Profiles Turkish university lecturer and researcher Onur Can Taştan signed a peace petition against fighting in south-eastern Turkey. Then he lost his job. With the help of SULF, he has come to Uppsala University and is studying trade unions in Sweden and Turkey.
Opinion Reply to Swedish Radio and Universitetsläraren
Conditions A new report from SULF and the National Junior Faculty, NJF, shows that the number of researchers outside the higher education institutions' career development systems has increased dramatically in the past decade, and career paths have become increasingly unclear.
Law Recorded lectures on learning platforms must be subtitled to be more accessible. This raises fears that the legal requirement could lead to a reduction in the number of video and audio recordings.
Opinion Unfounded claims about researchers are a threat to academic freedom
Academic freedom
Kristina Axén Olin, second vice chair of the Standing Committee on Education, asks in an email to the Vice Chancellor of Malmö University whether a course is “meant to be taken seriously” and about the university’s “thinking”.
Unacceptable, meddlesome and a reminder that academic freedom must be strengthened are among the reactions from the higher education sector.
Conditions Umeå University claims it owns the research data that the university's researchers produce. SULF believes that the university has no right of ownership of the data. The matter was the subject of a central negotiation, which has ended in disagreement.
Politics SULF tells the government that stricter requirements for permanent residence permits in the proposed new Migration Act may make it more difficult for Sweden to retain foreign researchers.
Opinion Public consultation will be important for the EU’s new Higher Education Transformation Agenda.
Conditions Many postdocs have been impacted by the corona pandemic. Short contracts mean that delays at work hit particularly hard. Others are managing relatively well and have found ways to deal with the problems, but more and more postdocs may end up in a critical situation the longer the pandemic goes on.