Antoinette Charon Wauters Director, International Relations University of Lausanne

Antoinette Charon Wauters

Director, International Relations

University of Lausanne

Shaping Research Policies in a Changing Academic Environment: the Case of the University of Lausanne

4th UNICA Meeting for EU Research OfficersUniversity of Ljubljana

November 2009

4th Meeting EU Research Officers - Ljubljana - ACW2

Shaping Research Policies in a Changing Academic Environment: the Case of the University of Lausanne

Structure

1. Preliminary remarks

2. Transformation of the University of Lausanne

3. Adaptation to change – Measures taken

4. Results

5. Perspectives and conclusions


Location


Lake Geneva Region: Academic Institutions

Ecole d’ingénieur de Changins

• 3 HEI, 2 university hospitals •1 million inhabitants • distance between Geneva and Lausanne 70 km


The UNIL campus on the Lake shore


Annual Budget 2009: ±€ 330 mio

CHF ±500 mio

The university cantons support the majority of their HEI budget


Lausanne campus: UNIL + EPFL


Transformation of the UNIL/1

2001-2004 Political steps were taken to keep quality, stabilize costs and foster collaboration between the Lake Geneva HEI

`Dismemberment’ of the UNIL Faculty of Sciences

Chemistry (2001)

Mathematics (2003)

Physics (2003)

Pharmacy (2004)



Smart (and not that easy!) ‘Recycling’ of the 2 leftover Departments of the UNIL Faculty of Sciences: Biology and Geology

Biology + Medicine = Faculty of Biology and

Medicine – FBM

Geology + Geography = Faculty of Geosciences

and Environment – FGSE

Conclusion:Since 2001, UNIL is no longer a comprehensive University!



The bright side of these moves:

• UNIL kept the budget of the Faculty of Sciences and reallocated it to the Human and Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Environmental

Sciences

• UNIL set up a Center of Integrative Genomics attached to the Faculty of Biology and Medicine

• UNIL started to collaborate more intensively with EPFL and also with the University of Geneva



Examples of Cooperation in Research:

Common platforms

TAF: Transgenic Animal Facility started in 2003-2004

DAF: DNA Array Facility of the Center for Integrative Genomics.

CIF: Cellular Imaging Facility created in 2003.

Biobanks, etc…

CIBM: Center for Biomedical Imaging UNIL - EPFL - UNIGE - CHUV – HUG

CADMOS: Center for Advanced Modeling Science UNIL - EPFL – UNIGE.

New super computer (57 Tera flops) to serve 3 institutions: UNIL, UNIGE, EPFL for Neurosciences, Economy and Finance, Social sciences, Biology, Linguisitcs, Climatology, Physics, Astrophsics, Medical sciences. Launched in September 2009



The dark side of these moves:

• UNIL lost among 40 researchers and research potential to the benefit of the EPFL and the UniGe

• and had to face some surprising new developments

in the partner institutions!

But 5 years later, UNIL results are starting to show that loss can also bring gain, ....


Adaptation to change – Measures taken/1

In 2007, a new Rectorate took over and decided to support and stimulate UNIL’s research potential more pro-actively than before

2nd Priority Objective of the UNIL strategic plan: « To support and develop research »

• Improve the training of young researchers• Strengthen the "research" mindset• Fully exploit the results of research and technology transfers.



Some practical steps/1

•Recruitment of academics with an international experience and profile

•Active presentation of the research results to the Faculties and their Deans, comparing them to the other Swiss institutions

•Active search of promising researchers within the UNIL units with the help of Deans and Vice-deans for Research


Large inter-faculty differences

Question raised to the Deans: among your professors, how many feel every morning the compulsive need to make a new discovery?

Letters FTSR Law SSP HEC FGSE FBM

30

60

90

% P

rofe

ssor

s


.

Large inter-faculty differences, again ...

Another Question to the Deans: among your professors, how many feel every morning the compulsive need to look for external funds?

Letters FTSR Law SSP HEC FGSE FBM

30

60

90

% P

rofe

ssor

s



Some practical steps/2

•Never ending efforts to improve internal communication on Research Programmes of all sorts

•Central administrative help for Swiss and European Programmes

•2008 Creation of a small ‘Research Support Team’ of 4 people* around the Vice Rector for Research as UNIL has no Central Research Service

* Swiss Research Programmes, European Research Programmes, Research financing, International Relations).



For European Research Programmes

NB: Switzerland’s full participation lost during FP3, reinstituted since Jan 2004

• Incentive money for participation to the FP: CHF 20,000.- (i.e. ± € 13,500) for starting

a coordination project; CHF 7’000.- (i.e. € 4,700) for a 1st partner participation

– Constant efforts to improve internal communication on the European programmes to the researchers with support of the Swiss Euresearch Network

• Training and information sessions organized by the Lausanne Euresearch Office for UNIL and EPFL researchers together

• Active search of promising candidates to ERC and FP7 projects into the UNIL units.


The Swiss Euresearch Network

St. GallenBaselZürich

Neuchâtel

Genève

Lausanne

Lugano - Ticino

Bern

Fribourg

Luzern

Swisscore Brussels

Head Office Bern

Regional Offices: Generalists, Admin, Legal & Financial Support

Head Office, Bern: Specialists, Scientific and Strategic Support

SwissCore, Brussels: Lobbyists, contacts & meeting spaceSwissCore, Brussels: Lobbyists, contacts & meeting space


Swiss Universities 2008: 121'009 students

source: OFS - chiffres 2008

Increase 2007->2008:CH: + 3,5%UNIL: + 4% ! More attractive

Size of the UNIL


2006 Funding SNF by Research FieldHuman

SciencesHard Sc. and

Natural SciencesBiology and

MedicineTotal

EPFZ 2'356'677 29'372'278 15'150'664 46'879'619

Zurich 11'037'102 7'336'450 25'461'742 43'835'294

Genève 5'420'539 12'211'129 25'119'455 42'751'123

Bâle 6'245'676 6'995'307 19'232'023 32'473'006

EPFL 416'250 28'141'486 3'481'970 32'039'706

Berne 5'941'881 11'301'742 13'895'258 31'138'881

Lausanne 4'727'008 2'050'560 22'663'585 29'441'153

Neuchâtel 7'846'278 6'341'368 978'300 15'165'946

Fribourg 4'119'918 4'633'533 2'058'095 10'811'546

USI 371'064 672'467 1'737'050 2'780'581

Lucerne 1'111'914 1'111'914

St-Gall 1'002'581 1'002'581

Total 50'596'888 109'056'320 129'778'142 289'431'350

sour

ce:

rap

po

rt a

nn

uel

FN

S

Results/1


Human Sciences

Hard Sc. and Natural Sciences

Biology and Medicine

Total

EPFZ 2’649’486 28’483’059 14’146’417 45’278’962

Zurich 10’212’788 14’726’914 23’186’731 48’126’433

Genève 7’694’829 17’372’909 24’113’455 49’181’193

Bâle 7’173’286 9’443’419 18’366’828 34’983’533

EPFL 373’225 22’746’324 3’426’512 26’546’061

Berne 6’229’822 15’178’829 14’751’837 36’160’488

Lausanne 5’229’994 3’251’011 17’337’559 25’818’564

Neuchâtel 7’600’029 5’449’486 979’486 14’029’001

Fribourg 4’585’322 4’143’032 3’878’820 12’607’174

USI 652’516 846’400 1'789’283 3’288’199

Lucerne 501’673 501’673

St-Gall 584’306 584’306

Total 53’487’276 121’641’383 121’976’928 297’105’587

sour

ce:

rap

po

rt a

nn

uel

FN

S

2007 Funding SNF by Research Field

Results/2


Human Sciences

Hard Sc. and Natural Sciences

Biology and Medicine

Total

EPFZ 4’095’083 33’123’678 13’641’739 50’860’500

Zurich 9’830’931 7’760’044 43’740’173 61’331’148

Genève 9’402’853 18’526’310 34’546’453 62’475’616

Bâle 8’621’255 8’400’859 17’742’522 34’764’636

EPFL 1’169’785 36’192’192 10’100’955 47’462’932

Berne 9’350’583 15’442’841 23’050’713 47’844’137

Lausanne 6’926’961 2’297’066 49’202’723 58’426’750

Neuchâtel 2’227’420 4’376’725 2’080’221 8’684’366

Fribourg 3’585’781 6’005’276 3’089’597 12’680’654

USI 670’028 2’982’831 3’652’859

Lucerne 595’670 595’670

St-Gall 1’417’135 1’417’135

Total 57’893’485 135’107’822 197’195’096 390’196’403

sour

ce:

An

nu

al R

elp

ort

SN

F

2008 Funding SNF by Research Field

Total 2007: 25’818’564

Total 2007: 25’818’564

Results/3


Research at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine

Results/4


100

1’000

KF

10’000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

European Research Funds at UNIL

Results/5


ERC grants in 2008 (per region)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

RegionGeneva

Lausanne

RegionZürich,

Basel, St-Gall

RegionBerne, Neuchâtel,

Fribourg

Ticino,Luzern

Nr of grants


SNF funding in 2008 (per region)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Region Geneva, Lausanne

Region Zürich,

Basel, St-Gall

Region Berne, NeuchâtelFribourg

Ticino, Luzern

Mio CHF

RégionLémanique

Région Zürich,Basel, St-Gall

BENEFRI

Ticino, Luzern

168

148

69

5

390

Data: SNF 2008, excl. Sinergia, PNR and NCCR


Mean number of citations per article: 5 first ranked universities in Europe in 2008

Results/6


Perspectives/1

Further developments

• Provide better support to the researchers by:• hiring of a central Research Project Manager (under discussion)

•Ameliorate the coordination of information to the researchers with the help of the new Central Research Team

•Develop communication of research results both in- and outside

•Improve the valorisation of successful researchers: academic career, financial incentives, internal and external publicity,...

•and more specifically, foster research programmes participation spirit through some of the Human and Social Sciences Departments where it is not the tradition


Perspectives/2

Conclusions

Adaptation to change is risky (and can be very scary!)

Adaptation to change can be stimulating

1.The imposed reorganisation provided an opportunity to set up priorities and develop new approaches in both teaching and research fields.

1.Despite the loss of an almost complete Faculty of Sciences, the UNIL has succeeded in increasing its research potential but has still a lot to do regarding its participation in the European Research Programmes, ...

1.The Rectorate has to continue playing a proactive, leading and supporting role to the UNIL participation into research programmes, Swiss and international.


See you in Lausanne?

www.unil.ch

Documents

Antoinette Charon Wauters Director, International Relations University of Lausanne