What’s up in AGRO?
The activities in AGRO encompass the present and the future and are local as well as global. A range of topics were discussed at the latest department meetings.
The topics that were brought up at the recently held department meetings in AGRO testify to a department that is on the move, is full of ideas and has improved its financial management.
AGRO’s department meetings were held in the middle of March 2019 in Flakkebjerg and Foulum in English and Danish. There was plenty to talk about because there are a lot of things going on in the department and the faculty. The items on the agenda included the division of ST, self-evaluation, strategy, finances and – in Foulum – moving of offices and shared facilities.
You can view Erik Steen Kristensen's presentation here.
New faculties on the way
As has been mentioned previously, the Faculty of Science and Technology will be split in two.
Read the article ST to split up – but how?
Since then, a more concrete proposal about how to split the faculty has been put forth. The proposal suggest that the departments with a main focus on applied science (the former DJF and DMU and the engineers, including the School of Engineering) gather in one faculty while the departments with a main focus on pure science (the former Faculty of Science) gather together in another faculty. The Department of Bioscience and the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG) might also be split. In AGRO’s case, this could mean that some of the MBG researchers in Flakkebjerg could join AGRO. The final decision will be announced in June 2019 after which the dean positions will be posted.
Self-evaluation is complete
Despite the structural upheavals, the job of carrying out a self-evaluation of the department has continued undaunted. The self-evaluation report has been prepared with input from the sections and the management, and consists of two parts: a description of the department and a proposal for AGRO’s vision for the future.
Read more about the evaluation of AGRO and view the full self-evaluation report in the article First stage of the evaluation of AGRO is complete.
The next step in the process will be to get other pairs of eyes to look at us. We will be getting a visit from an evaluation panel 26-28 May 2019. Their input can help us build AGRO’s next five-year strategy.
Technological and financial Progress
In his presentation at the department meetings, Erik Steen Kristensen also spoke about the plan for increased digitalisation in MARK. Another technological step forward is our purchase of the field robot Robotti. It will be used to collect field trial data and for further development and research.
Getting a better handle on the AGRO’s finances with the aid of, among other things, improved management tools, has been a task that has taken up much time and energy in the department of late, but has also given results. Erik showed various key figures that provided an overview of the financial situation and the number of employees – including that the plan is to recruit more tenure track, senior advisers and professors (2-4 of each).
In Foulum the staff have been told they need to move closer together. This means that some of us have to move to another office. The relocation plan for offices and shared facilities can be seen in Erik’s presentation slide nos. 35-37. The first employees will move to their new offices in the course of April 2019.