Contact
- kristian.espelid@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 38 14 14 03
Evaluation of the UiA PRIFORSK scheme in 2024:
In the meeting held on 18 October 2023, the university board decided that the UiA PRIFORSK scheme will be evaluated. This evaluation, including any proposals for changes to the scheme, must be reviewed by the university board before any further calls for applications are made. The evaluation is scheduled to take place during 2024, so any new call is unlikely to occur before 2025.
Premises and criteria for 'Priority Research Centres at UiA'
The 'Priority Research Centres at the University of Agder' (UiA PRIFORSK) scheme is a strategic initiative at the institutional level at the University of Agder, aimed at enhancing the national and international impact of selected research environments. The university board established the scheme under the title 'Priority Research Centre established by the University of Agder' in 2017 following the decision in case 111/17 and it was last revised following a decision by the university board in November 2020, case 145/20.
Purpose and framework:
The overarching purpose of the 'Priority Research Centres at the University of Agder' scheme is to support and facilitate the development of strong and nationally and internationally recognized research environments at UiA that succeed in securing funding within major, competitive research funding arenas.
The scheme aims to achieve this by having the university board, in conjunction with involved faculties, make time-limited investments in strong and ambitious research environments at UiA that meet specific criteria. These investments are designed to ensure that the selected research environments receive particularly favourable conditions to further develop and enhance the quality of their academic or artistic research and development, thus increasing their success in securing funding and strengthening their impact in national and international competitive arenas. Research environments selected for the scheme are organized as research centres and are designated as 'Priority Research Centre at the University of Agder' (UiA PRIFORSK).
Procedure and criteria for appointment as a Priority Research Centre at UiA:
Applications for appointment as a priority research centre at UiA must be submitted in accordance with and following a recommendation from the involved faculty or faculties. It is the university board that decides on the appointments as a priority research centre.
The assessment criteria used for applications to be appointed as a Priority Research Centre are:
- Scientific quality/artistic quality
High scientific quality or high artistic quality is a prerequisite for being appointed as a Priority Research Centre. The applying environment must have already secured funding for projects at a national and/or international level, and the research staff must demonstrate the ability to conduct academic or artistic research and development of high quality, which is evidenced by scientific publications and other forms of dissemination. Assessments of scientific or artistic quality must be considered in relation to the distinct characteristics of the disciplines.
- Level of ambition and objectives
The applying environment must have national and international ambitions for what they aim to achieve through a Priority Research Centre during the standard five-year funding period. These ambitions should exceed what can be achieved within a research group. Additionally, the applying environment must establish indicators and concrete objectives by which the centre will be assessed.
- Robustness
The applying environment must be of a certain size, with a minimum of ten academic staff associated with UiA, including at least two professors, and several PhD candidates/postdoctoral positions linked to the centre's project portfolio at all times.
The applying environment should already have an established network of partners both domestically and internationally, which the centre shall engage with.
The centre should also involve students.
- Academic alignment with educational areas
There should fundamentally be a good academic alignment between the applying environment and the centre's research field and one or more educational areas at UiA. In cases where there is less academic alignment, there should be potential for the development of academic and/or socially relevant educational areas based on the centre's research field.
- Contribution to UiA's strategy
The centre must contribute to the achievement of the university's strategy, and the applying environment must describe how the centre will support UiA's strategy.
- Gender balance
The centre must have participation from both sexes. The applying environment must demonstrate how the centre will achieve and maintain a good gender balance throughout the funding period.
- Organization
The centre must have one faculty as its host. Furthermore, the centre should have an appropriate organizational structure, with its own advisory body or board and sufficient administrative support. There should be both academic and administrative leadership at the centre.
Appointment as a Priority Research Centre is contingent upon all criteria being deemed fulfilled. In the assessment of appointment as a Priority Research Centre, the degree to which the first three criteria (scientific quality, level of ambition and objectives, and robustness) are achieved will carry the most weight.
Financial and other support for Priority Research Centres
Appointment as a Priority Research Centre at UiA means that the centre receives an annual allocation of strategic funds from the university board for a period of five years. The amount of the annual allocation is determined each year in connection with UiA's budget process. In addition, the centre is awarded two strategic recruitment positions by the university board. This funding from the university board requires at least equivalent funding from the involved faculty or faculties.
University board's expectations for Priority Research Centres
Appointment as a Priority Research Centre at UiA provides the respective research environment with significantly improved internal conditions for further developing and enhancing research quality and capacity. Consequently, the university board’s expectations for outcomes from the Priority Research Centres also increase.
The university board’s specific expectations for outcomes from existing and future Priority Research Centres are:
- That the centre's organization and strategic funds provide the research environment with development opportunities they would not otherwise have, and that the centre organizes and directs its efforts in a way that offers the best possible foundation for research
- That the centre is able to attract partners, both academic and/or non-academic, that are beneficial for the development of the centre and its research
- That the centre is able to recruit talented researchers and PhD candidates who develop the centre's research in the desired direction
- That the centre actively contributes to UiA's strategic initiative to increase participation in highly recognized national and international research arenas through active research dissemination and presence in the academic discourse
- That as part of its work, the centre assesses the innovation potential of its research and seeks to exploit any identified innovation potential as far as possible and appropriate for the centre
- That these and other aspects contribute to increasing the research centre's impact in national and international competitive arenas, primarily expressed through increased success in externally funded projects. This entails an expectation that the research centres can be operated and further developed without strategic funds from the board when the standard five-year funding period expires
- That during the five-year funding period, the centre puts itself in a position to apply for national centre status (Centre for Research-driven Innovation or Norwegian Centre of Excellence). However, this does not obligate the centre to apply for the Research Council's centre schemes
Reporting from and dialogue with Priority Research Centres
Priority Research Centres must submit an annual report to the university board through the faculties' annual reporting routines (quality reports).
Generally, dialogue meetings between the university management and the Priority Research Centres should be conducted every other year. The university management may, at its own initiative or following a proposal from the university board, decide that these dialogue meetings should occur between the university board and the Priority Research Centres. A dialogue meeting is to be held between each Priority Research Centre and the university board towards the end of the five-year funding period.
Assessment of Priority Research Centres and possible extension of financial support
Priority Research Centres should be assessed at an appropriate time before the five-year funding period expires. The assessment should provide a basis for decisions regarding any further financial support for the centre and offer advice and recommendations for its further development.
The assessment of a Priority Research Centre should be based on: i) the achievement of the centre's own ambitions, objectives and indicator goals, ii) the achievement of the university board’s expectations for the centre's results and iii) the centre's plans and strategy for further development. The assessment should include both a self-assessment and an external assessment, taking into account differences in the centres' orientations, ambitions, objectives, etc.
Based on the assessment, the university board may decide to extend its financial support to the centre for an additional three-year period. Such an extension requires it to be deemed likely that the centre will achieve its objectives and the university board's expectations within the extension period. Any decision to extend financial support also requires the backing of the involved faculty or faculties.