This is a translation of the opinion piece in Khrono

It is a great pleasure and responsibility to run for the election for rectorate of the fantastic University of Bergen. 

Universities are at a historical crossroads in a changing geopolitical landscape characterized by global ecological and climate challenges, democratic instability, disinformation, and digital transformation. In such times, the university’s independent role and emphasis on quality are particularly important, and the University of Bergen has a crucial role in national knowledge preparedness. 

When we run for election, it is on the basis that our main pillars are research-based education and strong and free research across a wide range of disciplines. 

Long-term approach, academic freedom, and trust in the fundamental work of academic communities are central to our election platform. 

Through value-based priorities, UiB will continue to be built as an international research university, and it is critically important that our priorities are based on broad dialogue with our colleagues and academic communities. 

Neither university leaders, our colleagues, nor students can take this for granted. Therefore, we have stated in our election platform that we will promote academic freedom and university democracy with an elected rector. 

UiB as a place of study and Bergen as a city of research and higher education have become even more attractive in recent years. UiB also has been nationally leading and received international attention for its work with an innovative academic approach to digital competence in study programs. 

The organization has systematically worked to improve conditions for research and research infrastructure, and we are now performing strongly in important competitive arenas such as the Research Council and the EU. In international work, UiB has strengthened its partnerships and have initiatied efforts for strategic collaboration with institutions in the Global South. Through a number of different initiatives and measures, UiB has opened up for stronger dialogue and collaboration with external institutions and partners.  

At the same time, recent years have been historically challenging for the HE sector, with the pandemic, economic downturns, and unpredictable frameworks and conditions, the restructuring of the Research Council being one of several examples. Nevertheless, UiB as an organization has navigated safely in demanding waters, in a trusting and constructive dialogue between leaders, employees, students, union representatives, and safety delegates. 

In a new rector period, we will be a guarantor of continuity in the work and the important processes to strengthen UiB. Our team has great ambitions for UiB as an international research university. 

And what are these ambitions about? 

At an overall level, we will work for a national financial boost for research and education, and to ensure long-term good conditions for academic communities. 

The political discussion leding up to the parliamentary election shows that this is possible if both the state and the business sector come together to find good instruments. This political work must be reinforced by internal priorities at UiB, where we will emphasize support for core tasks, good infrastructure, recruitment, and collegial interaction. 

Particular attention must be paid to PhD candidates and young researchers to avoid the risk of losing a generation of researchers and creating knowledge gaps in academic communities and society. We will continue our efforts to provide good conditions for younger researchers and be an attractive employer. A recruitment position at UiB should provide the best conditions for competing for positions in academia and outside the HE sector. 

Our research-based education should be closely linked to knowledge development and provide a solid foundation for knowledge-based societal participation, innovation, and lifelong learning. 

Our objective is to enhance a broad array of high-quality study programs while fostering well-being and quality in studies. There are great opportunities in interdisciplinary collaboration, not least in areas such as digital and technological competence, and sustainability. In recent years, UiB has become an increasingly attractive place to study, academically, physically, and socially. The work community and a vibrant campus are important qualities and a great competitive advantage for us. 

We will facilitate close cooperation with our student organizations to make UiB Norway’s most attractive place of study. 

Furthermore, we see that the international landscape has changed, with the pandemic, geopolitical unrest, and greater security demands. At the same time, digital transformation has connected us more closely to the world and provided new opportunities. 

We will strengthen our engagement in international collaborative organizations and further develop cooperation with universities and organizations outside Europe. 

We will also actively work to reduce barriers to internationalization concerning student recruitment and mobility. We will highlight our international colleagues as an important resource both for UiB as an international research university and for their important role in filling heavy competence needs in Norwegian society. 

The university’s value base, role, and ambitions must be communicated with the outside world. Our research, education, and innovation are prerequisites for knowledge-based, democratic, and sustainable societal development. Therefore, UiB must be a university without walls that takes responsibility for development and creates good meeting arenas between researchers, students, business, and administration. 

In a time characterized by disinformation, we want to clearly promote research-based knowledge in public discourse and policy-making. Digitalization is pervasive in knowledge dissemination, knowledge sharing, and in the work with open science. 

The most important resource for a university is its staff and students. 

This is where the creative power of the organization lies, and as a rector team, it is our responsibility to create an attractive, safe, and inspiring work and learning environment for all groups of employees and students. We will emphasize strengthened cooperation between academics, administration, and support functions. 

UiB’s most important strength lies where core activities take place: faculties, departments, and academic communities, and in good interaction between different groups of employees, union representatives, and safety delegates. This understanding is a premise for our priorities. We will promote a culture where collaboration on academic goals is the focus, and where the various competencies in academic communities are recognized. 

Team Hagen is a guarantor that the University of Bergen, in front of important decisions, thinks long-term and strategically in relation to the needs of academic communities and students.