Career and expertise development at UiT
Our students and staff are our most important resources. One prerequisite for us to succeed in our social responsibility is therefore that everyone is allowed to develop their potential.
Our students and staff hail from different countries and places and have different backgrounds and histories. They bring with them experiences and perspectives that enrich and challenge. UiT shall use this diversity as an advantage in creative and co-creating work, including as a foundation for building leading academic communities.
Ambition: UiT shall be a venue for the development of students and employees' expertise and talent, with diversity as a driving force and resource.
Introduction from the rector's office
Ambitions with career and expertise development
Elina Halttunen, head of department
A conversation about career guidance with Elina Halttunen
Jasmine Nahrgang, professor
A conversation about career guidance with Jasmine Nahrgang
All employees
Having a career does not simply mean climbing a ladder of job titles.
The UiT 2030 strategy states that UiT shall be a venue for the development of students and employees' expertise and talent, with diversity as a driving force and resource. In order to achieve this ambition, UiT must:
- Develop, attract and retain talent. We will establish instruments to facilitate the development of employees’ and academic communities' capacity and expertise. We shall break down career barriers, maintain an integrated recruitment policy and systematically develop leadership and collaboration between employees.
Having a career is about continuous professional development and personal growth and both changes to job categories and exciting professional opportunities will arise as a result of the employee’s professional development. The University will therefore accommodate professional development and personal growth for all employees. This is fundamental to our employees having a positive working day that motivates them to develop expertise, create new knowledge and break down new professional barriers. Professional development is about employees acquiring new expertise in the form of knowledge, experience, techniques and methodologies, as well as developing new concepts and ideas to further their work. Career development takes place not only through formalised development programmes but also through experiential learning processes. By participating in various courses and other available offerings, you will work actively to develop employeeship and your own career.
At UiT, we are lucky to have a large selection of individual subjects and educations at our own workplace. You can also apply for paid time off for exam days and reading days. Feel free to look and search for current subjects and studies here. On this page you will find more information about online and collection-based education at UiT.
Internal courses at UiT are published on this page: Interne kurs ved UiT
Here you will find information that will help you in your digital working day (information only in Norwegian): Digital arbeidsplass | UiT
Employeeship is about assuming co-creative responsibility. Surveys show that professional pride and job satisfaction are achieved through a conscious approach to duties, colleagues and the employer.
In practice, this means that professional pride and job satisfaction are the result of professional talent and commitment to duties, being a honest and constructive employee and a colleague that enables others to be efficient.
Academic staff
Academic staff is a collective term referring to individuals who hold academic posts at universities, university colleges, independent research institutes and other scientific institutions. Academic staff carry out research, teaching and dissemination. University and research librarians in the university sector are considered academic staff.
The professorial pathway is the most common career path for academic posts at UiT.
PhD/research fellow (1017/1378)
The purpose of the PhD student position is to complete organised research training until a PhD degree is achieved.
The normal tenure is four years with 25% teaching or other work undertaken on behalf of the university. The appointment shall comprise three years of pure organised research training. Externally funded research fellows are generally appointed for a period of three years. Shorter periods of appointment may be agreed if the research fellow has already completed parts of the organised research training programme or if the appointment is based on previous appointments to teaching posts (research fellow, research assistant or similar) so that the total period of organised research training amounts to three years. Admission to the PhD programme requires students to have more than one research FTE left before the PhD thesis can be submitted for evaluation.
Admission to the Faculty’s PhD programme is a condition for accession to the post of research fellow. Shortly after accession (check with the Faculty) to a research fellow post, each research fellow must obtain approval and contractual confirmation
- of the PhD courses that will be included in the training element of the organised research training.
- of the academic supervisors that will be used.
- of the schedule for research work that demonstrates that research work can realistically be completed within the standard period of time.
Less than 20% of PhD students who complete their degree end up with an academic career path within the university and university college sector. The majority of those who complete organised research training choose a career in the public or private sector after completing a PhD degree.
Aspects you should consider for your future career development as a PhD student
Those seeking an academic career at the university upon completing their PhD should create a career plan at an early stage of the PhD period together with their primary academic supervisor and others at the department. The following advice may be useful for the career plan:
Research
- Become an active participant in the research group in which your primary academic supervisor is based.
- Apply for admission to a relevant national research school.
- Emphasise the publication of your research through reputable journals.
- Feel free to participate in other research projects as long as this does not negatively affect the progress of your own research project.
- Gain experience of writing research applications, initially by contributing to applications prepared by other researchers, then through application writing courses and eventually your own applications for e.g. postdoctoral funding.
- Apply for external funding for further research after completing your PhD and utilise the Faculty’s transitional grant scheme.
Teaching
- Gain experience of teaching, ideally in fields relevant to your research project.
- Gain experience of supervising student projects, preferably in collaboration with an experienced academic supervisor.
- Utilise student and colleague evaluations and apply these as the basis for the further development of your own teaching.
- You should be able to document experiences and results from your own teaching and academic supervision.
Dissemination and public relations
- Plan for dissemination activities during your PhD period, for example presentations at academic conferences, preferably international conferences.
- Look for opportunities for popular science dissemination of your research, in the form of lectures and similar, via both traditional and social media.
- Use Cristin to document the dissemination and public relations activities you have completed.
Administration and management
- Gain experience of administrative work at your department, for example by participating in examination work or assessments in relation to posts.
Networking
- Build a network with other PhD students and researchers in your field, internally at UiT and externally at other educational institutions.
- Look for opportunities for residencies/internships at international educational/research institutions, preferably somewhere your research group already has an existing partnership or wishes to establish such a partnership. It would be advantageous for the residency to be of a certain duration and result in co-publication.
Read more in the Regulations relating to terms and conditions of employment for the positions of Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident (in Norwegian) and the Supplementary provisions for appointment to academic positions such as Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow and Research Assistant at the Arctic University of Norway (in Norwegian).
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (1352)
A postdoctoral post is a temporary position with a tenure of between two and four years for the purpose of qualifying for work in leading academic positions. A PhD degree is a requirement for appointment. An application for a postdoctoral post must include a proposed progress schedule for the qualification work. Postdoctoral posts do not normally include teaching activities, but since basic educational expertise and teaching experience are required for the next career stage (associate professor), we would recommend developing educational expertise.
Postdoctoral fellows are normally financed via external funds. It is only possible to be appointed for one postdoctoral period at UiT.
Aspects you should consider for your future career development as a postdoctoral fellow
Research
- Gain experience of application writing, project work and administration/management of projects.
- International residencies and international mobility are emphasised. It would be advantageous to plan residences at another research institution at this stage of your career. Internationalisation contributes towards expertise and quality in research, as well as independent research activities. Several funding institutions require fellows to complete an international residency during the postdoctoral period.
- Demonstrate independence, for example through publications as the main author and without previous academic supervisors as your co-authors.
Teaching and academic supervision
- The majority of postdoctoral fellows do not have teaching responsibilities, but at this stage it may be a good idea to plan how you will establish the foundations for achieving basic educational expertise.
- If your postdoctoral position includes teaching, your teaching activities should be largely focused on developing basic educational expertise (see below under associate professor).
Dissemination and public relations
- Talk about your research. Acquire further expertise and experience of dissemination work with both the academic community and the general public.
- Document your dissemination activities in Cristin.
Administration and management
- Postdoctoral projects will, to varying degrees, allow for administrative and management activities. Develop your expertise within the framework of what there is capacity for in your project. In some postdoctoral projects, the research project will include elements of administration and management.
- Other areas of experience may include positions of trust at departments or faculties, chairing evaluation committees, etc.
Networking
- Build and establish national and international academic networks independently of your previous academic supervisors.
Read more in the Regulations relating to terms and conditions of employment for the positions of Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident (in Norwegian) and Supplementary provisions for appointment to academic positions such as Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow and Research Assistant at the Arctic University of Norway. (in Norwegian)
Associate Professor (1011)
As a general rule, associate professors should spend the same amount of time on teaching and research after deducting time allocated for other work activities. It is possible to apply for promotion from the post of associate professor to that of professor.
A Norwegian doctoral degree in the relevant field, recognition of a corresponding international doctoral degree or equivalent expertise documented through academic work of the same scope and nature is required.
The applicant must be able to document relevant practical basic educational expertise on the basis of qualifications or teaching and academic supervision.
Aspects you should consider for your future career development as an associate professor
Research
- You should establish yourself as an independent researcher in your field. This means detachment from your academic supervisor from your PhD period and their research community/research group.
- Develop and conduct research projects with a view to ensuring that an application to become a professor will also demonstrate completed research in two fields/topics in addition to the topic of your doctoral thesis.
- Applications for and financing from external research funding, for example from the Research Council of Norway, preferably where you have been a project manager of projects that include PhD student(s) are emphasised. Scientific publication that fulfils the promotion regulations for professorships with regard to the number of articles and number of authorships.
- Act as a research group chair or establish your own research group.
- Experience from journals (reviews, co-editor, member of ‘editorial boards’ or similar).
- Strategic use of R&D terms, including international residencies at reputable research institutions.
- Further develop networks and collaborate with researchers, nationally and internationally.
- Contribute to the career development of others. It will be meritorious for you to contribute to the development of independent, talented researchers.
Teaching and academic supervision
As an associate professor appointed subject to terms and conditions, you will generally have a period of three years in which to complete your educational portfolio. Basic educational expertise for university lecturers, associate professors and professors can be developed either by participating in dedicated qualification programmes or through independent work. Expertise must be documented in the educational portfolio. The current requirements concerning basic educational expertise are described in detail at Result.uit.no. We are currently in the process of updating these requirements and basic educational expertise will, in future, reflect the requirements proposed in the “Quality Initiatives” report. The points from the report have been summarised in brief below:
Basic educational expertise for associate professors entails:
- Being able to vary teaching for different groups and being able to justify choices based on learning objectives, subjects and student groups.
- Being able to document and evaluate experience, as well as the outcomes of your own teaching, including evaluations and applying this to the further development of your own teaching.
- Being able to conduct development work as part of your own teaching.
- Being able to plan teaching, independently and as part of a team of lecturers, based on objectives, content, working methods, student prerequisites and assessments.
- Being able to identify central challenges in teaching associated with the special characteristics of the subject, study programme and students.
- Being able to reflect upon your own teaching activities and your own development as a teacher, preferably on the basis of research and theories relating to teaching and learning.
Basic expertise for professorships includes the items above, but also:
- Having experience of programme description work, academic development work, national investigation work or educational management.
- Having expertise as an academic supervisor, generally at master’s degree and PhD level.
- Having experience as an examiner or opponent at master’s degree or PhD level. Having participated in courses and seminars relevant to teaching activities.
- Having disseminated your own teaching experiences (orally and in writing).
Dissemination and public relations
- Active popular science dissemination and participation in social discourse in your field, through relevant publication channels and to different target groups. Documented in CriStin.
Administration and management
- Participating in evaluation committees (PhD theses, all academic posts except professorships).
- Participating in consultation statements, miscellaneous reports internally and externally.
- Committee work, ad-hoc or permanently, for example faculty board/department board, REC, programme board/council, etc.
Networking
- Build, further develop and establish national and international academic networks.
Read more in the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment and promotion to teaching and research positions and the Supplementary provisions for appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions at UiT.
Applying for personal promotion to Associate Professor (1011)
Who can apply
You must hold a permanent position or be employed as an Assistant Professor or University Lecturer on a fixed term contract. Your position must be at least 50% of full time. You are eligible to apply even if you are on leave. You can only apply for a promotion within the field in which you are employed.
There is no fixed deadline for applications to promotion to Associate Professor (applications will be handled consecutively).
You will find the current rules and guidelines for promotion in teaching and research positions in Chapter 10 of UiT’s “Supplementary regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions”.
Competence requirements
The competence requirements for promotion are generally the same as for employment in teaching and research positions, cf. points 4.4 and 4.5 in the before mentioned Supplementary provisions.
All applicants must document their Educational Competence. This competence must be developed and documented either through completion of Result’s course in “Foundational Course in University Pedagogy ”, or by developing and receiving approval of your Educational Portfolio.
You can find detailed information about the Educational Portfolio and the “Guide for Documentation of Educational Competence” on the Result website.
How to submit your application
During 2024 you will be able to submit your application using Jobbnorge. Information/ link to this site will be published here as soon as it is available.
In the meantime, please send your application to opprykkogmerittering@uit.no via Sikt Filesender.
Your application must include:
- Application
- An updated CV with an optional list of publications
- A description of your scientific or artistic production
- A mentioning of a maximum of 15 scientifical or artistic works that you in particular would like the committee to consider
- Certificate of completed Educational Competence or your Educational Portfolio
As applicant you are responsible for documenting all aspects of your competence through the application.It is not possible to submit documentation after the application deadline.
General rules and guidelines for how to apply and what to include in your application to personal promotion to Associate professor can be found in "Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts" §2-4.
Important information about applying via Sikt Filesender:
You must combine all your files to a single pdf file. Give the file a short title name.
As an alternative you can choose to zip the folder (right click on the folder you wish to send, select «make ZIP-file», upload the zipped folder to Sikt Filesender).
Film and audio files:
These types of files can unfortunately not be sent via Sikt Filesender.
We ask that you create a website/other portfolio and upload your film and or sound files to this site. You can then include a link to this work in your application. It is your responsibility to make sure that the link is working throughout the time of the assessment- process.
All links should be written like this ex.: https://www.google.com, and not as a link hidden behind a word like ex.: Google.
Assessment
- The committee is appointed by the Appointment Committee at the faculty where you are employed and must consist of at least three members.
- At least one member must hold competency above first level position. The other members must hold Associate Professor positions as a minimum.
- At least one member must be employed within a subject field responsible for post graduate education. This requirement can be exempt for committees assessing applicants of artistic qualifications.
- Only one member of the committee can be from UiT.
- Both genders should, if possible, be represented.
- The committee can ask for a statement of evaluation of parts of the admitted material, from an expert in the field.
- A committee leader must be appointed.
- The committee's leader cannot be from UiT.
We recommend that you engage in dialogue with your department about the appointment of the assessment committee.
The assessment should be available within 3 months from when the committee has received the material.
As applicant you do not have the right to appeal the experts' assessments. However, you can raise objections to the handling of the case, and/or submit comments on the assessment within two weeks of receiving it.
When the assessment is completed, the Appointment Committee at your faculty will determine the outcome and either award or reject the promotion.
Effectuation date
The effectuation date for personal promotion to Associate Professor is the first day of the month after you submitted your application.
Quarantine provision
Should your application for promotion be rejected due to lack of qualifications, a new application cannot be submitted until after two years of the previous one. This applies even if you choose to withdraw your application.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about case processing, regulations or procedures please contact the Section for Organizational and Personnel Development (SEOP) on our email address opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
Any subject-specific questions can be directed to your department head or research group leader.
Applying for personal promotion to Associate professor (1011) after obtaing a doctorate
Who can apply
You must hold a permanent position or be employed as an Assistant Professor or University Lecturer on a fixed term contract. Your position must be at least 50% of full time. You must have started in your position at UiT, but you are eligible to apply even if you are on leave.
You can only apply for a promotion within the field in which you are employed.
There is no fixed deadline for applications to promotion to Associate Professor after receiving a doctorate (applications will be handled consecutively).
You will find the current rules and guidelines for promotion in teaching and research positions in Chapter 10 of UiT’s “Supplementary regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions”.
Competence requirements
The competence requirements for promotion are generally the same as for employment in teaching and research positions, cf. points 4.4 and 4.5 in the before mentioned Supplementary provisions.
Educational Competence must be developed and documented either through completion of Result’s course in “Foundational Course in University Pedagogy”, or by developing and receiving approval of your Educational Portfolio.
You can find detailed information about the Educational Portfolio and the “Guide for Documentation of Educational Competence” on the Result website.
How to submit your application
You submit your application by sending it to this email address: opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
There is no fixed deadline (applications will be handled consecutively).
The application must include the following:
- Application
- Diploma/confirmation of relevant doctorate
- Documentation, i.e. receipt detailing when the doctorate was submitted for assessment.
- Documentation of completed Educational Competence
As applicant you are responsible for including all necessary documentation.
Assessment
It is the Appointment Committee at the faculty where you are employed that decide weather or not to award a personal promotion to Associate Professor after obtaining a doctorate.
Effectuation date
The effectuation date for personal promotion to Associate Professor after obtaining a doctorate and where the institution does not have any other additional demands to the applicant, can be given from the first day of the month after the doctorate was submitted for assessment.
If your Educational Competency is approved after you have obtained your doctorate, the effectuation date is set to the first of the month after both Educational Competency and doctorate has been obtained.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about case processing, regulations or procedures please contact the Section for Organizational and Personnel Development (SEOP) on our email address opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
Any subject-specific questions can be directed to your department head or research group leader.
Professor (1013)
In addition to the aforementioned requirements for associate professors, the following applies:
As a general rule, professors should spend the same amount of time on teaching and R&D activities after deducting time allocated for other work activities.
At this stage of your career, it remains very helpful to have a conscious awareness of career development. A targeted career plan can help you achieve high-ranking external funding, identify the best partners and publish through the best journals.
Becoming a professor requires an academic level that corresponds to established international or national standards, as well as documented and relevant practical basic educational expertise based on qualifications, teaching and academic supervision.
Aspects you should consider for your future career development as a professor
Research
- Initiate and lead major research programmes.
- Act as a policy advisor in the establishment of national research programmes and the establishment of research policy instruments in the field.
- Negotiate research programmes with funding from the Research Council of Norway.
- Establish and chair a research group.
- Actively recruit postdoctoral fellows, researchers and associate professors to your research group.
- Act as a research manager who is able to support others to achieve their potential. This involves developing independent researchers.
Teaching and academic supervision
- Varied teaching activities in higher education and experience of teaching at different levels.
- Established development as a teacher over time and testing of relevant teaching methods and teaching aids.
- Play a central part in programme planning and actively contribute to discussions and strategic work related to education and teaching.
- Experience of managing educational development work or investigation work.
- Experience of interacting with colleagues and students as part of the work on evaluating and developing independent teaching and the teaching delivered by others (collegial supervision).
- Disseminating experiences from your own teaching through seminars, conferences, reports, articles, etc.
- Having a reflective, critical and constructive approach to your own teaching activities, choices that have been made and results that have been achieved. This reflection should be anchored in and elaborated on through research (your own research or research conducted by others) and theory relating to teaching and learning in higher education in general and the field in particular.
- Active recruitment and academic supervision of PhD students, ensuring that they complete within the standard time period.
- Contributing to the creation of a successful and socially relevant teaching programme.
Dissemination and public relations
- Be a visible and clear resource person to the general public and users, through targeted dissemination of research and knowledge.
- Have a conscious attitude to managing the role of the researcher in social discourse.
- Document dissemination activities in CriStin.
Administration and management
- Participate in evaluation committees.
Networking
- Enter into collaborations with other research groups, locally, nationally and internationally.
Read more in the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment and promotion to teaching and research positions and the Supplementary provisions for appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions at UiT.
Applying for personal promotion to professor (1013)
Who can apply
You must hold a permanent position or be employed as an Associate Professor on a fixed term contract. Your position must be at least 50% of full time. You are eligible to apply even if you are on leave. You can only apply for a promotion within the field in which you are employed, and it is a requirement that you have taken up the position before the application deadline.
You cannot apply if you hold a position as Associate Professor on a fixed term contract if this contract was initially a fixed term entry position (innstegsvilkår).
The annual application deadline for promotion to professor at UiT is September 15.
You will find the current rules and guidelines for promotion in teaching and research positions in Chapter 10 of UiT’s “Supplementary regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions”.
Competence requirements
The competence requirements for promotion are generally the same as for employment in teaching and research positions, cf. points 4.4 and 4.5 in the before mentioned Supplementary provisions.
All applicants must document their educational competence in the application. You can find detailed information about the Educational Portfolio and the “Guide for Documentation of Educational Competence” on the Result website.
For certain types of subjects, National Faculty Meetings have developed subject-specific guidelines, where the competence requirements are more detailed. These can be found on the websites of the University and College Council, and on the page for Regulations and policies at UiT.
How to submit your application
Applications are submitted via Jobbnorge - søknadsrunde 2024.
Submitting your promotion application will be somewhat the same as when applying for a regular advertised position. We do recommend that you apply in English, however this is not a requirement.
- You may submit up to 15 scientific works.
- You must also include a complete list of all publications and/or other activities you have documented, that form the basis for this assessment. The list may be commented.
- In addition, an updated CV, diplomas, certificates, and awards will help document the competence and experience you want the committee to consider.
As applicant you are responsible for documenting all aspects of your competence through the application.
Important information about applications via Jobbnorge
The text box in Jobbnorge called "Søknadstekst" should not be used for anything other than a short message of the type: "Please find my application for promotion is attached. Regards, NN".
Application form, application text, and all other documentation are added as attachments in Jobbnorge.
Please use UiTs application form for personal promotion to professor. You will find general information about promotion to professor on UiTs karrierenettside. (only in Norwegian).
It is not possible to submit documentation after the application deadline.
Film and audio files:
Unfortunately, it is not possible to submit film and audio files in Jobbnorge.
Should you wish to submit such files we ask that you, in your application, insert a link to a website or other portfolio. It is your responsibility to make sure the links are active throughout the assessment periode.
Any link should be written as an explicit clickable link, e.g., https://www.google.com, and not as a clickable link behind a word, e.g., Google.
Jobbnorge provides useful guides to applications and attachments on their website “Help for Jobseekers”.
Assessment
The committee is appointed by the Appointment Committee at the faculty where you are employed and must consist of at least three members with professorial competence or equivalent competence within the field of the position. Only one member of the committee can be from UiT, and as far as possible and on the fields where it is natural, the committee should have a member from another country. Both genders should, if possible, be represented. The committee's leader cannot be from UiT.
It may be appropriate for some subjects to appoint national joint committees in collaboration with other universities.
We recommend that you engage in dialogue with your department about the appointment of the assessment committee.
The assessment should be available within 3 months from when the committee has received the material, and the effectuation date will be the same ass your application deadline: September 15 the same year you have submitted your application.
As applicant you do not have the right to appeal the experts' assessments. However, you can raise objections to the handling of the case, and/or submit comments on the assessment within two weeks of receiving it.
When the assessment is completed, the Appointment Committee at your faculty will determine the outcome and either award or reject the promotion.
Effectuation date
The effectuation date for personal promotion to professor is September 15. the same year you apply.
Please note that a personal promotion in teaching and research positions will have no consequences for the current work tasks that you do.
Quarantine provision
Should your application for promotion be rejected due to lack of qualifications, a new application cannot be submitted until after two years of the previous one. This applies even if you choose to withdraw your application.
If a professor position has been advertised at UiT in your specialty, the two-year rule applies from the application deadline for the advertised position.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about case processing, regulations or procedures please contact the Section for Organizational and Personnel Development (SEOP) on our email address opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
Any subject-specific questions can be directed to your department head or research group leader.
Internationally leading professor (1404)
Internationally leading professors are appointed for fixed-term tenures based on expert assessments and appointments must be approved by the Ministry. Internal candidates are given leave from their ordinary posts during fixed-term tenure appointments. Professors at this level are responsible for academic management in priority research strategy areas, interdisciplinary initiatives, development of new research programmes/research areas and the establishment and operation of centres of excellence in research at your Faculty. Considerable academic leadership skills are required, including great academic integrity, the ability to cooperate academically and develop academic communities, as well as having the ability to and interest in disseminating research results.
Outstanding academic effort and academic authority are not sufficient grounds for qualification on their own.
Aspects you should consider for your future career development as an internationally leading professor
The post of reader is a research and teaching post at the same level as professor, but with a different academic basis. The basic requirement for being recognised with reader expertise is extensive research and development work at a high level aimed at the professional field. In traditional professorial expertise, this primarily refers to descriptive, analytical and theorising expertise. Performance will be key to readers, in combination with the expertise to develop and manage complex professional and vocational fields, as well as analysis and reflection skills.
University college lecturer (1107)
A university college lecturer spends most of their time on teaching activities. As a general rule, 10% of their time should be spent on continued professional development. Four years of higher education is required, at least two of which must fall within the subject they will teach. The applicant must be able to document relevant practical and educational expertise on the basis of qualifications or teaching and academic supervision.
It is possible to apply for promotion to the post of university college lecturer, but this category is rarely used at UiT.
Read more in the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment and promotion to teaching and research positions and the Supplementary provisions for appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions at UiT.
Aspects you should consider for your future career development as a university college lecturer
- Complete a relevant master’s degree.
- Apply for a post as a university college lecturer or
- Apply for a post as a research fellow/apply for funding for a PhD position.
University lecturer (1009)
As a general principle, all employees in this category will spend 80% of their time on teaching activities and up to 20% of their time on R&D work, when time for other work activities has been deducted.
A higher degree from a university, university college or equivalent is required. The candidate must also have relevant research qualifications beyond master’s degree or postgraduate level and/or experience of relevant professional practice. You must also be able to document relevant practical educational expertise on the basis of qualifications or teaching and academic supervision.
The path to becoming a reader goes via the post of senior lecturer.
Read more in the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment and promotion to teaching and research positions and the Supplementary provisions for appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions at UiT
Aspects you can develop as a university lecturer for further career promotion
Aspects you can develop as a university lecturer for further career promotion (the list is not exhaustive and some fields are subject to specific requirements):
- Management experience may be meritorious to the extent it is suitable for documenting taking the initiative for and managing development and change processes from an academic, institutional and administrative perspective.
- Articles in scientific, academic journals. There is no independent requirement for discipline-based, scientific publication for qualification as a senior lecturer, but this could strengthen the application.
- Books (for example textbooks or chapters in textbooks).
- Reports and other documentation. These can be summaries or more detailed reports from development work.
- Work on developing a profiling document. An application for promotion to the post of senior lecturer would be clearly strengthened if work has been invested in an overarching text - a profiling document. Such an overarching text should summarise the basis for the application and document the field of expertise presented for evaluation. The document should also discuss educational reflections/points of view and summarise the learning history that has resulted in these views.
Senior lecturer (1198)
As a general principle, senior lecturers will spend 70% of their working hours on teaching activities and up to 30% of their time on R&D work, when time for other work activities has been deducted. It is possible to apply for promotion from the post of senior lecturer to the post of docent.
Extensive, documented research and development work is required, which in both scope and quality are equivalent to the output and level of a doctoral thesis. Special qualifications in teaching or other educational activities will be greatly emphasised. You must also document relevant practical educational expertise on the basis of qualifications or teaching and academic supervision.
Read more in the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment and promotion to teaching and research positions and the Supplementary provisions for appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions at UiT.
Aspects you can develop as a senior lecturer for further career promotion to docent
Aspects you can develop as a senior lecturer for further career promotion to docent (the list is not exhaustive and some fields are subject to specific requirements):
- Quality development of your own teaching and academic supervision
- Broad experience of academic supervision, primarily at master’s degree/PhD level
- Participation in the development of educational quality in professional communities
- Chairing research and development projects
- Developing interdisciplinary collaborations and networking
- Establishing collaborations with businesses and the community for the development of study programmes, research and development activities
- Establishing collaborations with cultural sectors for the development of study programmes, research and development activities
- Professional experience of a special nature and relevance from business and community
- Professional experience of a special nature and relevance from the cultural sector
- Development of academic collections
- Arts
Applying for personal promotion to Senior Lecturer (1189)
Who can apply
You must hold a permanent position or be employed as an Assistant Professor or University Lecturer on a fixed term contract. Your position must be at least 50% of full time. You are eligible to apply even if you are on leave. You can only apply for a promotion within the field in which you are employed.
There is no fixed deadline for applications to promotion to Senior Lecturer (applications will be handled consecutively).
You will find the current rules and guidelines for promotion in teaching and research positions in Chapter 10 of UiT’s “Supplementary regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions”.
Competence requirements
The competence requirements for promotion are generally the same as for employment in teaching and research positions, cf. points 4.4 and 4.5 in the before mentioned Supplementary provisions.
All applicants must document their Educational Competence. This competence must be developed and documented either through completion of Result’s course in “Foundational Course in University Pedagogy”, or by developing and receiving approval of your Educational Portfolio.
You can find detailed information about the Educational Portfolio and the “Guide for Documentation of Educational Competence” on the Result website.
How to submit your application
During 2024 you will be able to submit your application using Jobbnorge. Information/ link to this site will be published here as soon as it is available.
In the meantime, please send your application to opprykkogmerittering@uit.no via Sikt Filesender.
Your application must include:
- Application
- Updated CV
- Documentation necessary for the competency assessment by the committee
- Certificate of completed Educational Competence or your Educational Portfolio
As applicant you are responsible for documenting all aspects of your competence through the application.
General rules and guidelines for how to apply and what to include in your application to personal promotion to Senior Lecturer can be found in "Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts" §2-4.
Important information about applying via Sikt Filesender:
You must combine all your files to a single pdf file. Give the file a short title name.
As an alternative you can choose to zip the folder (right click on the folder you wish to send, select «make ZIP-file», upload the zipped folder to Sikt Filesender).
Film and audio files:
These types of files can unfortunately not be sent via Sikt Filesender.
We ask that you create a website/other portfolio and upload your film and or sound files to this site. You can then include a link to this work in your application. It is your responsibility to make sure that the link is working throughout the time of the assessment- process.
All links should be written like this ex.: https://www.google.com, and not as a link hidden behind a word like ex.: Google.
Assessment
The committee is appointed by the Appointment Committee at the Faculty where you are employed
- The committee must consist of at least three members.
- At least one member must hold competency above first level position. The other members must hold Associate Professor positions as a minimum.
- Only one member of the committee can be from UiT.
- Both genders should, if possible, be represented.
- The committee can ask for a statement of evaluation of parts of the admitted material, from an expert in the field.
- A committee leader must be appointed. The committee's leader cannot be from UiT.
We recommend that you engage in dialogue with your department about the appointment of the assessment committee.
The assessment should be available within 3 months from when the committee has received the material.
As applicant you do not have the right to appeal the experts' assessments. However, you can raise objections to the handling of the case, and/or submit comments on the assessment within two weeks of receiving it.
When the assessment is completed, the Appointment Committee at your faculty will determine the outcome and either award or reject the promotion.
Effectuation date
The effectuation date for personal promotion to Associate Professor is the first day of the month after you submitted your application.
Quarantine provision
Should your application for promotion be rejected due to lack of qualifications, a new application cannot be submitted until after two years of the previous one. This applies even if you choose to withdraw your application.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about case processing, regulations or procedures please contact the Section for Organizational and Personnel Development (SEOP) on our email address opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
Any subject-specific questions can be directed to your department head or research group leader.
Dosent (1532)
As a general rule, dosents should spend the same amount of time on teaching and R&D activities, after deducting time allocated for other work activities.
In order to be appointed as a dosent, you must have relevant practical educational expertise on the basis of qualifications or teaching and academic supervision. You must also be able to document extensive research and development activities at a high level aimed at the field. You also require documented extensive educational development work and other educational activities of high quality. You also require higher levels of qualifications within one or more of the following areas:
- Management of research and development projects
- Interdisciplinary collaborations and networking
- Extensive collaborations with businesses and the community for the development of study programmes, research and development activities
- Professional experience of a special nature and relevance from business and the community
Read more in the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment and promotion to teaching and research positions and the Supplementary provisions for appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions at UiT.
Aspects you can develop as a dosent to further your career
- Varied teaching activities in higher education and experience of teaching at different levels.
- Established development as a teacher over time and testing of relevant teaching methods and teaching aids.
- Play a central part in programme planning and actively contribute to discussions and strategic work related to education and teaching.
- Experience of managing educational development work or investigation work.
- Experience of interacting with colleagues and students as part of the work on evaluating and developing independent teaching and the teaching delivered by others (collegial supervision).
- Disseminating experiences from your own teaching through seminars, conferences, reports, articles, etc.
- Having a reflective, critical and constructive approach to your own teaching activities, choices that have been made and results that have been achieved. This reflection should be anchored in and elaborated on through research (your own research or research conducted by others) and theory relating to teaching and learning in higher education in general and the field in particular.
- Active recruitment and academic supervision of PhD students, ensuring that they complete within the standard time period.
- Contributing to the creation of a successful and socially relevant teaching programme.
Applying for personal promotion to dosent 1532 (professor)
Who can apply
You must hold a permanent position, or be employed on a fixed term contract, as an Associate Professor (førstelektor). Your position must be at least 50% of full time. You are eligible to apply even if you are on leave. You can only apply for a promotion within the field in which you are employed. You will find the current rules and guidelines for promotion in teaching and research positions in Chapter 10 of UiT’s “Supplementary regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions”.
There is no fixed deadline for applications to promotion to dosent (applications will be handled consecutively).
Competence requirements
The competence requirements for promotion to dosent are generally the same as for employment in teaching and research positions, cf. point 4.4.2 in the before mentioned Supplementary provisions.
You are required to present:
- extensive documented research and development work at a high level within the professional field concerned, and
- documented extensive educational development work and other educational activities of high quality, and
- in addition to the basic competence for teaching and supervision in higher education that apply to the position of associate professor (førsteamanuensis), you must document your pedagogical competence by submitting you Educational Portfolio.
The Educational Portfolio must show:
- development of the quality of one's own teaching and supervision over time, and
- broad supervision experience, preferably at master’s/PhD level, and
- participation in the development of educational quality in in academic communities,
as per the “Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts” Section 1-3.
For information about Educational Portfolio (Pedagogisk mappe) requirements, see cf. point 4.5 of the Supplementary provisions. For general information about promotions cf. point 10 of these provisions. You can also find detailed information about the Educational Portfolio and the “Guide for Documentation of Educational Competence” on the Result website.
In addition, the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions (UHR) has drawn up recommended guidelines for promotion to dosent, which may be of assistance in the application and assessment process (Norwegian only).
How to submit your application
During 2024 you will be able to submit your application using Jobbnorge. Information/ link to this site will be published here as soon as it is available.
In the meantime, please send your application to opprykkogmerittering@uit.no via Sikt Filesender.
Your application must include:
- application (we recommend that you apply in English, however this is not a requirement)
- educational Portfolio
- a maximum of 15 scientifical works documenting the competence and experience you would like the assessment committee to consider
- a complete list of all publications, or other documented work, you would like the committee to consider. The list may be commented.
- In addition, an updated CV, diplomas, certificates, and awards will help document the competence and experience you want the committee to consider.
As applicant you are responsible for documenting all aspects of your competence through the application.
General rules and guidelines for how to apply and what to include in your application to personal promotion to dosent can be found in "Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts" §1-3, og § 2-3.
Important information about applying via Sikt Filesender:
You must combine all your files to a single pdf file. Give the file a short title name.
As an alternative you can choose to zip the folder (right click on the folder you wish to send, select «make ZIP-file», upload the zipped folder to Sikt Filesender).
Film and audio files:
These types of files can unfortunately not be sent via Sikt Filesender.
We ask that you create a website/other portfolio and upload your film and or sound files to this site. You can then include a link to this work in your application. It is your responsibility to make sure that the link is working through out the time of the assessment- process.
All links should be written like this ex.: https://www.google.com, and not as a link hidden behind a word like ex.: Google.
Assessment
The committee is appointed by the Appointment Committee at the faculty where you are employed and must consist of a minimum of three members. One of the members must have professor competence at university or scientific college level, and two members must have dosent competence or equivalent competence within the field of the position. Only one member can be from UiT. As far as possible, and on the fields where it is natural, the committee should have a member from another country. Both genders should, if possible, be represented.
We recommend that you engage in dialogue with your department about the appointment of the assessment committee.
The assessment should be available within 3 months from when the committee has received the material.
As applicant you do not have the right to appeal the experts' assessments. However, you can raise objections to the handling of the case, and/or submit comments on the assessment within two weeks of receiving it.
When the assessment is completed, the Appointment Committee at your faculty will determine the outcome and either award or reject the promotion.
Please note that a personal promotion in teaching and research positions will have no consequences for the current work tasks that you do.
Effectuation date
The effectuation date for personal promotion to dosent will be the first day of the month after you submitted your application.
Quarantine provision
Should your application for promotion be rejected due to lack of qualifications, a new application cannot be submitted until after two years of the previous one.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about case processing, regulations or procedures please contact the Section for Organizational and Personnel Development (SEOP) on our email address opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
Any subject-specific questions can be directed to your department head or research group leader.
The post of researcher, regardless of level, is used for research, research-related activities and research administration. Researchers may provide academic supervision to master’s degree and PhD students.
Read more about the various researcher posts in UiT’s local pay policy, which is available in the Employee Manual online.
Researchers without doctoral degrees (1108)
The appointment criteria are a higher degree from a university, university college or equivalent, as well as relevant research qualifications beyond master’s degree or postgraduate level and/or experience from relevant professional practice.
If you have been appointed as a researcher without a doctoral degree, you need to complete a PhD in order to further your career in academia at UiT.
Researchers with doctoral degrees (1109/1110)
The appointment criteria include a Norwegian doctoral degree in the subject area in question, a corresponding international doctoral degree that is recognised as being equal to a Norwegian doctoral degree or expertise at an equivalent level documented through academic work of an equivalent scope and quality.
As a researcher with a PhD, the same recommendations apply with regard to the aspects you should consider to further your career development as those set out for postdoctoral fellows.
Applying for personal promotion to researcher 1109 (after obtaining doctoral degree)
Who can apply
You must hold a permanent position as Researcher (code 1108), or hold an externally financed position where the terms of your contract are employment for 2 years or more, at the time of your application. You must have completed your doctorate. You can only apply for a promotion within the field in which you are employed.
Competence requirements
To meet the requirements for promotion to Researcher 1109 you must:
- hold a Norwegian doctorate, or
- hold a doctorate equal to a Norwegian doctorate from another country, or
- hold associate professor competence from a Norwegian institution, or
- present documented competence at an equal level through scientific work of equal scope and quality.
The rules and guidelines for personal promotion to Researcher positions can be found in Chapter 10.3.1. of Statens personalhåndbok.
How to submit your application
You submit your application by sending it to this email address: opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
There is no fixed deadline for applications to personal promotion to researcher 1109 (applications will be handled consecutively).
Before you can apply you must have obtained your doctorate.
The application must include the following:
- application
- confirmation of obtained doctorate
- documentation, i.e. receipt detailing when the doctorate was handed inn for assessment.
As applicant you are responsible for including all necessary documentation.
Effectuation date
Personal promotion to Researcher 1109, should it be granted, will be put in effect from the first day of the month after the doctorate has been submitted for assessment.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about case processing, regulations or procedures please contact the Section for Organizational and Personnel Development (SEOP) on our email address opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
Any subject-specific questions can be directed to your department head or research group leader.
Researchers at professor level (1183)
The criteria for appointment as researchers at professor level are the same as the criteria for researchers with doctoral degrees, but this also requires you to have been deemed to possess professorial expertise.
As a researcher at professor level, the same recommendations apply with regard to the aspects you should consider to further your career development as those set out for professors and internationally leading professors.
Applying for personal promotion to researcher 1183
Who can apply
You must hold a permanent position as researcher 1109 or 1110, or be employed in an externally financed position where your contract is set to last 3 years or more at the time of your application.
You can only apply for a promotion within the field in which you are employed, and it is a requirement that you have taken up the position before the application deadline. You are eligible to apply even if you are on leave.
Researcher 1109 or 1110, who have been declared professor-competent by a Norwegian institution during the last 6 years from the time of their application, can apply to their own institution for personal promotion to researcher 1183. If there was a unanimous decision to declare you professor competent, your application may be processed without a new assessment by a committee. You will find more information in Statens personalhåndbok 2024 Kap. 10.3.2 § 6-9. (norwegian only).
The annual deadline for applying for personal promotion to researcher 1183 at UiT is May 1.
Competence requirements
Within the specific subjects and fields of research there are international and/or national standards for professor competencies or research competencies at the professor level. You can find these on the website for UHR Universities Norway (norwegian only), as well as more related information on UiT’s website for Rules and Regulations.
When applying for personal promotion to researcher 1183, the same quality -and minimum standards as for professor competencies will be applied. The exception being the requirement for educational competence. The committee’s final assessment will consider whether the scientific production of the applicant holds the quality and level required for professor competence. For more information, please see Chapter 4.4 and 4.5 of UiT’s “Supplementary regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions”, as well as Chapter 2, section 2-2 of the “Regulations concerning appointment and promotion”.
How to submit your application
Applications are submitted via Jobbnorge. (A link to the application will be posted here well before the application deadline.)
Submitting your promotion application will be somewhat the same as applying for a regularly advertised position. We do recommend that you apply in English, however this is not a requirement.
- You may submit up to 15 scientific works
- You must include a complete list of all publications and/or other scientific activities related to your subject area or filed of research. The list may be commented.
- Your application, updated CV, diplomas, certificates, and awards will help document the competence and experience you want the committee to consider.
- You are not able to send any documentation after the application deadline.
As applicant you are responsible for documenting all aspects of your competence through the application.
Important information when applying via Jobbnorge
- The text box in Jobbnorge called "Søknadstekst" should not be used for anything other than a short message of the type: "My application for promotion is attached. Regards, NN".
- The application and all other documentation are added as attachments in Jobbnorge.
- If you already have a CV, you can choose to add this to your attachments instead of filling out the digital CV on Jobbnorge.
Film and audio files:
Unfortunately, it is not possible to submit film and audio files in Jobbnorge.
Should you wish to submit such files we ask that you, in your application, insert a link to a website or other portfolio. It is your responsibility to make sure the links are active throughout the assessment periode.
Any link should be written as an explicit clickable link, e.g., https://www.google.com, and not as a clickable link behind a word, e.g., Google.
Jobbnorge provides useful guides to applications and attachments on their website “Help for Jobseekers”.
Assessment
The committee is appointed by the Appointment Committee at the faculty where you are employed. The committee must consist of at least three members with professor or researcher 1183 competency within your subject or research field.
One person will be appointed leader of the committee. Should this person not be a member of the committee, that person will not have a say in the committee’s final assessment. Only one member can be from UiT, and this person cannot be the leader of the committee. As far as possible, and within the relevant subject or research field, there must be one member from another country. Also, both genders should be represented.
Within the specific subjects and fields of research where there are international and/or national standards for professor competencies or research competencies at the professor level, the committee must apply these standards to their assessment.
We recommend that you engage in dialogue with your department about the appointment of the assessment committee.
The assessment should be available within 3 months from when the committee has received the material,
As applicant you do not have the right to appeal the experts' assessments. However, you can raise objections to the handling of the case, and/or submit comments on the assessment within two weeks of receiving it.
When the assessment is completed, the Appointment Committee at your faculty will determine the outcome and either award or reject the promotion.
Effectuation date
The effectuation date for personal promotion to researcher 1183 is May 1st of the year you apply.
Please note that a personal promotion in teaching and research positions will have no consequences for the current work tasks that you do.
Quarantine provision
Should your application for promotion be rejected due to lack of qualifications, a new application cannot be submitted until after two years of the previous one. This applies even if you choose to withdraw your application.
Contact us
Should you have any questions about case processing, regulations or procedures please contact the Section for Organizational and Personnel Development (SEOP) on our email address opprykkogmerittering@uit.no
Any subject-specific questions can be directed to your department head or research group leader.
University librarians that consider themselves to be qualified can apply for promotion to senior librarian. The regulations concerning promotions to senior librarian issued by the Ministry set out the criteria that apply. Further information can be found at:https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/rundskriv-f-14-95/id108003/
When evaluating expertise, emphasis must be placed on a broad evaluation of the applicant’s overall qualifications. The academic expertise requirements for senior librarians must, overall, be at the same level as the requirements applicable to associate professors. The evaluation must be based on documentation of library qualifications. The emphasis placed on the various criteria may vary depending on duties and activities. Emphasis will not be placed on seniority. The evaluation must be based on:
- academic library work
- management and participation in library-related and other research projects
- development of documentation and information systems at a high academic level
- academic processing and presentation of specialist collections, including text-critical editions
- documented presentations
- preparation of teaching aids, compendiums and audiovisual aids
- documented library-related development and research work
- teaching, including bibliographic teaching.
Annual information meeting concerning expertise-based promotions to professor and docent posts
In Norway, employees in teaching and research positions can apply for personal promotion based on expertise. Every year, UiT arranges information meetings concerning personal promotions to professor and docent posts.
Research and teaching sabbaticals
Permanent academic staff holding posts as professors, docents, associate professors and senior lecturers can apply for research and teaching sabbaticals. This is a strategic initiative intended to help UiT increase knowledge production in all fields. Guidelineslines for allocation of research and educational leave.
Educational expertise
The programme for basic educational expertise is aimed at academic staff who do not already possess educational expertise. Academic staff who do not already possess educational expertise are normally appointed subject to qualification terms and must acquire educational expertise within an agreed time period through the programme for basic educational expertise.
Merited teachers. In order to promote educational quality and stimulate the development of new teaching methods at UiT, the merited teacher scheme launched in 2017.
Development programme for research supervisors. In order to strengthen the supervision expertise of academic employees who supervise PhD students, UiT offers a development programme for research supervisors.
Talent development, research funding
The Arctic MSCA-PF programme for postdoctoral fellows applying for funding from the EU’s career and mobility programme, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF).
UiT Aurora Outstanding is a career development programme that offers inter-faculty and systematic follow-up of talented researchers at the start of their research careers. The programme is a collaboration between UiT - The Arctic University of Norway and the Tromsø Research Foundation (TFS). The programme aims to provide participants with the opportunity to develop their careers at UiT to become leaders of internationally recognised research groups and strengthen their opportunities for obtaining competitive external funding.
Generic skills
High North Academy offers courses in generic skills for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows.
Management programmes
Programme for programme managers is a development programme intended to contribute towards greater awareness surrounding programme management.
The educational management programme at the University of Oslo is aimed at administrative and academic educational managers and aims to contribute to participants becoming more aware of their own management roles and freedom to act within the organisation. UiT has access to a few spaces on this programme and participants from our university are selected via an internal application process.
The research management programme - starting level at the University of Oslo is aimed at new research managers. UiT has access to a few spaces on this programme and participants from our university are selected via an internal application process.
The research management programme - consolidation level at the University of Oslo is aimed at experienced research managers. UiT has access to a few spaces on this programme and participants from our university are selected via an internal application process.
The UiT programme for management development is aimed at academic and administrative managers and aims to increase expertise relating to the core business and individual management roles at UiT.
Internal courses at UiT are published on this page (Feide login required): Internal courses at UiT
Here, you can find the information that will help you navigate the digital working day: Digital workplace | UiT
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
Contact persons: Spaun, Trude | UiT and Vråberg Hough, Elisabeth | UiT
Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
Contact persons: Sletbakk, Christine Greger | UiT and Gjerløw, Anne | UiT
Faculty of Health Sciences
Contact persons: Wilhelmsen, Eirin | UiT and Pedersen, Marita | UiT
Mobility Grants
The Health faculty has overseas scholarships for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows and permanent employees in connection with the R&D term. The schemes are advertised and awarded annually. See separate descriptions under support schemes.
Development Program for Research Leaders (biannual)
Every second year, a development program is organized for research group leaders and principal investigators of major research projects. The program is event-based, with three events over one year. The program has two available slots for employees at other faculties, and two available slots for hospital employees in the Northen Norway Health region. The next addmission will be announced in 2024.
Target group/participant profile and expectations
The Development Program looks for researchers that are qualified beyond PhD level and hold one of the following functions:
- Research group leader with less than five years experience
- Deputy research group leader
- PI for a large externally funded research project
- Deputy department leader in charge of research
The Development Program uses a combination of experience sharing, casework and exercises, and there will be a clear focus on the individual participant’s situation and development as a research leader. It is important that all participants are in a situation where they have something and someone to lead while they are taking part in the program. All participants must be available to attend all three events, as the program is designed for building relations within small groups over time.
The program has a capacity of 25 participants. Up to two places will be reserved for applicants from other faculties at UiT and for The Northern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Nord RHF). Active participation is required before and during the event. Participants are expected to familiarise themselves with the required course readings.
Topics
- Day one: The management role
- Day two: Vision, strategy and development plans
- Day three: Academic freedom and strategic management
- Day four: Network, recruitment and multicultural teams
- Day five: Team development
- Day six: Reflection
Learning outcome
Knowledge
- Know how the university is organized and how functions are divided among the different organizational levels
- Recognize the faculty strategy and action plan for research
- Know how internal administrative processes are run, for instance economy and employment
Competence
- Write and further develop the research group strategy and development plan
- Define short- and long- term goals
- How to recruit candidates/fellows to build a functional research team
- How to use annual work appraisal (medarbeidersamtale) as a tool for leadership
- Networking
Skills
- Lead towards research aim/goal
- Lead a multicultural team of academics
- Motivate research fellows
- How to utilize research group resources strategically
Teaching language
The course language is English.
Program management
The program team at the Faculty of Health Sciences, headed by Vice Dean for Research, is responsible for the program.
Course fee
There are no course fee for participants from the Faculty of Health Sciences, but if the participant does not show, the relevant unit will be charged for board and lodging. For external participants there will be a course fee to cover board and lodging.
Application- and admission process
- Potential participants should apply through the leader of their own unit/institution before the deadline set by that unit. An application form for the Development Program will be made available at the next announcement. Applicants should attach a CV (two pages max.), including a description of their current function as a research leader (and any previous research leadership experience, if relevant).
- The department/external institution must send the application forms and a prioritised list of applicants by the announced deadline.
- The program team is responsible for admission. The program is most successful when bringing together participants with a variety of academic background. Ensuring diversity in the participant group is therefore an important part of the admission process.
- Admitted participants will be notified.
- Before the first joint event, each participant must prepare a short self-presentation. Instructions will be included in the notification of admission.
Research Group Leader Seminar (biannual)
Every second year, The Health Faculty invites all research group leaders to a one-day seminar where the aim is to increase competence in leadership tasks in the research group. Arrangements are made for networking and exchange of experience between the research group leaders.
Faculty of Law
[Skriv innhold her]
The Arctic University Museum of Norway and Academy of Fine Arts
Contact Person: Aase, Elisabet | UiT
UiT Talent
Achieving external funding for ones research activity is important for the individuals personal career. UiT's new strategy, Eallju–Drivkraft i nord, sets ambitious goals for UiT's professional activities in research, education, innovation and dissemination until 2030. It is necessary for UiT's development as a research university that the externally financed part of the activity is developed into increased capacity in research, education, innovation, and communication. Toward achieving that goal, effort and commitment is required from managers, scientific staff, and the research administrative support apparatus. UiT Talent is a comprehensive support program that includes tools that aim at inspiring and supporting an increased number of new project proposals for external funding, both nationally and internationally.
Research and education sabbatical, including mobility for faculty members
Research and education sabbatical is a professional stimulation scheme and not a right for employees at UiT. The tool aims to strengthen the quality and scope of the institution's activities by giving professional staff an opportunity to carry out coherent professional work; whether it is deepening one's own research and innovation activities, development of new forms of teaching or new educations, further development of existing study programmes, development of projects, development of methods or establishment of collaboration with other environments, nationally and internationally. The research and education sabbatical should contribute to strengthening the applicant's professional environment and realize the institution's strategies and objectives. Faculty members with four years or more permanent position is eligible to apply. Read the full guideline for eligibility and applications.
The different faculties at UiT desides if they also give financial support for stays abroad, se below for more information.
Mobility schemes for academic staff
International mobility can help promote career development, contributing towards the learning of new methods, networking, collaboration and the emergence of new ideas. International mobility is also an unspoken prerequisite for success in some competitive arenas. Academic supervisors and managers must be aware of the importance of mobility through management training and more. Mobility should be part of the employee’s career plan. It must be discussed during employee appraisals/development appraisals and form an integral part of the academic group plans. Some faculties give financial support for stays abroad, see below for more information.
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
[Skriv innhold her]
Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
[Skriv innhold her]
Faculty of Science and Technology
[Skriv innhold her]
Faculty of Health Sciences
The Faculty of Health Sciences offers a number of support schemes for PhD candidates and faculty. Below is an overview of the schemes and administrative support available.
Mobility grant for Ph.D.
The Faculty of Health Sciences offers mobility grants for PhD candidates at the faculty. Read more about arrangements on the websites for the PhD education
Mobility grant for postdocs
The purpose of researcher mobility is to contribute to increased international cooperation on applications, projects and publications where the objective is to raise the quality of research, and hence the social benefit of research.
The main aim of the postdoctoral position is to qualify for future work in a top scientific position. International experience is emphasized when appointed to a permanent scientific position, and is increasingly a prerequisite for obtaining national and international external research funding.
The faculty awards grants for stays abroad to its postdocs. The stay abroad must be of a minimum of 2 months continuous duration, with a maximum duration of 5 months for one semester, and a maximum duration of 10 months for two semesters. The faculty points out that several external funding sources (e.g. ERC) only consider stays of 3 months and more as foreign experience of importance for the researcher's career. Scholarships can be awarded for one stay during the postdoctoral period.
The scholarship shall cover additional expenses for research stays abroad. Helsefak follows the Research Council's rates. Tax may be deducted from any surplus.
You can apply for a grant for a single person or a family. The definition of family is: The employee with a spouse/cohabitant/registered partner and dependent children under 18. Note that there is no family grant for employees who are not traveling with children.
You can also apply for cover for travel support for one round trip to the place of stay per person in the traveling party as well as a round trip to Oslo in connection with an application for a visa. Up to the maximum amount stated in the announcement is awarded, and estimated costs must be documented from UiT's travel booking system. No support will be given for travel home during the stay.
In order for the faculty to be able to award foreign scholarships, the following criteria must be met:
(a) The scheme applies to postdoctoral fellows employed at the Faculty of Health Sciences in priority order:
- Postdoctoral fellows funded by the faculty.
- Postdoctoral fellows with external funding from sources that do not offer overseas scholarships.
(b) The scheme does not apply to postdoctoral fellows with funds from the Research Council or postdoctoral fellows who are not employed by the Faculty of Health Sciences.
(c) Documentation must be attached.
(d) The stay must be relevant to the postdoctoral project.
(e) The postdoctoral fellow must be employed at UiT during the entire stay abroad, and for a minimum of two months after returning home.
(f) It is not possible to apply for a mobility grant for travel to the postdoctoral fellow's home country, if the postdoctoral fellow has worked or studied in his home country for more than 12 months in the last 3 years. Exceptions can be made if it can be shown that the necessary equipment, facilities or expertise are not available elsewhere.
(g) Mobility grant are not awarded for spending part of the scholarship period in Svalbard.
If more applicants meet the requirement for a grant than funds have been set aside, the ranking shall be based on an overall assessment of the applications based on the criteria below.
Assessment criteria for ranking:
- Purpose of the stay abroad.
- Budget and financing plan (feasibility).
- Publications listed in Cristin.
- Applicants who have not previously had international mobility will be given priority.
Countries where you can spend time abroad, in priority order:
- EU / EEA countries and Panorama countries (Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, China, South Africa, South Korea and the USA).
- Stay in accordance with strategic priorities from the faculty and department.
Applicants who have been granted funds from Erasmus+ and other externally funded mobility for research stays abroad are ranked above applicants who have not, with regard to top funding.
Research and educational leave & Mobility grant for faculty members
Research and education sabbatical is a professional stimulation scheme and not a right for employees at UiT. The tool aims to strengthen the quality and scope of the institution's activities by giving professional staff a real opportunity to carry out coherent professional work; whether it is deepening one's own research and innovation activities, development of new forms of teaching or new educations, further development of existing study programmes, development of projects, development of methods or establishment of collaboration with other environments, nationally and internationally. The research and education term should contribute to strengthening the applicant's professional environment and realize the institution's strategies and objectives.
Who can apply for an R&D term
Permanent employees in positions as professor, dosent (professor), førsteamanuensis (associate professor) and førstelektor (associate professor) may apply for a period of research and educational leave. Employees in temporary appointments to these positions with qualification conditions may also apply.
Financial support for stays abroad during the R&D term
Applications for overseas grants must be sent at the same time as applications for R&D term. The application is sent via the department, which recommendes and sends the applications to the faculty.
The stay abroad must be of a minimum of 3 months' continuous duration and with a maximum duration of 5 months for a one-semester R&D term, and a maximum duration of 10 months for a two-semester R&D term. Support for a minimum period of 2 months continuous stay abroad can be considered in special cases. The Faculty points out that several external funding sources (e.g. ERC) only consider stays of 3 months and more as foreign experience of importance for the researcher's career.
Rates and payout
The financial support is given in the form of a grant. The rate is 80% of the rates for mobility grants in the Research Council of Norway. You can apply for a grant for a single person or a family. The definition of family is: The employee with a spouse/cohabitant/registered partner and dependent children under 18. Note that there is no family grant for employees who are not traveling with children.
The amount of support must be used to cover additional expenses incurred as a result of the stay abroad. This includes extra costs for housing, school fees for children and other extra expenses. It is not possible to have return journeys covered during your stay.
You can also apply for travel support for one return trip to the place of residence per person in the traveling party, as well as a return trip to Oslo in connection with an application for a visa. Up to the maximum amount stated in the announcement is awarded, and estimated costs must be documented from UiT's travel booking system.
The departement can provide additional funds in travel support to their applicants.
Prioritization of applicants for mobility grant
Criteria for prioritizing applications for mobility grant, where 1a) and 1b) are equal
1a) Residence with clear relevance for applications to EU-funded projects:
- Career-building/qualifying stay for applications to the European Research Council (ERC StG, CoG, AdG and SyG) and Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA-IF).
- Network establishment for and preparation of applications for funding for PhD exchange and structured research training (MSCA-ITN/-Doctorates).
- Qualifying and cooperation-establishing residence for applications to thematic calls from Horizon Europe Global Challenges and other international competitive research projects.
1b) Residence with clear relevance for applications for external funding of education projects, which includes cooperation in line with the Panorama Strategy (presupposes cooperation with one or more of the countries Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Africa, South Korea and the USA):
- Network establishment for and preparation of applications for funds for DIKU's UTFORSK programme.
- Other funding sources in which Panorama countries can enter as a partner.
2) Stay in accordance with strategic priorities from the faculty and department.
The conditions for financial support according to points 1a) and 1b) must be interpreted strictly, and there is a requirement that the applicant has a clear plan for a concrete EU application / DIKU application or equivalent for educational cooperation / educational research. As a minimum, this means that the applicant must indicate the type of funding they plan to apply for, as well as refer to the category, when the application is to be sent and which topic. Exceptions can be made for thematic calls, they will normally be known well in advance, but in some years the specific calls will not be known at the time of application for the R&D term. If there are no thematic calls, applicants must refer specifically to non-thematic calls (e.g. MSCA and ERC). Looser plans for international cooperation that could lead to an EU application in the long term will not fall under this point. Applications for financial support for stays outside the EU do not normally meet the requirement in point 1a). Applications for financial support for stays outside Panoramaland do not meet the requirement in point 1b).
It is not possible to apply for a foreign grant for travel to the employee's home country where the employee has worked or studied for more than 12 months in the past 3 years, unless it is justified by the fact that equipment, facilities or expertise are not available elsewhere.
The departments' priorities will be emphasized in the faculty's ranking of applications for financial support. The departements must both justify their assessment of how the applicant satisfies the criteria for a stay abroad, and justify the institute's internal ranking.
Incentive funds for particularly good applications that do not obtain funding
The incentive model for the Faculty of Health Sciences at UiT, is aimed at increasing application activity to the EU and the Research Council. The model provides incentives for applications that have achieved a pre-defined, exceptionally good rating in these arenas, but without obtaining funding. The incentive funds are to be used to submit an improved application to the same or similar funding source within a reasonable time. All employees at the Faculty of Health Sciences can request to be evaluated for incentive funds based on the achieved rating for applications to the funding programs. The funds must be used within one year, and any remaining funds after this will be allocated to the faculty for redistribution. The Section for Research, Education and Dissemination (FUF) manages the incentive fund scheme.Applications for incentive funds have the following three deadlines: 28 February, 15 June and 31 October. Allocations are carried out according to the available budget.
Project Office
The project office offers administrative support to academic staff with applications for external funding and project management.
This includes, application support and budgeting, project start-up, project operation and reporting.
Read more about our services and how you can contact us on the Project Office's website.
Faculty of Law
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The Arctic University Museum of Norway and Academy of Fine Arts
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The University Library
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PhD candidates
If you are visiting this webpage as a PhD candidate, we are pretty certain that your current life goal is to successfully complete your PhD degree. But what comes after that? As a PhD candidate it is essential to actively plan and develop your career already during the course of your PhD work.
The following information therefore provides an overview of support services for PhD career development at UiT. The aim is to prepp you for a successful career both within and outside of academia.
Please note that some linked resources are available in Norwegian only. These are clearly labeled and you may consider using the automatic translate function in browsers such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge for best use of these resources.
To kick-start your career planning, have a look at this 11-minute video which explains the motivation behind career planning.
As mentioned above, it is essential to actively plan your career during the course of your PhD. This will greatly increase your chance of future professional success and development. At some faculties, a career plan is an obligatory part of your project description. The following points will help you in the career planning process:
- Self-appraisal: what are your interests, goals and skills?
- Investigate job opportunities: expand your horizon and investigate which possibilities are out there.
- Build skills: identify skills gaps and how to fill them.
- Build a network: investigate possibilites for networking that can help you to reach your career amibitions.
- Develop an action plan: devise a concrete plan for reaching your goals and to prepare you for the job application process.
Additionally, the yearly appraisal meeting (Norw. "medarbeidersamtale": scroll down to "medarbeider- og utviklingsplaner - maler" - information in English) with your nearest leader, usually your head of department, provides a unique opportunity for discussing your ambitions and plans for your future career.
Self-appraisal
What are your personal interests and values? What are your amibitions for your future professional life? What skills do you possess? This information forms the basis of your career development plan. Start by mapping this out using the following resources:
Tools | Description |
Personality test (the Big Five) | The Big Five, sometimes refered to as the OCEAN model, categorises personality into five dimensions: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. This test is designed to get to know yourself better and to gain insight into your preferances, values and interests. |
Cultural dimensions test | This test provides insight into personal culturally-based values and behaviour. Based on acknowledged theories on cultural dimensions, it helps you to navigate and adapt to multi-cultural work environments. It is also a tool for becoming aware of your own strengths derived from your cultural background. |
ResearchComp | The European competence framework to help researchers map and develop their transferable skills, as well as to make potential employers aware of the broad skills set found among researchers. |
ImaginePhD | A platform for career development tailored to PhD candidates and young researchers in the field of humanities and social sciences, though with useful resources for all fields. The platform provides open resources after registration, such as self-assessment, skills maping, career examples and job-finding resources. |
myIDP Science Careers | A tool for career development tailored to PhD candidates and young researchers from the natural sciences. This platform provides self-assessment, skills assessment and resources for simplifying career development. |
Explore job opportunities
Explore job opportunities and expand your horizon of potential career paths by:
- clicking on "career paths" in the left tab for examples of different career choices after a completed PhD degree.
- Career days at UiT (in Norwegian): participate in the yearly career days (Norw. "karrieredager") at UiT, campus Tromsø. These are a perfect opportunity to get to know potential future employers from the industry, public or private sector.
- Karriereveiledning.no (in Norwegian): a web-based resource for exploring different job possibilities, as well as the possibility to chat with a career counselor online or by telephone.
Competance and network building
Are you missing a key competance required by your dream job? Is there a network that could be crucial for landing your dream job? Building your competance and your network during your PhD can be crucial for landing that dream job.
Tips for what you can do to increase your competance and build your network while getting your PhD at UiT:
- Take courses in transferable skills: transferable skills are key competances such as written and oral presentation, digital competance, collaborative skills, problem solving, and leadership skills. These are skills that are highly sought after by employers and will increase your employability. Find an overview of available courses at UiT by clicking the left tab "courses and other activities".
- Join a research school: UiT is associated with several research schools that cover a wide range of disciplines and institutions. Research schools offer workshops, seminars, courses and mobility opportunities. Joining a research school will also expand your network beyond your supervisory group. Please note that some research schools require your supervisor to be a member for you to become a member as a PhD candidate.
- Secondments: to intern outside of academia (industry, public or private sector) is a golden opportunity to gain work experience as well as getting to know potential future employers and expanding your network. Click on "secondments" under the left tab "vocational skills" for more information.
- Stay abroad: Staying abroad during your PhD is a fantastic opportunity to build your network, boost your competance and improve your CV. Explore mobility opportunity at UiT here (in Norwegian).
Source: World Economic Forum (2020).
Job application process
Preparing yourself for the job application process is fundamental for success. Here are some important aspects to consider:
- Learn about the company and position you are applying to: understand their values, goals and working culture.
- Tailor your CV: adapt your CV and application to the current position by highlighting relevant skills and experience. We recommend using the European standard CV-format.
- Write a convincing application letter: karriereveiledning.no can help with this (Norwegian only). However, there are many other online resources.
- Prepare for the interview: prepare your answers to standard questions (e.g. here) in advance, in a way that highlights your skills and qualifications. Be prepared to talk about your experience and how it fits the job description. Maybe you have a friend or colleague that can help you to practice your answers in a mock interview setting?
- Prepare yourself mentally: landing your first job can be a long and frustrating process. Be prepared to deal with rejection and work on keeping motivated. Maybe you can start a peer group so that you can support each other during this process?
CV courses and interview training at UiT
- Career days ("karrieredager") at UiT is a yearly event that also offers CV courses and interview training.
- The university library (UB) and TODOS (UiTs association for PhDs and post-docs) arrange regular workshops and courses on career-related topics, incl. CV writing. Check out their websites for coming arrangements.
Jobb search engines
National | International |
jobbnorge.no (English version) | EURES a database for jobs within EEA countries and Switzerland |
arbeidsplassen.no (in Norwegian) | EURAXESS Find your job, funding or hosting opportunity. Browse through thousands of vacancies and fellowships from Europe and around the world. |
Finn.no (in Norwegian) | PhDHub a platform with job announcements for PhD candidates, within academia and with opportunities in industry |
Jobbsafari.no (in Norwegian) | |
Karrierestart.no (in Norwegian) |
With your PhD degree, a broad spectrum of career oppportunities in diverse sectors will open up for you. Even if a higher education in academia may seem like the natural continuation, a large number of PhD degree holders wind up in jobs outside of academia. This is due to, in part, a limited number of academic positions as well as an increasing demand of specialised employees in other sectors. Which career path you choose will depend on your area of expertise, personal preferences and skills, as well as the current demand of the labour market.
Career opportunities
Career opportunities/sector | Examples of positions | Resources and useful links |
Higher education/academia |
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Innovation and entrepreneurship |
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Consultant/advisory services |
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Research and development (R&D) |
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Communication and dissemination |
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Public sector |
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Non-profit organisations (NGOs) |
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Vocational interviews
Do you want to hear about the experience of others in their vocation? At utdanning.no you can read interviews with PhD degree holders, working in various sectors (in Norwegian).
Here you will find an overview of courses and activities for PhD candidates at UiT.
Courses in transferable skills
Transferable skills are skills and competances that can be applied to a wide range of situations, branches and vocations. Examples for such skills are collaborative skills, critical thinking, problem solving and cultural awareness. Developing such skills will make you better prepared for a society and work life demanding continuous development and personal growth.
Courses in transferable skills at UiT:
- High North Academy (HNA) is financed by UiT and organises PhD courses in transferable skills. The courses are usually run as intensive week-long courses and are designed for PhD candidates from all fields and faculties at UiT. The courses are mainly run physically at UiTs Tromsø campus.
Career days and workshops
Career days
Participate in UiTs yearly career days (website in Norwegian) for an unique opportunity to network with potential employers and representatives from different sectors. This event provides an arena where you can meet potential employers directly, participate in presentations, mingling, and receive valuable training such as CV- and LinkedIn-courses, skills testing and interview training. You can even obtain a professional headshot for your CV and profile. Career days provide an indispensable resource for kick-starting your career and building relationships to the professional world.
Workshop: career development for PhD candidates
We regularly run career workshops for PhD Candidates. They are announced here, on Tavla and through TODOS.
Other courses and activities
UiTs course catalogue: PhD courses
Click here for UiTs course catalogue under the area (Norw. "fagområde"): "forskerutdanning". The PhD-level courses that appear have an English description (course codes in the 8000s).
Courses and workshops organised by the university library
Every semester the university library (UB) provides a wide spectrum of courses at all leves (bachelor, master, PhD), including courses for employees. Their teaching methods are flexible and most courses are on offer both in Norwegian and English.
Course in university pedagogy
RESULT offers a course in university pedagogy aimed at PhD candidates that want to improve their teaching skills. The aim of this course is to help you to improve your pedagogical competance and to reflect over your roll as a teacher in a higher-education environment.
PhDHub
PhD Hub is a platform that fosters interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration, connecting researchers and PhD candidates with industry opportunities. More than just a listing service, it offers personalised opportunities for PhD candidates, with filters for conferences, funding, internships, and training programs across Europe.
It is important to build up your vocational skills already during the course of your PhD degree as this will facilitate your transition from academia to the labour market. It will also increase your employability, and provide you with the practical skills required by different branches. These vocational skills include teamwork, project management, communication and networking. Such skills will help you to apply your research skills to a wider context and to promote your ability for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Secondments
Secondments provide you with an opportunity to temporarily work outside of your usual academic environment, e.g. in a business or relevant organisation. This is a chance for you to apply and expand your expertise in a more practical context, as well as build your network and gain insight into how your research can be directly applied outside of academia.
Although UiT supports such initiatives, it is expected that you take the initiative to explore and establish possibilities for secondments. You should discuss your plans with your supervisor to ensure that the secondment is relevant to your degree work.
- Good practice guidelines for secondments
- Businesses/institutions (website in Norwegian) with UiT cooperation contracts.
- Testimonials from PhD candidates at UiT who have done secondments.
- Business portal from NTNU (UiT version will be published in january 2025)
Useful templates:
- Standard contract for secondments
- European quality criteria for internships
- Higher Education Learning Agreement for PhD Mobility (Erasmus+)
- HE Learning Agreement for PhD Mobility - Changes During the Mobility (Erasmus+)
These documents assist in formalising expectations to ensure that both you and your host have a common understanding of the aims and content of the secondment.
Innovation and entrepreneurship
Innovation and entrepreneurship are tightly linked to vocational skills as both of these skills sets demand numerous qualities which are highly sought after by the professional world. These qualities include creativity and problem solving, initiative and decision making, teamwork and networking, leadership and vision. Collectively, innovation and entrepreneurship are not only important for economic growth and development, but also for developing and promoting personal and professional success.
Info and support for innovation at UiT
- Do you have an idea? Click here to find out how you can innovate at UiT.
- Does your research show commercial potential? Contact Norinnova (UiT's technology transfer office, TTO).
- Innovation stipend at UiT: this provides you with the time and the possibility to develop your idea towards a potential innovation. Two stipends are awared annually, click here for more information.
Course in academic entrepreneurship at UiT
- BED-8004: Academic entrepreneurship (spring 2025): join this comprehensive course designed to equip you with the necessary skills to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape.
Other useful resources
- PhD Hub is a European platform designed to promote collaboration between academia and industry. It acts as a bridge connecting PhD candidates, universities and research institutions with industrial partners. The platform aims to facilitate innovation by addressing real-world problems through collaborative research projects. It provides the possibility for universities to showcase their research programmes and for companies to present their research needs with the ultimate goal to create synergies for collaborative PhD projects, innovative solutions and knowledge transfer.
Managers
Here you can find out what constitutes good management in the public sector, as well as management development tools: The Norwegian government’s employer portal
UiT managament development programme
Management development includes activities for various management groups, academic and administrative alike. A desired main objective is to create a culture for management, consistently at all levels of the organisation, from a long-term strategic perspective, including the further development of a shared understanding of the performance of management in order to inspire strategic and relational management and further develop interactions and group processes within management groups.
Are YOU a manager and would you like to help develop UiT and management at UiT? This could be just the thing for you!
We can offer a management development programme that is research-based, experience-based and focused on development, encompassing the best examples from the field of practice.
The programme aims to inspire you to carry out management in a way that supports the UiT strategy and reflects excellent management principles. Here, you will have the opportunity to discuss challenges and development areas faced by UiT and to view these in the context of your own management role and development. By signing up, you commit to participate in a comprehensive development pathway spanning four two-day sessions.
Objectives of the programme
The programme sets the standard for outstanding management at UiT and supports quality in the core business (research and teaching activities). We do this by providing participants with increased expertise and an understanding of
- the core business
- their own management role
- Employees
- UiT as an institution
The programme will also provide greater confidence as a manager in a positive and appropriate manner, knowledge of the tools available to managers, freedom to act and insight into how you can be a relevant contributor to strategic goal attainment, as well as possibilities for horizontal and vertical networking across the organisation.
Thematic sessions
These sessions offer academic and experience-based presentations on topics that are relevant to managers at UiT. We emphasise dialogue, exchange of experiences and practical tasks. A recurring questions throughout is “What does this mean for UiT specifically, for the core business and for you as a manager?” In order to achieve the best learning outcomes from the management programme, it is crucial for participants to attend all sessions and the base group meetings in between sessions.
The main elements of the programme are:
Sessions | Theme | Contents |
First session: 21-23 February | You as a manager – insights provide prospects |
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Second session: 25-27 April 2022 | Identity and affiliation |
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Third session: 12-14 September 2022 | Culture and environment |
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Fourth session: 21-23 November 2022 | The future of UiT with you as a manager |
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Target group
If you hold a formal management role at UiT, then you are part of the target group.
The programme has 30 spaces available and admission is by application and recommendation from your immediate superior.
Base groups
We will offer you a space in a base group that will follow you throughout the entire programme. Here, you will have the time and space for personal development and reflection together with other managers at UiT. The base groups, each comprising 8-10 members, will be assigned a permanent supervisor, who will assist the group throughout the programme. The purpose is to ensure that there is help and support available for personal development. Real cases from day-to-day work and independent/group exercises as part of the base group will be a recurring theme. Active participation and commitment to the base group will be a prerequisite for ensuring positive results.
Experiences
Three managers, Terje Martinussen, Kjersti Dahle and Ragnhild Johanne Rensaa, talk about their experiences of the UiT programme.
Terje Martinussen, former Head of Department at the Norwegian University College of Fishery Sciences
“Gaining an insight into the various management roles at UiT has been extremely valuable. I have also learned a lot about UiT as an organisation. It’s rare to have the time to actively think about your own role. Here, I have received theoretical input and the opportunity to discuss issues that arise during everyday work as a manager. This is very useful. I also need to mention the academic network, which is crucial both during the programme and afterwards.”
Kjersti Dahle, Head of Section - Section for Student Administration
“This programme is very much worth the investment and I have found it incredibly useful. I have, of course, learned a lot about the theories behind management, but I have also learned a lot about myself. This has resulted in a lot of reflection on my own management and my employees. Everyone in my cohort intends to share their experiences and knowledge and I have learned a lot from the others.”
Ragnhild Johanne Rensaa, Pro-Dean of Education at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
“The UiT management programme has provided me with new perspectives and made me more aware of how to solve management challenges in academia. It has also allowed me to get to know colleagues at UiT whose duties are similar to mine and share experiences with them. I have also had the opportunity to get to know UiT better as an organisation and received input in the form of several interesting lectures. These were often delivered by colleagues at the University and resulted in numerous group discussions.”
Programme committee
The University management is the contracting authority in respect of the UiT programme. A programme committee consisting of contributors from various units at UiT is responsible for the academic development and implementation of the programme. The programme committee work is headed up by the Section for HR and Organisation, which is part of the Department of Organisation and Finance.
Programme committee:
Elisabeth Westad
- elisabeth.westad@uit.no
- 77646261
Gølin Irene Larsen
- golin.i.larsen@uit.no
- 77623233
Ståle Liljedal
- stale.liljedal@uit.no
- 77646752
Julia Holte Sempler
- julia.sempler@uit.no
- 77646817
Sonni Olsen
- sonni.olsen@uit.no
- 77660401
In order to succeed in becoming better at stimulating career development at the institution, we need to increase our efforts to increase management expertise in the area. Research managers at research group and department level are those who have the most contact with academic staff. The same applies to programme managers at the individual departments. Academic managers require knowledge and skills in order to contribute to the professional development of their colleagues.
There is high turnover among these group managers, which means that there will always be new managers in need of skills development in both management and employee follow-up. Management training for academic managers primarily takes place in the faculties. UiT has a management development programme that is open to academic and administrative managers at institutional level.
Research management program at UiO
The research management programme offers an intensive development pathway for research managers. If you are considering applying, please contact the faculty administration at the Faculty of Health Sciences. UiO research management programme
EMBO Research management
EMBO offers a number of different courses in research management and self-management. Topics include management, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, problem-solving and team development. See a list of all courses, dates and registration details on the EMBO website.
The target group is postdoctoral fellows and researchers with HR responsibility for a research group or team as part of a major project. The courses are international and provide a networking venue for international research managers.
Dean
Dean
The Dean is the head of the faculty and is responsible for day-to-day management of academic and administrative activities at the faculty. The Dean will appoint pro-dean(s) and will prepare instructions for them. The Dean and, in their place, the pro-dean, is entitled to participate in all faculty board, council and committee meetings.
Supplementary instructions for the Dean can be found in the HR portal.
The Dean school UHR
The programme is intended for deans and heads of department and will provide participants with increased expertise in order to develop their own management roles. The main emphasis is on the strategic, academic, HR and financial aspects of the management role. Networking and exchange of experience play central parts.
The Norwegian Association of Higher Educational Institutions’ management development programme
Pro-dean
The pro-dean is a function only and it is not possible to be employed as pro-dean. The Dean will appoint the person they would like to serve as the pro-dean and duties are drawn up for the individual based on the Dean’s requirements/needs. There are no instructions available for pro-deans as there are for the Dean and heads of department.
Head of Department
The head of department is responsible for the day-to-day management of the overall academic and administrative activities at the department.
The head of department is responsible for ensuring that administrative and managerial tasks are performed effectively and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and rules, as well as within the financial framework set out by the overall authority, university board and faculty board.
Separate instructions have been drawn up for this post, with and without a department board, and these can be found in the HR portal.
Grounds for qualification: Professor/docent/senior expertise in relevant fields is normally required for this post.
Research group chair/programme manager
Programme manager
The programme manager will contribute to the development of the learning environment and the academic and educational quality of the study programme. The role of the programme manager is advisory and duties are performed in close dialogue and collaboration with the Dean, head of department, course coordinators, lecturers and students. The development of quality in study programmes is a collective responsibility in the academic environment. The programme manager will chair the programme committee and reports to the responsible line manager. The duties of the programme manager are described below, starting from the circle on the right, where the development of academic and educational quality lays the foundations for the development of a comprehensive learning environment.
Research group chair
A research group can be established and changed by the head of department by request from researchers/heads of department. The research group chair is appointed by the head of department. The research group chair will have senior expertise and should generally be employed in a permanent main or secondary position a. The research group chair must also have documented experience of project/research management, network collaboration and guidance of PhD candidates. The research group chair must have experience with external financing of research and must have solid academic credentials.
Faculty of Health Sciences - research group chairs
The research groups at the Faculty of Health Scienses is the operational level for the research done. Clear strategic leadership with the assembly of academic environments in larger, thematically oriented, and focused research environments will contribute to realizing the Facultys full research potential.
The research groups consist of:
- Research group leader
- Scientific employees in I-, II-, or combined positions
- Temporary scientific employees
- Technical and administrative resources
- Master's and possibly lower degree students
The research group should consist of at least 3 scientific members with university affiliation. The total number of members in the group should not exceed approximately 25 people.
Organizational anchoring
A research group is established and changed by the Department Head upon the initiative of researchers/department heads at the Faculty of Health Sciences. As a general rule, the research group should be organizationally anchored at the department where the research group leader has a main or secondary position.
The Research Group Leader is appointed by the Department Head. The research group leader should:
- Be either in a Assosiate Professor or Professor position
- Have documented experience in project/research management, networking, and supervision of PhD candidates
- Have experience with external research funding
- Have solid professional legitimacy
- As a general rule, be employed in a permanent main or secondary position at the Faculty of Health Sciences
The scientific members may be employed at different departments/collaborating institutions. Affiliation is determined by the Department Head. Permanent scientific employees have influence on which research group they want to belong to.
Administrative and technical personnel employed at the Departments are allocated by the Department Head and can be made available to the research group as needed and after strategic assessments.
Research network
A scientific employee at the Faculty of Health Sciences can only be a member of one research group. However, it is possible for individual members or the entire research group to enter into methodological and project-related collaborations with other researchers or research groups. This is defined as a research network.
The research group leader's tasks include:
- Write a development plan (strategy) together with the scientific members of the research group. The development plan should be written according to the faculty's own template. As a general rule, the plan should apply for the same period as the faculty's strategic plan. The development plan is updated annually and sent to the Department Head at the research group's host department and is part of the basis for annual employee interviews and dialogue meetings. As part of the activity planning, the faculty also offers a one-page template for research application plans.
- Preparing an annual brief evaluation of the activities that contains information on the extent to which the goals defined in the development plan have been achieved.
- Distributing the research group's tasks and following up on the progress of the group's projects in consultation with the supervisor(s) and project employees.
- Coordinating, prioritizing, and promoting applications for external project funding to the department head, who finally approves the budget and submission of the application.
- Clarifying with the Department Head the need for technical resources. Technical personnel made available to the research group are academically subordinate to the research group leader, and the research group leader distributes the resource among the group's members.
- Clarifying with the Department Head the need for administrative services. Administrative resources are academically subordinate to the Department Head but can be made available to the research group by agreement.
- Distributing the funds made available to the research group from UiT/Faculty of Health Sciences in consultation with the group.
- Being the contact person between the department management and the research group.
- Performing HSE tasks that are delegated in writing by the department head. The Research Group Leader can delegate work tasks in writing to other persons in the research group.
- Conducting annual employee interviews with the research group's members if this is delegated in writing. Based on the conducted interviews, the research group leader provides a report in connection with the dialogue meeting to the Department Head about special findings/conditions of significance that require follow-up.
- Developing a system and measures for career development in the research group. The Research Group Leader, together with the research group, should create a plan with concrete measures for taking care of both the group and individuals. This plan should be included in the research group's development plan and be the subject of discussion in the dialogue meeting with the Department Head. The individual member's individual career plan should be part of the employee interview.
- Facilitating good supervision of PhD students through structured programs that include planned supervision meetings, regular presentations of research results in the research group, and an individual plan for research training.
Development program for research group leaders at the Faculty of Health Sciences
In 2018, the Research Group Leader Development Program (RGLDP) was held for the first time (3 x two-day gatherings off-campus). The program runs every other year and was last conducted in 2022.
Target group/participant profile and expectations
The Development Program looks for researchers that are qualified beyond PhD level and hold one of the following functions:
- Research group leader with less than five years experience
- Deputy research group leader
- PI for a large externally funded research project
- Deputy department leader in charge of research
The Development Program uses a combination of experience sharing, casework and exercises, and there will be a clear focus on the individual participant’s situation and development as a research leader. It is important that all participants are in a situation where they have something and someone to lead while they are taking part in the program. All participants must be available to attend all three events, as the program is designed for building relations within small groups over time.
The program has a capacity of 25 participants. Up to two places will be reserved for applicants from other faculties at UiT and for The Northern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Nord RHF). Active participation is required before and during the event. Participants are expected to familiarise themselves with the required course readings.
Topics
- Day one: The management role
- Day two: Vision, strategy and development plans
- Day three: Academic freedom and strategic management
- Day four: Network, recruitment and multicultural teams
- Day five: Team development
- Day six: Reflection
Learning outcome
Knowledge
- Know how the university is organized and how functions are divided among the different organizational levels
- Recognize the faculty strategy and action plan for research
- Know how internal administrative processes are run, for instance economy and employment
Competence
- Write and further develop the research group strategy and development plan
- Define short- and long- term goals
- How to recruit candidates/fellows to build a functional research team
- How to use annual work appraisal (medarbeidersamtale) as a tool for leadership
- Networking
Skills
- Lead towards research aim/goal
- Lead a multicultural team of academics
- Motivate research fellows
- How to utilize research group resources strategically
Teaching language
The course language is English.
Program management
The program team at the Faculty of Health Sciences, headed by Vice Dean for Research, is responsible for the program.
Course fee
There are no course fee for participants from the Faculty of Health Sciences, but if the participant does not show, the relevant unit will be charged for board and lodging. For external participants there will be a course fee to cover board and lodging.
Application- and admission process
- Potential participants should apply through the leader of their own unit/institution before the deadline set by that unit. An application form for the Development Program will be made available at the next announcement. Applicants should attach a CV (two pages max.), including a description of their current function as a research leader (and any previous research leadership experience, if relevant).
- The department/external institution must send the application forms and a prioritised list of applicants by the announced deadline.
- The program team is responsible for admission. The program is most successful when bringing together participants with a variety of academic background. Ensuring diversity in the participant group is therefore an important part of the admission process.
- Admitted participants will be notified.
- Before the first joint event, each participant must prepare a short self-presentation. Instructions will be included in the notification of admission.
Head of Studies (currently from the Faculty of Health Sciences/Department of Health and Care Sciences)
The Head of Studies can either be an employed role or a function.
The Head of Studies is primarily an academic management position associated with a specific qualification and will be part of the department’s management team. The post includes responsibility for day-to-day monitoring of education and for ensuring that the necessary systems for quality assurance are in place and working as intended within their area of responsibility. HR and financial responsibilities may be included in the role. The Head of Studies is responsible for developing education in accordance with framework plans and academic plans and may be responsible for the development of the academic portfolio for the qualification. The Head of Studies can also be assigned teaching duties.
Qualification requirements: The Head of Studies should generally be qualified for employment in teaching and research posts relating to the education and should possess knowledge about the programme, as well as teaching experience. Administrative experience and management and finance experience would be desirable. A minimum of three years of experience from the health service is required for appointment as head of studies for health science qualifications.
There are different types of management positions at UiT and the assessment criteria can be found in the local pay policy. There are also functions/roles that entail great responsibility with regard to the management of employees and academic elements alike. These roles are often referred to as academic group managers and are a function held for a specific period of time. There are some positions at UiT in which part of the position involves acting as an academic group manager. For those holding the function/role for a specific period rather than as part of their ordinary post, a functional allowance may be awarded that will cease when you step down from the function.
It is a good idea to discuss with your immediate superior during career appraisals if you have any desires/ambitions for a management career. It is important that you develop yourself as a manager if you are employed in a management role and there are various forms of training available internally and through the Norwegian government’s employer portal.
Tips and tricks
Valuable tips and tricks for managers and employees working with career and competence development will be posted continuously on this page. You can find answers to frequently asked questions below.
UiT has put together a resource group to assist the units and managers in implementing and using the toolbox for career and competence development at UiT. More information about the resource group can be found below.
Preformance and development review (Career plans) - templates
It is necessary for managers and employees to meet annually to clarify ambitions, evaluate development, adjust directions and create new plans for the future. A career plan will be an important starting point for such meetings and will help make the dialogue more relevant, structured and clear with regard to both individual development and group development.
A development meeting will, in addition to day-to-day dialogue between managers and employees, constitute a crucial instrument for professional development. Career meetings based on these new templates will replace the current employee appraisal interviews. The focus of the meeting will be on the development of the employee and the group and historic and future objectives. Career meetings will be introduced as part of a comprehensive framework for career planning and career follow-up at UiT.
Prior to the career meeting, the employee must complete the template career plan applicable to their job category and language and must notify their immediate supervisor of any topics or questions they wish to discuss. Employees are expected to assume ownership of their own career plan as part of their development at UiT. Career meetings are intended to encompass a broader scope than traditional employee appraisals and have a clear focus on the professional development and potential of the individual.
The academic communities at UiT are very different and it should therefore be up to the individual units to clarify who career meetings will be held by. At some units, this will be the head of department, at other units it could be the research group chair or academic group chair and at other units again it could be more appropriate for both the research group chair and programme manager to participate in development meetings together. In the cases where career plans require the use of resources, plans must be clarified with a manager with budgetary authority.
Go to "Templates" to find career plan templates for all job categories.
Click on the template that suits you, download it to your folder in OneDrive called "My Career" and save it there. Share your template/plan with your immediate manager in OneDrive and schedule your career meeting.
For more information about sharing files/documents in OneDrive, see: OneDrive: Dele mapper og filer - Selvbetjeningsportal (topdesk.net) (Requires Feide-login)
Career plans may, in some cases contain confidential information or sensitive personal data, the document must then be classified as confidential. Here you will find guidance on how to classify documents in Word: How to classify in Word?