The possibility of moving between different sectors and universities, within Sweden and abroad, has proven to be a successful step for researchers at Karlstad University. The idea is for new research findings to reach the surrounding community at an earlier stage and for different types of expertise to be of greater use.
This form of transfer is called strategic mobility and means that researchers work at another university or outside academia for a period of time while having their salary paid for through external funding.
Recommends others to apply
Johan Netz is a senior lecturer in business administration at Karlstad Business School and has worked as a research consultant at the Innovation Office of Karlstad Municipality for a year:
– I contacted Karlstad Municipality and asked if they would be interested in having a research consultant. The idea was to observe their work and be able to contribute with my expertise since I’m interested in the process of community building and areas for improvement. Working in a municipality was a new context for me. I have only worked in industry before so I wanted to gain further insight into a politically governed organisation, he says.
During his year with the municipality, Johan Netz interviewed a number of politicians and contributed with a presentation at the annual management conference Chefsdagarna where he talked about the long-term work of Karlstad Municipality. The research project [IS2] is partly funded by the innovation agency Vinnova and Johan Netz recommends other researchers to apply:
– As a researcher, you get to apply your theoretical expertise in practice and create new networks. It’s a good idea to work on site and talk to people since you not only make new contacts, but you can also get involved in new research projects. The contacts you make out there in the real world is important because that’s where the data is. It’s also a way to find places where you can share the knowledge you have through recommendations and advice, which is good. Most people are happy to help and show an interest, says Johan Netz.
The university’s research on sustainable development appealed
Peter Lampert used to work at the University of Vienna in Austria. He spotted a call via Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and received help from the Grants and Innovation Office at Karlstad University in writing the application.
– The scholarship was tied to Karlstad University and professor Niklas Gericke’s team. Karlstad University is one of the best universities in Europe when it comes to research on sustainable development and learning about sustainable development, so that’s what attracted me. The application process was a bit of a challenge but it was a great experience to gain an international perspective. The school system has different traditions depending on the country, so it was interesting to learn more about the Swedish school system, and it’s also a great opportunity to make new research contacts. I collaborated with several partners from Karlstad Municipality and KBAB and have now been given the opportunity to continue with a project thanks to my new experiences and connection to Karlstad University.
Want to know more?
Do you want to help create value for the workplace you are visiting, further your career opportunities and contribute to new collaboration projects? Taking the chance, with the support of external funding to work in an organisation outside academia or at another university contributes to professional development, both for you as a person as well as for your research field.
On 7 March, the four researchers Dr Peter Lampert, MSCA Fellow, Professor Adrian Muntean, MSCA Fellow, Professor Javid Taheri, Ericsson Research Fellowship and Dr Johan Netztalk will talk about strategic mobility during a workshop organised by the Grants and Innovation Office. More information and how to register: https://inslaget.kau.se/kalender/24766/workshop-strategic-mobility-researchers
