S T R AT E G y 2 0 1 1 – 2 0 1 5 T H E U n i v E r s i T y o f B E r g E n

disciplines, interdisciplinary studies, professional programmes and performing arts (music), with knowledge, performing skills, critical reflection and personal development at their core. The students become familiar with scientific theory, methodology and practical issues. The university provides a valuable and useful general education which will prepare students for the rest of their lives and working careers, teaching social commit-ment and fundamental values based on transpar-ency, verifiability, integrity and critical discussion. The university education therefore puts a strong emphasis on research ethics and academic values and norms.

The international universityHigher education and research are part of a global cultural tradition, with a strong history of international collaboration and competition.Research and education are increasingly taking place in international arenas and increasingly in-volve international individuals, organizations and institutions. As a consequence, students and staff at the University of Bergen are often recruited from abroad, and interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research challenges are often met by a global network of researchers. Researchers at the university publish via international publish-ing media, and win funds for research through international competitions. Our researchers and students are strong candidates for international re-search partnerships and educational collaboration.

The university in societyThe University of Bergen’s most important contri-butions to society are outstanding basic research and the education of highly-qualified candidates. In addition to these two core activities, the uni-versity works in close cooperation with the local community. It is the university’s independent knowledge, based on long-term research, which makes the institution important for a living de-mocracy and for the development of the culture, community and businesses of the future. Knowl-edge which is generated at the university is passed on via a broad network of researchers and research groups, and a wide selection of study programmes

at departments, faculties and centres, as well as through activities at the University Library and Bergen Museum.

Universities have a range of schemes that allow it to interact culturally and socially with the out-side world. The research institutions owned by the university or those with which it collabo-rates academically are particularly important for maintaining this contact. These institutions play a different role in the research system than the university, with a greater emphasis on applied research and contract research for industry and the authorities. Some of these research institutions have also been given particular public responsi-bilities, thereby representing research which is of direct social relevance.

Quality in the working environmentThe University of Bergen is proud of its culture of always striving to improve the quality of its study environment, academic environment and administrative bodies. The university community is a place where opinions can be freely shared, and where students can engage in unbiased, free and open debate. Interaction between students and staff is typically defined by mutual respect, expertise and a desire to achieve the highest qual-ity. The university’s people are its most important resource. It is important for it to recruit and hold onto the most inquisitive, thoughtful and compe-tent staff for every kind of position. We actively work against all types of discrimination, which is demonstrated by our comprehensive equal op-portunities policy. Health, safety and the environ-ment are safeguarded by ensuring that there are good quality work facilities and a safe working environment for everyone.

UnIvERSITy Of BERGEn – An InTERnATIOnALLy REcOGnIzEd RESEARcH UnIvERSITyAll activity at the University of Bergen is based on the research university’s academic values. Researchers and students strive for insight, un-derstanding and academic and personal develop-ment through inquisitiveness, critical reflection and unbiased dialogue. This strategy document will articulate the University of Bergen’s values, status, and position, as well as the role it plays in regional, national and international arenas. By identifying the driving forces that affect the uni-versity and by clearly expressing the institution’s choices and ambitions, this document will show the importance of these priorities in the ongoing process of developing the University of Bergen as an internationally recognized research univer-sity. The strategy document will thus indicate the direction of the entire institution with regard to decisions, initiatives and the use of resources.

The University of Bergen was established in 1946, but its academic and institutional roots go back to the foundation of the University Museum in 1825. The University`s 14,000 students and 3,500 staff across 6 faculties, 39 departments and cen-tres, the Bergen Museum and University Library combine to form a broad and diverse academic organisation, in which each academic group supports and complements the others, creating conditions that promote research and education across borders. Research is the driving princi-ple of education at all levels at the University of Bergen – from bachelor’s degrees to Phds – and in accordance with the traditions of a research university, all permanent academic staff have a right and an obligation to research and teach.

The various academic groups within the uni-versity have a national responsibility to develop academic disciplines, basic research, doctoral pro-grammes and research-based educational oppor-tunities. Our long-term strategy is to continue to develop the university as an internationally

recognized research university with a broad aca-demic base, while at the same time maintaining our tradition of focusing efforts on selected areas, such as marine and development-related research and education.

The research university’s core valuesThe University of Bergen has always played an important role in forming and developing norway as a nation of research and education. However, the university is also a cultural institution with a major intrinsic value. It aims to use its statu-tory academic freedom to generate education and research of the highest international quality, and to help develop knowledge and build valuable, essential skills for society and for our global future.

The university ensures the vitality of its academic activities through constant liaison with a society in continual change. However, keeping up with the times does not mean losing touch with the fundamental principles of a research university – those of basic research, doctoral programmes in every research area, the development of a broad base of subjects and disciplines, and of course the provision of research-based educational opportu-nities. In turn, these academic activities remain free and critical, with academic and institutional autonomy ensured by the fact that leadership and organisational structures within the university are firmly grounded in the academic community.

Within the institution, general institutional and financial conditions are adapted to suit the needs of the various academic environments, which con-tinue to grow and develop on the basis of their own cultures, values, and traditions

Research-based educationThe University of Bergen offers its students re-search-based education in traditional academic

2 3University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015

THE UnIvERSITy’S cHALLEnGESQuality as a yardstickcontinuing to develop our academic quality is the biggest challenge facing the University of Bergen. Recognized research universities are known for their high international quality across a broad range of academic subjects and disciplines. Ambi-tious requirements for the highest quality cannot be restricted to particular research efforts, but must be aimed at all of our research and educa-tional activities. Ensuring that we continue to provide a wide range of academic subjects requires an active, broad and targeted approach to revi-talization of these subjects so that the university remains at the forefront of international knowl-edge development.

Long-term, fundamental research is the univer-sity’s main responsibility, although the distinction between basic and applied research can often be somewhat fuzzy. Academic innovations are often achieved at the crossroads between different disci-plines, frequently as a result of social challenges. It is therefore particularly challenging for the uni-versity to develop forums that promote academic creativity. developing, structuring and imparting knowledge at research universities is essential if society is to be able to integrate new technology and knowledge. continuing to promote and fa-cilitate interaction between the faculties and the different academic groups gives us the potential to provide a crucial boost for education and re-search at the university. The highest quality of education is required if we are to ensure that the university can also continue to push the limits of existing knowledge and established truths in the future. Another major challenge for the university is that of continuing to develop the quality of its research-based education and promoting the unique expertise provided by a university degree.

Structural changesThe landscape of education and research is chang-ing in norway and abroad. Higher education and research in norway have gone through a series

of difficult changes in the last decade. The most significant of these include the socalled ‘quality reform’, the introduction of common legislation for universities and university colleges, a new results-based financing model, a new structure for doctoral degrees, the increasing tendency towards institutional mergers, and the shifting of research funds away from open application basic research allocations towards more specific thematic research initiatives channelled through the Research council of norway, the govern-ment ministries and the EU system. However, the EU’s ERc has provided new opportunities for basic research, by increasing the amounts al-located to open calls with assessments based on quality criteria alone.

More and more educational institutions are of-fering master’s degrees and doctoral degrees, and several of the norwegian university colleges have achieved or are hoping to achieve university status by merging with other institutions and focusing on doctoral degrees within certain research areas. However, there are major differences between the profiles and scope of research of the traditional universities and the university colleges.

national research reports, government commis-sioned studies and a number of evaluations of the norwegian research and education situation have concluded that in relation to other comparable countries, there is a tendency for research funds to be distributed among too many small educational institutions in norway, resulting in variations in quality and productivity. At the same time, in international research and education there is an increasing emphasis on quality, publication and competition. The challenge facing the University of Bergen, which has chosen to cultivate its profile as a research university, is to articulate and dem-onstrate the advantages and resource needs of a research university. However, it is also important to emphasise the value of the institutional diversity available in higher education in norway.

4 University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015

The research university’s funding situationThe university depends on having a stable, predict-able funding situation in order to be able to con-tinue to develop a high level of international quality across a broad range of academic subjects. While the level of basic funding has remained relatively unchanged, the costs that this funding has to cover have increased substantially. The Research council of norway, the EU and other bodies are imposing stricter requirements on co-financing for external research funds. Student places and Phd positions are not being fully financed. The increased costs are eating into the funds that should be spent on ensuring the quality of teaching and research, and this is reducing the university’s strategic room for manoeuvre.

If the University of Bergen is to achieve its goal of maintaining the highest level of international academic quality, it must become more ambitious and more successful in winning external funding. The university must achieve a balance between adapting to external requirements, restrictions and opportunities, and improving and updating its academic profile by demonstrating its special qualities and merits. nor must it neglect the need to protect its academic values, the significance of its basic research and the understanding that it is a unique institution for knowledge, education and culture. It faces the challenge of having to adapt its activities to the new funding situation and modern conditions, while using its autonomy and academic freedom to develop academic profiles, and research and education quality standards at recognized international levels. Another challenge for the university will be to make an active contri-bution towards defining national and international research initiatives and programmes.

Education, academic development and workHigh quality through good research-based educa-tional programs is the guiding principle for educa-tion at the University of Bergen. Providing research-based education means keeping students in contact with research throughout the entire course of study. As their courses progress, students will become

increasingly involved in the research environment – not only by receiving knowledge passed on to them by researchers, but also by taking part in developing this knowledge themselves. An important challenge for the university will be to make the best possible use of its broad range of academic subjects and its unique academic culture, both of which are essential for the development of good research-based educa-tion that allows students to combine specialist skills with a good general education.

Over time, the significance and general conditions of a university education have changed. Once only available to the elite, admission to higher education institutions in norway opened up to increasing numbers of school leavers in the closing decades of the last millennium. More and more educational in-stitutions are focusing on research-based education, and several have achieved university status. This results in fiercer competition for the best students. There is increasing emphasis on making education more relevant for work. Today’s students face a varied and demanding job market, and graduates must have solid skills and the ability to learn and adapt quickly. An important challenge for the Uni-versity of Bergen is to meet the many and varied demands placed upon it: to contribute towards the growth of knowledge communities and a national skills base, while maintaining and improving the quality of research-based education.

Providing high quality education means giving students access to active forms of learning, aca-demic guidance and excellent follow-up from active researchers. As such, it is impossible to separate the funding of higher education from the funding of research. This gives rise to another important challenge: the predicted bulge in the number of school leavers and the government’s plans for fund-ing the requisite increase in the number of degree places offered. One of the university’s important principles is the need to balance student numbers and the number of degree places with the need to ensure high quality education, while still allowing academic staff time for research. One of the univer-sity’s advantages over its competitors is that it will continue to ensure that its academic staff have time for both research and teaching. Another important challenge will be to work within a public financing system that prioritises the number of student places

offered and the number of credits earned, and still find ways of improving the university’s academic profile, prioritising new initiatives and fortifying its research-based education.

InternationalisationThe University of Bergen’s quality and results need to be of the same level as those of other major research universities in norway and abroad. The university has been climbing in international rank-ings for many years, and has become significantly more published internationally; standing out for the number of international research projects it has been awarded. The Act relating to universities and university colleges requires the university to pro-vide a high international quality of education and research while still contributing to innovation and value creation for society as a whole. The challenge facing the University of Bergen as an academically ambitious research university is how to meet the various responsibilities demanded and expected of it by society, yet still be widely represented on the international research front.

The development of knowledge and skills is an increasingly international activity, aided by more and more interaction between institutions of higher education, research and academic innovation. Inter-national partnerships between researchers, research groups, research institutions and other parties con-tributing to research are becoming more competi-tive. Research needs to be of the highest quality in order to succeed in this increasingly competitive world, and research groups must be attractive to potential international partners. Meanwhile, the university must play its part in solving global chal-lenges and building a skills base, even if the research may be of little immediate value to norway and does not serve to promote its national interests. The University of Bergen has a long tradition of research partnerships with various universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and will push for the financial and academic commitment necessary for these partnerships to continue to grow.

The development of a joint European Research Area, the ERA, is also helping to structure national initia-tives. Thematic initiatives through EU framework programmes will become increasingly significant,

and the ERc’s initiatives for top-level basic research will provide new opportunities for pioneering ad-vances in knowledge. An important challenge for the university will be to take part in and influence the processes that select and define focus areas and major programmes for the EU and other important international research arenas. Another important challenge is ensuring that the university’s language skills are good enough to meet the demands of this increasing internationalisation, yet still maintaining a responsible language policy that combines the need to communicate internationally with support for norwegian as an academic language.

The global job market is an important arena for the recruitment of scientific staff. It allows the university to recruit its staff from abroad, but also makes researchers at the University of Bergen at-tractive to foreign research centres and educational institutions. In order to maintain the quality of our recruitment and look after our talented staff, it is vital to maintain an emphasis on skills and expertise throughout the organization in terms of recruitment, practical organisation and language.

Although universities used to recruit mainly local students, modern education is now part of a fast-growing national and international market. At least 10 per cent of the university’s students and more than a quarter of its Phd candidates are foreign. Many of these candidates return to their home regions and represent an important resource for the university’s international activities. It is important to attract these foreign students, but of equal im-portance are the excellent student exchange partner-ship agreements which we continue to set up with major research universities all over the world. These are important for many reasons, not least because they allow more and more norwegian students to take advantage of the opportunity of studying at foreign universities. Increased internationalisation also means that the university is able to educate its students for an international job market that requires new kinds of skills. The challenge is how to meet the requirements and opportunities afforded by internationalisation with confidence and exper-tise, aiming for international recognition across the whole academic spectrum, yet without losing sight of our national and regional obligations.

6 7University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015

THE UnIvERSITy’S dIREcTIOn – TOWARdS 2015The University of Bergen’s objective for the years leading up to 2015 is to strengthen its position as an internationally recognized research university with a targeted focus on outstanding, free and fundamental research, and with partnership agree-ments with leading research universities all over the world. The university will seek to realise its priority of achieving international support and recognition for its research, which is essential if it is to continue to be able to recruit highly qualified researchers and to develop attractive research-based degree programmes.

The university’s success in achieving international recognition must be demonstrated by achieving good results in recognised rankings, publishing extensively in respected fora, winning funding in international research programmes and ensur-ing that its researchers and students are attractive participants in international research and educa-tional partnerships. It is also important for the university’s researchers and students to contribute actively towards meeting and helping to resolve the major global challenges facing the world today, even though these efforts may not reap immediate rewards in the traditional sense.

The university’s strong pointsOne of the University of Bergen’s most important strong points is its good relationship with Bergen and the rest of Western norway. Its staff and students are an important part of local culture and society. The bulk of our students will con-tinue to be norwegian, particularly from Western norway, and it is important for the university to assume national and regional responsibility for the norwegian language, for the dissemination of research, for innovation and for developing subjects and expertise alongside other norwegian research universities and partners. Universities have a special obligation to contribute to the de-

velopment of a country’s knowledge and skills base, since they are a place where the develop-ment and momentum of academic subjects and a population’s need for research and research-based higher education can be seen in the same context.

Although norwegian universities have become more and more dependent on external funding for research from national and international sources, the most important source of finance for the fore-seeable future will be the annual allocation from the national budget. At the same time, research universities like the University of Bergen must work towards a balance between free basic research funds and funds for thematic initiatives chan-nelled through the Research council of norway, the EU and other sources. The university must also influence processes underlying national and international research programmes.

The University of Bergen’s main objective, which is to be an internationally recognized research uni-versity, must underpin strategic choices at all levels – from recruitment, organisation and interaction to publication, teaching and dissemination. Inter-national interaction must become an increasingly integrated part of the entire university’s activities and must involve every member of the organisa-tion: students, researchers and staff in technical and administrative positions, departments and faculties, the university’s executive group and its administrative bodies. This means active interac-tion with foreign institutions through networks and projects, and between individual researchers or research groups. It means that students and staff will become increasingly mobile internation-ally and between institutions, and that language and communication skills must be adapted to the modern needs of the research environments, education, administrative procedures, informa-tion, websites and other relevant media.

8 University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015

Local, regional and national partnershipsThe University of Bergen enjoys good, practical working relationships with local, regional and national research and educational institutions.

Many of the different academic groups across norway’s universities and university colleges work together in partnerships through the many major research initiatives offered by the EU and the Re-search council of norway. Research universities have many things in common, among which is a special responsibility to assess academic part-nerships and the distribution of work amongst themselves. Research universities are major uni-versities offering doctoral programmes, research and research-based education in all academic environments, with academic autonomy and governance, and these characteristics serve as the basis for academic partnerships, division of labour between research universities, new univer-sities and university colleges across the country. Academic collaboration is discussed in national faculty meetings. The university wants to improve the division of labour, for example by relocating smaller courses and programmes which are not well funded into a single institution.

network of Higher Education in Western norway is a network comprising the university and four of Western norway’s university colleges, and it structures collaboration and the division of labour across the region. Researchers at the university work together with researchers at the university colleges, and are allocated quality-based funding. network of Higher Education in Western norway provides information about study programmes, mobility and specifically tailored courses and programmes. The university can offer master’s degrees and doctoral programmes for candidates who have qualified with bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees from the university colleges.

In addition to the regional partnerships facili-tated by network of Higher Education in Western norway, the university maintains good relations with the research and educational institutions

of the region, such as the norwegian School of Economics, Bergen national Academy of the Arts and various other institutions. The academic fo-rums here are an important part of developing Bergen as a research city and Western norway as a research region.

Principles for the prioritisation of qualityA research university succeeds by focusing consist-ently on the quality of its education and research.

The quality of its education is more important than the quantity. The most important basis for quality in university education is for the educa-tion to be research-based. Educational quality depends on several main factors: sufficient fund-ing, a sensible ratio of students to permanent academic staff, and the design of the degrees in relation to the resources available. Other meth-ods of ensuring a good quality of education are by using systematic quality assurance procedures and evaluating syllabuses, programme descrip-tions and study programmes. A university can attract the best students through a good recruit-ment strategy, offering a broad range of educa-tional opportunities within traditional disciplines, interdisciplinary programmes and programmes of professional study based on research and high quality.

The quality of research is made visible through citations, recognised rankings, and contribu-tions to new science, publication in respected media, funding gained through international re-search programmes, national and international assessments and through researchers who are sought-after partners for international research collaborations. The quality of research may also be demonstrated by the ability of the research environments to compete for external funding, recruit new staff and win prizes. Applications for external research funds that receive highly favorable assessments will be prioritised in internal decision-making processes.

Tradition, strengths and interdisciplinary workThe University of Bergen is particularly strong in its tradition of marine and development-related research and education.

during the period covered by this strategy docu-ment, there will be a full academic assessment of

the university’s marine research and education and of initiatives in the development-related field, as well as an assessment of the university’s various ways of organising interdisciplinary work.

Some interdisciplinary work involves subjects which are closely related to each other and have a shared theoretical foundation and methodo-logical approach, whereas other interdisciplinary research partnerships are between extremely dif-ferent subjects, although they are often interested in the same theme. The way each interdisciplinary partnership is organised, including the organi-sation of resources, infrastructure and support services, depends on the nature of the partnership.

A successful interdisciplinary partnership relies on the good academic quality and skills of each of the academic environments taking part. free academic interests must underpin the organisa-tion and approach of interdisciplinary work. The resources to support interdisciplinary partnerships lie primarily within the academic groups, but the entire university should be involved in developing these partnerships.

10 11University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015

OBjEcTIvES And STRATEGIc PRIORITIES fOR 2011–2015ResearchAcademic improvement at the University of Bergen will be achieved largely through the institution’s focus on basic research and the continued development of a broad range of academic disciplines, with an em-phasis on the highest international quality. Ensuring the continued high quality of artistic development is also important. The university is particularly strong in its tradition of development-related and marine activities, and will continue to promote efforts in these areas. The university will invest in academic groups that have a high international profile. The university will make it a priority to provide research-ers with good research terms and funding and suf-ficient time for their research, thus enabling the highest academic quality and outstanding research. By using the appropriate criteria and tools to iden-tify researchers, research and research areas with the highest potential for excellence, the university will continue to develop good-quality, predictable pri-oritisation and decision-making processes.

The University of Bergen’s main research objective: to have and promote basic research of the highest quality across the university’s academic disciplines

The following priority areas will help achieve this main objective:

• encouraging international publishing through good support and information services

• winning free funding from the Research council of norway and European Research council, and being awarded new centres of excellence

• recruiting and keeping the best researchers, developing good research leadership and a better gender balance

• facilitating better interdisciplinary collaboration between faculties and research groups

• promoting the university’s traditions and strengths in marine and development research

• improving and simplifying regional, national and international collaboration within the research system, focusing particular attention on affiliated research institutions

• continuing to develop research partnerships with universities in parts of the world where the University of Bergen can contribute towards building skills from a development perspective

• continuing to develop the University Library as an infrastructure for research, and gaining more funding for scientific equipment and other research infrastructure

doctoral programmesThe university has succeeded in modernising and improving the quality of its doctoral programmes, and will continue to develop these in line with international doctoral standards. One of the main principles is to place Phd candidates in an active research environment, encouraging them to join local national and international research schools.

The University of Bergen’s main objective for doctoral programmes: to have and promote doctoral programmes of the highest quality, with close links to research in the academic environments

The following priority areas will help achieve this main objective:

• improving the quality of doctoral programmes in line with international doctoral programme standards

• ensuring that doctoral programmes emphasise the university’s values and contribute to independent, critical reflection

• developing and improving doctoral programmes within interdisciplinary themes that are significant in the work of meeting global challenges

• ensuring that doctoral programmes can be completed within the prescribed time

12 University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015

• assessing and continuing to develop research schools

• setting up and promoting different career routes that make best use of the skills of researchers and doctors in research and higher education outside the university

• promoting advantageous norwegian conditions for international doctoral candidates

EducationBeing educated at the University of Bergen shall be a mark of quality. The university aims to offer the best research-based education in norway and to stand out for its strong roots in the European university tradition. The foundation of our education is in solid disciplinary programmes and programmes of professional study based on research and high aca-demic quality. However, the university’s courses also aim to reflect society’s need for skills, and we aim to offer educational programmes in areas in which the institution is particularly strong. Education is to be research-based at all levels, with an emphasis on knowledge, comprehensive academic understand-ing, critical reflection and ethical awareness. Our programmes aim to attract good applicants with their high academic quality, international support, excellent learning environment and values that re-gard growth and development as an important part of learning. The university intends to become an even more attractive place of study for norwegians and international students, and will continue to develop a strong, active environment for learning and study. One of its major duties is to provide norwegian educators and university graduates with opportunities for further education.

The University of Bergen’s main objective for education: to offer internationally recognized research-based education of the highest academic quality, with an emphasis on intellectual, critical reflection and ethical awareness

The following priority areas will help achieve this main objective:

• recruiting the best students by offering courses of the highest academic quality and actively using methods that promote quality

• achieving high student mobility by having strongly academic, quality-assured partnership agreements with highly acclaimed universities all over the world

• having a well-equipped learning environment with a universal design that provides a good working environment for students

• offering study programmes as well as continuing and further education which will satisfy the need for skills in a changing society, and which will meet local and global challenges

• satisfying the requirements for research-based education by ensuring that academic staff have sufficient time and opportunity for research and for professional teacher development

• designing all courses to suit capacity and funding

• focusing on practical training and research in which students play an active role

• continuing to develop the use of digital teaching aids

• improving student participation by working closely with student organisations

Social dialogue and public outreachThe university’s committed, unbiased and modern education and communication shall enable it to stand out as an internationally recognized research university, one of the best and most interesting places to study or carry out research in norway. Research groups shall share the results of national and international research.

The University of Bergen’s main objective for social dialogue and public outreach: to promote insight in academic thinking, methods and results in order to strengthen a free, critical and open public debate and knowledge-based social development

The following priority areas will help achieve this objective:

• strengthening the university’s role and reputation as a partner in an attractive, knowledge-intensive culture, society and business community

• raising the profile of the university’s role and function in order to ensure free, independent research and education

• emphasizing partner´s understanding of each other’s’ very different roles, functions and objectives

• developing websites that communicate the university’s identity, which can be used as an arena for broad social dialogue

• providing researchers with good-quality information and support, thereby developing their skills for communicating the results of their research

• making the results of research accessible to as many people as possible by publishing in open-access media, maintaining our own files in open institutional archives and making research data available

• focusing more on commercialising research results and stimulating an entrepreneurial spirit

• continuing to develop good systems for alumni activities

• restoring the museum building as the main building of the University and an important venue for the University, city and region

The university as an organisation and workplaceIts staff and students are the University of Bergen’s most important resource. There is an atmosphere of mutual understanding in the university’s work-ing environment and community, where the staff demonstrates understanding and consideration for each other’s very different roles and functions. We aim to enable all our staff to feel that they are making an important contribution to the work of achieving the university’s common goals. We aim to define the university’s culture by a high standard of expertise and integrity, openness and free debate, efficient working practices and the ability and desire to achieve common goals and ambitions. We aim to have an emphasis on pro-viding suitable forums for open discussion. We aim to provide a working environment which is tolerant, inclusive, engrossing and fair, making the university an attractive place to work.

The University of Bergen wants to have a high level of expertise, good interaction between academic, administrative and technical staff, and efficient working practices in order to achieve the university’s common goals

The following priority areas will help achieve this objective:

• ensuring good-quality recruitment, continuity and a systematic development of skills

• facilitating good career opportunities, with an emphasis on language teaching, career plans and improving skills.

• providing an attractive, diverse, open and inclusive workplace which considers the needs of its staff during every phase of their lives and careers.

• taking the university’s environmental responsibility seriously by setting targets for environmental work, and keeping a strong focus on HSE, universal design and well-maintained buildings and grounds

• continuing to develop academic leadership and administrative management areas, while ensuring that all people in leadership positions understand the university’s key values and central goals, plans and strategies

• seeing administrative tasks in context, and making better use of skills across different units and levels

• developing a modern digital infrastructure for education, research and administration, with secure, efficient and user-friendly IcT systems

• enabling students and staff to make sound environmental and ethical choices in work and study

• continuing to work on improving the gender balance among administrative and academic staff, emphasising the comprehensive equal opportunities policy and taking action against every kind of discrimination

14 15University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015University of Bergen › Strategy 2011–2015

Address: P.O. Box 7800, n-5020 BERGEn / E-mail: post@uib.no / Telephone: +47 55 58 00 00 / www.uib.no

PUBLISHER: University of Bergen / GRaPHIc dESIGn: division of communication, UiB / PHoto: Marianne Røsvik (cover p. 5, 10, 13), Paul Erik Rosenbaum (p. 9)