“The strategy targets academic and administrative staff at all levels who work with research and doctoral education at the university, particularly managers. The idea is that the strategy’s objectives will be concretised in future activity plans. It should also be available to external stakeholders who wish to understand our research and what we stand for,” says Anna Maria Jönsson, pro-vice-chancellor for research and responsible for leading work on the strategy.

Creative research environments with stable conditions

The strategy states that Södertörn University will increase the proportion of externally funded research, promote scientific impact and provide opportunities for researchers to develop at all stages of their careers. One priority during the period is increasing opportunities for teaching staff with doctorates and researchers to conduct research as part of their position. The university will have strong collegial and creative research environments in which researchers at different stages of their careers gather around a common interest. These environments should be characterised by collegiality, intellectual openness, diversity and equality. Good and stable conditions will create conditions conducive to innovation, risk-taking and the opportunity to deeply examine research issues.

Some items the strategy highlights are improving support to increase the number of female professors and improving the provision of support for research applications, focusing on large, long-term and internationally oriented research programmes. In addition, the visibility of the university’s research in national and international academic and popular science contexts will be strengthened, as will the opportunities for working internationally as a researcher and doctoral student at Södertörn University.

“The decision to develop a research strategy, as well as the text itself has the backing of all areas of the university. The process took just over a year and included meetings and a written consultation round. It has been inspirational work, and we received many comments and suggestions that we cannot fit into the research strategy, but which contribute to the development of the organisation in other ways,” says Anna Maria Jönsson.