VA-Report 2011:2

The Swedish government has clearly stated that it is the duty of a university to collaborate with the surrounding society, to inform people about its research results and to work to ensure that its research is also of use to society. “I högskolornas uppgift ska ingå att samverka med det omgivande samhället och informera om sin verksamhet samt verka för att forskningsresultat tillkomna vid högskolan kommer till nytta.”

However, SAMVERKAN with society on scientific issues is given a low priority and is not sufficiently integrated into education and research. One reason for this is that SAMVERKAN is often seen as optional, voluntary, and as something good to do if researchers have time. Researchers need incentives and recognition to be motivated to take part. One important and effective method could be to include indicators on SAMVERKAN for the resource allocation to universities.

Based on country studies, expert interviews and a literature review we developed several SAMVERKAN indicators that could be used for resource allocation to universities or within universities. Although rewarding SAMVERKAN activities by budget enlargement or constraints is one way to promote SAMVERKAN it is a rather top-down approach.

Applying the indicators does not necessarily mean that the researchers and university administrations are intrinsically convinced of the importance of SAMVERKAN. The incentive for researchers to engage in SAMVERKAN may remain low because a fundamental cultural change is lacking. Therefore bottom-up approaches for promoting public engagement of universities and triggering a cultural standard toward SAMVERKAN are also recommended.