Aims
ARENA will gather for a two-day staff seminar with the following aims:
- discuss ARENA’s research profile and how to adapt to external pressures and opportunities;
- develop a long term strategy for ARENA and a new format for the annual plan (evolving 3 year plan);
- strengthen ARENA’s internal team cohesion and welfare.
Preparations
Brief information on institutional and financial pressures, opportunities for funding as well as plans and opportunities for teaching will be presented at the start of the seminar. Please have a look at the following information before the seminar:
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ARENA's research agenda is organised along four key dimensions: European democratic order; The EU’s executive order; Expertise and knowledge; European foreign and security policy.
- Annual plans: ARENA’s Annual Plan for 2018, the Faculty’s Annual Plan 2019-2021 (please note that this is the draft version, the plan was adopted 6.12.18 with amendments but a final version is yet to be published), and the University Annual Plan 2019-2021. See also the follow-up of ARENA's annual plan for 2018.
- Financial situation: ARENA is completely dependent on external funding. A new model for distribution of funding was adopted by the Faculty of Social Sciences in 2018 (V-SAK 5 here), which terminates all previous funding from SV/UiO. The new model instead imposes a flat tax on 14 per cent on all of ARENA's income - including direct EU/NFR funds, national "results funding" based on EU/NFR income and publication points, funds from the ministries for PhD positions etc. This means that there is no longer much (if any) funds that are not directly linked to specific tasks or persons. This is also due to the finalisation of the EuroDiv project which in practice was used as "basic funding" of the centre. ARENA's budget for 2019 has been adopted by the centre's board but has not yet been sanctioned by the Dean who requires further cuts.
- Structural pressure: The Dean has initiated an investigation into the centre structures at the Faculty and suggests that ARENA is incorporated into the Department of Political Science. Available background information: the Dean’s letter, memo and timeline of 12.12.18.
- Funding opportunities: ARENA's funding comes from a range of sources, including three Norwegian ministries. However, the main part of the centre's funding comes from the Norwegian Research Council (NFR) and the EU's Framework Programmes. The new funding model from the Faculty makes it much more lucrative to acquire EU funding than NFR funding (or any other funding). The current EU programme Horizon 2020 includes several funding opportunities, most importantly Societal Challenge 6 which funds GLOBUS and EU3D (current version of next calls - confidential document!), the Marie-Sklodowska Curie Actions which funds PLATO and also offers Individual Fellowships, and the European Research Council with various grant opportunities such as the individual Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants. Horizon 2020 will be followed by Horizon Europe from 2021. Within NFR, there are several relevant programmes, such as FRIHUMSAM (with several measures including Young Researcher Talent) and UTENRIKS which also includes the Europe in Transition programme. As for teaching, ARENA has submitted a proposal to the Faculty for for an MA Programme in European Studies (this has not been answered).
All members of staff are asked to reflect on the following, and bring their thoughts and ideas into the discussions at the seminar:
- Interests and plans for short-and long-term research, cooperation and funding proposals.
- What do you think is needed for ARENA to achieve its main objective and aims in the next 5 years?
- Suggestions for how ARENA can adapt to the financial and institutional pressures (including the Dean's proposal): how could we adapt, how should we prioritise?
- How can we adapt to the situation and maintain research integrity at personal and center level (and is this important)?
- Are there any key factors/solutions/resources that would improve your daily work experience at ARENA?
Follow up
Synthesize ideas and group feedback to draft a new ARENA annual plan and long term strategy. Draft will be presented and discussed at a staff meeting in Spring 2019.
Programme
Venue: Son Spa (Son, Akershus)
Wednesday 9 January
09:00 Departure of bus from ARENA to Son Spa
10:00 Arrival Son Spa: Kick off activity
11:00 Plenary session
- Introductory remarks by Erik Oddvar
- Brief presentation of main external pressures and opportunities, Ida and Geir
- Reflections on ARENA's ambitions in the nearest future, Hans-Jörg and Agustín
- Instructions for the group sessions
- Q & A, open discussion
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Parallel group discussions
Group A – PhDs and post docs; group B – senior researchers; Group C – administration and research assistants. Each group should appoint a chair and a note taker!
Each group to discuss the following points:
- Should we change ARENA’s research agenda (been stable for 10 years)?
- Strategies for implementing the centre's research agenda: how can each member of the staff contribute to realising this?
- Funding opportunities: ideas and plans for collaborative projects, and the expectation that everyone applies for ERCs.
- How to combine external funding with research integrity and good working conditions?
- ARENA is 25 years in 2019, how to celebrate? Suggestions: a conference, combine with moving to new premise - celebrating the past and a new beginning
15:00 Coffee and snack
15:15 Parallel group discussions continues
16:15 Plenary session: main points from the group discussions
16:45 End of programme
18:00 Aperitif and quiz
19:00 Dinner
Thursday 10 January
09:15 Plenary session
- Key points/lessons from each of the group chairs and note takers
- Open discussion
11:00 Coffee and snack
11:15 Plenary discussion continued: ARENA's short term and long term strategy
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Departure of bus from Son Spa to ARENA
15:00 Arrival ARENA