Guidelines for the use of direct appointments to teaching and research positions at the University of Agder were adopted by the University Board on 28 November 2018.
Legal Basis
The general rule is that vacant positions must be publicly advertised unless otherwise stipulated by law, regulation, or collective agreement, cf. the Act on State Employees, etc., § 4.
The legal basis for direct appointments (kallelse) is the Act on Universities and University Colleges, § 7-8:
When special reasons justify it, the board may make appointments to teaching and research positions without prior announcement. Such appointments cannot be made if more than one board member opposes it.
Further clarification of the "special reasons" condition
When using direct appointment, a specific unmet academic teaching and research need must be explained.
- It must be documented that the proposed candidate has clear scientific competence in the relevant academic field/level. It should be demonstrated that there are no others with equally good or better qualifications in the field who might apply if the position were publicly advertised. The assessment should be based on a job description that ensures the academic need is met, but is otherwise broadly defined.
or
- It must be documented that the proposed candidate has clear scientific competence in the relevant field/level, and it should be demonstrated that the appointment would establish contact with an important academic environment at another university or college, research institution, or other partners in society and industry. This includes specific academic/cultural competencies that are not covered by general competence criteria. The rationale must justify that the contract will be of such a nature that, beyond the resources the candidate brings, the university will gain important guidance resources or academic collaborators.
Requirements for relevant academic areas in direct appointments
The teaching need must either involve areas where there is insufficient coverage according to the current study plan, or teaching in academic areas where supplementary teaching is strongly desired based on academic needs not reflected in the current study plan (e.g., in fields that the university wishes to develop or new study programs it wishes to establish).
The research need must be documented and considered in relation to the faculty/department's other research units in the relevant field. The candidate's ability to form or strengthen a productive research environment must be prioritized, through inspiration, supervision, international contacts, or other desirable qualities.
For extensions of previous direct appointments, the same requirements that applied during the original appointment must be met.
Typical situations where direct appointments may be used
As a measure to strengthen gender balance in academic environments and/or to meet the university's overarching equality goals.
The university has the opportunity to recruit an internationally recognized top researcher with indisputable competence, where there is a risk of losing the candidate during a regular hiring process.
Attracting expertise that has proven difficult to recruit and is within a strategically important focus area for the university.
Direct appointment related to initiatives such as Scholars at Risk.
Direct appointments may be used for all types of teaching and research positions, in full-time or part-time positions, first-time appointments, and extensions. Direct appointments may be made for both permanent and temporary positions. Direct appointments to temporary positions require a legal basis for temporary employment. When making a direct appointment to a permanent 100% position, it is generally required that an attempt has been made to hire through regular job advertisement, and the challenges of recruiting within the specific field must be referenced. There must be no doubt about the candidate's qualifications and personal suitability.