A word from the dean
Dear staff
A large part of our time is spent planning exams, re-examinations and teaching in February and March, based on the various announcements coming from the ministry. As it looks now, we expect to be shut down in February and that experimental teaching might start in March, while theoretical teaching is planned online for the rest of the semester.
Fortunately, other things are happening as well. I presented the faculty's work with SDGs to the Executive Board. There was great praise for the many different initiatives that we have launched at the faculty, including the work in Sustain and the LIVE SESSIONS event with video presentations of researchers and their SDG-related research. External Relations' efforts on Horizon Europe and Global Challenges have also been successful, as far more applications have been submitted to the EU compared to previous years, and several of these are coordinator applications. A new HEU training course is now being initiated in preparation for the upcoming application rounds and there is great interest in participating.
Last week, information was provided about the financial situation at SDU, where it has unfortunately proved necessary to implement budget cutbacks at two faculties and in the Central Administration, due to declining income and rising expenses. At NAT, we have had a strong focus on finances in recent years and thanks to a great effort on the entire faculty, we have maintained income from education and research. We still need to stay focused on finances, not least in light of the lockdown, which has led to lower activity on externally funded research projects and increased uncertainty in education revenues.
Low consumption on external projects reduces research funding, and increased drop-out rates and longer study periods can reduce education income. We have set a budget for the coming years which takes this into account, and it is my assessment that with a continued focus on education and research, we should probably reach our goals.
I expect our strategy for 2021-2025 to be approved this week and discussions on prioritising actions have gradually begun. The strategy will be a topic on the Dean's corner at the departments and it will also be discussed in the various councils and committees at the faculty. In connection with the new election period, the composition of the various councils and committees has changed slightly.
I would like to thank everyone who has made an effort in the past period and welcome all the new members who will now contribute to a good implementation of the strategy.
Marianne Holmer, dean