Establishment
A centre at KTH is established on the basis of an application granted by a national research funding body or on the initiative of KTH with the need to develop a research domain and its funding in collaboration with other parties.
Prior to establishment, a centre shall:
- Organizationally belong to one of KTH's schools.
- Be led by a steering group. Under the steering group, the organisation is managed by a director. If not all parties are represented in the steering group, there shall be a general assembly of the parties.
- Staff shall be employed by a school. This means that no one may be employed under a centre.
- Profile itself as a centre operating at KTH in its communication and where the other participating parties are to be made visible in a consistent manner.
- Have developed a centre agreement drawn up/negotiated by KTH's solicitors. Note that this point does not apply to network centres, which must otherwise meet criteria 1-4 above.
For all types of centres, the head of school concerned must request to establish a centre. Through the request, the head of school makes a commitment that resources are available and that the centre will be accounted for separately in organisational terms in accordance with KTH's financial administration regulatory framework throughout its period of operation. It should also state that an agreement for administrative support will be established between the centre and the school.
The request must be submitted to the Research Support Office of the University Administration before a decision on the establishment of a centre is prepared.
In addition to the request, the following documents must be submitted to STRIV for a decision:
- Proposals for the chair and members of the centre's steering group and term of office. The proposal shall indicate the organisational affiliation of the chair and the respective members. The proposal for the steering group must have been discussed with all parties.
- Proposal for director and term of office to be approved by the head of school.
If the request concerns the establishment of centres funded by funding bodies (centres of excellence), the following documentation must also be provided:
- Centre agreement for signature. If the centre agreement is under negotiation, this should be stated and a decision on signing the centre agreement will be made later. The agreement must normally be signed by the parties concerned within three months of the establishment decision or before the deadline set by the research funding body.
- The decision of the research funding body and the approved application for funding (including the operational plan and budget for the first year of operation).
If the request concerns the establishment of a centre with funding only from parties or network centre, the following documentation must also be collected:
- Centre agreement for signature (for network centres, the requirement for a centre agreement may be waived if justified in writing).
- A concept description developed by the prospective director in collaboration with stakeholders/parties, clarifying the purpose and goals of the centre and the parties with which KTH will collaborate. The concept description must be accompanied by a proposal for an operational plan, a research plan and a cost and funding budget.
It is the President of KTH who decides on matters concerning the establishment of the centre. The President also decides on co-funding issues on a case-by-case basis.
When establishing new research centres, the STRIV group's mission is to work with the researchers concerned to produce the necessary documentation. STRIV also reports to the President in the decision for establishment.