Long-term strategy and career building

Good research requires strategy, not only academically, but also to have an infrastructure and finances to put the research plans into practice. This means that we must have both short-term and long-term goals. You don’t have to run after every “ball” and research opportunity, but you must focus on your “ball” and work strategically with research funding and competence building.

Application writing is a long process. The longer you spend, the better. Of course, larger projects and applications need more time. Positioning begins several years before the actual application: what do you need on your CV to be a competitive applicant. Concept development: about a year before the deadline; and ideally use 6 months for the refinement and the actual writing

The research group leaders must help the younger ones forward. Those who will eventually become group leaders must obtain senior authorship and “co-PI” positions in applications. They can apply for smaller funds that are easier to get, join networks and practice critical senses by being a reviewers or help their group leader to review. Future group leaders must be helped into career programs and build up their teaching portifolio, and UiB has many career building opportunities for younger researchers (for example UiB Ferd https://www.uib.no/ferd), use them!

New calls in Horizon Europe have been published and several of the calls in the work program 2023-24 will suit K2’s groups well. Contact Susanna Pakkasmaa if you plan to apply – that way you can get started early and write a competitive grant application.

Next week is the EU Research & Innovation Days (https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/events/upcoming-events/research-innovation-days). If you want to become wiser about what is happening in Europe, follow this digital conference.

Have a great weekend when the time comes
Eystein and Susanna

Personal development interviews
There is still time for the annual personal development interviews. These are part of targeted management and employee development. Therefore, they are annual, systematic and mutually prepared personal conversations between an employee and their immediate superior. All employees who have a main position at UiB must have staff meetings. This also includes fellows. For employees with 20% positions, the manager can agree with the employee that it is not necessary.

New from last year is that it is not enough that the personal development interviews are offered – they must also be carried out. These interviews are an important arena for clarifying expectations for performance, giving mutual feedback and insight into each other’s working situation and addressing the working environment and conditions at the workplace. The conversation must be linked to K2’s strategic plans and be a real and results-oriented management tool to achieve set goals.

Elements related to life phase can be taken up as a theme. The conversation will also be used to uncover skills needs, change and development. The content of the employee interview must be focused on conditions that the manager and employee can do something about.

It is important to communicate what you want to achieve in the personal development interview and arrange for the confidentiality needed for the interview to have added value for both parties. This can be a gradual process that can take some time.

For foreign employees, it is important to pay attention to their need to understand overall strategies and goals for the organization, the importance of a good and inclusive working environment and the individual’s opportunities to contribute to the community. Current topics can also be their social network, trust vis-a-vis manager and colleagues, experience of belonging and in some cases facilitation and integration also outside the workplace.

As a natural part of the performance assessment and the clarification of expectations, the contractual conversation about pay matters is included as part of the personal development interview. It is therefore important to remember that we have established systems for salary negotiations. As you know, salary negotiations are ongoing this autumn.

As Head of Department, I am responsible for ensuring that all employees carry out annual personal development interviews and am responsible for the results of the interviews being included in K2’s plans and budget. It is not possible to carry out this for all K2’s employees, so carrying out the conversations is delegated. I have staff meetings with the research group leaders, while they in turn have responsibility for their group members. When it comes to administrative staff, head of administration Maria Holmaas is responsible.

Most of the time, I think time goes terribly fast in the autumn, and suddenly it’s Christmas. It is therefore advisable to start the employee interviews as soon as possible. Good luck!