In interviews with researchers connected to the HR Excellence in Research project, it emerged that many struggle to always know which rules apply. Anyone who has ever searched for information on the Staff Pages will know that if you do not know exactly what to search for, you will find a lot of interesting information, but rarely what you were looking for. It can take time to establish whether it is you, the leader of the research team, head of department, dean or Vice-Chancellor who is to sign a contract or decide whether an application can be submitted.
Not only that, certain rules and practices in Sweden differ from other countries, and sometimes Lund University diverges from other Swedish higher education institutions. In order to make it easier for researchers to do things correctly, Lund University has produced a one-stop guide: “A researcher’s guide to compliance”.
The guide consists of a website with key regulations for research based on six themes:
- Good research practice
- Research at a Swedish university
- Research funding and project management
- Research-related contracts and intellectual property rights
- Managing research documents and research data
- Security issues in research
The guide is part of efforts to make it easier for researchers to do things correctly. In certain cases, training is also necessary to ensure that we are up to date on what is expected and demanded of us as researchers.
Research ethics is one area it is important to stay up to date on. There is already a compulsory course in research ethics for doctoral students, but now “Research Ethics for Research Staff at Lund University” is also offered. The course is digital, accessed via the Professional Development Portal and takes around three hours to complete. I hope that all the University’s researchers will complete the course.
/ Per Mickwitz
Read more:
- The researcher's guide to compliance
- Take the course in the Professional Development Portal:“Research Ethics for Research Staff at Lund University”
- HR Excellence in Research project: HR Excellence in Research Award – action plan 2023-2025 | Staff Pages (lu.se)
