Strategic plan for Lund University

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1 Strategic plan for Lund University Lund University was founded in 1666 and has long been a centre of culture and learning. Deeply marked by history, the University which is currently also present in Malmö, Helsingborg and Ljungbyhed affects the development of the city and the region to a large extent. We are now entering a new ten-year period in which to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. We are proud of the University s high quality and its prominent position both nationally and internationally. High-class research and education are conducted here, reinforced by qualified support functions. The University offers cultural activities and public events of various kinds. We also have many cooperation partners regionally, nationally and internationally. In 2026, our University is to be even more attractive and a beacon of light. We shall achieve this by being an open and creative University in which people meet and grow, and where future knowledge takes shape. The students are without a doubt our University s greatest success factor. It is therefore crucial for our future position that our students receive a good education closely linked to active research environments. In 2026, Lund University shall therefore be an attractive learning and research environment, to which students and staff are keen to apply both from Sweden and abroad. The interweaving of research and education is to characterise our learning environments and, combined with systematic academic development work, is to guarantee high quality. In 2026, we shall also truly be a broad University which has exploited the full potential of its rich range of research subjects. By that time, we shall also have reinforced and deepened our cooperation with wider society. Above all, we shall have developed a quality-enhancing academic culture for both education and research. Our global commitment and our international spirit in all our activities are to be well recognised. We will also have made the most of the leverage potential of our spectrum of valuable assets. These include everything from rich cultural activities to new opportunities offered by MAX IV and our proximity to ESS, along with gender equality, diversity, a good work environment and ethical awareness. In 2026, our University is the place for creative freedom where risk-taking and persistence can lead to unexpected breakthroughs. We provide plenty of space and trust to our staff and emphasise employee excellence as a success factor. We develop critical questioning and provide time for afterthought. In this way, we create a coherent culture of quality with collegial management and ethical awareness, making us into a global knowledge model. In order to achieve this high ambition by 2026, we must responsibly take initiatives for development and make clear and active choices. The ability of leaders and managers at different levels to prioritise with clarity and integrity is crucial. The strategic plan identifies choices which lead to this position up to The level of ambition is high. Our vision is to be a model for others in the way in which we generate and transfer knowledge. We are all involved and we all take part in our task to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition through education, research and external engagement. This plan is to be converted into strategic plans for the faculties and other units within the University. The various strategies are also to be transferred to concrete goals in the annual plans of operations. In this way, the strategic plan will become concrete and clear. Checks and follow-up of the way in which the plan has been implemented by the various units within the University are to take place at

2 the latest by Later on, halfway through the plan s period of validity in 2021, a comprehensive evaluation shall be conducted to enable revision. Lund University s core values Our shared core values are based on the Magna Charta Universitatum to indicate that we are part of the global university community. This entails responsible autonomy and academic freedom that we are free from pressure from wider society and that we safeguard the freedom, integrity and quality of education and research and their inseparability. Our core values are also based on the work carried out by the government council on basic values. This entails democracy, legality, objectivity, freedom of opinion, respect for everyone s equal value and efficiency and service. Through these basic values, we stand clearly for the values that are expressed in documents such as the UN declaration on human rights. We also have basic values which have characterised our University for a long time: critical thinking, creativity, factualness, curiosity, commitment, compassion and humour based on self-awareness. These collective core values are a foundation of our University and crucial for successful development and thereby for the implementation of the strategic plan. Our vision Lund University is a model for how future knowledge is generated and passed on The path toward the vision is our task To understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition through education, research, external engagement and artistic activity During we will highlight five goals 1. Education and research are to maintain high quality and be interwoven Education and research are the core activities at our University and are to maintain such a high quality that we can serve as an example to others. Achieving this requires increased awareness of the University s identity and active quality enhancement. A crucial quality issue is that education and research are interwoven. The interweaving of education and research is therefore to be one our University s characteristics. Education and research of the quality to which we aspire must also be matched by a quality-driven support organisation and infrastructure and be governed by academic principles.

3 Our education and research are to be of high quality, academically driven and evaluated continuously. They are to be performed with adequate infrastructure and support. Our education and research are to be interwoven in learning environments that include both education and research, where students connect with research, and where researchers and research students participate in undergraduate education as well as research. Our courses and study programmes are to consistently maintain high quality in terms of both our subjects and teaching methods. The learning shall be up to date and place high demands on the students. Innovative teaching that improves the quality is to be encouraged. Our research is to be of high quality and shall be both basic and applied. It is to be conducted in dynamic, well-organised and well-funded environments, and be ethically supported. It is to allow risk-taking, critical thinking and reflection. 2. Collaboration and external engagement is to permeate our University Our University is characterised by a wide range of faculties and a multitude of disciplines and research areas. Properly utilising this breadth and collaborating across borders gives us good conditions for carrying out our task. This is where we have a real opportunity to make a difference. Our breadth also gives us special conditions to address many of the issues and challenges of the future, as described in, for example, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda It is therefore important to develop and encourage active engagement with wider society, including the public sector, culture, social life and industry. Boundary-crossing and interdisciplinary collaboration within our University and with other higher education institutions is to be encouraged. New areas of collaboration are to be developed in both education and research. Barriers to cooperation are to be identified and eliminated. Our University is to take greater social responsibility, promote interaction and the benefits of our education and research regionally, nationally and internationally by utilising our ability to meet future societal challenges. We are to increase our knowledge of entrepreneurial application of research results, and actively participate in the regional and national innovation system. Active and live interaction with alumni and friends of the University is to be further developed for the benefit of education, research and sustainable funding. 3. Our education and research is to have an international spirit An international spirit is crucial in order for us to operate and make a difference in an increasingly globalised world. This requires an increased global commitment and an awareness of the international dimension within each organisation. Our University is to be permeated by an international spirit and a global commitment. We are to encourage increased international mobility for students and staff. Our international collaborations with universities and other partners are to be established strategically. Collaboration with universities and partners in the Öresund region are to be vitalised. The University is to be a driving force in various international networks, such as LERU and U21, as well as in other key forums, including EU and UN bodies. 4. We are to develop our leadership and offer an attractive environment

4 Our success and high quality are based on the efforts of our dedicated and competent students and staff. In order to attract and retain these talents, the University must therefore offer an attractive and stimulating environment. An attractive environment is also important to enable creative freedom, which is a condition for achieving breakthroughs and creating and communicating knowledge of the future. This places great demands on our leaders and managers. They are to take initiative concerning the University s development and necessary changes in a transparent, clear and confident way, and support the realisation of successful learning environments. We also become more attractive by ensuring that resources are in place and are utilised properly. Other important conditions to ensure high quality in an attractive environment are conscious, consistent and longterm efforts to implement sustainable measures, for instance with regard to gender equality, a good working environment and ethical awareness, as well as increased visibility and accessibility to our activities, for example, through Open Access. Our University is to be led by employees who take leadership responsibilities at different levels. Leaders and managers at all levels are to have the skills and abilities necessary to lead. They are to reflect on their assignment, receive sufficient support and be capable of prioritising and implementing changes in order to develop the organisation and its quality. The management structure and collegial form of governance is to be developed. Our University is to be at the forefront in terms of good study environment, active student life and clear student influence. We are to promote and develop an active and responsible sense of teamwork, permeated by the fact that we are one University, with a common goal, in which every employee has an important task. We are to ensure clear career paths and work strategically with recruitment. We are to work to obtain long-term sustainable funding, so that good resources and infrastructure for education and research are secured. We are to take a leading position in the digitalisation of education and research. We are to develop our role as a bearer of culture. We are to distinguish ourselves for having good ethics and probity, a high level of gender equality, a good work environment, strong environmental awareness, and the ability to ensure equal opportunities for both students and staff. We are to become more visible in the academic community, in public debates and in cultural life. We are to further develop an attractive campus and, in collaboration with regional and local authorities, continue to develop Lund, Malmö and Helsingborg into sustainable and attractive cities of knowledge. 5. MAX IV and ESS are to be leverage potential for our University MAX IV is part of Lund University, and together with its proximity to the European facility ESS, this creates a great development opportunity for us. These facilities are therefore to become a natural part of our education and research, while the activities we do that do not directly come into contact with them are given the opportunity to develop to the same degree, so that our broad University is strengthened. We are also to be a driving force for the facilities themselves, as well as in the continued development of Science Village Scandinavia. We are to develop our education and research at MAX IV and ESS through recruitment, graduate schools, professional development, information, etc. Collaboration within the University and with other higher education institutions, the public sector and industry in relation to MAX IV and ESS is to be strengthened regionally,

5 nationally and internationally. We are to serve as hub for national and international collaborations involved in the facilities. We are to support the development of Science Village Scandinavia as a place where research, education and entrepreneurship can meet.