Focus on impact and the upcoming review of the school’s programmes
Faculty Board ABE
The impact of research was high on the agenda when the Faculty Board met last week. The Board was presented with a draft of the school’s new impact strategy and discussed, amongst other things, how the impact of research can be better highlighted. The upcoming external peer review of the school’s degree programmes was also a key item on the agenda.
One of the key topics was the school’s upcoming impact strategy, which is being developed by Fredrik Johansson, Impact Leader at ABE, together with the Faculty Board’s Impact Committee. The strategy outlines how the school can work more systematically to ensure that its research and education make an impact in society. It contains six strategic focus areas that span both the school’s internal work and its external activities.
Part of the discussion centred on so-called ‘impact cases’ – illustrations of instances where research has produced tangible effects. The aim is to demonstrate more clearly how research carried out at KTH has led to changes in society, new methods, policies or other concrete outcomes. In the long term, the impact of research may also become a parameter in the evaluation of research. Going forward, the School may need to review how good examples of research impact can be identified and developed.
Another important issue discussed at the meeting was the planning of the upcoming external peer reviews of the school’s degree programmes. Over the next few years, all programmes at both first and second cycle level, and doctoral level will be reviewed. External reviewers will visit the programmes, and the process will begin in early 2027 with a number of programmes.
In the preparation for the reviews, the Board is working on the questions to be asked and, above all, on how the reviews will contribute to KTH’s ongoing development work. Two working groups – one focusing on first and second cycle education and one on third cycle education – prepare the questions in collaboration with, amongst others, the Director of First and Second Cycle Education (GA), the Director of Third Cycle Education (FA), Programme Directors (PA) and student representatives. The aim is for the reviews to provide as much value as possible and to serve as a practical tool for the continued development of the school’s programmes.
The Faculty Board also took several decisions. Among other things, the Board decided to initiate the recruitment process for a Lecturer in Environmental Impact Assessment. The Board also approved a number of free-standing courses in architecture focusing on design technology and AI, developed in collaboration with KTH e-learning. The development work has been carried out in partnership with Chalmers, and it is particularly positive that the courses are now in the starting blocks, as there has been a lack of courses with this specialisation within architecture to date.
In September, the Faculty Board will take part in a conference together with the school’s management team. The aim is to continue working together on the school’s development and to discuss how its activities can be strengthened going forward.
Told by Johan Spross to Josefin Backman