Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT RIKSBANKENS JUBILEUMSFOND ANNUAL REPORT 2015 6 Chief Executive’s Comments Long-Term Provision of Knowledge 34 Governance and Scrutiny of the Public 10 Overview of research support in 2015 Sector 35 12 Research grants approved Collections and Research 35 13 Support forms, procedure Fiscal research 35 and quality assessment Riksdag research 35 Programmes 15 Research on Premodernity 36 Projects 17 36 Nordic research collaboration Infrastructure for research 25 36 Other contributions to research and Research initiation 26 Cultural life 27 Sector committees 37 International collaboration Sector Committee for Technology, 39 Cooperation with the riksdag Institutions and Change 27 39 Erik Rönnberg’s donations Sector Committee for Mediatisation of 39 Nils-Eric Svensson Fund Culture and Everyday Life 28 40 Grants for costs of premises Sector Committee for Aims and Out- and indirect costs comes in Public-Sector Activities 28 40 Research communication 29 RJ’s action plan for proactive initiatives 42 The foundation’s golden jubilee 29 Focused initiatives 43 Monitoring and evaluation Pro Futura 30 RJ Sabbatical 30 Europe and Global Challenges 31 Flexit 32 New Prospects for Humanities and Social Sciences 33 INNEHÅLL 46 Annual Report 65 Balance sheet 47 Administration Report 67 Cash flow statement Purpose 47 68 Accounting and valuation principles Governance 48 Valuation of tangible assets 68 Working practices, budget 48 Valuation of financial assets 68 Regular support forms 49 Valuation of current assets 69 Focused initiatives 50 Valuation of liabilities 69 Quality assessment 51 Approved research grants 69 Characteristics of funding 52 Equity 69 International collaboration 53 Information and assistance 53 70 Notes Quality assurance and target fulfil- 87 Auditor’s Report ment 54 91 Donations at market value Administration 55 93 Book value and comparable market Staff 56 value of balance-sheet items 56 Financial review 95 Board of Directors Income and investment return 56 95 Executive Committee Financial position 58 95 Finance Committee Long-term target fulfilment 59 95 Auditors Risks and risk management 59 96 Review Panels Application of ethical policy 60 98 Sector Committees 61 Financial operations 100 Secretariat — a ten-year summary 62 Financial result 64 Income statement Chief Executive’s Comments CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S COMMENTS EXECUTIVE’S CHIEF RIKSBANKENS JUBILEUMSFOND’S ANNUAL REPORT 2015 The word ‘excellent’ means, according to the Macmillan Dictionary, ‘extremely good or of a high quality’. This undoubtedly applies, I venture to assert, to the research funded by RJ. It meets stringent international quality requirements, since the involvement of foreign experts obviates the risk of national standards being what counts. ‘Excellence’ is one of the most prevalent academic slogans of the day. Sometimes results confirm the Matthew effect: to those that have shall be given. A few receive immense resources. However, the majority of grantee researchers in Sweden appear not even to attain the average resources at the disposal of their colleagues in more successful research nations. Initiatives benefiting outstanding individuals thus draw attention to the fact that Swedish researchers generally have inadequate and excessively short-term resources to work with. In recent years, the number of research positions has even risen more rapidly than the resources made available, with two outcomes: greater dilution of the funding and longer gaps between career stages. It is therefore gratifying that RJ’s career programme Pro Futura, with its multiannual funding and pledges of permanent employment, has gained more successors. Freedom and confidence are important factors in research excellence and rele- vance alike. Career attractiveness is a central issue for higher education and research. A witty former RJ Chair described the academic career as resembling Docentbacken, a hill in Stockholm — starting with an upward slope and ending in a precipice. Measures to improve the early career are receiving much attention at present, and this is necessary. But subsequent phases, too, need more care and resources. On a pilot basis, RJ is therefore awarding the RJ Sabbatical grants for lecturers and professors to take sabbatical terms. Such terms are a natural feature of outstanding higher education institutions worldwide, and they help to ensure that research and education remain excellent. Sabbatical terms can also offset the separation of education and research, an accelerating and, in my view, concerning trend that should be counteracted. Here in Sweden, sabbatical terms are often lacking and RJ’s hope, as with Pro Futura, is to inspire imitation. RIKSBANKENS JUBILEUMSFOND ANNUAL REPORT 2015 9 In humanities and social sciences (HSS), two factors worry me especially at present. First, in education, students are offered few hours’ teaching and sparse contact with teachers. Second, the teachers get relatively little time for their own research. Some 60% of all students read HSS, and it is through these subjects that they come into direct contact with research and concepts of scholarship — understanding they will find useful all their lives. For HSS, the issue of quality is also interwoven with a gender-equality aspect that gets surprisingly little attention: the fact that a high proportion of both teachers and students in HSS are women. Policy, on the other hand, has long systematically and consistently pri- oritised other research fields — those dominated by men. Men’s scope for doing research and achieving academic careers has therefore increased in relation to women’s. The decision-makers no doubt think they invest more on research other than in HSS since more research is required in those fields, rather than in order to favour men. Here, however, I question who has decided on the research that needs investing more heavily in, and on what grounds. And the state should surely have implemented reforms to facilitate women’s careers in these areas of research. Otherwise, there is a risk of policy bolstering and reinforcing unequal conditions in research to the disadvantage of women. During 2015 RJ celebrated its 50th anniversary in various fitting ways, the costliest being the special Jubilee Initiative of SEK 100m. The call, designed to enable researchers to think freely and boldly, focused on challenges to, and prospects for, both society and scholarship. Pleasingly, the Golden Jubilee year was adorned with other releases of research funds and, in addition, greater inputs to disseminate the findings of RJ-funded research. Altogether, nearly SEK 543m was awarded for new research. RJ’s asset management allows active funding of outstanding research. Total return on assets was 6.4%, a good result in the prevailing financial turbulence. Active asset management that achieves profitable investments has proved to be a recipe for long-term, sustainable success for a foundation like RJ. During 2016, we will embark on strategic efforts and stake out the direction for concrete measures in the years ahead. I expect RJ to keep funding researchers’ own ideas — a rich source. Through focused initiatives, RJ can supplement 10 RIKSBANKENS JUBILEUMSFOND ANNUAL REPORT 2015 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S COMMENTS EXECUTIVE’S CHIEF this idea support. RJ can also push through the kinds of reforms that enlarge the scope for ground-breaking ideas, such as improving the nature of academic careers. There are also reasons for boosting the dissemination of, and dialogue about, research results and knowledge requirements. Finally, RJ’s capacity to bring about top quality and aspire to excellent depends on everyone who takes part in the work: the Board, Finance Committee, review panels, experts and staff. Your good judgement, commitment and wisdom are the foundations of RJ’s work. Thank you for yet another year of fine teamwork. Göran Blomqvist Chief Executive RIKSBANKENS JUBILEUMSFOND ANNUAL REPORT 2015 11 Overview of research support in 2015 OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH SUPPORT Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ), the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences, supports advanced research by awarding grants to individual researchers and research groups. Under the Statutes (§ 2, clause 2), preference is given to ‘areas of research where funding needs are not otherwise well provided for’. Thus, RJ awards grants primarily for research in humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The Foundation supports transdisciplinary research projects in which researchers from various disciplines, faculties, higher education institutions (HEIs) or coun- tries collaborate. RJ’s Statutes emphasise fostering contacts with international research and, since the 1980s, inputs of this kind have therefore been a promi- nent feature of RJ’s work. Medical research on ageing and childhood diseases is supported from the two Erik Rönnberg Donations, which RJ administers. The awards are intended to be generous enough for the Foundation to attract the most eminent researchers and fund the best ideas. RJ assumes responsibil- ity for the whole research process by also awarding funds for printing, transla- tion, international collaboration and open-access publication, whereby research results are disseminated and become freely accessible. The Statutes urge RJ to use its freedom of action by working in problem-oriented, flexible ways. Thanks to measures that are unique to RJ, it has been possible to enhance the quality and diversity of Swedish research. Given the one-sided thrust of contemporary research debate, it

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