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

Panel 4 – Languages / Philosophy
The self-evaluation report does not mention Sven Strömqvist’s involvement
in an application for an interdisciplinary research project entitled
“Thinking in Time: Cognition, Communication and Learning”, which is
one of Lund University’s candidates for the Swedish Research Council’s
Linnaean grants 2007–2008 and is bound to be of strategic significance
if funded; 8 nor does it mention the participation of a team led by Jordan
Zlatev in the EU 6th Framework PATHFINDER project “Stages in the
Evolution and Development of Sign Use”, a major interdisciplinary project
funded under the theme of “What it means to be human”. The absence of
the profiling of language and cognition (an area researched by individuals
with generative, cognitive and functional approaches) is puzzling.
Our overall rating of the future plans in their present form is good (not far
from very good).
1.7 Recommendations
The consolidation of the current initial phase of SOL should be strongly
supported, including the cross-disciplinary “Research Colleges” (forskarkollegierna).
SOL does have great future potential if it develops a coherent strategy (or
set of strategies), but not if it continues to drift. Its potential for Cross
Boundary Initiatives is high, with some researchers already taking such
initiatives. This should be recognised and encouraged.
The future focus areas of SOL should be discussed. Reasonable candidates
are linguistic theory (not any particular one), language and cognition,
and language acquisition.
Some excellent work is done at SOL but there is a problem concerning
unevenness of quality. Attention should be paid to promoting quality,
including the selection of publication fora. Research productivity should
be enhanced.
8. For clarity we mention that this application is indeed mentioned in the Dean’s report
“Research in Humanities and Theology”. On June 18 2008 the Swedish Research Council
(Vetenskapsrådet) decided to grant Linnaean funding to this project.
135