Input from the evaluation of the department can be integrated in AGRO’s strategy

AGRO is special – in a positive way. That is the opinion of an international team of top scientists who have evaluated the Department of Agroecology and written a report about their results. Their evaluation will be integrated in the upcoming efforts to develop a new strategy for the department. 

Read The Department of Agroecology has been evaluated.

Prior to their visit, the members of the panel had read our self-evaluation. In the course of their visit to AGRO, they listened to 27 presentations by AGRO’s researchers, watched a video about AGRO’s facilities, were given a series of relevant printed materials, and went on a brief visit to the laboratories in Foulum and to Foulumgaard.   

- It was a densely packed programme with lots of meaningful content. Even though the panel was only here for a few days, they were quick to gain insight in AGRO’s conditions and good at asking astute questions. There are many good points in their evaluation that we can take advantage of, says Head of Department Erik Steen Kristensen. 

The panel also praised the department and its staff, not least in connection with how we have  become an integrated part of the university while still maintaining our position of strength in policy support and applied research. The panel wrote as follows:

- The research environment of the Department of Agroecology is special. It is commendable how the former institute staff have integrated their activities within the University, whilst remaining strong on policy advice and applied research. The mix of fundamental research with a range of policy-facing activities provides a vibrant environment, where the outputs of research can directly contribute to complex issues facing society today. 

Very nice grades – and room for improvement

Not only did the panel praise us; they also gave us constructive critique. The summarised evaluation comprised three points: research quality; contributions to society; and viability of the department, including our visions and governance. 

On a scale from 1-4, where 1 is ’unsatisfactory’ and 4 is ’world leading/excellent’, AGRO scored 3 (very good) in all three areas. 

With regard to research quality, the panel wrote that ours is of very high quality with significant contributions to further the understanding of agricultural systems and their management. The panel recommended that we further improve the number of publications in the very top journals and widen the geographic reach of the research. Increased internationalisation would require finding the necessary funding for it.   

There was plenty of praise with regard to the extent to which our research, industry collaboration and education contribute to Danish society; the panel found that in this area we are “world leading/excellent” (corresponding to 4). On the European level our contribution to society is ”very good” (corresponding to 3) and on the international level ”good” (corresponding to 2). 

Recruitment and talent development need adjustments

The panel recommends that we develop a staff succession plan, and that the faculty or university introduces criteria that place value on policy support competence and skills, both with regard to recruitment and promotion. A concrete proposal was to develop researchers’ experience in policy support by offering internships in the ministry.   

The panel also pointed out that recruitment has been difficult for the department due to the faculty’s rather uniform criteria for evaluating candidates. The present criteria do not sufficiently account for the special requirements we have with regard to strategic positions in the area of policy support.   

According to the panel, it is also urgent that we develop a staff succession plan and start recruiting experienced staff in the age group 35-50 years as soon as possible in order to be prepared for the soon-to-be retirement of our relatively large group of key employees in the age group 60+. 

AGRO’s visions for the future are strong

Finally, the panel evaluated our visions for the future and their viability, and the department’s governance. The panel was very impressed with how far we have come in the past decade – from being a sector research institution to being part of a university with all that it encompasses, including new degree programmes ”with a significant number of students”, as a panel member said. According to the panel, this successful transformation demonstrates the high resilience of our staff. 

The panel found that as long as we receive funding for policy support, the viability of our visions seems very strong. However, the panel suggested that in connection with policy support there should be more cohesion between our income and activities – in other words the money should follow the task. This applies to internal distribution between the departments and when preparing the work programme and tasks. 

- In the management team we are pleased with the comments from the evaluation panel. This autumn we will be using their good pieces of advice when we start work on AGRO’s new strategy. There are also several of the elements in the report that we will need to resolve in collaboration with the new dean, says Erik Steen Kristensen. 

You can read the panel’s overall evaluation of AGRO and a description of the grades here.