The new structure, which will come into effect on 1 January 2026, is intended to ensure an appropriate breadth of disciplines, strengthen the competitiveness of research, and, in the long term, enable high quality in research, education, and sector assignments alike. The subject areas will form the foundation for the faculty’s strategic development as well as the orientation of senior academic appointments.
Each year, the Faculty Board will follow up on every subject area through a brief annual report including financial key figures, teaching contributions, and 3–5 highlights. These reports will constitute an important basis for strategic decisions. More in-depth evaluation will also take place through SLU’s regular quality assurance system and KoN evaluations.
The new subject areas
In the fact box below, you will find an overview of the new subject areas. Read on on this webpage for a presentation of each area.
Questions and answers
Christina Lunner Kolstrup, Dean of the LTV Faculty, answers some questions about the change.
What does this change mean for the faculty?
The change means that we have created larger and stronger research environments with the potential to further enhance excellence and to do so more rapidly. It also entails increased funding per subject area, providing greater financial security and more room to support staff within the subject areas, as well as scope for strategic investments.
Does this change, from 25 to 20 subject areas, mean that we are downsizing the operations or that staff will be made redundant?
No, quite the opposite. By creating larger and more robust subject areas, we are increasing stability and momentum, enabling the subject areas to grow and develop for the future.
Will everyone at the faculty’s departments belong to a subject area?
Yes, there are no changes in this respect, other than how we view the competence structure in relation to the size of a subject area.
Will collaboration and interdisciplinarity between subject areas be encouraged? How?
Yes, the faculty management will, among other things, establish a forum for all subject area responsibles. The purpose of this forum is for the responsibles to meet regularly, get to know one another, and create collaborative synergies across subject area and departmental boundaries.
Will the changes affect administration—will there be more administrative work?
Initially, yes. This means new cost centres for the entirely new subject areas, which the finance officers have already begun working on. Otherwise, it will be business as usual in terms of administration.
Will doctoral students notice any difference?
Yes, they will benefit from the subject areas becoming larger, meaning that doctoral students will be an active part of a broader and stronger research environment with more colleagues.
Will students notice any difference?
Perhaps indirectly. As the environments become larger, this will hopefully be reflected in a more stable working situation for our teachers, which in turn will benefit our students.