Research in 2008

Carrying out pioneering, world-class research is one of the University of Gothenburg’s main objectives. Some of the ways in which the university aims to achieve this are by forming strategic research alliances with other seats of learning, investing in more research time for members of teaching staff and strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation.

The university has identified five key profile areas. These five areas are health, culture, environment, democracy and social development, and knowledge formation and learning. The university also emphasises the close relationship between research development, high quality education and cooperation with society, as exemplified by these five profile areas. This has led to a decision to focus on complete environments in which education, research and cooperation are integrated. In order to develop research even further, the university has forged links with a number of international advisers.

Investing in young researchers

In order to attract young researchers, the University of Gothenburg has created forty two-year postdoctoral positions for the period 2007–2009. A number of these positions have been awarded to prominent foreign researchers. At the same time, the admission numbers for postgraduate research studies have fallen. In 2008, the university had 2,045 active research students, of which 61% were female. 269 of these were new postgraduate students. Admission numbers for licentiate degrees have also fallen, with 30 students being accepted in 2008. During 2008, a total of 281 doctoral degrees and 37 licentiate degrees were taken.
 Commercialising ideas and research findings is an important task for the University of Gothenburg. A new Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was created during the year to encourage the use of research and to increase levels of research and education within the field.

Essential databases

The University of Gothenburg has a strong marine profile, with several research vessels and research stations at Kristineberg and Tjärnö. This profile received an additional boost on 1 July when the University of Gothenburg became the coordinator of the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment. The Institute has been commissioned by the Government with providing decision-makers with scientific data relating to the marine environment, as well as informing the public about marine conditions. The university’s leading position in this field was confirmed when the Adaptation to changing marine environments project, coordinated by Professor Kerstin Johannesson, was awarded a Linnaeus Grant.
 Another significant event was the Swedish Research Council’s decision that the Swedish National Data Service (SND) should be based at the University of Gothenburg for a period of five years. The SND will compile information about Swedish and international databases within the fields of social sciences, social medicine/epidemiology and the humanities.

Making research easier to find

All research at the University of Gothenburg from 2004 onwards is now collated in the GUP publication database. The university library also assists with bibliometric surveys of e.g. internationalisation, cooperation and scientific breakthroughs.

During the financial year, spending on the university’s research operations totalled SEK 2,694 million, representing an increase of SEK 180 million or 7% compared with 2007. Of this, SEK 174 million related to commissioned research. During the period 2004–2008, research funding rose by SEK 264 million at current prices – an increase of 14%.

During 2008, the Vice-Chancellor appointed three scientific advisers: Arild Underdal, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oslo, Iain Robinson from the UK’s National Institute for Medical Research and Krista Varantola, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Tampere.

Conferrement of doctoral degrees in 2008