Career and expertise development at UiT

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).

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)

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.

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.

• 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.

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. 

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

• 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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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

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:

1. Postdoctoral fellows funded by the faculty.
2. 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 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.

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.

Read the Norwegian guidelines for allocation here.

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.

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.

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.