ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Part 1 – background
society and university governing boards, is to articulate a compact
that recognises the value of university autonomy and freedom and
supports them, but is able to assess their value and benefit to society
without oppressive accountability or restrictive mechanisms of
control that undermine a university’s potential for creativity and
innovation.
B. LUND UNIVERSITY’S OBJECTIVES
AND THE REMIT FOR THE REVIEW
3. Lund University’s top level objective set out in its Strategic Plan for
2007–2011 is to be a leading contributor to Swedish, European and
global society as one of the foremost universities in Europe in both
education and research, and with all its undertakings being ranked
among the national leaders in their fields. Its strategies for achieving
these objectives are based on:
• quality assurance;
• cross-disciplinary collaboration;
• internationalization;
• and leader, teacher and employee excellence.
4. Lund University’s research is very strong in comparison to other
Swedish institutions. For example, in the last two years it has won
8 and 6 out of 20 respectively of the prestigious,10-year Linnaeus
grants from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).
How ever, notwithstanding areas of the highest international
excellence, its overall position in the international rankings that
have been produced in recent years is lower than it would wish. Its
strategy to enhance the international competitiveness of its research
includes a regular process of review designed to test its performance
against international standards, to set a benchmark against which
future improvement can be judged and to advise on and stimulate
the research strategies that will be required for progress. The
University also intends to use the outcome of the current review as
basis for selective funding to stimulate and reward excellence.
5. A distinguished international group of experts in the fields of study
represented in Lund were therefore commissioned to undertake the
first such review during 2008. It had the following terms of reference:
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