AARHUS
AARHUS
UNIVERSITET
UNIVERSITET
Aarhus University
- The new administration
pRÆSEN
TATION
1
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
IN BRIEF
STUDENTS
STAFF
Bachelor
Master
17,504
16,395
Academic staff
Academic staff (part-time)
4,446
2,028
Part-time Master etc.
PhD
Total no. of students:
IHA
5,176
1,891
40,966
2,600
Administrative/technical
staff
Total no. staff members:
IHA
4,725
11,199
183
FINANCES
Million € (2012 level)
Annual
report
2008
Annual
report
2009
Annual
report
2010
Budget
2011
699
739
768
810
Budget
2012
(incl. IHA)
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
833
JUNE2012
A STRONG POSITION
TO BUILD ON
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
SITUATION BEFORE THE CHANGE
 Original university with 5 faculties
 Merged with a business school, teaching university and two
government research institutes (agriculture and environment)
 Went from 5 to 9 faculties, but with no real integration and
harmonisation – eg. different finance systems
 No scientific integration
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
SITUATION BEFORE THE CHANGE IN
THE ADMINISTRATION
 Local administrations at departmental, faculty and university
level
 Many generalists, few specialists and no critical mass
 Duplication of effort and many layers to go through when
dealing with an issue.
 Not a strong university profile. Faculties having local agendas
 Weak links between strategy and reality
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
SITUATION AFTER THE CHANGE
 Went from 9 to 4 faculties
 Went from 55 to 26 departments
 Integration of scientific disciplines to promote interdisciplinarity
 Very small administrations in departments and faculties
 General administration delivered through administrative centres
managed by central administration and employed by central
administration
 Rector and deans share management responsibility (colocated)
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE NEW
ADMINISTRATION
 Allow researchers and academic leaders to focus on core
activities
 Handling of cases at one administrative level and two levels at
the most
 Specialization of functions in order to professionalize services
 Ensuring a critical mass with a view to reducing vulnerability
 Standardized and digital solutions to enhance efficiency
 Strong focus on the wishes and needs of end users
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
A SINGLE UNIFIED MANAGEMENT
WHERE DEANS HAVE THREE
RESPONSIBILITIES
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
NINE AREAS OF ADMINISTRATIVE
SPECIALIZATION
University
director
Office of the
senior
management
Support of
4 core AU
functions
AU Strategy
AU
Communication
AU Research and
Talent
AU IT
AU Knowledge
Exchange
AU Finance and
Planning
AU Studies
AU HR
General
administrative
support
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
FOUR ADMINISTRATIVE
CENTERS
Administrative centers
AR, ST, HE and BSS
AU STUDIES
AU FINANCE AND PLANNING
4 directors
of liaison
Coherent
and
responsive
services
AU HR
AU COMMUNICATION
26 Institutes
AU IT
AU RESEARCH & TALENT
Specialized services
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
EXAMPLE: AU RESEARCH AND TALENT
Administrative
Center, AR
Administrative
Center, ST
Administrative
Center, HE
Administrative
Center, BSS
Back-office: Research Support
Back-office: Talent Development
Back-office: International Center
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
RESEARCH SUPPORT
Director
(1 AU/AUH)
IT/library (3 AUH)
Secretary (1 AUH)
Strategy
(3 AU)
Post Award
(4 AU)
Manager of Pre Award
(1 AU/AUH)
HEALTH
(3 AUH/2 AU)
ARTS
+ BSS
(5 AU)
Science & Technology
(3 AU/1 AUH)
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
FACTS ABOUT RESEARCH SUPPORT
 Started April 2002 with one person and focus on pre award
 27 staff servicing the university and hospitals and including
strategy and complex post award
 External funding level: 15% of total university budget – 40-50%
of total research budget
 FP7: +200 projects, 21 ERC grants, success rates – 20% ERC,
40% cooperation, 50% Marie Curie
 Strategic focus from the start on ERC
 Attracts 25-30% of all national funding
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
SUCCESS FACTORS
 Heavy focus on users – RSO seen as team member
 Training of young and experienced staff
 Pro-active contact to researchers
 Experienced and highly professional staff
 Knowledge of local expertise
 Focusing of application effort – fewer proposals and more
grants
 Close link between strategy, proposal and project management
(project life cycle) – kind of one-stop-shop
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR PRE AND POST
AWARD (MATRIX)
 Three types of projects
 Unique, large-scale projects
 Complex, multi-partner projects
 Simple projects
 Three types of phases – who does what?
 Idea generation
 Pre award
 Post award
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
STRATEGIC WORK
 Secretariat for research committee (dean and the four vice
deans for research)
 Internal funding: Interdisciplinary centers, ideas programme
 Research strategy: Funding, Research Management, Excellence,
Visbility, Research Environment
 Support strategy for researchers
 AU Research Forum
 Preparing agenda
 Funding initiatives and links to (international) recruitment
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
STRATEGIC WORK (MATRIX)
 Three types of processes
 Political
 Funding programmes and visibility (6 interdisciplinary working groups)
 Internal mapping (mapping through interdisciplinary groups)
 Four kinds of parties
 Rector/dean
 Research committee
 Researchers
 Support office
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
PITFALLS
 Too many changes at once – almost all connections between
administrators and researchers changed
 Perceived to be too much a top-down process
 Communication internally and externally
 Uncertainty among administrative staff (going from generalists
to specialists)
 Sense of A and B class of staff
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
 Clear vision
 Willingness to focus resources
 Develop a customer approach to academics
 Coordinate overall strategy with local initiatives
 Focus on interdisciplinarity and societal challenges
 Short decision making structure and process
 Evidence-based strategy
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
JUNE2012
Thank you
John Westensee, Director, AU Talent and Research, Research Support
E-mail: jwe@adm.au.dk
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH SUPPORT JOHN WESTENSEE
20
JUNE2012