Christmas and the holiday season at the end of the year are over. It has been a busy time – everything must be fixed and arranged for a few, intense days. However, for most people it has been a precious holiday with time together with the ones we love, as well as an opportunity for contemplation and reflection. It provides motivation and strength to embark on a new year with new opportunities.

It is natural to begin a new year with strategic thinking. In February, the management will conduct a strategy seminar for research group leaders, platform leaders and UGLEs (if the institute council adopts the new scheme). The main theme this year will be communication. Later in the spring we will have a dedicated day focusing on teaching and in the Autumn,  there will be a seminar with HMS work on the agenda. Last year’s K2 seminar (K2 Retreat) at Solstrand for everyone was a success, but the budget situation means that we cannot repeat that for this year. However, we hope to be able to repeat the K2 seminar for everyone at Solstrand in 2021.