Thursday April 14 was the day for the Department’s strategy seminar in the beautiful Aula. 75 employees participated in discussions and listened to presentations. We heard prorector Anne Lise Fimreite’s view on what the UiB strategy could do for her, from the researcher perspective. We heard dean Helge Dahle presenting the faculty’s ambitions for the next strategy period, and we were convinced that Bergen is the Ocean City by vice-dean Jarl Giske. Finn-Eirik Johansen from the University of Oslo gave us insight into the Life Science ambitions of UiO, and also into how biology is organized at the Department of Biosciences at UiO. Excellent talks giving food for reflection.
Where is BIO? Where are we going? And how do we get there? These were the overarching questions in the strategy discussions, after introductions by Sigurd Stefansson, Lise Øvreås, Ivar Rønnestad and myself. Much good input to BIO’s new strategy plan was aired over the table and properly noted. In the upcoming process these will be kneaded further into a document to be circulated in the research groups and other important committes of the department, such as the doctoral education committee and the program board. The plan is that the new Head of Department also will have a chance to influence on the plan when he or she is in place over summer, before the plan is finally approved by the Department Board.
A strategy plan should in my view be offensive, but also inclusive and provide room for action. It must give each and one of the department’s employees a feeling of being seen and embraced by the plan, but at the same time giving the leadership maneuvrability in a continuously changing landscape of research and higher education politics. Important keywords for the activities at BIO in the future are quality and relevance, as was said in the Aula yesterday. Our mission includes both research and education, but also communication and innovation. We are on the right track in many areas, but we undoubtedly can achieve and strive for better results.
One area were we are lagging behind, is publications at level 2. That is why I have made a habit of boasting a little about those who in fact are publishing at level 2. This time it is Fabian Zimmermann and Mikko Heino who together with coauthors have a paper in Marine Ecology Progress Series. Congratulations!
We also need to boast about Frede Thingstad, who this week got a nice letter from Greece. There it says that he is nominated as Honorary Doctor of the University of Crete, Heraklion. Congratulations to Frede!
And a big thanks to everyone who contributed at the strategy seminar!
Hilsen Anders
