Enhance your research competence
Page Content:
↳ 3. Necessary Research Competence
↳ 5. Get an Overview of the Field
↳ 6. Organize Your Research
Responsible: Dept. of Research Administration and Internationalisation; Published: 30.11.2024 Last updated: 13.12.2024
1. Research at Kristiania
Teaching and research go hand in hand at academic institutions. The foundation of teaching should be research-based, and doctoral education should occur in environments with solid research activity. Teaching effectively translates new knowledge from research into the workforce. Involving students in the discussion and execution of research projects can contribute to recruitment, new perspectives, and ideas about the applicability of the results. To manage both teaching and research effectively, it is crucial to integrate these activities.
Kristiania adheres to the principle of academic freedom in the choice of topic, method, execution of research, and publication of results (cf. the Act relating to universities and university colleges §1-5(5) and (6) - Lovdata). However, Kristiania has prioritized fields aligned with our profile, where the institution is uniquely positioned to contribute to societal development. Balancing research freedom with global security concerns has also become necessary.
Research should support long-term goals related to selected societal challenges. It requires long-term and systematic effort, with peer review and competition for external research funding helping to maintain quality.
2. Choose a Research Topic
(Inter)national Priorities: The EU has defined its missions in the European research programs, and Norway has outlined its priorities in the Long-term Plan for Research 2023-2032 (only in Norwegian). Norway’s pioritized partner countries are pointed out (the Panorama countries, only in Norwegian).
The announcements of research funds are directed towards these prioritized areas. Some programs are thematic and may appear as specific requests of knowledge, but there are also open calls (e.g., within ERC and the Research Council's FRIPRO call) that allow for other topics, potentially leading to new methods and applications in the future. These open calls are often more competitive.
To make a significant impact, Kristiania must focus our efforts within our work-life relevant profile and areas where we have unique advantages. It is also crucial to consider what advanced methods, specialized data, infrastructure, or partners we can build on. Clearly articulating Kristiania's strengths is essential when competing for research funds and attracting talented employees or partners.
3. Necessary Research Competence
Continuous development of research competence occurs through collaboration with esteemed researchers and research environments both nationally and internationally. Additionally, various courses, seminars, and conferences contribute to this development. In these contexts, you also have the opportunity to share your own expertise with others. Kristiania encourages you to engage in dialogue with your leader to create a plan for developing your competence and forming alliances with skilled researchers for learning and project collaboration.
3.1 Kristiania's Research Administrative Courses
Several departments offer various types of research support (Department of Research Administration and Internationalization, the Library, Department of Research Communication and Innovation) and collaborate to plan, develop, and offer course modules for academic staff.
The courses also function as meeting places for researchers across schools.
The Research Administration also informs about available course places at other higher education institutions, which are announced on the intranet and via Outlook invitations.
3.2 Forums for Research Leadership
Competence in research leadership can be developed by participating in various forums:
- Project Groups:Good skills in organizing, executing, and leading projects are important, and relevant topics within academic, administrative, and personnel management should be addressed in project group meetings.
- Research Groups:Here, research strategic topics are discussed. Collegial guidance occurs through the discussion of research projects.
- School Leadership Groups and the Rectorate:Strategic and administrative research leadership is exercised at the department, school, and institutional levels.
- Kristiania's Research Strategic Forums:Kristiania has established the following regular meeting places to discuss research strategic issues:
- Research Leadership Network, including the pro-deans Research,
- Research Group Leader Meetings,
- Workshops on research for all academic leaders
Research Leadership Courses: Kristiania annually nominates participants for UiO's research leadership program (beginner and advanced levels).
3.3 Research Sabbatical allows for Continuous Time for Research Projects
Academic staff who have been permanently employed in a primary position at Kristiania for at least three years can apply to their school for a research sabbatical.
Purpose and Content: The research sabbatical aims to further develop research activities at Kristiania. Academic staff can use this time to focus on long-term development work beyond their existing research activities, for example:
- Developing research projects within research or research-based innovation
- Building qualifications for promotion (particularly relevant for promotion to professor)
- Enhancing research activity and competence through collaboration with strong academic environments, preferably internationally
Guidelines and forms for application are available both in Norwegian and English in Kristiania's Personnel Handbook on the intranet. Kristiania also provides a guide for the application and implementation of the research sabbatical.
Contact your leader for more information on how to proceed with the application.
3.4 Academic Staff and PhD Candidates Can Go on an International Research Stay
Kristiania emphasizes employee mobility. The topic should be addressed in employee appraisals and emphasized in promotion applications. The results should be requested in leader follow-up.
Formal Requirements:
There must be an invitation from the partner institution. The academic staff or PhD candidate must have a designated workplace within an academic environment at this institution. The stay can last from three to twelve months. For shorter stays (e.g., conference participation), academic staff or PhD candidates must use their own operating funds.
PhD candidates employed in projects funded by the Research Council of Norway can apply for an overseas grant. Contact your research advisor if you plan to apply.
4. Join a Research Group
Research should primarily take place in research groups. This has proven to contribute to good quality and promotes adherence to good research ethical standards. Research groups are important meeting places to discuss ideas, methods, analyses, interpretations, and ethical issues in a critical and respectful academic dialogue.
Schools have designated research groups with a group leader and a process for new creation. See the overview of Kristiania's research groups. Kristiania's research groups are evolving, and characteristics of the research groups have been formulated.
All academic staff with research activity should participate in a research group, either at Kristiania or another research institution. Additionally, one can be an associate member of several research groups. PhD candidates, postdocs, and students should be included in the research groups to ensure the development of good research competence. This also applies to technical and other support staff.
Contact your leader to discuss which group you should join.
5. Get an Overview of the Field
It is expected that academic staff have an overview of the current state of knowledge within their field. This also applies to teachers, especially if they are engaged in research activities. Research projects and any applications for research funding should be based on the existing knowledge base.
Contact the library for guidance on literature searches if needed.
Research groups should also gain an overview of which academic environments are working nationally and internationally within the field, and which of these are leading.
A useful exercise is to investigate whether there are contacts or existing collaborations. You can participate in conferences and other meeting places, join a European COST network, accept invitations, or take the initiative to collaborate. It is possible to request a mobility stay to learn specific methods. This can lead to future project collaborations.
6. Organize Your Research
Content on this page:
↳ 6.1 Plan Your Research Activity as a Project
↳ 6.2 Establish Necessary Collaborations
↳ 6.3 Ensure Competent Project Management
↳ 6.4 Develop a Productive Research Environment
6.1 Plan Your Research Activity as a Project
Research and all other development work should be organized into projects with a clear purpose, choice of methods, project participants, procedures, expected outcomes, allocated resources, and a timeframe. A project description should be developed even if there are no resource needs beyond your own working time and operating funds. Applications for research funding should always include a project description.
6.2 Establish Necessary Collaborations
Collaboration is necessary to address complex issues and because many questions today touch on multiple disciplines. Larger projects also provide more weight and opportunities to find results of more general significance. Collaboration contributes to increased quality because it opens up for fruitful academic discussions and opportunities for mutual inspiration and support. Collaborators can be other research environments, private industry, or partners in the public sector.
6.3 Ensure Competent Project Management
Research projects should be carried out under the leadership of a research-competent project manager. If you do not have this competence, you can develop it by participating as a project team member or by taking responsibility for a work package under the leadership of a research-competent project manager.
6.4 Develop a Productive Research Environment
At Kristiania, as a research-qualified project manager, you can develop a research environment by:
- Inviting colleagues to participate in a project, possibly as work package leaders. These can be colleagues both with and without research competence. Many lecturers are motivated to develop research competence and participate in research.
- Recruiting PhD candidates or postdocs to your project. This requires internal or external funding for a position. The candidates can oversee a work package.
- Involving students in the research project. You can present project ideas or ongoing projects and results for discussion in teaching. Students can also contribute to data collection and practical implementation, possibly as research assistants.
- Coordinating your projects with colleagues' projects and, for example, addressing different questions within the same field. It is also possible to coordinate or collaborate on data collection or possibly reuse others' data.
- Participating in another larger project as a work package leader, preferably in collaboration with good external research environments nationally or internationally.
- Leading a larger project with several work packages that can include external partners nationally or internationally. It is important that you include the necessary academic competence in the project, both in terms of methods and interdisciplinarity.
Contact your leader to create a plan for how you can develop a research environment.
Developing a research environment normally requires external funding for R&D.(her skal det linkes til den nye engelske siden for dette)