Strategic programme for investing in research

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“This is a powerful injection into our research efforts. We will invest primarily in doctoral students and junior researchers. This creates opportunities for a new generation to step forward,” says Åke Ingerman, dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Gothenburg.

The Faculty of Education has a long tradition of internationally outstanding research on learning, didactics, preschool teaching, information technology and media, health, and on effect and policy studies regarding education. The combination of a new generation with researchers and international visiting research fellows will stimulate the research environments in a valuable way.

“We have had international visibility for several decades. We want to foster this legacy. Because research is becoming more and more international, our research has a clear contact with the international research community,” says Ingerman.

The four departments at the faculty conduct research with different specialisations, so the increased block funding will be used in different ways.

• The Department of Education and Special Education (IPS) will offer staff senior lecturers extended research time, among other things, and over a two-year period will invite a total of 12 Swedish, Nordic and international visiting professors to contribute to its research environments.
• The Department of Education, Communication and Learning (IPKL) intends to streamline its research themes and at the same time create two new ones. The first one will deal with childhood studies and investigate the circumstances of children in various ways. The second will focus on adult learning, professional development and lifelong learning.
• The Department of Pedagogical, Curricular and Professional Studies (IDPP) will strengthen its research on education for sustainability and subject didactic research by employing professors, senior lecturers and doctoral students in mathematics, social sciences, Swedish and science education as well as general didactics.
• The Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science (IKI) will use the new positions to strengthen didactic research in home and consumer studies and physical education and health studies, and to create interdisciplinary projects between sport science and food and nutrition science.

A large part of the department’s research has a practice-based focus and both research activities and staff with doctoral degrees are in demand among stakeholders in society.

“There is a great demand for the skills gained through doctoral studies. Teachers with a PhD are needed in the school system because instruction is to be based on a disciplinary foundation, and there is a national need for more teacher trainers with a doctoral degree. But there is also a demand for new research on health promotion efforts with diet and physical activity – and, in fact, in all our areas,” says Åke Ingerman.

The block funding for research has been increased by almost SEK 28 million per year for 2020, compared with 2018. To gain the best results from the increase, the faculty has adopted a strategic programme for the 2020–2023 period. It specifies that most of the new funds will be used for recruitment in four different areas:

• Doctoral studentships. In addition to the current goal that calls for accepting at least 20 doctoral students annually, an additional 14 doctoral students will be accepted within the framework of the strategic programme.
• New PhDs and junior researchers. 15–20 new postdoctoral and senior lecturer positions with extended research possibilites, some of which will be filled internally.
• Visiting professors. 16 visiting professors will be invited during the 2020–2023 period.
• Professorships. Three new permanent professorships are being established.

Read more about the strategic programme and vacancies here.

More information:
Åke Ingerman, Dean, e-mail: ake.ingerman@gu.se, phone +46 (0)31-786 263.