Our colleague, Dr. Ingunn Johanne Ness, is part of the pilot course of the Program for Research Management at the University of Bergen, both as a participant and a teacher.

The Program for Research Management (“Program for forskningsledelse” in Norwegian) is meant to be a resource for anyone responsible for research groups or research projects at the University of Bergen (UiB), and who wants to become more confident in their own role. Through the program, the participants will work on challenges from their own everyday, professional lives.

Senior Researcher and Theme Leader at SLATE, Dr. Ingunn Johanne Ness, was asked to join the pilot course as a teacher, even though she had already applied to be a course participant. The program is being implemented for the first time in the autumn semester of 2024. After the pilot course is finished, the program will be available once every semester.

The aim of the program is to

• strengthen the participants' development as research leaders,

• provide inspiration to build a good research environment,

• increase awareness and knowledge of how to build good teams,

• ensure good framework conditions for research and research collaboration,

• and facilitate the development of interdisciplinary networks within UiB.

One of the subjects on which Dr. Ness has done extensive research, namely creativity and innovation, and the importance of psychological safety in interdisciplinary groups, is relevant to the pilot course. Therefore, Dr. Ness was asked to contribute to the teaching in module 2 of the course, of which this subject was a central part. When ending her presentation, Dr. Ness also presented Inez, a chatbot trained on her research that can act as a facilitator of creative processes.

As the course participants are a resourceful and seasoned group— all professors or associate professors— there is a strong focus on sharing experiences and learning from each other.

The program consists of three sessions spread across three months, with all course activities happening in Norwegian. Each gathering consists of thematic blocks that are preceded by short oral presentations and experience-based contributions. These gatherings form a starting point for individual reflection and group discussions or group work.

The sessions are structured around three main themes:

• Role, management and organisation

• Research community

• Strategy: research systems and research policies

In addition, the program participants will be offered to participate in existing courses related to topics that may be relevant to the individual.

The Program for Research Management was developed by the Division of Human Resources and the Division of Research and Innovation at UiB, in collaboration with a professional council led by vice-rector of Research and International Relations, Benedicte Carlsen.