Central strategic funds

OsloMet’s strategy points to areas where OsloMet’s research will help address some of society’s major challenges and promote sustainable development. A portion of the strategic funds will be used for thematic research initiatives to promote research and knowledge development in important areas. This will provide increased visibility and a clearer external profile for important parts of the university’s research activities. This can make OsloMet more attractive both as a partner and a place to study, and it can increase internal and external attention to OsloMet as a research university that combines high research quality with strong societal relevance.

It is planned to select 3-4 thematic initiatives. The themes will be defined through a broad and inclusive process at the university.

Each initiative will have a fixed budget for the years the initiative applies. The budget will cover the buyout of the academic leader and the activities the initiative supports, such as seed funding and other activities.

The initiatives will be interdisciplinary and involve several units, but will be administratively placed under a host unit and share administrative resources with it.

The budget for each initiative is estimated at 6-8 million NOK per year.

The themes of the initiatives will be decided by the university board. The time frame for the initiatives is 5 years. The arrangement for thematic research initiatives will be evaluated towards the end of the 5-year period.

The purpose of strategic funds for education quality is to improve the education and learning environment for OsloMet’s students. The funds will contribute to achieving the goals in the sub-strategy for education. This will allow prioritizing measures that are tailored to the nature of the education, the needs of the students, and the competence of the staff.

The funds will provide an opportunity for systematic work to understand and improve study quality and the learning environment, beyond what is possible and expected within the ordinary framework allocations.

The goal is to avoid extensive application procedures, which take a lot of time and resources, and avoid funding measures that need permanent support that cannot be covered by the ordinary budget.

The framework for strategic funds for education quality is estimated at 10 million NOK per year.

Proposals for distribution will be handled by the education committee, and the final decision will be made in the university management meeting.

The development of a clearer two-campus university, and societal expectations for a stronger connection and relevance in the university’s activities, suggest more systematic work and financial investment in societal improvements from the university.

The funds allocated to this area can be used for initiatives such as municipal cooperation, innovation activities, and a boost for sustainability.

The initiatives should not lead to permanent resource commitments without this being assessed against achieved results.

The framework for strategic funds for societal improvements is estimated at 8 million NOK per year.

Proposals for distribution will be handled by the societal improvements committee, and the final decision will be made in the university management meeting.

This area covers various types of activities that contribute to increasing OsloMet’s financial flexibility, efficiency, and/or goal achievement. Relevant measures include the development of OsloMet’s digital services, the development of academic activities for units at OsloMet’s new campus in Lillestrøm, and revenue generation costs.

The development of OsloMet’s digital services is managed through a separate prioritisation council led by the director of the Division for Organization and Infrastructure (OI). The council will prioritize which digital services OsloMet should further develop and must balance cost-benefit, available human resources, and the organization’s capacity. The implementation of mandated digital solutions for the sector will also be handled by the prioritization council. The prioritization proposal will be handled in the Prioritization Council before the final decision is made in the university management meeting.

To realize the new campus and its profile, investments will be made in the academic units that will be in Lillestrøm. The measures will generally concern educational and research purposes. It is planned that the measures will be designed by the affected units from Kjeller and Pilestredet, with emphasis on the latter in the first phase.

In a pressured financial situation, it should be considered how strategic funds can also increase financial flexibility. Revenue generation costs mean that a portion of the strategic funds is used for measures that are highly likely to increase future income.

The framework for the area of restructuring and revenue generation costs will gradually increase over the years as ongoing strategic projects are completed.