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Calculation of the Basic Allocation for a Postdoctoral Researcher (Postdoc)
If a postdoctoral researcher has teaching duties as part of their employment, the basic allocation of hours is determined in accordance with the rule for full-time teaching staff (the 15% rule).
Upon the appointment (or extension) of a postdoctoral researcher, the department calculates the total number of working hours available for teaching-related activities (i.e., non-project-related work) in accordance with the co-funding arrangement and the funding body's guidelines. Of these hours, 15% is allocated to professional development (including, for example, academic and social meetings, introductory sessions on new IT systems, updating the teaching portfolio, and pedagogical and didactic skills development) and to administrative work related to teaching that goes beyond the normal planning and organisation of courses.
The remaining 85% constitutes the maximum number of hours that may be spent on teaching activities.
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A special compensation pool (departmental pool) is established to compensate for significant operational and development tasks that fall outside the compensations set in the standard agreement. Tasks that can be compensated may include, but are not limited to, subject coordination, other coordination tasks, research management, editorial work, committees established at the departmental level, major revisions of study programmes, activities to improve the study environment, project applications, competence development, and initiatives related to the department's strategy.
It is not possible to compensate tasks from the departmental pool that are already standardised in this agreement.
The guidelines and principles for the distribution of the pool are determined by the head of the department in consultation with the departmental council and the department's union representative. The pool is managed and distributed by the head of the department. It must be possible for employees to apply for the pool themselves and to nominate colleagues. Likewise, agreements on shares of the pool can be made with the head of the department in advance.
For each professor and lecturer in the department, 30 hours per semester are allocated to the pool, and for each assistant professor, 15 hours. The pool's hours are primarily distributed to employees with research obligations but can be allocated to other job categories for specific tasks.
The pool is distributed once per semester. All hours in the pool should, in principle, be distributed at each allocation, but a surplus or deficit of 15 percent is acceptable.
The head of the department must ensure that an overview of the pool's distribution is prepared annually. This overview must be available to the department's employees and presented to the departmental council and the cooperation committee to evaluate whether the pool is functioning as intended.The department pool has been changed from 25 hours to 30 hours. Changes apply as of autumn semester 2026.
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Basic compensation is granted to staff with research obligations. A basic compensation corresponding to 6.6% of the teaching obligation for the relevant staff category is allocated in advance, corresponding to the following number of working hours per semester:
- Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor: 30 hours
- PhD student: 12 hours
For staff without research obligations, see section 4.
The basic pool covers administrative duties, including departmental meetings, academic collegial meetings, committee meetings, coordination of courses with multiple lecturers, study‑start activities, and mentoring or guidance of part‑time lecturers (DVIP) in relation to disciplinary responsibilities.
The number of hours should be understood as an average workload calculated over several years.
All research‑based courses offered by the faculty have an appointed discipline coordinator. The discipline coordinator, together with the programme chair and committee, is responsible for the course description in the curriculum and must be consulted if the committee wishes to amend the wording. The discipline coordinator is likewise the contact person for part‑time lecturers (DVIP) teaching the course.
For senior arrangements and part‑time employment, the basic compensation is set at 6.6% of the teaching obligation in accordance with the employment fraction stated in the employment contract. If this creates challenges in relation to expectations regarding workplace duties, the matter must be discussed with the line manager and, where relevant, the union representative.
Example: For an associate professor employed at 50% with a teaching obligation of 410.5 hours per year, the basic compensation amounts to 6.6% of 410.5 hours/2 = 13.5 hours per semester.
In cases of full (100%) buy‑out for externally funded projects for an entire semester, the basic pool is suspended. During the application phase, expectations must be aligned regarding the staff member’s contribution to the academic environment. The head of department must involve the programme chair/research leader.
Changes apply as of spring semester 2027.
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