Experts to assess KTH research remotely

“This assessment is of major strategic importance for KTH. The principal aim is to identify strengths and weaknesses to improve quality and provide guidance ahead of future initiatives,” says Annika Stensson Trigell, Vice President for Research.

Although the visit will be digital, Micael Stehr, Project Manager for RAE 2021, feels it will be well implemented.

“We have lived with the pandemic for a long time. In the meantime, we have learned how to work remotely and communicate via digital tools. 

At the same time, he admits that they will miss out on the informal small talk between participants you get in a physical meeting. 

Organisation and preparatory work

The KTH departments are organised into nine panels based on their different research areas. There will also be three interdisciplinary panels for infrastructure, impact, and sustainability. 

This international assessment work will be based on the self-evaluation reports that each department has been working on since spring 2020. These have been collated into a report for each panel. Each piece contains the strengths and weaknesses within research work the departments themselves have identified, together with proposals for strategies for the future.

The reports have been sent to the experts together with questions that KTH would like them to answer. The experts can also watch a short video from each department to compensate for not visiting in person.

“The videos present the research activities within the respective panel in a personal way and provide a guided tour of the various research environments at KTH,” says Stehr.

Each panel has a coordinator from KTH and an international chairperson, plus an expert group. The detailed schedule for the assessment work has been resolved by the coordinator and chairperson for each respective panel, based on a framework established by KTH. 

“In my assessment, we are well prepared. Each report describes how the departments within the panel area have contributed to developing and improving the quality of their research since RAE 2012 and what their future strategies are,” says Stensson Trigell, who adds:

“I look forward to being able to focus a whole week on KTH’s strategic quality work, and it will be exciting to hear the feedback from the invited experts.”

Words: Marianne Norén

The digital week-long visit

The President will start by welcoming the participants. The assessment work can then begin. 

The expert groups will interview many employees at KTH. These have been chosen in advance by the coordinators and expert chairpersons.

On the final day, the expert panels meet the President and University Board for an oral presentation of their observations. Each expert panel will also compile a report with proposals for how the respective research activities can further develop their work.

These assessments will then form the basis for final reporting, where the evaluation and recommendations on how to increase the quality of KTH’s research compiles. The work should be completed by the end of the year.
 

More about RAE 2021 on the intranet