Long-term, strong and collaborative
The University of Bergen is a fundamental societal institution and a beacon of new knowledge and competence. Our foundation is built on research-based education and solid research across a wide range of disciplines. Long-term planning, academic autonomy, and trust in our academic communities are central to our ethos. Through enduring and value-driven priorities, we will continue to develop UiB as an international research-intensive university. We are committed to upholding academic freedom, fostering university democracy with an elected rector, and cultivating a strong, collaborative university.
Universities find themselves at a historical juncture within a shifting geopolitical landscape marked by global environmental and climate challenges, democratic instability, disinformation, and digital transformation. In this context it is imperative that UiB champions the university`s autonomy, and an unwavering commitment to independent and high-quality research and education.
The higher-education sector is currently navigating increased political oversight and more challenging economic conditions in Norway and throughout Europe. As one of Norway’s few research-intensive universities, UiB holds a unique and pivotal role in knowledge provision and preparedness at both national and European level. It is critically important that the university’s priorities are shaped through extensive dialogue with our colleagues.
We will advocate for a national financial uplift for research and education, ensuring long-term sustainable conditions for our academic communities and the university. Our dedicated efforts will focus on maintaining the academic capacity of our faculties, reinforcing our position as a strong international research university and a knowledge-driven catalyst in societal development..
Meet our team
As a team we have broad disciplinary background and extensive leadership experience gained while serving in leadership roles at all levels of the UiB organization: the rectorate, deanship, heads of department and research center management. This gives us a solid platform from which to develop UiB further. We have a strong commitment to the university’s pivotal role in society and are dedicated to safeguarding the university’s core values in a time when they are under pressure.
Margareth Hagen
Rector candidate
Sigrunn Eliassen
Pro-Rector candidate for Education
Kjell-Morten Myhr
Vice-rector candidate for Research and Innovation
Kristoffer Chelsom Vogt
Vice-rector candidate for PhD education and international relations
UiB’s strategy (2023-2030) serves as a guideline for our work:
UiB aims to be among Europe’s leading universities, internationally recognized for high quality in research and education. As a societal institution, we will contribute to sustainable and democratic development and be an attractive and inclusive place to study and work.
Our mandate will be informed by a firm commitment to pursuing and achieving the following goals.
Favourable conditions for groundbreaking research
UiB has strong research environments across a wide range of disciplines which lay the foundation for solving todays and tomorrow’s challenges through curiosity-driven and excellent research. Academic freedom and the greatest possible long-term predictability for our individual employees and research communities are essential for maintaining our high-quality of research.
We will emphasize support for core tasks, good infrastructure, enhanced recruitment, and collegial collaboration. At UiB, artistic development work has an equal standing to research.
UiB’s thematic priority areas — Ocean, Climate and Energy Transition, and Global Challenges — promote effective interdisciplinary collaborations across faculties and highlight key thematic areas. We also have strong digital and technological research at all faculties, offering significant opportunities for increased research collaboration.
Our team will:
- ensure that our researchers maintain academic autonomy, good research conditions, and time for research.
- provide support to research environments to help them succeed in national and international competition arenas.
- strengthen the support system for artistic development work and infrastructure.
- encourage interdisciplinary research to leverage and enhance UiBs potential as a comprehensive and collaborative university.
- further develop our research infrastructure based on the faculties’ roadmaps and promote national and international collaboration building and maintaining research infrastructure
- keep strengthening the training and awareness of research ethics, and support of open research.
- highlight the importance of independent research for a sustainable and democratic future.
PhD education and young researchers
PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and young researchers contribute significantly to UiB’s research and renewal. With their international profile, they are crucial for our research-intensive university environments, and for our future professional and academic networks.
We will continue to work towards enhancing UiB`s support for young researchers and be an attractive employer. A recruitment position at UiB should provide the best conditions to compete for permanent positions in academia and beyond.
Our team will:
- strengthen career guidance and individual mentoring opportunities, while offering competence and professional development programs for young researchers.
- increase contact between external academic partners to build networks and highlight career paths within the research institute sector, innovation hubs, university hospitals, the public sector, and industry.
- ensure that our internationally recruited scholars are well integrated into our academic community and establish and maintain external networks.
- advocate for the interests of young researchers and strong PhD education towards national policy makers.
Research-based and student-active education
An education from UiB should provide a solid foundation for knowledge-based societal participation, innovation, and lifelong learning. Our research-based education provides students with skills required in critical thinking, the use of scientific methods, artistic development work, and new technologies. A culture defined by quality and collegiality should characterize our collaboration on education.
Our goal is to further develop our broad range of high-quality international education. We aim to promote student well-being and successful completion of university degrees. UiB offers significant opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration, especially in terms of digital skills and technological competence. We want UiB to continue to be at the forefront of this development and incorporate digital competence tailored to each field of study.
Our team will:
- development study programs with a stronger interdisciplinary profile with better opportunities of combining courses across disciplines.
- promote innovative teaching and student-active learning to develop critical thinking and train methodological, digital, and analytical skills.
- develop study programs that integrate new technologies and train competencies needed for digital transformation.
- engage students in relevant and complex problems to provide interdisciplinary perspectives and collaboration towards sustainable solutions.
- develop more internships and practical training opportunities and collaboration with industry and the public sector to offer relevant education opportunities for life-long learning.
- arrange collegial meeting places for collaborative and innovative teaching practices.
Learning environments and student engagement
In recent years, UiB has become even more attractive study location. An inclusive study community and a vibrant campus are important qualities and competitive advantages for UiB.
Our team will:
- strengthen efforts to recruit students from diverse backgrounds and maintain a diverse student population
- develop physical and digital learning environments that promote collaboration, provide working conditions, and contribute to an inclusive campus
- ensure that our students are included in academic and social communities and meet their academic goals
- facilitate student participation in democratic bodies and work closely with student organizations towards inclusive social arenas
- regularly have representatives from the Student Parliament meet with the rector’s leadership group and support student engagement
An international university
In recent years, UiB has worked systematically towards extending and maintaining international collaborations to develop high quality and mutual partnerships. The international landscape has changed, marked by the pandemic, greater geopolitical unrest and national security issues. The digital transformation has brought us closer in many ways, enabling new forms of international collaboration.
The EU Framework for research and innovation is becoming increasingly important, also for collaborations outside Europe. The political landscape is characterized by balancing national needs, security policy, and Norway’s ability for international cooperation. In this challenging landscape, it is important that we protect our academic values while ensuring responsible international relationships.
Our team will:
- strengthen our engagement in international collaborative organizations and partnerships
- further develop our cooperation with universities and organizations outside Europe.
- strategically work to ensure that UiB remains strong in international students and staff recruitment and mobility,
- advocate for improved national support schemes for international students and staff members.
- continue our international efforts to support researchers and students at risk.
- improve the integration of our internationally recruited colleagues and students, making them feel valued, welcome and safe.
An open and collaborative university
Our research and education require collaboration regionally, nationally, and internationally. To maximize the impact of knowledge generation, UiB should be a university without walls, creating meaningful meeting arenas between researchers, students, administration, industry, and collaborators beyond academia.
Collaboration
UiB has a national reach and should be a prominent knowledge-based policy actor and attractive partner. In Western Norway, UiB should be innovative and generous, acting as a knowledge common for the region’s national and international ambitions and outreach.
With solid resources, strong collaborative relationships, numerous knowledge clusters, and a supportive institutional framework, UiB is uniquely positioned for this role. In recent years, several collaborative relationships have been strengthened and developed.
Our team will:
- strengthen existing collaborations and actively explore possibilities for new collaborations and initiatives.
- promote UiB as a clear knowledge policy actor for long-term basic research and research-based education, and maintain good dialogue with authorities, politicians, and external research organizations.
- further develop our vibrant, open and inclusive city campus.
- take a leading role in Havbyen og Kunnskapsbyen Bergen, and be a central partner in the knowledge clusters.
- strengthen collaboration with key partners such as Haukeland University Hospital, Helse Vest, Bergen Municipality, Vestland County, NORCE, Institute for Marine Research, and other knowledge institutions in the region.
Research dissemination
UiB has an open and generous sharing culture, conveying the value of knowledge, democracy, and sustainability. At a time, increasingly characterized by disinformation, we want to clearly promote the value of independent research in public discourse and policymaking.
Creative and performing arts and research-based exhibitions are an important part of our interaction with the outside world. Digitalization is pervasive in knowledge dissemination, and our work towards open science.
Our team will:
- create a forum for exploratory practices in research dissemination to support researchers and academic communities
- further develop the University Museum and University Library’s dissemination activities based on their unique mandates and collections.
- be a strong advocate and contributor to the development of more open and digitally accessible research
- collaborate nationally and internationally to facilitate sharing of data, costs, and support for digital research infrastructures.
Innovation
UiB’s approach to innovation is rooted in our strong research, education, and dissemination activities.
The goal is to contribute to a more functional and sustainable society and encompass more than just value based in increased economic growth. UiB innovations hinge on the premise that research groups are given opportunities to develop content and relevance based in their own discipline.
Our team will:
- use knowledge clusters, the national and European research and innovation programs, and collaboration with the institute sector, public sector, and industry to strengthen innovation work.
- enhance our support functions for innovation in close collaboration with academic communities.
- position UiB as a hub in the development of innovation districts emerging around us.
- expand students’ opportunities for involvement in innovation, closely connected to their disciplines.
The university community and work environment
Our goal is for UiB to be an attractive and safe workplace. In a challenging economic situation and increased work pressure, we will emphasize quality, community, involvement, and long-term planning. We will promote academic freedom, open democratic processes, renewal, and academic and administrative development through good dialogue between students, employees, management, unions, and HRS representatives.
UiB’s important strength lies where our core activities, research and education, takes place; in the faculties, departments, and research environments where interactions between different groups of employees takes place. This understanding is a premise for our priorities.
The university has developed over time, as an organization with increased administrative complexity, stronger political control, and more government-imposed tasks. This presents both scientific and administrative colleagues with new challenges that must be solved collectively at the right level and with the right resource use.
We will promote a culture where collaboration on academic goals is the focus, and where a broad range of competencies are valued and recognized. Administrative and technical staff are employees with critically important competencies who do essential work in running the university, ensuring solid management, supporting and closely collaborating with academic staff. For UiB to succeed with its ambitions, colleagues across disciplines and administration levels must work closely together.
Our team will:
- promote a recruitment practice characterized by quality, long-term planning, and equity.
- promote work environments that encourage and support the professional development of employees.
- further develop digital competence for all employees.
- develop common arenas across disciplines and administration that promote a strong university democracy and a culture of openness for participation in strategic choices.
- collaborate at all levels of the organization to ensure good division of labour between levels and priorities based on the needs of core activities.
- take a knowledge-based approach to climate and environmental challenges, and support the administration in efforts for sustainable and responsible operations and procurement.
- collaborate with the administration to further develop a common employer and salary policy, with the goal that university employees salary should align with that of academic positions in society.
- strengthen the strategic dialogue with students on common challenges and goals, in structured collaboration with the student democracy at all levels of the organization.
- work purposefully and mobilize politically to realize our important building projects in a sustainable manner and within the framework of a sound economy.