Evaluation of individual research units - Norges forskningsråd

Evaluation of individual research units
Ecology
Grading of scientific quality
Good
Evaluation of biology, medicine and health research in Norway (2011)
Description of unit
The ecology unit includes four research groups: biodiversity, systematics and evolution;
wildlife management and ecology; plant-animal interactions; and environmental change
biology. The latter three groups focus on both basic and applied ecological research
across a wide range of organisms and themes, whereas the former focuses on genetics and
taxonomy. As of December 2009 the unit included 18 permanent staff and seven
postdoctoral fellows.
General evaluation & recommendations
The current research plan and output is excellent. However a strategic framework for
research and for flexibility among groups to encourage collaboration was not apparent.
Continued provision of technical support also is important to ensure research productivity
is maintained.
If researchers are relieved of administrative duties, a more hierarchical structure is likely
to result, and the department chair inevitably will make a greater proportion of decisions.
Creating an advisory board of scientific peers, at least some of who are from outside the
organisation, may help provide community and scientific support for such decisions.
Most current staff members are fairly senior and are male. There may be opportunities to
recruit more diverse personnel in the future.
Societal impact
Topics of research are directly relevant to societal decisions.
Forest Resources
Grading of scientific quality
Good
Description of unit
Three research groups are included within Forest Resources: forest inventory and
monitoring, wood science, and silviculture. Each group has two permanent academic
staff.
Forest inventory and monitoring develops methods for comprehensive mapping of forest
resources at multiple spatial scales and resolutions. The group has considerable expertise
in combining ground data with LIDAR data and is the only academic forest-inventory
group in Norway. The wood science group focuses on the effects of tree growth on wood
properties, including wood formation and silviculture, and its relation to wood chemistry
and morphology. The silviculture group focuses on models of tree growth, forest
inventory, forest management planning, potential use of forest biomass for energy, and
reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).
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