Contribute to the strategic profiling of Mid Sweden University

On behalf of the Swedish government, Formas, Forte, the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova have produced a proposal for a model for quality-based resource distribution of grants for research and education at postgraduate level for universities and colleges. The government wants to reward strategic profiling and prioritization of research that have the highest international quality. Profile areas must be high-quality strategic research efforts that the universities themselves define. They should aim to strengthen the research profiles of the higher education institutions and contribute to increased quality in research.

The starting point is the strategy of Mid Sweden University, where the university board has designated an area in which they wish to see the university develop and take a position. The overarching theme to be strengthened is: Sustainable social development in northern Sweden in an international perspective. Sustainable societal development in northern Sweden refers to the role and impact of Mid Sweden University on societal development from a regional and national perspective in all areas of sustainability: ecology, economy, society, and culture. Internationalization emphasizes our relevance internationally and our footprint and participation in the global arena. The points are made based on the idea that a strong position regarding relevance and impact in the challenges that exist regionally and nationally can be combined with international visibility and global relevance. Together, they form a theme where the regional is linked to the global within the framework of sustainable social development.

In the work of describing major research initiatives that are in line with the theme, the vice-chancellor and deans have formulated several guiding points. These points are intended to form a framework for the work to define some research areas that are clearly connected to the university's strategy and the board's strategic development goals. The points are:

• Proceed from the areas of strength and challenges in northern Sweden
• Put the research in a global perspective
• Adapt to changing conditions (e.g., climate, markets, demographics and new technological possibilities)
• Relate to the need for competencies and skills
• Look for opportunities in fields of tension and goal conflicts
• Highlight the most exciting future possibilities
• Base the reasoning in the research of the research environment or on own research

In order to receive material and ideas for the development of research programs in line with the goals of the board, all research environments are invited to submit scientific reflections of 1 to 2 pages, maximum 800 words, including possible key references. The reflections present ongoing and future research at Mid Sweden University that could be highlighted in a strategic research program within the framework of the university's profiling. Each reflection should highlight the scientific quality, the uniqueness and potential of the research and possibly cooperation with the surrounding society. Your contributions will be included in an anthology with short reflections on important research to support the board's strategic priorities. Research environments include centers, forums, disciplinary research, networks and research groups. Researchers who are not part of a research environment are also invited to contribute.

The deadline for submitting texts is 28 November 2022. A reference group will work further with the compilation. Texts can be sent either in Swedish or English to the Grants Office grantsoffice@miun.se

Examples of the format for the anthology that is intended can be found on Miun's website for the work with Skogens värden and the project Sustainable community development 

Contact

If you have questions about the work, you can contact research advisor Katrin Lindbäck katrin.lindback@miun.se