Frequently asked questions about our systematic quality assurance procedures for research

Our quality assurance procedures are based on five interacting elements that together form a whole: prerequisites, continuous quality assurance work, quality monitoring, quality evaluation, and quality development. Together, these five components form the framework for the concrete quality assurance work that is constantly taking place. The more concrete activities of our quality assurance procedures, such as local evaluations, strategies for research areas and doctoral education programmes, are described in the Research Quality Assurance Manual. It also includes information such as the purpose, timetable, and who is responsible for each activity.

Quality Assurance Manual for Research

It is important for the University of Borås that we conduct high-quality research and that we have a systematic approach to continuously develop the quality of our research. There is similar wording in the Swedish Higher Education Act: University operations must be adapted to achieve high quality in education and research. We have done this in the past, but since 2017, the Swedish Higher Education Authority has been tasked with reviewing the quality assurance systems of higher education institutions when it comes to research. The basis for the quality assurance work of higher education institutions comes from the common framework of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions for quality assurance and quality development of research.

Systematic quality assurance work creates the conditions for developing quality in the research we conduct. It ensures that we do the research we set out to do and that we allocate money and resources accordingly. It is also a matter of regularly monitoring the research being carried out and identifying strengths and opportunities to develop further.

The common framework of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions for quality assurance and quality development of research (in Swedish)

Line managers and academic staff (researchers and teachers) have developed our systematic quality assurance work together and continue to develop the system further. This is essential in order to ensure that our systematic approach provides relevant support for the development of quality in our research.

As of 2017, the Swedish Higher Education Authority has been tasked with reviewing the quality assurance systems of higher education institutions for research, which was not previously part of its remit. The University of Borås wanted to participate in the pilot project in 2019 in order to further develop its procedures in an early phase. Both the continuous quality assurance work and the local evaluation system for research according to the established six-year cycle were untested in practice at the time of this review, and the system was therefore not approved. Since then, we have continued to work based on the assessment panel’s report from the Swedish Higher Education Authority. The report was very valuable to us as we move forward. Part of implementing our quality assurance system is to spread awareness of it and its activities. It should be a natural part of our regular work.

Research, education, and collaboration are the three pillars on which our activities rest, and it goes without saying that we will develop their quality. Whatever you do, you are here to drive quality, in education, research, and collaboration. Therefore, all employees should be aware that we have a systematic approach that provides quality in our work. However, not everyone needs to know our system in detail; it depends, of course, on your role.

Start by considering the work you do. Your role will include supporting the development of research quality, for example in budgeting, infrastructure, communication, etc.

Start by talking to your colleagues and reviewing the information available on the webpage on Quality Assurance Work for Research and the more practical Research Quality Assurance Manual.

No, the review of quality assurance systems is not directly linked to the quality of the research or education itself, only to the systems themselves and how systematic our approach is. But well-functioning quality assurance systems support the development of quality in our research and education.

No decision has been taken yet (as of January 2023); the review will probably be done in 2024.

Since 2017, the Swedish Higher Education Authority has had a national mandate to review the quality assurance of research at higher education institutions. The role included examining the way in which higher education institutions make use of the results of peer reviews and translate them into quality improvement measures through their systematic quality assurance work. It is not a question of reviewing the quality of the research itself; this is done in other ways, for example through peer review.

Researchers' visions, goals, and strategies should be in agreement with the strategies of line managers and the broader vision and goals of the university. The dialogue through research councils between the line and the academic staff is very important. The strategies of the research areas are used by the Governing Board of the University of Borås, which allocates internal research funding to the Faculties.

It was a good fit because we have a six-year cycle in the quality assurance system for education. In six years, the areas have time to make progress in their quality assurance work. The Swedish Higher Education Authority also works on a six-year cycle.

Of course, there are differences between the different higher education institutions' systems, but they are all based on the common framework of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions for quality assurance and quality development of research. In designing our research quality assurance system, we have chosen to also take our education quality assurance system as a starting point in order to be able to talk about a coherent research and education quality assurance system in the future.

The common framework of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions for quality assurance and quality development of research (in Swedish)

It was very good that we were included in the pilot round; it meant that we started early with the further development of our quality assurance work and have come further than we would otherwise have done. We received valuable feedback from the assessment panel of the Swedish Higher Education Authority, which has been an important part of the action plan we are now working on to further refine the system.

In May 2022, the government decided on the following criteria for designation as a university: successful establishment of doctoral education, administration of degree-awarding powers at the doctoral level, high quality in education, high quality in research, high quality in collaboration. The government can ask the Swedish Higher Education Authority to ensure that we meet these criteria, and our interpretation of these points is therefore that the university should, among other things, have approved quality assurance systems for education and research.

Based on these criteria, the University of Borås is in good shape. We have degree-awarding powers in five areas and have produced over 100 PhDs. We have an approved quality assurance system for education. When the Swedish Higher Education Authority reviewed our research quality assurance system as a pilot project in 2019, the assessment was that we had procedures and plans for quality assurance in place, but the implementation was lacking, which is why the system could not be approved. However, the collaboration sub-area was approved at the time.