The management on EECS' new operational plan 2025-2028
The 2025 operational plan focuses on two main areas: a review of the school's organisation and the comprehensive move from Kista to KTH Campus. At the same time, work continues to balance the economy and develop education and research.
Here, the school's management explains what lies ahead - from new initiatives in research and education to how the new departmental structure will strengthen the organisation.
Ann Lantz- Head of School
What are the main objectives of the 2025 Business Plan?
The most important goals and thus assignments in 2025 are reviewing the School's organisation in departments and divisions and moving from KTH Kista to KTH Campus. We have begun work on what the president calls balanced finances, and things are moving in the right direction, but the work will continue in 2025 and probably also in 2026.
The move from Kista to KTH Campus is a significant change. How do you ensure that it is implemented smoothly and that staff and students are affected as little as possible?
The heads of schools involved in campus moves are part of different groups supporting the processes. For example, premises provision and placement on the KTH Campus are discussed in the Premises advisory committee. As Head of School, I can facilitate and help solve knots that arise along the way. For example, the resources for implementing the move have been reviewed and increased.
In addition, it is essential to inform and be transparent about what is happening and the next steps. The Head of School updates their managers, interacts with the trade unions, informs via the internal newsletter pEECS, and provides updates at each staff meeting on the progress of the work.
Markus Hidell - Deputy Head of School and Director of First and Second Cycle Education
EECS is conducting a review of its education offer. What changes can students and teachers expect?
It should be noted that changes to the programme offer certain lead times. The curriculum for the programme students, which starts in autumn 2025, was decided last summer. That said, changes will be visible in the autumn, for example, for students beginning 3-year engineering programme in the School's subject areas. EECS is now admitting students to two 3-year engineering programmes instead of three, and there is an increased focus on clear specialisation tracks within the programmes.
Another exciting example of change visible to students starting this autumn is the School's master's programme in embedded systems and nanotechnology. A change has been initiated towards an increased focus on semiconductor technology, which is visible in a further developed course offering and specialisation tracks in the programmes.
Part of the educational offer is lifelong learning. How does the school see this developing?
Within lifelong learning, EECS has a good mix of grant-funded continuing professional development (FoV) and contract education, and we have the ambition to continue developing this combination. Contract education has the advantages of being needs-driven in nature and financially viable. The School's grant-funded education has been broadened in recent years, which is good. Regarding further development, we will await the investigation into lifelong learning at KTH, which the Faculty Council recently initiated. This includes analysing needs and target groups and assessing educational formats and provisions. It will provide the school with essential guidance for the further development of lifelong learning.
Lina Bertling Tjernberg - Research and Impact Manager
The EECS Research and Impact Day is a new initiative that started in 2024. What is its aim, and how will it strengthen the school's research?
The day aims to inspire researchers at the school to talk about their research, share results and get to know each other's research environments. Focusing on content and our core research activities is my primary focus in my role in the school's management.
The EECS Research and Impact Day is intended as an annual celebration of research. The content of the programme is built up over the year. Examples of research topics where we see interesting new opportunities for research links are software engineering, computer systems and computer vision, robotics and machine learning. Read more about the event and see last year's programme here: EECS Research and Impact Day
How do you see the future research endeavours of EECS, and which areas do you think will be most strategically important?
The research groups in our different departments, strategic research infrastructure and the commitment of our researchers form the basis of research today and in the future. We live in a troubled world where research is given an even more vital role to provide stability and solutions for the future. Knowledge becomes even more important in difficult times, and universities have an increasingly strategic role in advancing knowledge through research.
We need to continue developing research to solve key strategic issues. For example, investments in 6G and applications in extreme environments such as space, sea, and military, as well as in rapid development in life science, mobility, and energy supply. It is strategically vital to increase research cooperation within Europe and join forces. I want to focus on how we can develop opportunities to support research funding from the EU at KTH and in Sweden.
Henrik Artman - Head of Faculty Renewal
How does EECS work with a transparent and inclusive promotion process within the faculty?
The process is currently transparent, and the assessment criteria are open in the employment regulations. The system is based on the person's merits about these assessment criteria. The career committee has proposed changing the promotion of professors from being based on the need to being a right to be assessed, as it is for promotion to senior lecturer.
The dean has also appointed a working group to review the assessment criteria in the employment regulations. Ragnar Thobaben and I are part of the working group. I think it can contribute to increased clarity.
In the process, all levels are included by the person who wants to be promoted, making a self-assessment based on the assessment criteria. The departmental management then assesses this self-evaluation, the institutional management and finally, a group consisting of FFA, GA, FA, deputy FFAs and the Head of School. The Employment Committee will prepare cases for Head of School decisions in the future. We do not know precisely what the whole process will look like.
What are the biggest challenges in faculty recruitment, and how do you plan to meet them?
There are many challenges. Gender equality is one, and we are trying to address it through the government capital initiatives currently being discussed in departments, institutions and later the Faculty Board. Another challenge is internally funded positions. Several departments do not have the funds to offer start-up grants for new hires, even though new faculty may be needed.
The Faculty Board and the school management will have an internal meeting to discuss recruitment strategies. Of course, we hope to have a long-term plan for future recruitment, but it will not be possible or even desirable to plan all appointments - we live in a very dynamic world regarding our subjects.
A smaller challenge is to adapt to the new guidelines and to be able to manage the processes as smoothly as possible - thanks to our competent administrators; we will be able to be more efficient.
Joakim Lilliesköld - Change management
EECS is facing changes, both organisationally and physically. How are you working to ensure that staff perceives these changes as positive?
The current departmental level will become the institutional level. This will allow us to build on the current organisation's strengths and strengthen the organisation, which is currently working less well. At the same time, the organisation is affected by the move from KTH Kista to KTH Campus, which creates challenges and opportunities. This means that massive changes are taking place for some groups and individuals, but for many, it will hardly be noticed; more than that, APTs will be better, and you will be closer to your head of department.
We had an internal meeting with head of department, head of division, head of directors of studies, deputy head of the school faculty board, director of third cycle education, and the school management to capture as many perspectives as possible. We work with this material and provide continuous feedback to the School's extended management team (heads of department and heads of division). We are also transparent with all the material we produce and are happy to come out and talk with any organisation that wants to meet us.
The introduction of a new institutional structure in 2026 means significant changes. What is the purpose of this change, and how will it affect the School's activities?
The new institutional structure aims to create a more efficient and coherent organisation by giving departments full responsibility for teaching, research and doctoral studies. The change will reduce the distance between management and staff. We are also seeking to introduce a transparent and straightforward allocation of resources. For the school's operations, this means a clearer division of responsibilities and better support for managers, where collaboration and flexibility will be key factors in meeting future challenges.
Joakim Palestro - Head of Office
Internal communication has been identified as an area for improvement. What measures are you planning to take to improve the flow of information within the School?
We have established regular occasions where members of the Faculty Board are invited to dialogue meetings with teachers and researchers at the school. The format of the school's working meetings has also been developed by making them available in English. However, we need to find more ways for continuous dialogue, not least with all the school's doctoral students, and to increase participation in the school's workplace meetings. The ongoing reorganisation can catalyse change and improvement of internal communication, but there is much to be done before we are there.
EECS is introducing institutional support with new administrative roles. How will this support work, and what is the aim of the change?
Like other schools, EECS has established a new administrative position as a management coordinator. We have recruited three people, and this autumn, we will recruit three more to staff the new departments that will come into effect on 1 January 2026. These aim to hold together the internal support in each department and act as the head of the department's administrative gateway to the overall operational support. Be a coordinating function in the same way that Marianne Lundin and I are to the school management.