Promising proposal from the government regarding BUL and joint positions

Last week, a long-awaited proposal from the government on how mobility early in the academic career can be stimulated was announced. The proposal brings very welcome changes that SUA has long advocated for.

Photo: Jason Dent/Unsplash

The proposal entails that the time limit for applying for associate professorship after a PhD is adjusted from a maximum of five years to a maximum of seven years. It will be up to the universities to determine the time limit that applies within each subject area.

The government also proposes that it should be possible to have joint positions between the university and other sectors for all teaching positions. Previously, joint positions have been reserved for lecturers and professors in healthcare.

SUA believes that mobility—both geographical and sectoral—strengthens the quality of research and teaching at Swedish universities and thus Sweden’s competitiveness. The proposed changes are very important steps to facilitate mobility and remove existing barriers to mobility.

This is very good news from the government. We have been working for these changes for a long time, which means a clear improvement of the career system at Swedish universities, especially for young researchers.

Ronnie Berntsson, Chairman of the Young Academy of Sweden

Assistant professorship is the core of a quality-driven career system, but the short time limit of five years has resulted in a number of limitations, especially in certain subject areas where longer postdoctoral periods are common practice. The five-year limit has led to younger researchers who conduct their postdoctoral stay abroad hesitating to return to Sweden, as the window of opportunity to apply for an assistant professorship has closed. For the same reason, it has been difficult for younger researchers to move between academia, industry, and other sectors of society, as academic productivity risks decreasing during a period and it becomes difficult for the researcher to qualify within five years.

The change in the Higher Education Act regarding joint positions also means that it will be easier to combine a position as a researcher and teacher with work in another sector, and such combination can happen earlier in the career. With current legislation, joint positions have only been possible for lecturers and professors in healthcare, but will now also be possible for assistant professors in combination with other positions, such as teacher or within the industry.

The possibility of extending the time limit to seven years and the expanded opportunities for joint positions are changes that SUA has long called for, including in the BUL-report and in our input to the upcoming research policy proposition. We are very pleased with the government’s initiative and welcome the changes, which will significantly increase mobility opportunities.

The proposal is now out for consultation, with SUA being one of the invited consultation bodies.