Antoinette Charon Wauters Director, International Relations University of Lausanne

1. Shaping Research Policies in a Changing Academic Environment: the Case of the University of Lausanne4th UNICA Meeting for EU Research OfficersUniversity of LjubljanaNovember 2009 Antoinette Charon Wauters Director, International Relations University of Lausanne

2. Shaping Research Policies in a Changing Academic Environment: the Case of the University of Lausanne • Structure • Preliminary remarks • Transformation of the University of Lausanne • Adaptation to change – Measures taken • Results • Perspectives and conclusions

3. Location

4. 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

5. The UNIL campus on the Lake shore

6. Annual Budget 2009: ±€ 330 mio CHF ±500 mio The university cantons support the majority of their HEI budget

7. Lausanne campus: UNIL + EPFL

8. 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)

9. Transformation of the UNIL/2 • 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!

10. Transformation of the UNIL/3 • 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

11. Transformation of the UNIL/4

12. Transformation of the UNIL/5 • 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, ....

13. 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.

14. Adaptation to change – Measures taken/2 • 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

15. Large inter-faculty differencesQuestion raised to the Deans: among your professors, how many feel every morning the compulsive need to make a new discovery? 90 60 % Professors 30 Letters FTSR Law SSP HEC FGSE FBM

16. . 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? 90 60 % Professors 30 Letters FTSR Law SSP HEC FGSE FBM

17. Adaptation to change – Measures taken/3 • 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).

18. Adaptation to change – Measures taken/4 • 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.

19. The Swiss Euresearch Network Swisscore Brussels Zürich St. Gallen Basel Head Office Bern Neuchâtel Bern Luzern Fribourg Lausanne Lugano - Ticino Genève SwissCore, Brussels: Lobbyists, contacts & meeting space Head Office, Bern: Specialists, Scientific and Strategic Support Regional Offices: Generalists, Admin, Legal & Financial Support

20. Swiss Universities 2008: 121'009 students Size of the UNIL Increase 2007->2008: CH: + 3,5% UNIL: + 4% ! More attractive source: OFS - chiffres 2008

21. Results/1 2006Funding SNF by Research Field 1,000 CHF = € 665 source: rapport annuel FNS

22. Results/2 2007Funding SNF by Research Field 1,000 CHF = € 665 source: rapport annuel FNS

23. Results/3 2008Funding SNF by Research Field 1,000 CHF = € 665 source: Annual Relport SNF Total 2007: 25’818’564

24. Results/4 Research at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine

25. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Results/5 European Research Funds at UNIL KF 10’000 1’000 100

26. 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Region Geneva Lausanne Region Zürich, Basel, St-Gall Region Berne, Neuchâtel, Fribourg Ticino, Luzern ERC grants in 2008 (per region) Nr of grants

27. Mio CHF Ticino, Luzern 180 Région Lémanique 160 BENEFRI 5 140 69 120 100 168 390 80 60 148 40 Région Zürich, Basel, St-Gall 20 0 Region Geneva, Lausanne Region Zürich, Region Berne, Neuchâtel Fribourg Ticino, Luzern Basel, St-Gall SNF funding in 2008 (per region) 1,000 CHF = € 665 Data: SNF 2008, excl. Sinergia, PNR and NCCR

28. Results/6 Mean number of citations per article: 5 first ranked universities in Europe in 2008

29. 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

30. Perspectives/2 • Conclusions • Adaptation to change is risky (and can be very scary!) • Adaptation to change can be stimulating • The imposed reorganisation provided an opportunity to set up priorities and develop new approaches in both teaching and research fields. • 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, ... • The Rectorate has to continue playing a proactive, leading and supporting role to the UNIL participation into research programmes, Swiss and international.

31. See you in Lausanne? www.unil.ch