GU Journal no 7-2010

n u m b e r 7 | d e c /j a n 2 0 1 0 / 1 1

Hazardous emissions Antibiotics will soon be ineffective, according to Joakim Larsson Red-10 soon complete

the new organisation

global week

Investigators critical of GU

Investigators’ proposal is presented

We are all responsible

news 4

news 6

news 8

UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG

words from Vice-Chancellor nyheter

Notiser

UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG

A journal for Gothenburg Universit y’s employees

december e d i to r - i n c h i e f & p u b l i s h e r

Allan Eriksson 031 - 786 10 21 allan.eriksson@gu.se e d i to r & d e p u t y p u b l i s h e r

Eva Lundgren 031 - 786 10 81 eva.lundgren@gu.se p h oto g r a p h y & r e p r o d u c t i o n

Johan Wingborg 031 - 786 29 29 johan.wingborg@gu.se g r a p h i c d e s i g n & l ayo u t

Anders Eurén Björn S Eriksson

c o n t r i b u t i n g au t h o r s

Magnus Pettersson and Sten Rylander.

T r a n s l at i o n

Janet Vesterlund proofreader

Robert Ohlson, Välskrivet ­­i ­Göteborg address

GU Journal, Gothenburg University Box 100, 405 30 Gothenburg e-mail

gu-journalen@gu.se internet

www.gu-journalen.gu.se printing

Geson Hylte Tryck issue

6 200 copies ISSN

1402-9626 issues

7 issues/year. The next number will come on february 16th.

Strengthening our competitiveness It’s been a few days now since the two investigators that have been studying the new organisation at Göteborg University, Göran Bexell and Christina Rogestam, presented their proposal. It’s an extremely exciting report that agrees with my way of viewing the needs for change.

I’m often asked why we need to make this organisational change. The answer is that it’s one part of a number of different things we’re doing to strengthen our competitiveness in the increasingly hard fight for research funds, students and, not least, qualified employees.

Examples of other actions are evaluations of our research and education.

The goal of the new organisation is to focus on research and education to a greater degree than we do today.

The core of our activities is run on the department level. Göran Bexell and Christina Rogestam give a figure of 150 to 300 employees as an aim for a department, although with a possibility for variation both upwards and downwards. In terms of administration, the departments will manage their own work with respect to finances, personnel and student issues. If expert help is needed, it will be able to be provided by the University’s administration.

According to the proposal, the depart­ments will be distributed over five faculties. The idea is that departments that in terms of subject, methodology and scientific theory are closely related will have the greatest possibilities to build a faculty. The faculties will be led by their own dean who will take responsibility for the strategic planning and development of the core activities,

in other words education and research.

The dean will be assisted in a large number of administrative questions, which will give a greater possibility to tackle strategic work. Another suggestion in the proposal is for the main part of the administration to be organised centrally but remain local.

Göran Bexell and Christina Rogestam reason that fewer faculties will be a savings for the University as a whole and for the departments. You can read more about faculty divisions elsewhere in the Journal.

It is proposed that the University management consist of vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, administrative manager and a small staff. The management will also be a part of the management council, together with the deans and a student representative. The council’s task will be to plan and develop cooperation within the University, prepare decisions and treat important questions that have to do with policy and the University’s activities.

an academic forum for discussions on all three levels.

The proposal will now be sent out for consideration to faculty committees, departments and other units in the University and views must be given

by March 1 at the latest. According to plans, the board will take a decision at the meeting on April 7th. Göran Bexell’s and Christina Rogestam’s work is done and we will now take over the work of conclusively forming an organisation that will move Göteborg University forward. I hope that everyone will work toward this in his or her own way. The University management wants a decision from the board that has the strong support of the organisation.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone for their many valuable efforts in the past year. I wish all of you a Happy Christmas and New Year. I hope that the coming holidays will offer some welldeserved relaxation.

PAM FREDMAN

“cross-faculty” organs that are proposed are interesting. One is the education board that would have a certain decision delegation and treat issues such as quality, common educational programs and educational policies.

Another is a research council that would have an advisory role and take responsibility for information such as quality measurements, stimulate cross-disciplinary research and develop a common procedure for seeking research funds.

The common

Both Göran Bexell and Christina Rogestam would also like to establish

photo: Hillevi Nagel

l a s t dat e f o r t e x t s

January, 25, 2011 m at e r i a l

GU Journal does not take responsibility for unsolicited material. The editorial department is responsible for unsigned material.

You are welcome to quote, but indicate the source. change of address

Inform the editorial department of a change of address in writing. c ov e r pag e

Joakim Larsson, Associate Professor at the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience.

Photo: Johan Wingborg

Reg.nr: 3750M

Reg.nr: S-000256

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A few words from the Editorial Department Many of the University’s employees have to work hard to find funds, take care of administrative work and find the time to do research after their hours of instruction. All this work sometimes makes us forget what a fantastic workplace the University is. Think about all the interesting events and instructive courses that we’re constantly offered! For example, Global Week was an impressive event, according to many of our international guests. But smaller meetings are held all over the school almost every day.

For example, the Physics Department arranged an afternoon in the middle of November that gave general information to all interested employees. The planetarium was presented, Dag Hanstorp explained what light is and two doctoral candidates told us about the movements

of atoms using balloons and liquid nitrogen. We think that this was a very good event that perhaps others would like to copy. To the extent you can, visit these activities. They’re listed in the calendar – everything from literary seminars to opera performances.

At GU Journal we try to address questions of great general interest, which means that we look particularly closely at management questions. This is of course an important task. But at the same time the Journal is primarily a source of news for everyone who works at University of Gothenburg.

That’s why we also try to write about everyday things at the departments.

In this issue we look at unusual titles – there are many in the University. Read about what a bookbinding foreman, a

housewife and a suit manager do.

But we need tips and ideas to make our journal vivid and exciting. So keep on writing to us! We also encourage you to send us articles or short letters that comment on what you read in GU Journal.

It may not seem like particularly good time planning to issue a December issue just before Christmas, but it couldn’t be avoided this time. As everyone else did, we waited for the presentation of the new organisation, which was given on December 15, the same day the Journal went to print.

Now we’ll take a little Christmas break – the next issue will come out in the middle of February. We wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year!

Editors Eva Lundgren & Allan Eriksson

contents

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Give guest researchers better support!

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Says RED10 investigator Susanne Renner, who will soon complete her work.

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Proposal for a new organisation This is how Göteborg University will be, according to investi­gators Göran Bexell and Christina Rogestam.

New teaching positions Göteborg University has decided what teaching categories there will be, but no national coordination exists as yet.

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Stellenbosch similar to University of Gothenburg In the view of knowledge there are great similarities between University of Gothenburg and Stellenbosch University, says Arnold van Zyl.

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University of Gothenburg, Africa and the world Sten Rylander, previously ambassador in Zimbabwe, thinks it’s high time to change how we see Africa.

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An environmental catastrophe made him famous Joakim Larsson’s discovery of emissions of medications in India became world news.

of the 11 Students natural sciences are

looking for partners

Doctoral students in ocean environment will work together with doctoral students from other faculties in a new, unique program.

g u j o u r n a l 7 | 1 0 3

New strategies up to 2012 T h e b oa r d m a d e a decision on December 15th about Quality and Renewal – Strategies for University of Gothenburg 2011–2012. This is a transition document that briefly describes the goals the University has for research, education, cooperation and support actions. There is also a summary of actions taken 2007–2010 for each area and five high priority actions for 2011–2012. The

focus has been on the development of the University’s identity and priority has also been given to cooperation over faculty borders. Activities shall build upon complete academic environments that include research, education and cooperation with society. The five profile areas – health, culture, environment, democracy and social development, and knowledge development and learning – continue

to receive priority. Work on the more long-term strategy that will apply from 2013 until 2020 will start in January. This will be based on e.g. the RED10 research evaluation, a total view of educational programs, BLUE11 and an overview of the University’s organisation.

For more information see: www.vision2020.gu.se

News

The University will miss top A risk according to RED 10 investigators

photo: Johan Wingborg

University of Gothenburg has to give new researchers a better start package with post-doc and post-grad services and help husbands and wives of researchers to find interesting jobs in the Göteborg area.

If it doesn’t, the University will lose the biggest research names, according to the chairman of the RED 10 investi­ gators, Susanne Renner, after the group’s week-long visit to Göteborg.

The panel’s visit is over now and the vice-chancellor, the deans and the prefects can breathe a sigh of relief – for now. The final report will come in the spring, where GU will get both praise and criticism for its research and a series of suggestions for improvement.

Susanne Renner, professor of botany at the University of München, leads the group of chairmen and vice-chairmen in the 18 investigation panels. She notes that GU is a versatile seat of learning – but one that needs to be sharper. Salaries have to be raised and be made competitive.

GU also has to help the partners of newly recruited researchers to find jobs.

“In Göteborg you don’t do anything to find a job for the husband or the wife when you recruit new researchers. But it’s on its way to being a big thing at other universities,” she says.

the other investigators, Susanne Renner has broad international experience. She did her post-graduate studies in Brazil and has held professorships in the US and Denmark. She was part of the panel who earlier investigated Uppsala University in the same way that GU is now being studied.

“If GU doesn’t succeed in being more creative, it will fall behind and not be able to attract the big research stars. You can be creative, help with financing or with finding temporary positions at other comLike several of

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The evaluation panel led by Susanne Renner visited GU at the end of November.

panies, authorities and seats of learning in the vicinity. Other universities do that.”

What do you think about the mobility among GU’s researchers?

“We’ve discussed that question several times. In some areas it’s truly lacking while it’s good in other areas. For example, it’s complicated when people have other jobs

at the same time, especially at Sahlgrenska Academy, where many have jobs as doctors while they do their doctoral work. But I don’t want to point out too many specific examples.”

Susanne Renner also thinks that GU should perform better in mentorships and career support.

“The start package for newly employed

GU Holding’s 15th birthday University of Gothen­

holding company is 15 years old. This was celebrated by awarding prizes to three innovative researchers and to one of the businesses that the holding company has worked together with longest, A+ Science.

The first prize in GU Holding’s idea competition went to burg’s

Susanne Eriksson, prizewinner in GU Holding’s idea competition.

researchers Each department wants to be larger and to spread and that makes changes difficult.

researchers isn’t big enough. They have to get some post-doc researchers or doctoral students around them. It’s very important and definitely common at the universities I’m aware of.

It has to do with creating a context for the researchers.”

After the visit in November the RED10 group will rank GU’s research environments according to a sixgraded scale where the highest ranking is “outstanding”. Susanne Renner admits that there are a few research groups of that calibre at University of Gothenburg, but doesn’t want to name which ones.

But can you rally compare research that’s so different in its subject matter?

“You can. That it isn’t possible is mostly an excuse that’s sometimes used. Tax money goes to research – it has to be possible to examine how it’s been used.”

Susanne Renner and the panels have noted that GU has an unusually large number of departments.

Is that a problem?

“Each department wants to be larger and to spread and that makes changes difficult. It may be reasonable that for example medicine has more professors than, say, archaeology, but if there are fewer and larger departments it’s easier for employees to change positions, easier to set priorities for financial resources and easier to make changes.”

And what do you think about the number of faculties?

“Yes, the panel discussed that. The members from Great Britain said that British universities usually have three faculties but we still have very many in Germany. So it’s different from country to country and we have no clear opinion about it.”

RED 10 The University’s strategic plan for 2007 to 2010 says that GU’s research “shall have such quality as to draw international attention.” RED10 is being done to clarify strengths and weaknesses in GU’s research.

Another reason is that the management wants to create a basis for future evaluations. This is the first time that GU allows its research to be evaluated in such a broad scope.

The departments have evaluated their research themselves. A biblio­metric

analysis is also be made in addition to the international expert investigation.

A total of about 120 researchers divided among 18 panels have examined the departments’ research. The majority of the experts have been recruited internationally. All panel chairmen are active abroad. The instructions to the investigators have two parts. One has to do with the quality, relevance and goals of the research and the other with plans for the future, including proposals for improvements.

Susanne Eriksson for her invention Skalman, an incubation and feeding machine for commercial cultivation of marine animals. GU Holding’s best investment to this time, A+ Science, also received a prize for its work, which has meant that the company has 65 employees and a turnover of 85 million SEK. GU Holding is one

of the university world’s most success­ful holding companies, with 20 employees, activities in about 40 companies and a turnover of 200 million SEK. For more information see: www.holding.gu.se

The report will come in March RED10 will soon go in the final phase. An intensive period of work awaits the evaluation’s secre­tariat with the final report to be printed at the end of February.

The bibliometric analysis also has to be completed.

Together with the self-evaluation and the international expert investigation, it’s one of the three cornerstones of RED10.

A total of about 120 investigators have been involved in the international circle of experts. They were appointed by the Vice-chancellor at the suggestion of the Deans.

Gustav Bertilsson Uleberg and Susanne Holmgren are “This is an inter- coordinators of RED 10. national comparison. The perspective that has to be used is that for example physics at GU is compared with physics at other schools,” says Gustav Bertilsson Uleberg who is coordinator of RED 10 together with Susanne Holmgren.

But how independent are the experts considering that they’ve been appointed by GU? “This is a common process. You start with a selfevaluation and then choose investigators,” says Susanne Holmgren.

“Each person has had to sign a paper saying that there’s no conflict of interest. We followed the strict conflict of interest rules set up by the Swedish Research Council.

Among them is that it isn’t permitted to have published together with any persons that you’re examining in the most recent five years.”

The investigators have been given the task of not only evalu­ating GU but also of formulating a number of actions.

What will happen with the report when it comes?

“That’s completely the responsibility of the Vicechancellor and the board, but the new strategy plan has been kept on ice to be able to put RED10 into it,” says Susanne Holmgren.

MAGNUS PETTERSSON

g u j o u r n a l 7 | 1 0 5

News

Investigators suggest a traditional organisation

The Vice- chancellor gave Göran Bexell and Christina Rogestam the task of developing a proposal for a new organisation, which was presented in the University’s auditorium on December 15th.

“We’ve taken a holistic perspective and tried to look at what’s best for the University. All schools of higher learning are in a period of transition, which offers a golden opportunity to work with change. What’s starting now is a three-year process that will lead to a new and academically stronger University of Gothenburg,” claims Göran Bexell, previously Vicechancellor of Lund University.

Briefly, the task has to do with increasing quality and cooperation and making the administration more effective.

“Not only have we looked at the organisation, we’ve also considered culture and leadership. We have to safeguard academic freedom, integrity, quality, in teaching, research and administration. But the obligations of the authority also have to be met. In a decentralised university there’s a risk that rules are developed in different places, which makes things unclear and uncertain. We can’t have things that way,” says Christina Rogestam, earlier director of administration at GU. The investigators propose a traditional organisation built on a smaller number of faculties and larger and fewer departments, which many faculties have already done.

“For a university of GU’s size it’s a strength to have a traditional organisation divided according to closely related disciplines. It gives stability and academic legitimacy,” according to Göran Bexell.

It also means that the departments have to be large and solid enough in terms of personnel and finances. An objective is 150 to 300 employees.

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photo: Johan Wingborg

Four faculties are almost completely unaffected – while three faculties are merged together and the IT faculty disappears.

These are some of the consequences of the proposal for a new organisation given by Göran Bexell and Christina Rogestam. Most of the criticism comes from people in the social sciences.

A number of people in the social sciences, among them Helena Lindholm-Schulz, questioned the logic of merging the social sciences, teaching sciences and the humanities.

The prop osal for the division of faculties was the question that gave rise most to the discussion during the presentation. Dean Helena LindholmSchulz was troubled over the area of the social sciences being treated poorly.

“It was emphasized at the beginning that this would be an open process and that nothing was holy and incontestable. But now we see that four faculties remain unchanged.

We’re happy to cooperate more with the humanities and teaching sciences but it would have been good if the School of Economics was also affected by the organisation proposal.”

Marie Demker, professor of political science, also wondered about the logic behind merging the humanities, social sciences and teaching sciences.

“There’s no 100 per cent logic, but we think that our proposal is the best.

What’s important is to give constructive suggestions rather than criticizing.”

The investigator s also propose a slimming of the administration by at least 10 per cent by taking away double work on different levels.

Administrative tasks on the faculty

level should be limited and coordinated on the common university level as far as possible.

Olle Larkö, Dean of Sahlgrenska Academy, was critical of this.

“We already have the organisation we want, we have to be strong to match health care. There’s a risk that it will the same as the IT organisation, twice as expensive. The reorganisation will also cost a lot of money.”

Christina Rogestam held that this was not a detailed proposal and that a university administration that serves deans functions very well, for example in Uppsala.

The investigators also emphasized the importance of a common culture and a strong and clear leadership, that organisational changes weren’t sufficient. An advisory staff on all levels was suggested, where there would be no restrictions to discussions.

“The University is also an organisation with values, everyone has to be there in the strategic plan, knowing what applies leads to academic freedom,” explains Bexell.

Christina Rogestam also said that cooperation with Chalmers has to work much better.

“There’s a rivalry between the schools that we can not afford.

Göteborg would be much stronger if we work together.”

On the basis of the investigation, the Vice-chancellor will now develop a proposal that will be sent out for

There’s a rivalry between the schools that we can not afford. Göteborg would be much stronger if we work together.

Christina Rogestam

consideration between January 20th and March 1st. The plan is for the board to take a decision on April 7th.

During the spring the Vice-chancellor will hold a number of breakfast meetings in different places at GU where it will be possible to discuss questions.

EVA LUNDGREN & ALLAN ERIKSSON

Proposal for faculty divisions – Faculty for medicine, odontology and health care sciences (Sahl­ grenska Academy) – Faculty for the humanities, social sciences and teaching sciences. There are different alternatives, among them that the Department of Applied

IT is included in the faculty or that political science and the School of Public Administration are transferred over to the School of Economics.

– Faculty for eco­nomics and law (School of Economics)

– Faculty for art – Faculty for natural sciences. There is a proposal to include the department of computer and information technology.

Read more at: www.vision2020.gu.se

News

More new career steps But no bigger changes at GU What does it mean to be a teacher at University of Gothenburg? Starting next year we’ll get to decide that ourselves. Only professors, university lecturers, assistant professors and guest professors will be regulated in the new university regulation.

This means that rules can be different at different seats of higher learning.

The regul ations concerning qualification and basis for forming a judgement will still apply next year for professors and lecturers. The new regulation also decides the longest time it will be possible to be employed as assistant professor or guest professor, 12 and 5 years, respectively. But there will be no rules for lecturers, and other teaching positions aren’t regulated at all.

“Our teachers represent the major part of the University’s core activities and defining what teaching positions there will be and on what bases they will be filled is of course important from many perspectives. For example, representation in different organs is determined many times by this and it also has a direct connection to the application of teaching exception and rules for side-line activities,” says

Ulf Broberg at the personnel department, who has been given the responsibility to lead the work for a new structure for the different positions.

Ulf Broberg An important change has to do with the possibilities for temporary positions. Since for example research assistants and guest teachers are no longer covered by the regulation, neither are there particular rules for how they can be employed. Instead, LAS (law on protection of employment) applies to the extent the schools want to keep these types of positions. The conditions are thus the same as in the case of ordinary employment, that is, that after two years of work the person has the right to permanent employment.

“The Swedish Agency for Government Employers will probably start collective labour contract negotiations to set up certain exceptions from LAS, but those kinds of nego­ tiations aren’t anything we take care of on a local level,” says Ulf Broberg.

Sweden’s university and college association (SUHF) has pretty much agreed on a common promotion process for teachers: an assistant lec-

turer shall be able to advance to the position of lecturer and then become professor. But Lund, for example, has a further step on the career ladder, assistant professor, that University of Gothenburg will not introduce, at least not according to the present decision.

“But there will be more discussions on a national level, all the schools are in the same boat,” says Vicechancellor Pam Fredman, who is also chairman of SUHF. “The decision the board has taken now will very certainly be adjusted during the next year, work advancement and recruitment are some of the most important questions the University has and shouldn’t be treated hastily.”

An imp ortant area, not least for professional education programs, is being able to take in assistant teachers for part-time work.

“It has to do both with our needing to cooperate with the society around us and other organisations needing more contact with the university,” Pam Fredman explains. “Greater cooperation with others can also lead to more training positions.”

Another thing that has been discussed at University of Gothenburg is the introduction of a position of professional teachers.

“But a position of that kind has to be defined more clearly, both in itself and in relation to other positions,” says Ulf Broberg. “It may also be that we establish positions for our local needs in Göteborg that don’t have a counterpart in other places, but that will be a later question.”

The reform doesn’t mean any great change in terms of the art positions.

And the present regulations apply for those who were employed before January 1, 2011.

According to Ulf Broberg, “In the case that the employment procedure started before the turn of the year, the old regulations will also apply.

There will also be some transitional regulations.” eva lundgren

Facts According to the decision of the board, starting January 1, 2011, the following teaching positions will exist at University of Gothenburg: professor, assistant professor, guest professor, university lecturer, assistant university lecturer, university assistant, assistant teacher, guest teacher and post-doc.

»We have crushing competition« The whole university system is facing great challenges. The demands for excellence, profiling and efforts are increasing in a time of globalisation and hard competition. But the new education and higher education minister doesn’t want to make a statement about what GU should do. decided at University of Gothenburg,” says Jan Björklund, who met with the University management on November 24th.

In an interview held by University TV, he said that he was impressed by

“That has to be

University of Gothenburg’s high quality and breadth.

“This is one of Sweden’s leading universities. University of Gothenburg is the support for the development of Western Sweden. The way in which the University develops is important to the whole region.” was that GU, like other universities, has to think about where it is possible to make a difference, what areas are strongest, and to dare to make efforts in priority areas.

“University of Gothenburg is facing the same challenges as the rest of the Jan Björklund’s message

Jan Björklund

Swedish univer­ sity system. We live in a completely new time with greater internationalisation and globalisation and we have crushing competition.”

Univer sities have to be prepared to develop to manage the demands of the future. However, there isn’t a need of a complete change, according to Jan Björklund. But the Government will offer suggestions that aim to make Sweden more competitive.

“When it comes down to the line, it will be controversial. Even if we listen, in the final analysis we have to decide and everyone won’t be able to get what they want.” Jan Björkman concluded, “I want Sweden to be one of the world’s most successful countries in the 2000s but it puts very high demands on the educational system and research quality. It’s a challenge that GU shares with the rest of Sweden’s seats of higher learning.”

ALLAN ERIKSSON g u j o u r n a l 7 | 1 0 7

photo: Johan Wingborg

photo: helena åberg

global week

Paneldebate with Jan Eliasson, Helena LIndholm Schultz, Annika Söder and Hans Blix. The debate was led by Britt-Marie Mattsson.

Global week a success This is exactly what University of Gothenburg should be doing! This was one of many comments about Global Week, the international meeting between foreign guests, employees and students, that the people who organised it hoped for.

Ov e r 1 0 0 0 s t u d e n t s and employees at University of Gothenburg participated and more than 40 international visitors helped to make Global Week, held between the 15th and 19th of November, a success. The average mark the participants gave the event given was 3.5 on a four-grade scale.

The invited guests were also very pleased.

“The few negative comments had to do with difficulty seeing things in the auditorium at Vasaparken because cameras were in the way,” says Pernilla Danielsson, international coordinator. And some thought that too few women were involved. On the other hand, many people thought that the women who were there, like Anna Trolle-Lundgren from the World Food Programme and Sandra Engelbrecht from the African Progress Panel, were among the most inspiring participants.

I n c o n t r a s t t o many other universities that organise international days, University of Gothenburg arranged more workshops at which researchers discussed such things as resistance to antibiotics, nuclear energy and different prejudices.

“There are researchers who have already contacted us and said that they’d like to come next year.”

The faculties’ programs were also appreciated, not least the School of Economics’, at which consul-general Lars Danielsson explained how important it is for students to get international experience.

“Next year the faculties will probably hold a day that doesn’t coincide with the student exhibition,” says Pernilla Danielsson, “and hopefully the work for Global Week will proceed a little more on its own.”

For videos and references see: www.globalweek.gu.se

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Global solidarity on the Agenda A theme frequently mentioned during Global Week was that we have a common responsibility for our world’s problems. Five days of activities for students, personnel and international guests put University of Gothenburg on the map.

Jan Eliasson, the introductory speaker, set the tone when he spoke with great enthusiasm about the need of looking at the world as a single unit.

“No European nation is a big player in the global arena any more. That’s why it’s important that the European countries act with one voice. We have to learn to see the world as a resource, not as a problem.”

According to Jan Eliasson, all questions are connected. Peace, development and human rights have to go hand in hand.

“Many of today’s challenges are global and local. The really big problems have to be solved by different countries together. Nobody can do everything but everybody can do something.”

of Global Gover­nance symposium filled the audi­torium the following day. The debate was led by Britt-Marie Mattsson and included diplomats Hans Blix, Jan Eliasson, Annika Söder and Helena Lindholm Schulz, Dean of the Faculty for the Social Sciences, who said that the challenge the world now faces doesn’t have to do with building a global government but creating a kind of governmental practice based on ethics that is the same for everyone.

“G-7, G-20, P5, UNSC – we have a ragu of acronyms that are involved in The Challenge

global direction,” according to Hans Blix. “But we have to keep in mind that international leadership is different from national governments. In the democratic world we choose our governments, the majority decides but minorities also trust that they’ll be treated well. That isn’t the way it is in international contexts. It’s neither the majority of states nor the majority of people that decide in international contexts and small minorities have no influence at all.”

“When we talk about global questions it sounds like it’s something some­where else, far away,” said Jan Eliasson. “But instead it has to do with things that happen here, right now. We have to realize that good international solutions to problems with poverty, migration, organised crime and terrorism are of national interest. And we have to understand that the challenges we face are so huge that no individual institution or nation can solve them, not even the UN or USA. We all have to share the responsi­bility.”

Global discussions tend to focus only on problems. But during the Out of Africa seminar, ambassador Sten Rylander pointed out that very positive things are happening in Africa and argued that we must come away from the negative picture we have of the continent.

“A negative view doesn’t help Africa. Much is going in the right direction. More countries than before are led democratically and their economies are developing.”

According to Sten Rylander, the problem is that we’ve taken Africa for granted.

“Sweden and Europe should engage themselves much more. The relation must not be built on foreign subsidies and help but on mutuality and economic cooperation.”

Sten Rylander has come to be known as being an outspoken ambassador and he didn’t mince words about the double standard of morality in the EU, where agriculture is subsidised.

The overall theme during Global Week was that global cooperation must be built on respect for all people’s equal value. Without this we will not be able to solve the challenges that the world is facing, such as agreeing on reducing hazardous emissions.

We have to learn to see the world as a resource, not as a problem.

Jan Elia sson

Jan Eliasson always carries with him UN statutes, where human rights are established.

“There’s a risk that these rights are understood as Western ideas that other nations don’t need to take into consideration; that attitude would be devastating for all global cooperation. For this reason it is decisive for Western democracies to really live up to their high goals and protect all people’s equal value. Otherwise it won’t go well for global cooperation.”

Allan eriksson & Eva Lundgren

nyheter global week

Return to South Africa after 20 Years Ranks are presented as though they were an established truth.

They flatter the educational institutions that are high on the lists and create a feeling of security – but flattery is treacherous.

This is Professor Arnold van Zyl’s feeling. He came from Stellen­bosch University to parti­ cipate in Global Week.

photo: Johan Wingborg

Coming to Göteborg in November when it starts to get dark at three in the afternoon doesn’t bother him.

“At least it’s not raining,” says Arnold van Zyl, who’s been in Göteborg about ten times.

At home in Stellenbosch it will soon be summer, about 25 degrees and sunny. All the oaks that were planted by the Dutch in the 1600s are turning green, which gave the city its nickname of Oak City. Arnold von Zyl tells us about the grapevines that grow in the many vineyards in the surrounding valley as we settle ourselves in a room at Vasaparken.

He also says that there are some similarities between Stellenbosch University and University of Gothen­ burg, especially in the view of what

Arnold van Zyl .

the university’s task is. For example, both universities are strongly involved in their regions. He’s particularly impressed by GU’s work in the area of quality.

“There seems to be a great awareness of quality processes in teaching and research. It isn’t like that everywhere. But your university is much larger and nicer than our bush college,” says Arnold van Zyl jokingly, well aware that Stellenbosch University ranks as one of South Africa’s leading research universities.

He’s also found the time to speak with GU’s management about areas in which the two universities can work cooperatively. An overall agreement was established in 2004 but Arnold van Zyl now suggests more detailed cooperation in research on water.

Stellenbosch University has a regional centre of excellence, the Institute of Water Research, that gathers researchers from 18 different institutions from all faculties, from sociology and medicine to technology.

During Global Week Arnold van Zyl listened to and actively partici­ pated in a seminar about the craze over all rankings. He thinks it’s

When we speak about clean water, our young students know what that means. important to build a knowledge base of where the best competence exists, but isn’t in favour of generalising all universities using the same measure.

“What’s problematic is that rankings are presented as an established truth. But they’re built on bad research. The teaching institutions that place high on the lists of course enjoy the praise. But flattery is treacherous. It can easily lead to losing contact with reality. As the German saying goes: where there’s a lot of light there’s also a lot of shadow.”

Arnold van Z yl gives a relaxed impression, no tie and little interest in titles. There’s a picture of him on a web site standing in front of a bicycle from Eastern Germany, a Potsdam.

“It’s a very robust city bicycle that I take to work every day. But it only takes five minutes so unfortunately it doesn’t make me any slimmer.”

Arnold van Zyl grew up under apartheid. But at the beginning of the 1980s when he was 22 he left South Africa.

“I was one of the last who could use the enormous advantages and privileges of the apartheid system.

I went to a very good school and a very good university, the University of Cape Town. But at the beginning of the 1980s I realized that the honeymoon wasn’t going to last forever. I got actively involved in student politics and I understood that I had nothing to gain by staying in the country.”

He went to Germany to finish his thesis and then landed at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart. He stayed for 20 years. The decision to return to South Africa wasn’t easy, but when the job of vice-chancellor was free he felt like the time was right.

“I was often homesick. Taking a job at a South African university means earning a lot less money. But that isn’t important to me. What I’m doing now is paying back a little of all the advantages I had when I was young.”

The country he returned to had changed from its very foundations.

“Now I’m an anomaly in South Africa since I’m white and Afrikaan in a position of power,” says Arnold van Zyl, entirely without bitterness. “You

live in a culture in which you’re constantly reminded that you’re different, which is problematic sometimes and painful. It’s very difficult for me to be openly critical toward things that are wrong in our society.”

He sees it instead to be his task to give the students a critical voice.

Still, Arnold van Zyl is hopeful.

“Let’s see how we can bridge the gap between now and the future and together create a better South Africa.

We have to focus on what’s possible instead of being paralysed by our context and history. That’s the basic idea of the project called Hope, that the whole university is engaged in.”

The key is education, according to Arnold van Zyl. It’s by education that people can gain the power to free themselves from fear and prejudice.

While there are big challenges, there’s one area in which progress has been made. At Stellenbosch University, half of the doctoral students are black. Arnold van Zyl says that the university has a responsibility and an obligation to address three things: carrying out research, spreading knowledge through teaching and using knowledge to develop society.

“What we do research on has great relevance in our society. When we speak about clean water, our young students know what that means. Their mothers have to walk up to 10-20 kilo­ meters every day to fetch water.”

ALLAN ERIKSSON

Zimbabwe Botswana Namibia

Mozambique Pretoria

Swaziland

Johannesburg

Southafrica

Lesotho

Stellenbosch University Capetown

Stellenbosch University Originally a university for Afrikaans speaking (white) part of the population. Formally became a university in 1918 but was founded over 150 years ago. There are 150 departments divided over 10 faculties. Instruction is given in both Afrikaans and English.

Number of employees: 2 400 Number of students: 26 240 g u j o u r n a l 7 | 1 0 9

to the editorial departement

global week column

A strange formulation Professor Sverker Lindblad,

chairman of GU’s ranking group, was interviewed in the latest GU Journal and said: “The worst that can happen is that people start to use bad lists for their strategic work by purchasing Nobel prize winners and frequently cited researchers in order to raise their placement on the lists. That’s the absolutely wrong way to go.”

I was forced to read it again, slowly.

Many international ranking lists have obvious weaknesses, but that it would be negative, and even the worst thing that could happen, if we succeeded in recruiting international star researchers of the Nobel prize winner class to GU is among the strangest things I’ve read in a long time.

I myself think that it would be completely fantastic to be able to succeed in that! Even more important than the lustre of our reputation (resulting from a better ranking etc.) is the inspiration for research colleagues and students and the effects on the possibilities for internationally recruiting good researchers (who most often want to work together with good colleagues) and students, not to speak of external funds for strong research environments.

All international experience I’m aware of indicates that the recruitment policy, primarily in the case of external recruitments, is among the most important things with respect to research quality at a university. A suitable task for GU’s quality council would thus be to try to answer the following questions: 1. What can GU best do to dramatically increase the proportion of external recruitments in general, and international recruitments in particular? 2. What can best be done to be able to recruit international top researchers to GU? This task should have a broad mandate and, for example, include the possibilities for different forms of cooperation with business and trade.

OLOF JOHANSSON-STENMAN PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT THE SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

Loud discussions at coffee breaks?

Let more people know what you think.

Share your opinions.

But write in brief. Preferably not more than 400 words. Always give your name and address to the editorial office, although you may be anonymous in the Journal. The editorial office retains the right to shorten texts sent to the office. Last date for the next issue is January 25.

E-mail us at: gu-journalen@gu.se 1 0

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University of Gothenburg, Africa and the world et me begin with warm congratulations to Univer­ sity of Gothenburg for the initiative of arranging Global Week, which took place for the first time in the middle of November this year. For all of us who had the honour of being a part of Global Week, it was experienced as a great success and we look forward to annual arrangements with new, inspiring discussions. I’ve always loved the west coast and it feels like Göteborg is located on Sweden’s front side and that all of you who live and work here have a closer relation with the world outside. University of Gothenburg has also developed impressive international activities over the years, which span over practically all the large global questions that are pressing all the nations of the world. Global Week will be an excellent opportunity to show this dynamic activity and lift up international questions that require engagement and attention.

Sweden has a very good reputation almost all over Africa.

It was also pleasant as an old African to return to Göteborg and Global Week – after this year’s Book Fair that focused on Africa. As I tried to emphasize in my lecture, it can never be wrong to lift up Africa and Swedish-African contacts. Africa is in many ways still a slumbering continent that has its best time in front of it. Wars, conflicts and poverty still exist, but rapid steps are being taken in a positive direction. Analysts of the future and actors that work with longer time perspectives, including many multinational companies, now see Africa as a large potential market with growing significance on the global arena. Great steps are also being taken in building African cooperative structures through the African

Union (AU) and regional cooperative organisations such as SADC, ECA and ECOWAS. Sweden has a very good reputation almost all over Africa. This is in part due to our active engagement in de-colonisation and the fight against apartheid and minority governing, in freedom and national independence.

This background makes it always feel positive and satisfying to represent Sweden in contacts with Africa and Africans – whether they be diplomats, help workers, businessmen or researchers at Swedish universities.

It is true that we now work within completely different frameworks and that EU is the leading arena for Swedish activity. But I maintain that the great trust and the strong legitimacy that we have built up vis-à-vis Africa can be used actively to our own and EU’s advantage. As we all know, EU’s relations with Africa have not been without problems: there are in certain areas a tiredness and a backyard perspective that must be replaced with a more active and future-oriented engagement in Africa, which after all is so close to Europe and which we know so well. A more positive engagement of this kind is needed to meet the new parties that are interested more and more in Africa: China, India, Brazil, Turkey and others. I am convinced that Sweden can help here by pulling EU in a positive direction.

A few days ago (November 28-30) I participated in a summit meeting in Tripoli, Libya, between EU and Africa together with Minister for Overseas Development Gunilla Carlsson.

Cooperation is sometimes sluggish, for example in the area of trade, but continues according to the Joint EU-Africa Strategy from 2007, and a new action plan for 2011-2013 has been accepted.

STEN RYLANDER FORMER AMBASSADOR IN ZIMBABWE PARTICIPATED IN THE SEMINAR OUT OF AFRICA DURING GLOBAL WEEK

announcements

NEW RESEARCH SCHOOL:

GU increasing almost as much as KI

Doctoral students doing research in pairs on the marine environment

u Efforts in research and development at universities and colleges were 26.8 billion crowns in 2009, an increase of 3 billion crowns, or 13 per cent, over 2007.

Almost 50 per cent of the total revenues went to Karolinska Institute and the universities in Lund, Uppsala and Göteborg. Compared with 2007, Karolinska Institute and the universities in Lund and Göteborg increased their revenues most, by 515,383 and 376 million crowns at the 2009 price level. In per cent, University of Gothenburg is at the top: revenues have increased by almost 16 per cent, which is almost as much as Karolinska Institute.

44 per cent of the revenues for research and development come directly from the Government. Other big financers are research councils and others in the public sector.

The area of medicine stood for 30 per cent of the total revenues for research and development, which corresponds to 8 billion crowns. This proportion has been the same since 2007. Other important areas are technical sciences, natural sciences and social sciences.

Statistics Sweden carried out the investigation, which includes 44 universities and colleges and is done every other year.

The environment is one of GU’s profile areas and marine environment research holds a strong position, with the Tjärnö station and the Sven Lovén Center for Marine Sciences. The purpose of GU’s new research school in sea resource administration is to strengthen its profile. The University board has earmarked seven million crowns to the doctoral student pair program, which includes all the faculties in the University.

“We have a potential in marine research at GU that we haven’t exploited enough. We have strong natural scientists and strong social scientists. We also have quite a few environmental scientists and students of the humanities that do research on oceans, but cooperation between these groups has been weak. This is a first step,” says Professor Kerstin Johannesson, who was given the task by GU’s board of developing guidelines for the research school.

The project covers 14 doctoral student positions in seven pairs. The first six or eight positions will be advertised during the beginning of 2011 and the doctoral students will begin in the fall term. The rest of the positions are expected to be advertised later in the fall.

“The doctoral students will get practice in working in a multidisciplinary perspective. It’s been tested in a smaller form at the Natural Science Faculty but now we’re taken a considerably larger step,” says Kerstin Johannesson.

The path to a place in the research school is that two researchers from different faculties write a common project plan. Using this as a basis, they each apply for a doctoral student. A number of external evalu-

photo: Johan Wingborg

A research school for sea resource administration, where doctoral students from different subject areas work in pairs is one piece of news for the fall. Seven million crowns have been earmarked.

“We have a potential in marine research at GU that we haven’t exploited enough,” says Kerstin Johannesson, Professor of Marine Ecology.

Kerstin Johannesson is behind the initiative for a new cross-disciplinary research school where doctoral students work in pairs.

ators will then evaluate the appli­ cations.

The supervisors and the two doctoral students will work together during the entire project or during parts of it. The project groups together form a unified research school.

But the doctoral students have their employment at the departments and will be examined in their own subjects.

In what way are the doctoral students expected to work together?

“The doctoral students will have a common problem area. Then we’ve discussed what level we should set for their cooperation, and one possibility is that they write at least one text together where they synthesize their results. Another possibility might be for them to hold common seminars. But that’s up to the external evaluators who will judge the applications,” says Kerstin Johannesson.

What marine questions can crossdisciplinary research be done in?

“I’ve heard a lot of good ideas from the researchers I’ve talked to at GU. I work with biological variety, with genetic variety within one and the same species. But there are no legal or other control tools. We can conceive of a social scientist who’s able to help answer the question of

how that kind of biological variety can be regulated.”

Another possible entrance is to investigate fishery from different perspectives, marine ecological and socio-economical, for example.

You can also describe the history of the fishing export business and tie that information to the current fish population.

The research school also has aims for the future: “Many financers feel that it’s necessary to complement competences to solve problems. Natural scientists can identify the problems and social scientists can offer perspectives from social sciences. If this works, I believe that it can generate external research financing in the future.”

At the same time, Kerstin Johannesson is working to start a center for marine sciences.

“The working name is “Marine Academy”, a kind of establishment that spans over faculties and gathers all ocean researchers at GU. The school for pairs of doctoral students is one part of this project. We believe that you can get people to find each other, that researchers from different faculties can join forces and come up with good ideas.”

MAGNUS PETTERSSON

No cell phonesubscription with TDC u As GU Journal reported in the last issue, there have been big problems after the move of 200 cell phone sub­ scriptions to the operator TDC, which whom GU signed a contract in the spring. Many users complained of poor coverage, a tinny sound and calls being broken or not connected at all. The complaints were so many that University of Gothenburg decided not to wait longer for a solution.

“We’ve agreed with TDC to terminate the contract. We’ll return to the earlier supplier as soon as a new contract has been signed,” says Staffan Sjöholm at the purchasing unit.

A new contract was signed on December 15th with Telenor.

Many find work after their studies u 92 per cent of the students who completed their studies at University of Gothen­burg during the period from the fall of 2003 to the spring of 2007 are gainfully employed today. More than half have jobs in the Göteborg area, and more than 80 per cent are satisfied with their jobs.

79 per cent are very or fairly satisfied with their basic education and an equally large proportion work in the area in which they are educated. This is according to the Göteborg Academic 2010 questionnaire survey. g u j o u r n a l 7 | 1 0 11

Profile text: Eva lundgren photo: Johan Wingborg

A world problem Hyderabad, India.

A research group takes samples from a sewage treatment plant.

The results stun Joakim Larsson.

The levels of antibiotics are so extreme that he realizes, for people to believe him, that he has to get another person to repeat the analyses.

It’s the start of what will be research results at University of Gothenburg that got the most media attention in recent years.

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JOAKIM LARSSON Most recently: Participated in Global Week at an international symposium about global antibiotic resistance.

Employed: Research in trans­ lational pharmacology at the neuro­science and physiology depart­ment, financed by the Swedish Research Council.

Family: Married to Pernilla, children Max and Hanna, 7 and 5 years Residence: Outside of Lerum Interests: Fishing, dancing, music, nature, science Proud of: My children Is upset by: Poorly supported referee comments Is happy over: When I succeed in getting students to be engaged Worth defending: The right to free research

After his discovery of extremely high levels of medications at an Indian treatment plant, Joakim Larsson spent a week on the telephone.

ikl as Paxéus, analytical chemist at Ryaverket, could confirm what Joakim Larsson, associate professor at the department of neuroscience and physiology, saw.

The treated water, which came from 90 pharmaceutical manufacturers in the area, was found to have improbable levels of medical substances. For example, the treatment plant released 45 kilograms of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in one day, which is five times as much as the daily use in all of Sweden.

“At first it wasn’t easy to publish our results, maybe because they radically changed the view of the amounts of medications that reach the environment and where the largest emissions come from,” says Joakim Larsson.

He talks about this in his room on Medicinaregatan. When I ask him how he, who earned his doctorate in zoological physiology, came to Sahlgrenska Academy, he points to the wall, at pictures of fish he’s caught. That was where it started. With fishing.

“I grew up in Ljungby in Småland and was often outdoors with my nature-loving father. Especially fishing was one of our biggest common interests.

But I also liked music. I was only 12 years old when I started to play the accordion at dances several evenings a week. If I wasn’t home my parents always knew that I was playing. When I got a little

older I also became interested in dancing, such as tango, slow fox, rumba and quick step.”

But his interest in nature won. The zoological studies resulted in a thesis in 2000 which, not unexpectedly, had to do with fish. Already then, the subject was medications as pollutants.

“It showed that fish that had been in treated community waste water had collected such large amounts of a synthetic form of the sex hormone oestrogen that they had become two-sexed. The oestrogen came primarily from remains of contraceptive agents in urine.

There is of course still worry that there are remains of medications in ordinary municipal waste.

But Joakim Larsson started to think about whether there might also be remains in other places, for example where medications are produced. A meeting in 2006 woke these thoughts again. This time it was a student, Cecilia de Pedro, who in field work studied water from a treatment plant outside of Hyderabad that took process water from 90 pharmaceutical factories in the region. The water must be very poisonous, she explained, since the water fleas she had used in her experiments had all died, in spite of the fact that she had diluted the water 500 times.

“I thought that it was an excellent time to study whether the problem was perhaps dependent on

residues of medications. So I applied for money from Sida and employed Cecilia to get more water from India.”

That was when Joakim Larsson and Cecilia de Pedro got the results that were so astonishing that they had difficulty at first convincing other people.

“Indian authorities pointed for example to the lack of logic in large companies just throwing away medications for millions of crowns. But the answer is that, even if medications are expensive to buy, there are substances that are included in the preparations that are very cheap to produce.”

The research immediately gained attention in Sweden, but it was only when the American Associated Press gave a report that the environmental catastrophe became a global news item.

“Prepare yourself for a month on the telephone,” said the AP reporter. “I took it mostly as a joke.

But, sure enough, when the news came out, the telephone started to ring. Journalists from all over the world wanted to interview me. If you get the whole world’s attention once in your life you have to make use of it. So, even if it took a lot of time from my research, I described the environmental catastrophe in India, again and again.”

It is of course serious that that destruction of the environment can cause health problems in the local Ú g u j o u r n a l 7 | 1 0 13

population. But the consequences can be global when it has to do with emissions of broad spectrum antibiotics.

Our large use of antibiotics gradually causes the situation that bacteria that cause illness become resistant, a development that can be accelerated by large emissions from pharmaceutical manufacturing. As bacteria travel all over the world, it doesn’t make any big difference where the resistance starts.

“Resistance genes are often found at low frequencies in harmless bacteria in nature. But if very large amounts of antibiotics find their way there, there can be a strong concentration of resistance genes.

Bacteria exchange genes with one another and there is a risk that emissions in the end lead to more resistance genes coming into contact with bacteria that cause illnesses. This can lead to a truly dangerous situation with more or less ineffective medicines.” bacteria already cause about 25 000 deaths in Europe each year. Joakim Larsson points out that no one yet knows how rapid that development will be.

“As researchers, one of our most important tasks is to explain the problem, which can take place in a slightly absurd way sometimes. Last year, for example, I got an infection in my elbow. The antibiotic didn’t work. I developed a 41 degree fever and had to be admitted to Södra Älvsborg Hospital for an IV. The nurse who put in the IV asked what I worked with. Later I had to hold a half-hour long lecture for the entire infection clinic about our research while the hospital personnel, as an extra spice, ate Indian take-out. I was better a couple of weeks later and I realize that I had the antibiotic to thank for being alive today:” Antibiotic resistant

photo: indiawaterportal.org/Rajesh KR

It’s obvious that medicines are extremely valuable to all of society. But they have to be used in a

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responsible way. Joakim Larsson fears that we’ve perhaps left a golden age behind us, when bacteria could be fought in an easy way.

“We may be on our way back to where we were about 70 years ago, when we didn’t yet have any effective antibiotic, and thus no cure for even simple infections. Unfortunately, it isn’t particularly profitable to develop new antibiotics, so it isn’t an area that the pharmaceutical industry puts much effort into.”

Emissions of different kinds of chemicals are a problem that we should give more attention to in general, according to Joakim Larsson.

“We expose nature to a gigantic experiment and we don’t have any idea about what the consequences will be. This should worry us as much as climate changes.”

L ast spring, Joakim Larsson and his colleagues presented new research results that also drew a great deal of attention. It had to do with fish again.

Via cleaned, Swedish municipal waste water, fish had been exposed to high levels of lev onorgestrel, a synthetic variation of the sex hormone progesterone.

The levels were higher in the blood of the fish than in the blood of women who take contraceptives.

But when I ask Joakim Larsson how he can be so successful he answers that it doesn’t have to do that much with him.

“I think that being a research leader is a lot like being the VD of a small company. I write, talk on the telephone, go to meetings, offer ideas and am enthusiastic. But I’m not the one who makes the analyses in the lab and many of the ideas come from the microbiologists, physiologists, analytical chemists and other colleagues that I work together with. Cross-disciplinary science is extremely important but wouldn’t function without experts from a number of different areas. I’ve also had luck in

As bacteria travel all over the world, it doesn’t make any big difference where the resistance starts.

coming into an attractive environment and I’ve always felt that I could follow research results, regardless of what they lead to.”

But it’s also important to cooperate with society.

Joakim Larsson feels that he’s gotten good responses to his results. The Medical Products Agency has studied the possibility to make environmental requirements stricter in the global manufacturing of medications. And the Western Götaland region, together with the Stockholm county council, has started to place requirements for environmentally friendly production in their purchasing of pharmaceutical products.

On January 20th, Joakim Larsson will talk about the group’s latest results when he’s the main speaker at the annual Pharmaceutical Parliament in Stockholm.

In spite of all his projects, he still has some time for his interest in nature. It isn’t so hard because he lives in the country, outside of Lerum, where the family used to have hens that didn’t live in cages and satisfied the egg consumption.

“But you can’t grow so much when the hens eat up everything, so we let that go. I have however succeeded in cultivating my interest in fishing in my son and I still like dancing, although it has to be pretty slow. Fast Latin American rhythms don’t suit my body any more.”