New Crisis and Contingency Plan

Published 10 May 2023

The University Board has decided on a new Crisis and Contingency Plan. It rests on the principle laid out by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) that organisations are to be run according to normal practice even in crisis situations, to the extent possible. The decision means that all faculties need to review their existing crisis management organisation and plans to make them consistent with the new Plan.

The new Crisis and Contingency Plan describes how the University is to handle crises and serious incidents. It focuses on ensuring that a crisis management organisation is in place and staffed in advance with selected and trained key functions and has the necessary procedures ready. The Plan is complemented with support documents for those responsible in the faculty managements or equivalent, including instructions and checklists, for example.

The new Crisis and Contingency Plan relies on the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency’s three core principles of responsibility, proximity and similarity. These are in more detail:

The responsibility principle – means that the person responsible for an operation under normal conditions has corresponding responsibility during a crisis.

The proximity principle – Crises are managed where they occur and by those who are immediately affected and responsible. The starting point is that the affected organisation is primarily responsible for leading crisis management. If local resources are insufficient, central support will be given. Responsibility for crisis management can be gradually moved up the line.

The similarity principle – means that an operation’s organisation and localisation during a crisis is to, as much as possible, be the same as under normal circumstances and operate in a similar manner.

Lund University is to have a central crisis management team at the Vice-Chancellor level and is to be supported by a central crisis management function. The faculties are responsible for their own crisis management and every faculty is now to establish or review the existing local crisis management organisation so that it is in line with the ordinary management structure.

For faculties, this also means that they need to draw up their own crisis and contingency plans or update any existing plans to align with this new University-wide Crisis and Contingency Plan.

The Vice-Chancellor is ultimately responsible for the University’s crisis management work and is responsible for crisis management at the central crisis management level. Managers with operational responsibilities are also responsible for their operations in the event of a crisis.

More information and supporting documents will be sent to the faculty managements.