The project team, consisting of the Heads of several of our Departments,has outlined an organizational model for the centre and started the discussion on centre economics. Efforts to find suitable premises that ensures opportunities for collaboration, student activities, business and employment activity and outreach activities are also underway.
What are the benefits of establishing the centre?
This is a key question I often get. We already have excellent research and education within the range of subject areas at our Departments. Let me point out some obvious benefits such a centre will provide:
Ownership and visibility
By establishing a centre for data science and computational science the Faculty and the University as a whole takes a clear strategic position in a growing and exceedingly important field that is the focus point of our entire society. The ambition is that the outside world looks to us for the best expertise in data science, computational science, artificial intelligence, scientific computing, machine learning, digital twins, knowledge representation and data integration.
Strengthening research and education
The centre will create new venues and opportunities to explore and develop new collaborations across subject areas and disciplines. In an era where interdisciplinarity and convergence are central to almost all calls for proposals, initiatives and evaluations and increasingly more subject areas are being computer-driven, the centre will give us a unique position and power to strengthen research and education at the Faculty.
Cooperation with the private and public sector
The centre will act as a liaison to the labor market. We will strengthen our cooperation with established key partners in addition to establishing new strategic alliances. The collaboration will give our researchers access to relevant issues and data, and private and public sector get the opportunity to enter collaborations that help them with necessary problem solving and business development. We aim to involve private and public sector to a greater extent in our education, and will be given a new arena to showcase our graduates.
Recruiting students
The centre will not run study programs on its own, but it will have a clear role in the development and quality enhancement of the Faculty's education – at all levels. We expect that innovation, increased visibility, a clear positioning and strengthened working life cooperation will increase interest in our study programs. Just remember how the newly established Honours program, based on boldness and innovation, became the most sought-after program of the year in 2019!
Who should participate?
The centre is aiming to include all researchers with activities related to the centre's main focus.. Some will naturally want to move all or most of their research activity to the centre, others will have a looser association. We are drawing up this opportunity space – the important thing now is that relevant researchers who are interested in contributing get in touch with us and contribute establishing the centre!
When do we begin?
In order to achieve the best possible result, it is important that we devote enough time and implement good processes now in the development phase. Key researchers need to be in place and many details related to the establishment must be clarified. The goal is to continue developing the centre during 2020 and that it is officially established in January 2021.
Further work
Many of our faculty employees are now working on various tasks to further the process:
- As mentioned, we have received input for vision, gains, main focus, thematic areas and contributions to our social mission.
- We are in the process of establishing a group that will work with developing a representative and well communicable centre name
- We are in the midst of deciding how the centre should be organized
- We will work to find suitable premises
- We are working with financial models, which attend to our Departments and that ensure the strengthening of basic research
- A working group will be established to provide input to the centre's educational contribution at the Faculty
- The Heads of Departments have ongoing processes involving relevant key persons
- In the beginning of next year, we will work on cooperation possibilities with private and public sector, which requires that the centre model is reasonably clear and that we identify key persons who will contribute at the start-up of the centre.
2020 will be an exciting year!