Concerted research and collaboration support
Uppsala University is acting to boost research and collaboration support by concentrating resources in a single division in the University Administration. Photo: Anders Berndt.
The support for research and collaboration provided by the University Administration is being brought together in a new division, with more than forty members of staff. The aim is to improve support to researchers.
“The goal is to enable us to sharpen research and collaboration support while delivering services we do not provide today but which are in demand, not least from the academic departments. We are doing this without increasing resources – our mandate has been to reorganise within existing economic parameters,” says Deputy University Director Daniel Gillberg, who has been in charge of reorganising support for research and collaboration.
In May 2023, external analyst Karin Röding delivered her report “Research and Collaboration Support at Uppsala University”. The report contains 36 proposals for change, one of them being a single support function for research and collaboration serving the entire University.
“In the present organisation, support for research and collaboration is provided by many different units in the University Administration. This has led to a lack of clarity about who is responsible for what, which can easily result in duplication or in things falling between the stools. It has also made it more difficult for researchers to find the appropriate support,” Gillberg explains.
Concerted support
For this reason, the Division for Research and Collaboration Support is being set up within the University Administration to unify research and collaboration support. The new Head of Division, Johan Kreuger, who is currently Head of the Department of Medical Cell Biology, will take up his duties on 1 September 2024.
The division will become operational on 1 January 2025 when the more than forty staff members will be in place. The autumn of 2024 will be devoted to implementation, including a more thorough review of the division’s remit and clarification of boundaries. This will also allow time for physical relocations to bring staff together in the new division.
The new division will consist of staff from the following divisions and units. Those divisions/units will in turn be closed down:
- Innovation Partnership Office
- Unit of Strategic Research Support at the Planning Division
- Unit for Global Partnerships at the Division for Internationalisation
- Research Support Unit at the Office for Humanities and Social Sciences.
Some resources will also be transferred from the Research Support Units of the Office for Science and Technology and the Office for Medicine and Pharmacy, as well as from the Financial Administration and Procurement Division.
In total, the new division will have just over forty members of staff.
Three units
The new division will be divided into three units:
- Management Support Unit
- Researcher Services Unit
- Project Support Unit.
The Management Support Unit will provide support to the University Management on University-wide research and collaboration issues. This will also include support to international networks in which the University is involved.
At the Researcher Services Unit, the focus will be on support and advice in connection with applications for external research and collaboration funding, as well as support and advice in the management and follow-up of projects with external funding. This will also include the coordination of issues related to research data and research ethics.
The Project Support Unit will focus on support in conjunction with various types of collaboration initiatives and projects. This will also include supporting the University’s strategic partnerships and leading work on the AIMday collaboration tool.
Local support will continue at two Faculty Offices
The new division will bring together research and collaboration support at the University Administration with one exception.
The Office for Science and Technology and the Office for Medicine and Pharmacy will continue to provide local support for researchers in terms of application support. All research support in the Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences will be incorporated in the new division.
New opportunities
One objective is that the new organisation will be able to provide more support and serve as an expert function for research projects that have received external funding and need assistance and support in their follow-up and reporting.
“There is demand from researchers and departments for more developed post-support. Post-support covers a wide range of issues, including budget and follow-up, financial reporting, research data, research ethics and compliance. Much of this is managed by the departments’ own staff but concentrating our resources and skills in these areas will enable us to offer broad expertise where it is needed,” Gillberg concludes.
Anders Berndt