The strategy process at the faculty is well underway

The process of developing a new faculty strategy to set the direction for NAT up to 2030 is now entering the next phase in which the faculty will continue to work on the useful input received from the department workshops. A number of focus groups have also been set up to provide input, visions and thoughts on the faculty's core narrative and strategy.

[Translate to English:] Dekan Kristian Pedersen, Faculty of Natural Sciences. Foto: Lars Kruse, AU Foto.

Over the past two weeks, the eight departments at NAT have held strategy workshops at which staff have provided input on their hopes and dreams for the faculty, as well as on which elements in their departments’ strategies are best solved at faculty level.

All the workshops were held online and they have followed the same format at all departments. Dean Kristian Pedersen is pleased with the enthusiasm staff have put into their work, and he is looking forward to including the proposals in the further process:

"For me, the inclusive part of the strategy process, where we start by dreaming and thinking up new ideas, is the very foundation of a visionary strategy. Next, the ideas have to be made specific and then adapted to reality, so that we end up with a joint faculty strategy that is both ambitious and relevant. Therefore, it’s been very encouraging to experience the commitment and willingness to contribute we have seen at the department workshops, and I’d like to thank you all for that," says Kristian Pedersen.

The next step is for the faculty management team to collate the input from the departments and structure it into a common direction for the faculty.

In the coming weeks, a number of focus group meetings will be held across the faculty's subject areas. Focus groups for associate professors, international employees and tenure-track assistant professors have been set up, and there will also be focus groups with heads of upper secondary school, representatives from companies and the chairs of the international evaluation panels who have participated in the departments' evaluations. The focus groups will also provide input, visions and thoughts on the faculty's core narrative and strategy.

Just after the New Year, professors at all departments at NAT will be invited to discuss the themes in the strategy and prioritisation of the strategic initiatives.

The input from the department workshops, focus groups and the professors will be included in the faculty management team's further work to draw up a final draft of a strategy for NAT for the period up to 2030.

It is expected that the draft new strategy will be ready for consultation in the faculty in early 2021.