The first department meeting of the year at Biomedicine included a visit from the Dean's Office and a status for the past year. There were also presentations on teaching at Health, the development of the PhD programme and the results of collaboration with business and industry.

2015.03.05 | Mette Louise Ohana

On 24 February, the first department meeting was held with a stringent agenda and many presentations. In keeping with tradition, the Dean's Office participated in the meeting.

Dean Allan Flyvbjerg started by explaining how research policy is changing at an international and, in particular, national level, something which already affects many researchers. The universities are now expected to contribute to growth on several levels such as e.g. economically and socially, and not only to produce knowledge. This is also reflected in research financing. Basic funds are being replaced by funds that must be competed for. Fewer resources are allocated to non-targeted research. A higher degree of research must be strategic and small grants are increasingly being replaced by fewer, but larger donations, which therefore require correspondingly large research projects. However, from Health’s side work is being done to change the latter practice, as large grants do not always turn out to be cost-effective. Also, the small grants are what many of the researchers at Biomedicine live off, due to their organisation in smaller research groups.

In addition, the university’s sources of state revenue are stagnating and at the other faculties they will actually decrease during the coming years due to the plan for degree programme resizing. Therefore, the only way to increase revenue is increased external funding. According to a number of members of the audience, this puts pressure on the researchers, but according to Allan Flyvbjerg the older, experienced researchers in particular have to help with the task. At the same time, the government requires that the administration at AU must save DKK 100 million over the coming years.

In addition, there is still a need for considerable focus on whether the funds cover overheads. As a rule of thumb, more than 20 per cent of external funding needs to go to overheads at a department so as not to eat into the basic funds. At Biomedicine, overheads currently comprise approximately ten per cent. That figure is also decreasing, which is one of the reasons for the department’s poor finances.

New teaching perspectives

Charlotte Ringsted, the new Vice-Dean for Education, Health, spoke about new perspectives on teaching based on international trends and the university's pursuit of excellence. She singled out the advantages of looking at new ways of assessing students, as the form of assessment governs how students acquire material. Charlotte Ringsted also emphasised that it can be an advantage to further accentuate the ability to think and reflect as part of the teaching, as it is one of the most important things that must be learned by the students. She also saw great potential for more student involvement in research so that the students help to develop and share knowledge to a greater degree.

2014 was painful

Thomas G. Jensen took stock of the past year, which was a tough year for Biomedicine. The requirement for cost reductions which resulted in more than 30 employees being forced to leave the department did not only affect the employees who left, but all members of staff. Much time was subsequently spent on the problem analysis to see whether things needed changing at the department. When it came to the department’s buildings, the excavation of Grønnegården started along with the construction of the Skou Building. The more detailed planning of who will sit where has therefore also began.

"We have three different models in play. They will be discussed at various meetings and in various committees over the coming months. The idea behind the planning is for everyone to be involved as much as possible in the discussions and we are looking into the possibilities for synergies and minimising relocations and renovations. It will not be easy, but we have plenty of time to do this, as the first building will be ready in two years. Everyone will be involved and can submit their wishes," said Department Head Thomas G. Jensen.

He also talked about a visit to the School of Biomedical Sciences in Edinburgh which provided inspiration for new forms of instruction, collaboration across the department and social activities.

Despite being a difficult year, 2014 was also a year with more publications than ever before and more external funding was spent. The number of publications was just under 500 and has thus increased by 51 per cent in four years, and the consumption of external funding was also at a very high level.

Business and industry collaboration can interact with basic research

Finally, Thomas Vorup-Jensen presented the PhD programme, while Claus Olesen presented a new initiative at Health in the form of the research business managers.

Thomas Vorup-Jensen, who is head of the PhD programme at Biomedicine, talked of a programme that has undergone significant development over the past many years and which has an increased level of control. Other methods of financing for PhD students have also been introduced, including 1/3 scholarships, where the remaining funds must be obtained externally. The first experiences in the area will be evaluated in the summer. He also emphasised that the supervisors play an important role in relation to the selection of PhD students.

Claus Olesen, who has been appointed as research business manager at Biomedicine, called for more collaboration with business and industry. Partly because it is fun and stimulating and partly because it can lead to some advantages such as financing, access to equipment and databases and the opportunity to establish spin-off companies. There are already good examples of companies at Biomedicine. One of them is Thomas Holm Pedersen and Ole Bækgaard Nielsen's NMD project, which is closely attached to basic research and has received a grant of DKK 2.5 million from Novo Seeds. Claus Olesen ended by making it clear that he was ready to help those who were interested.

After the many presentations the staff members at the meeting were apparently satisfied. The meeting ended without further questions.

The next department meeting will be held in May.