

– We are a prominent broad-based university in a major city, with a focus on climate and sustainability. We play an important role in Gothenburg and the region, which has a considerable need for skilled labour,

»It must be possible to discuss all kinds of subjects and perspectives, but the debate should be held in a civilised manner..«

MALIN BROBERG

innovation and research. But we are not only here to educate for the labour market. We also need to invest in lifelong learning and contribute to ensure we have an educated populace that contributes with different knowledge-based arguments and critical perspectives. There is a lot of talk about resistance to facts,, but it may also be the case that certain loud voices are taking up more room in public discourse. It must be possible to discuss all kinds of subjects and perspectives, but the debate should be held in a civilised manner.

As dean, Malin Broberg cycled between the departments in Haga and Linnéstaden.

As vice-chancellor for the university she will scarcely have time to cycle everywhere.

– I cannot promise that I will visit all the parts of this extensive institution, but I will do my very best to learn about all our operations. Once we have a pro-vice chancellor in place, we can start working on putting together the vice-chancellor’s office and plan for the future. I am both honoured and humbled by my new assignment. I know that I have a very professional, skilled and experienced team to lean on, so in that sense, I feel confident.■

Malin Broberg

Currently: Proposed as the twentieth vicechancellor of the University of Gothenburg, commencing on July 1, 2023. The government will make the formal decision during the spring.

Profession: Licensed psychologist and professor of psychology.

Lives in: Önnered.

Family: Husband-to-be Johan Röök, two adult children and two bonus children.

Hobbies: Sailing, sewing, knitting, and cooking.

What was the last book you read? The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama.

What was the last film you watched? At the cinema

Top Gun: Maverick. Together with the children, true nostalgia.

What is your favourite food? I love food! But I am allergic to fish and gluten.

Europe – united and divided

National exceptionalism or European unity? In the 19th and 20th centuries interest in various ethnic groups grew, as well as in a common European identity.

Historian of ideas, Mats Andrén, has written a book about the concept of Europe that originated in the early 1800s.

“Europe” as a concept naturally existed long before.

– But anyone looking through older historical records will find few mentions of Europe. When you do find them, it mostly concerns the Christian world and the threat from Islam, not political or cultural unity. European self-awareness

started taking shape during the early modern age and the Enlightenment, says Mats Andrén, Professor of History of Ideas and author of the book, Thinking Europe: A History of the European Idea since 1800.

But it was the upheaval in the wake of the French Revolution in 1789 that kickstarted the idea of a united Europe. The German poet Friedrich Schiller pointed to the importance of peace, as all the wars deflected energy from other meaningful matters, and in the spirit of Immanuel Kant, the philosopher Karl Kraus proposed a European federation of free republics.

One person who more forcibly fought for European unity was Napoleon: the only thing that was required to gather the European population under one nation was a strong unifying force, which was France, he argued.

– The Vienna Congress in 1814–1815 signified Napoleon’s final defeat, but not the end of the concept of Europe. On the contrary, it was now time to engender ever-lasting peace and solidarity between the nations of Europe On that theme, Beethoven wrote a cantata, Der glorreiche Augenblick, which premièred at the opening of the congress itself.

However, some countries were considered more European than others. France was the leading European nation, according to some, while others argued that the very heart of Europe was to be found in Germany. A more unusual perspective was put forward by the Sicilian historian Michele Amari who felt that the European civilisation had originated in Sicily, where Muslims, long before the French revolution, had introduced ideas such as freedom, solidarity and equality.

Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg

– Being European came to be about other things than politics and forms of government, Mats Andrén explains. The Europeans started to see themselves as culturally superior to other peoples, simply more civilised. This is a word that started being used during the second half of the 18th century and which became so popular that a daughter of a member of the French National Assembly was given the name, Civilisation. But which countries should be part of the European

civilisation? That was also something that was debated, what about Russia or Turkey, for example?

The 19th century also brought about a nationalist awakening with a new interest in ethnic identity, language and traditions, which were now being recorded, Mats Andrén points out.

– You might think that the focus on ethnic identity would be in opposition to the European idea. But this was not the case, on the contrary, many argued that the different cultures enriched Europe.

The notion of a European civilisation suffered a severe setback during the First World War with its trenches, poison gas, aerial bombardments and the death of 17 million people. The Austrian-Hungarian dual monarchy dissolved, there was a revolution in Russia, and Germany suffered from hyperinflation. At the same time, Yugoslavia was formed, and the Baltic states, as well as Poland, became independent, says Mats Andrén.

– The Europe of old was broken up, but new ideas about a European identity were born. One example is the philosopher José Ortega y Gasset who argued that Spaniards, Germans and Englishmen were all still 80% European.

The even more horrific Second World War, where European ideas led to concentration camps and atomic bombs, the subsequent division of Europe and the fight for independence in the colonies, made it even more difficult to argue in favour of Europe’s cultural or moral superiority. Europe was in crisis, but the Treaty of Rome in 1957 created new opportunities for economic cooperation between the countries in the west.

Inclusion and exclusion, supranationalism and the role of the regions, these are issues that are still being debated in relation the European Union. Regardless of ideology, conservatives, liberals, socialists and anarchists all have their reasons for being for or against cooperation. The interplay between unity and diversity is typical of Europe, concluded the Spanish diplomat Salvador de Madariaga.

– Up until the First World War people thought that Europe was moving towards fewer and fewer states where the smaller nations would merge with the larger ones, says Mats Andrén. Instead, from 1914 to 2014, there has been an opposite trend; on average, Europe has gained a new state every five years. The political and cultural differences, both between and within countries, are considera-

ble, and several regions highlight their independence from the central power in a variety of ways. This trend is noticeable not least within the European Union, where a third of member states were not independent when the union was founded in 1957. Despite their many differences, there is also great unity, which is strengthened in times of major crises. Whether this consensus will be enough, such as the concerning support for Ukraine, remains to be seen, but there is a lot to indicate that European integration continues to develop.

The book now published by Mats Andrén was a project he started in 2013. – Over the past two decades, much material from the 19th and first half of the 20th century that was previously unknown to me has been digitalized and made available to the public. This means that I have been able to present many more perspectives on Europe than solely a British, French or German one, which is normally the case. Writers, philosophers, researchers and other contributors from small or medium-sized countries in central, southern or northern Europe are given a voice, and can thus highlight the many interesting differences or similarities in culture and mindset around Europe.■

The book Thinking Europe: A History of the European Idea since 1800 is centred around three themes: unification and borders, crisis and decline, as well as integration and identity. The book was written by Mats Andrén, Professor of History of Ideas, and published by Berghahn Books. It is available through open access by clicking the link below: https://doi.org/10.3167/978180 0735699.

From

where comes the notion of a united Europe? This is something Mats Andrén has taken a closer look at.

»The Europeans started to see themselves as culturally superior to other peoples, simply more civilised.«

MATS ANDRÉN

Translating Wikipedia into 300 languages

A Wikipedia that is equally useful regardless of the lang uage you use for your search, this is the vision of the Abstract Wikipedia project. To realise this ambitious goal, the ency clopaedia is benefiting from a very powerful tool: The Gram matical Framework, developed by Aarne Ranta, Professor of Computer Science, and his colleagues.

Aarne Ranta har Grammatical Framework (GF) since 1998 and he has lofty ambitions: to forma lise the grammatical structure of all the world’s languages and thus make it possible to translate from and into any language you choose.

He demonstrates on the computer screen how it can be done.

– Say that I want to write the sentence, “My house is red”: As soon as I have written “My” a number of neuter nouns are suggested for continuing the senten ce. When I add the word “house” new suggestions appear of appropriate verbs. The system is limited by the fact that I can only use words and grammatical constructions the GF recognises, so I can not come up with just anything. But the advantage is that my sentence is imme diately translated into all fifty languages that are part of the system. And with the help of students and post-grads the GF is

continuously being developed, covering

to many, if not all, of the world’s languages, is well-suited to Wikipedia’s goal of being a global encyclopaedia for all people everywhere. This is the reason why Aarne Ranta and his research team have been offered cooperation with the Wikimedia Foundation and cooperation around Abstract Wikipedia, says Krasimir Angelov, Associate Professor of Computer Science, who is

– The idea of using the GF to write articles based on facts from the Wikidata. Thus it is about articles with a content that can be translated using the vocabulary and grammatical structure that the GF can handle. We will shortly be launching a demo where 24 languages are included: so the user can write a text in any of these languages and automatically get a translation into all of the other ones. If any facts need correcting, it is sufficient to correct one language in order for it to

the software should be easy to use; most people working with Wikipedia are not programmers, but enthusiasts that want to share their expertise within a certain field. And just like Wikipedia itself, Abstract Wikipedia is continuously being developed, says

– There are hundreds of Wikipedians

»Therefore, our goal is to be able to translate from and into all 300 Wikipedia languages; it is a project which, like Wikipedia itself, will never end.«

AARNE RANTA

around the world, all contributing to the project’s progress.

Currently, Wikipedia has articles in over 300 languages. But many of these have perhaps only a small number of articles or brief summaries. The lack of content is more prevalent among smaller languages, but even fairly major languages may be poorly represented in the massive encyclopaedia, Aarne Ranta points out.

– Abstract Wikipedia means that articles in English, say, will be translated into Swahili, which of course is valuable.

But the opposite is also important; if an art lover in Uganda writes a text about an exhibition in Kampala, that text will immediately be available in all the other languages included in the GF. This way, culture and knowledge from various countries are disseminated to all. Therefore, our goal is to be able to translate from and into all 300 Wikipedia languages; it is a project which, like Wikipedia itself, will never end.

Abstract Wikipedia is a project initiated by the Wikimedia Foundation, and which aims to create a language-independent version of Wikipedia, meaning that the content of Wikipedia will be available in around 300 languages. To achieve this, they are partnering with the Grammatical Framework, a translation programme developed by Aarne Ranta and his colleagues.

You can find out more at: https://www. grammaticalframework.org/

Text: Eva Lundgren

Photo: Johan Wingborg

Krasimir Angelov and Aarne Ranta hope that their work will lead to making Wikipedia accessible in more languages.

Evaporating droplet as atomic model

The discovery garnered much attention after its publication in one of the world’s most prestigious physics journals, Physical Review Letters.

The lead author is doctoral student Javier Marmolejo.

The experiment, with lasers, mirrors and other equipment, is set up in a corner of one of the labs at the Department of Physics.

Javier Marmolejo injects water vapor into the installation, thus capturing a micrometric droplet between the lasers.

The phenomenon is called optical levitation, says Dag Hanstorp, Professor of Nuclear Physics.

– The light enters the droplet and bounces around while the water evaporates. Each time that the droplet’s shrinking circumference corresponds to an integer number of wavelengths, the droplet flashes. The phenomenon is reminiscent of “the Whispering Gallery” in Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, where one person can stand at one side of the dome and whisper to someone on the opposite side.

The flashing is similar to what happens when an electron is emitted from an atom that is lit up by light of varying wavelengths, Javier Marmolejo explains.

– In this way, the droplet is like an atom model that is enlarged 100,000 times. This is interesting in itself, but the flashing also gives us an image of how photons spread. The pattern formed by the flashing also reveals whether there are other substances in the droplet; each

substance creates its own special pattern which means that we are able to ascertain what these substances are. Thus, the discovery may also have practical applications, such as analysing pollutants in translucent fluids.

The study has caused quite a commotion in the research community. In addition to being published in Physical Review Letters, the article was also chosen to be part of the Editors’ Suggestion, the journal's selection of particularly interesting texts.

The public media have also been interested. Javier Marmolejo has, for example, participated in the Swedish radio's p4.

– I was also on a 1.5 hour podcast from California, explaining about the water droplets.

But Javier Marmolejo’s discovery of the flashing droplet was purely coincidental.

– I was actually involved in a completely different project. But when I saw this phenomenon, I felt compelled to investigate, simply because it was so beautiful.

The title of the article in Physical Review letters is Fano combs in the directional Mie scattering of a water droplet.

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.043804.

Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg

By aiming laser beams through a water droplet you can create an atom model which is visible to the naked eye.

Javier Marmolejo is doing his laser experiment at the Department of Physics.

»In this way, the droplet is like an atom model that is enlarged 100,000 times.«

JAVIER MARMOLEJO

In search of ancient seafarers

A number of prehistoric teeth are among the findings that two French archaeologists brought with them during a visit to the Department of Historical Studies just before Christmas.

The teeth came from a grave in the heart of the megalithic world: L'Île-d'Yeu off the west coast of France.

The discovery was made last summer when Bettina Schulz Paulsson, Associate Professor of Archaeology, together with colleagues and students from the University of Gothenburg and Université de Nantes, examined the 6,000 year old megalithic tomb Planche-à Puare on L'Île-d'Yeu. The most spectacular find was the skeleton of an ancient sheep sacrifice with a flint tool in one eye, which was discovered in a pit by the tomb’s entrance. The items are well-preserved, as the sand on the island contains a high proportion of shell fragments which gives it a high pH value.

– The tomb has been explored many times, Bettina Schulz Paulsson says. The first time was in 1883 and the second was in 1909. But today, the opportunities we have for unearthing and interpreting what we find are vastly different.

Bettina Schulz Paulsson is the research leader for the EU funded NEOSEA project. Her collaborator in France is JeanNoël Guyodo at Université de Nantes. The aim is to investigate how the building of megalithic graves spread through sea trade to the north and south, from its starting point in Brittany.

– We will be conducting carbon-14 dating but also strontium-oxygen isotope analyses which can reveal where humans and animals were raised. We also conduct DNA analyses on bones and teeth, and we also examine environmental DNA, a

method that opens up entirely new possibilities as it gives us an opportunity to analyse dust. All these data will be collated in a new database, thus providing lots of new information about the people that lived along the Atlantic coast 6,000 years ago. Among other things, we are hoping to find out what they looked like, where they came from and what diseases they had. Around eighty samples have already been sent to a genetic engineering lab in Copenhagen.

Bettina Schulz Paulsson is also hoping that the various investigations will shed new light on questions about prehistoric sea routes, trade, as well as the boat-building and navigation techniques that the people must have mastered.

In December last year, two French colleagues visited the Faculty of Arts to continue the discussion about megalithic graves. Jean-Noël Guyodo was joined by megalith expert Audrey Blanchard.

– We brought a number of our

findings, including several molars. By examining them, we are hoping to find out what these prehistoric people ate. We have also started collaborations with researchers of odontology here in Gothenburg for a study on dental hygiene and wear on teeth, says Audrey Blanchard.

Text: Eva Lundgren

Photos: Bettina Schulz Paulsson

The project Neolithic Seafaring and Maritime Technologies Shaped a New World of Megalithic Societies (NEOSEA) will run for five years and has received funding of 1.5 million euro from the European Commission. The project will investigate the origins of megalithic graves as well as the increase in seafaring activities within societies involved in hunting marine wildlife in Brittany. The researchers also plan to create a model for the social and economic organisation of megalithic seafaring societies.

Bettina Schulz Paulsson works together with researchers from Nantes.

The research team will do DNA analyses, examine environmental DNA and conduct carbon-14dating, among other things