VA arranges seminars and other activities relating to the interface between research and society. These activities are arranged by VA alone or in cooperation with other organisations. The association also tries to influence the way in which people view the interplay between science and society through debate articles and other written materials. All of the seminars and activities are documented in Swedish.

Engagement with society at large is an important mission of universities, but one that is unfortunately often regarded as a “third,” less prioritised mission. One way to change attitudes is to clearly emphasise the value of societal engagement when allocating resources. Rewarding collaborative activities should also benefit individual researchers, for instance when appointments are being made. Clear indicators need to be defined in order for this to become a reality. In a report, VA presents a number of initiatives and projects in Sweden and other countries, a discussion about possible indicators and a set of proposals.

Measuring societal engagement – proposed indicators for resource allocation and academic merit rating
Report PDF
27 February 2008