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Communication Platform for UiT 2024–2030

The communication platform defines goals, provides guidelines and clearly describes responsibilities and roles in communication work at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway. The platform is a guide for all employees at the university, and especially for areas where communication is a key part of the work.

Our communication and dissemination must be open, understandable, credible, reliable and based on dialogue. Dissemination is a statutory task for the university, which means that our researchers are obligated to disseminate their research work. The platform does not deal with the dissemination responsibility of individual employees, but contributes with targeted measures and support functions aimed at improving skills, efforts and motivation regarding good and efficient dissemination, which is a priority area in UiT’s strategy.

Our concerted efforts within the fields of communication and dissemination will contribute to realising our strategy Eallju – Developing the High North. UiT shall

  • be an international leader in knowledge and expertise about and for the Arctic and the High North
  • contribute to innovative and sustainable solutions to the major societal challenges
  • be a hub for student development, employee expertise and talent, utilising diversity as a driving force and resource


The following five principles shall guide our priorities and use of resources:

Our communication and dissemination shall

  1. strengthen UiT’s position on the national and international media scene, especially on issues related to the Arctic and the High North
  2. contribute to ensuring that our professionals and their expertise are perceived as up-to-date and relevant, and that this expertise is used to solve the major societal challenges
  3. promote constructive dialogue, freedom of expression, an enlightened public debate and strengthen many different voices and critical perspectives
  4. highlight our knowledge about Sámi and Kven perspectives
  5. be used as a strategic tool to secure external funding, be adapted to the different target groups and made available through effective channels


These four areas, including associated measures, provide a framework and clear priorities for our joint communication and dissemination work. We will use the Deans’ Meeting as an arena for prioritising, further developing and establishing the strategic communication and dissemination work.



We will make the research and academic expertise at UiT accessible, relevant and up-to-date by using a wide range of dissemination forms and communication channels. Employee training is key, and must be viewed in relation to the need for dissemination skills in different career phases. Our employees will be equipped to play important roles in key social arenas. Training in the culture of expression and freedom of expression will be prioritised.

Measure:

  1. Further develop and coordinate the course portfolio within dissemination for employees by
    1. further developing compulsory courses in dissemination for all PhD candidates
    2. developing communication courses, templates and training videos to be widely distributed, and also arranging dissemination training for employees at the main campuses
    3. ensuring that communication and dissemination, both internal and external, are topics in UiT’s management development programme

 

  1. Coordinate the administrative dissemination and communication resources at UiT across the organisation by
    1. establishing operational teams between communication employees at the units and the Communication Section. As a result, we will make better use of communication and dissemination as strategic tools, and clarify roles and prioritise work tasks
    2. further developing UiT’s administrative services for communication and dissemination work
    3. proposing improvements in the organisation of support services in the Joint Administration and at the units in order to optimise the use of resources 

 

  1. Further develop incentive schemes for dissemination by
    1. highlighting dissemination activities in employee plans and development plans
    2. describing the merit scheme for dissemination
    3. further developing UiT’s toolbox for dissemination through NOR-CAM, Universities Norway’s guide for recognition and rewards in dissemination work
    4. strengthening the dissemination component of research projects aimed at external funding through the use and further development of measures in the UiT Talent programme for dissemination
    5. ensuring that externally funded projects contain a plan for, and funding of, dissemination activity

 

  1. Establish a dissemination forum by
    1. gathering persons with expertise in excellent dissemination who can form a mentor group
    2. connecting researchers to a mentoring scheme who want to test out innovative ways of communicating
    3. gathering and openly distributing UiT’s tried and tested excellent and innovative dissemination measures 


Strategic communication is the long-term, planned work of positioning UiT in the media and the general public in order to achieve UiT’s strategic goals. We take part in the public debate by being present in important debate arenas, in the national media, for political decision-makers, for working life and society around us. UiT’s academic employees will be preferred partners in externally funded projects, as speakers in relevant arenas and as experts in national and international committees, boards and media.

Measure:

  1. Position and increase UiT’s prominence in national and international media by
    1. closely following discussions on social affairs and contributing to UiT being at the forefront of the public debate through engaging content and articles, participating in key arenas and as a source of regional, national and international news items
    2. strategically positioning and promoting core activities that are relevant in relation to the zeitgeist, current affairs and the political discourse
    3. further developing the list of experts in order to promote dialogue between society and the university on selected issues and subject areas
    4. providing dissemination and media training to selected experts on priority topics
    5. developing media relations guidelines for managers
    6. providing annual media training to university management

 

  1. Use events to strategically position and highlight UiT by
    1. developing an annual cycle for selected positioning opportunities    
    2. developing events in key arenas that highlight the Arctic and the High North, both nationally and internationally.
    3. annually promoting a small number of major events as strategic lighthouses, and assessing which academic environments will participate and which collaboration agreements will be developed and linked to these lighthouses. The effects will be evaluated annually and efforts reassessed
    4. using the University Museum and the University Library actively as dialogue-based public arenas for UiT
    5. making available standardised greetings in Sámi and Kven that can be used on relevant occasions


UiT will be an attractive student city that competes at national and international levels, but which also cultivates its distinct regional character as a multi-campus university. 

Measure: 

  1. Develop and implement new marketing and student recruitment strategies by
    1. establishing a working group for student recruitment and marketing with the aim of developing and implementing new policies for student recruitment that take into account
      1. changing demographics, a more diverse student body, skill needs in working life, and UiT’s multi-campus structure
      2. international students from outside the EU after the introduction of tuition fees
    2. using relevant platforms of knowledge such as national reputation surveys and media reports to assess and implement measures


We will build our community, identity, culture and reputation, and ensure a good flow of information about our activities as a diverse multi-campus university. All employees and students must receive and find the information they need, so that they can carry out their work tasks and complete their studies in a good and efficient manner. The information must be provided at the right time, in predictable channels, and be easy to understand and use. Internal communication will be characterised by openness and facilitate a good feedback culture. 

Measure:

  1. Strengthen and improve communication with students and employees by
    1. developing a channel strategy for UiT that describes which channels will be used for what, ensuring that employees, students and external parties receive the information they need in the right place, at the right time
    2. developing a portal/webpage for employees and a portal/webpage for students, where the goal is for each individual to quickly find the resources and information they need in their everyday work and studies
    3. offering internal communication as part of the management development programme in order to improve internal communication skills. Managers at UiT shall understand their responsibility for qualitatively good internal communication with employees and students

 

  1. Develop and optimise the use of UiT’s resources within the fields of communication, marketing, recruitment and dissemination by
    1. establishing good collaboration arenas for the aforementioned academic resources across the organisation in order to ensure good coordination, division of responsibility, exchange of experience and skills development
    2. developing good teamwork between employees who are responsible for major events at their campuses in order to create synergies and make good use of resources
  2. Ensure training in emergency preparedness and crisis communication for the Central Emergency Preparedness Group and managers of local emergency preparedness groups.


Good understanding of roles and a clear division of responsibilities are prerequisites for good dissemination and communication work. The Central Government Communication Policy states that communication responsibility accompanies case responsibility, and applies to both managers and employees – also called the line principle. For UiT, this means:

  • The university management, represented by the Rector, is primarily responsible for all activities at UiT, including internal and external communication, and communication during a crisis. As a general rule, it is the university’s senior management, represented by the entire Rectorate, which speaks on behalf of the institution.
  • Managers at faculties, departments, centres, joint administration and other units are responsible for the day-to-day communication at each individual unit, internally and externally.
  • Researchers and academic staff have both an obligation and a responsibility to keep themselves updated on various forms of dissemination, and disseminate their own research and knowledge from relevant subject areas – which is part of each individual’s R&D work. They must participate in skills development initiatives in order to effectively communicate their own subject area in dialogue with the surrounding community.
  • All employees are independently responsible for following information that is published in official channels at UiT, and sharing knowledge and information with colleagues, students and academic networks.
  • The Communication Section is primarily and academically responsible for the development and implementation of communication guidelines. The section is a driving force for good communication work at UiT, and is primarily responsible for the development of the university’s communication channels. The section is responsible for the strategic dissemination of news and research, and for making clear priorities and necessary reallocations of resources in accordance with the communication platform. The section provides communication support to the university management and other managers. Providing training and advice to university units and assistance in emergency situations are part of the section’s responsibilities and areas of work.
  • Communication and dissemination employees at faculties, units, departments and research groups work closely with the academic environments. Among other things, their work includes research communication such as Research Days and school visits, profiling of study programmes, internal communication, communication advice and management support.
  • Coordination: Communication work is an integral part of day-to-day operations at UiT, and communication staff at faculties and departments will be part of operational and flexible communication teams together with employees at the Communication Section in order to ensure coordination and synergies across and throughout the organisation. This will be coordinated from the Communication Section but developed in collaboration with faculties and departments.


The choice of language used in all forms of communication at UiT shall be based on what is appropriate for the target group, and in accordance with the language policy guidelines at UiT. Both Norwegian nynorsk and Norwegian bokmål must be used in accordance with the Language Act, and Sámi in accordance with the language regulations stipulated in Section 1-5 of the Sámi Act.