During the autumn, the work that follows the reorganisation of the disciplinary domain continues. The review of premises that was carried out during the end of the spring will now be processed at the departments and will result in the planning of possible relocations. As an extension of this process, a review of the premises of the clinical departments at the University Hospital also needs to be initiated in the near future.
Furthermore, the economy is in focus. The government has announced that there will be no increased allocations in the coming years. This means that we need to consider our priorities and I am grateful that our investigation looking into the distribution of government research funding is underway. Right now, many meetings are taking place both within the disciplinary domain and with representatives for the Hospital/Region to listen to different thoughts and opinions. I hope that many people will get involved to produce a new model, to make it as good as possible.
A lot on the agenda this academic year
In October, the so-called ALF evaluation enters its final stage. During the spring, a thorough job of answering questionnaires and writing self-evaluations was done. Now, panel interviews with the management and various groupings within clinical research will be conducted. We will get the results of the evaluation next spring, and we hope, of course, for the highest ranking. I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the self-evaluation; it is fantastic to see how eager everyone is to help in the best possible way.
Profile areas are also on the agenda. Our Vice-Chancellor has asked for proposals for six profile areas from us by the end of October. These will then, together with the 6+6 proposals from Teknat and Humsam, be reduced to five proposals that the Vice-Chancellor will submit by the end of spring. It will be a quick process to produce our six proposals, and the departments have nominated people who have initiated the work on our selection during a workshop at the beginning of September.
At last, teaching on campus again
We recently welcomed our students to an exciting academic year. Three new master's programmes have started, the six-year medical programme is in its third term and intensive work is underway with the application to start an occupational therapy programme. However, most importantly, we get to have our teaching on campus again. Premises that were empty during the pandemic are once again filled with students and teachers, and the streets of the city are filled with freshmen, full of anticipation for their years at Uppsala University. I hope we can all feel that enthusiasm and face the coming year with energy and joy.