Background to the reorganisation of the disciplinary domain
The Department of Neuroscience was struggling for a long time with work environment problems. Problems that made it increasingly hard to run a successful department over time.
On 16 December 2021, a Vice-Chancellor’s decision was taken to close the Department of Neuroscience and transfer its activities to other departments at the Faculty of Medicine. There were several reasons for this:
- Distrust in the management of the department and difficulties in making decisions on the board
- Conflicts between and within research groups which led to various types of work environment problems
- Unclear resource allocation and financial processes
- Unclear procedures for recruitment and employment at the department
- High staff turnover in the administration of the department.
Despite the shortcomings at the department, teaching and research have continued to be of high quality throughout the reorganisation. It is important to remember that there was no labour shortage, no employee was dismissed, and no teaching was discontinued.
Brief history
In March 2021, the Vice-Chancellor decided to establish management by an external head of department, and on 1 April 2021, Lars Rönnblom took up the post of Head of Department until 1 December. In addition to managing the department, he was also responsible for proposing how it should be organised.
He saw four options:
- Hold elections for the department’s board in the autumn of 2021
- Continued management by an external head of department after 31 December 2021
- Organise the department into two divisions: one for clinical neuroscience and one for preclinical neuroscience
- Closing the department
The research leaders of the department were given the opportunity to comment on the proposals. The result was that:
- Option 1 had no support within the department
- Option 2 was contrary to core values of collegiality at the university
- Option 3 would not solve the fundamental problems of the department.
It left only option 4, to close the department and transfer the existing activities to other departments at the Faculty of Medicine.
On 15 December 2021, the Board of the Disciplinary Domain decided where the employees would be placed in case of a Vice-Chancellor’s decision to liquidate the department, diary number MEDFARM 2021/1460. On 16 December, the Vice-Chancellor’s decision to close the department was taken, diary number UFV 2021/2526.
Closing the department was negotiated in accordance with the Co-determination Act (medbestämmandelagen) § 11 on 25 November 2021.