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

Panel 17 – LTH | Building
The institute has several national and international projects and seems to
have managed to utilize the synergies between the various disciplines in
the education.
8.6 Evaluation of future plans
The written research plans describe the institute’s goal of making an
effective and efficient contribution to changes in modern and developing
societies. Unfortunately the research plans did not specify what this
means for the Institute and how their strategy would make this possible.
However, based on discussions during the site visit, we regard the ideas as
well chosen. Research on the impact on society caused by production and
products is very important; because the Institute has a wide international
network and a good reputation, the plans appear to be realistic.
Grade: Based on the discussions, the future plans are considered to be
very good.
8.7 Future potentials and possibilities
The institute plans to concentrate mainly on its three existing research
areas. We find this to be a reasonable plan as the unit is quite new and
one of the areas, sustainable buildings, needs additional development.
The institute has several projects with external funding; many research
activities are based upon these funding sources. It would be important
to prioritize long-term strategic programs within each of the research
fields. One of the aims of the institute is to contribute to more sustainable
development of the society. The current research areas are very well suited
for that. Since the Institute is a young unit, it should allow itself time to
develop this further.
8.8 Gender and equal opportunity issues
The Institute has 2 full time professors, one of whom is a woman. This
gives a good balance even though the number of people is low. The
Institute’s educational activities and research topics have traditionally
been attractive to both sexes so the Institute should have good opportunities
to attract both male and female students in the future.
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