Lund University Science Village office

A year has passed since we opened the doors to Lund University’s Science Village office at IKDC. Much has happened since then:

• Several workshops were arranged in late 2021 with the Dean of the Faculty of Science, the Deputy Dean of LTH and representatives from research, education, support functions and from student unions.
• Four proposed scope scenarios were developed by the Faculty Coordinators, and were later revised during the dialogues to two new proposed scope scenarios: scenarios 5 and 6.
• A large number of dialogues and discussions with representatives from different parts of the organisation (staff and students) in early spring – about 1000 people.
• Two scope proposals, scenarios 5 and 6, were sent for consultation between 17 February and 12 April, to a total of 86 addressees including all faculties.
• The responses from the consultation round were compiled and summarised.
• Risks were identified during the dialogues and complemented by the consultation responses. An analysis group with representatives from education, research, support activities and students from both faculties was appointed to develop and describe the identified risks. The faculty managements at LTH and the Faculty of Science have further developed the risks, and added risk assessments and action descriptions with responsible parties.

Approval of the scope proposal is expected in September/October by both Faculty Boards and then it will be submitted to the Vice-Chancellor. We look forward to the Vice-Chancellor giving us green light for the next step so that we can move forward with the activity descriptions and planning of the premises this autumn.

We have a lot of important work ahead of us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your good cooperation over the past year, and we are very pleased with the great interest in Lund University’s establishment in Science Village. We look forward to meeting you all again in August! If you need to get in touch with us this summer, please email us at svkontoret@rektor.lu.se.

For the curious, there is a lot going on in Science Village and Brunnshög. This spring, The Loop and Space both had sod turning ceremonies. And check out the Nobel Park, the Knowledge Park and Hage. They are certainly worth a visit!

The Science Village office wishes you a happy summer!

Text by Leif Bülow, Head of the Department of Chemistry, and Joachim Schnadt, Head of the Department of Physics.

Chemistry and physics are very close in terms of subject matter. According to Nationalencyklopedin (NE), chemistry is “the science of the composition, properties and transformations of material substances” while physics is “the science that studies the structure of matter at the fundamental level and its behavior under different conditions.” Many times, chemists and physicists work with the same issues, but they use different, complementary languages ​​and different, again complementary, approaches to address these issues. They usually use the same theoretical and experimental methods but use them in different ways to find answers.

Strangely enough, the subject proximity is something that is almost invisible in most educational programmes at both LTH and the Faculty of Science, with the exception of the master’s engineering program in technical nanoscience. The connection is clearer on the research side, where there are quite a lot of collaborations in various projects and issues. Additionally, the subject proximity appears to be underutilized in chemistry and physics research at Lund University, despite the fact that there is a very significant overlap in, for example, materials research, research on ultra-fast and dynamic processes, surface sciences, computational physics and chemistry, catalysis research, biotechnology, biophysics and biochemistry, and combustion chemistry and physics. Lund University’s establishment in Science Village gives the subjects of physics and chemistry a unique opportunity to think in new ways and to think together. It is of the utmost importance that the establishment is designed in such a way that a new whole is formed and that the establishment does not become a transfer of two (large) institutions to a new place without integration and without something new being created.

The heads of the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics would like to see the following within…

…undergraduate education:

• The subjects of physics and chemistry (ie the programs in physics/theoretical physics and chemistry at the Faculty of Science as well as technical physics, chemistry/biotechnology and technical nanoscience) should, when chosen as a major by students, be designed so that they contain significant elements of the second subject; this element should be developed through cross-disciplinary courses, i.e. courses containing both physics and chemistry, which are co-taught by teachers from both of the fields of chemistry and physics.
• Students in these major subjects should also have the opportunity to come into close contact with life science aspects within their education.
• The realization of one or more programs for physics and chemistry.
• Where possible, we would like to see laboratory work and exercises that contain elements of both chemistry and physics. Shared laboratory and work rooms will enable such common teaching elements. This also includes joint computer experiments in lab rooms with advanced computers.
• In Science Village, we would like to provide high-quality and modern education using new methods of teaching. Due to their close proximity, the subjects of physics and chemistry are excellent for jointly developing such new methods of teaching, including the facilities and other resources necessary for such education.  
• A shared teachers’ room could give teachers the opportunity for systematic exchange of experience and mutual support. We would like to intensify the collegial cooperation in undergraduate education, through joint teaching and through a culture where interdisciplinary mentorship of younger teachers is a completely normal element in the educational activities of the institutions.
• We would like the educational facilities in Science Village to be built so that there are natural meeting places for the students who study physics and chemistry courses. These meetings are promoted through the above suggested shared parts of the educational programs, but also by offering joint seminar series aimed at all our students, for example on research and societal challenges (sustainability, energy supply, materials for technical solutions…) and opportunities for recipients (e.g. lectures by alumni, labor fairs…).
• We believe that it would be advantageous to co-organize the educational organization for physics and chemistry.

…postgraduate education:

• Many of our research students could benefit greatly from learning more about the “other” subject area and many new opportunities could arise for their research activities. This would also have a very positive effect on the quality of our doctoral programs. What is required, however, is that there is an awareness and a knowledge of the possibilities of the other subject area. Today, we run a number of very successful graduate research schools, some of which are cross-border. We would like to offer all our doctoral students the opportunity to participate in a joint graduate research school for physics and chemistry. A joint graduate research school would have much to gain from a co-location of chemistry and physics. This graduate research school could offer a large number of the courses that all doctoral students study, but it would above all enable networking across subject boundaries.
• A co-location of physics and chemistry could also strengthen the collaboration between research students with a theoretical focus and those with an experimental focus. We have strong theoretical and experimental activities at both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics. However, we do not always have an ideal match between theory and experiment at one and the same department, at the same time as there may be opportunities at the other department.

…research:

• There are many small and medium-sized research infrastructures at both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics that could be of great use in the entire field of physics and chemistry, but which are only used by one side. By bringing together the experimental infrastructure of physics and chemistry in a common building, this gap could be bridged, especially if a model for the shared use of such infrastructure is developed, and if it is informed and educated about the possibilities of such an infrastructure. These infrastructures include, for example, spectroscopy, spectrometry and tools for microscopy characterization, tools for sample preparation etc., and shared calculation equipment.
• Likewise, a joint establishment of chemistry and physics in Science Village offers the opportunity to invest in a mechanical workshop as well as an electronics workshop of the right size where support is given to both research and undergraduate education.
• We have research groups, for example within Lund’s Laser Center and within NanoLund, but also in other areas, which conduct research with similar issues. Some of these cooperate, while others do not. A joint location of the Department of Physics and the Department of Chemistry in Science Village, without physical boundaries between the two institutions, would promote cooperation within established groupings, while also promoting new collaborations. There are opportunities for direct co-location as well as new organizations and organizational forms.

…support functions:

• As the chemistry and physics areas work in very similar ways, we see the possibility of joint support functions such as a joint library, joint research support and a joint administration.
• A common real estate service could work more closely and efficiently to the organization.
• Such a joint organization, which at the same time must maintain the local anchorage with direct support to the scientific staff, would mean that we become a more attractive employer with better opportunities to recruit highly competent technical and administrative staff.

…cooperation:

• There are established business contacts at both the Department of Chemistry and at the Department of Physics. These contacts could benefit significantly more students and researchers, especially if we get better opportunities to work across subject boundaries. A close location to spin-offs and small companies in Science Village would provide opportunities for new contacts, and the existing contacts could be used effectively, for example for labor market days for doctoral students and students, for seminars aimed at strengthening business-related research, etc.
• We would like to see that the building that is common to physics and chemistry has an entrance that enables spontaneous meetings. A shared, central lunch place and café is a must. It should preferably also be open in the evening. Study places need to be planned from the beginning, the same goes for spatial opportunities for student unions and study councils. The social context is important to both students and employees, and this context would be strengthened, for example, through facilities for gyms and other sports.

Leif Bülow och Joachim Schnadt

Welcome to the first Open House at the Lund University’s Science Village office! We open our doors at IKDC on Wednesday 1 June between 1 pm and 4 pm. Come and check out what we do, have some “fika”, mingle and ask questions.

Everyone is welcome!

What: Open House at LU’s Science Village office
Where: Ingvar Kamprad Design Center (IKDC), Sölvegatan 26
When: Wednesday 1 June at 13: 00-16: 00 (drop-in)

From 16 February to 12 April, there was a consultation round for proposals for scenarios for Lund University’s establishment of chemistry and physics in Science Village. The summary of comments received is now available to read here on the blog.

Executive summary – summary of consultation responses – in English

Summary of consultation responses V2- full document in Swedish (with appendices 1, 3-5)

Appendix 2a – Group A (in Swedish)
Appendix 2b – Group B (in Swedish)

At the Science Village office we are excited to read all of the submitted consultation responses, and we will be working on making a consultation summary. But first, we wish you a Happy Easter!

Read more about the consultation round with deadline yesterday, April 12: Consultative procedure on scope proposals for establishment in Science Village

The recorded video of the February Morning Talk is now available with swedish end english captions. Note that the english translation is automatically generetad – a technology that we help develop by using it.

Go straight to the recorded video of the 5/4 Morning Talk

Instruction: watch with or without captions

1. Click the following link to open the video player in a new tab in your browser: https://lu.instructuremedia.com/embed/6a890407-0dda-494e-990e-c51fb09dcbff
   
2. Click on the gearwheal in the lower right corner of the screen to open “settings”. Click on “captions” and choose language. Please note that the english translation is automatically generated and may contain errors.
   
3. The captions can now be turned on and off by clicking on the symbol for captions (in between the symbols for settings and volume).

More information about the content of the talk: Tuesday 5th of April. Morning talk at the Science Village office: what’s going on in Brunnshög

Lund University’s Science Village office welcomes Charlotte von Brömssen, newly hired project manager at LU Estates, with assignments towards Science Village in parallel with campus development. Charlotte will work closely with the Science Village office with the establishment of Lund University in Science Village.

Hi Charlotte, tell us about your work!
I am a project manager at LU Estates with assignments towards Science Village in parallel with campus development (50/50). So I will be very familiar with how the whole campus works, looking at different parts and and also how they work together as a whole. A perspective I think will be a benefit in the work with Science Village.

What did you do before you came to Lund University?
I’m an architect and I have worked in the private sector for 22 years. Especially with new production and house construction from scratch, ie the entire process from detailed development plans and investigations, to the development of finished houses. An example in Lund is the Posthornet district, which received Lund’s honorary award in urban development in 2019. I worked a lot with the flexibility of the house to cope with different types of tenants, including the Swedish Public Dental Care’s (Folktandvårdens) new knowledge center for oral health.

What attracted you to this job?
The settler spirit in combination with urban planning issues! After many years in the private sector, I was eager to try something new. At Lund University, I saw an opportunity to work at the interface between urban construction, house construction and design. To be able to continue working with houses, but also with building issues in a bigger context, through my assignments towards campus development and the establishment in Science Village.

What is important to keep in mind for Lund University when working with the establishment in Science Village?
We are still early in the construction process and right now it is important to collects the needs of the organisation. Here, the different parts must interact with the future whole. The different faculties and subjects need to think about how they want to develop together. Where do they meet? In what way do they want to collaborate? Then we have to make sure that there are opportunities to meet or “cross-fertilize” each other. I think it’s important to from the beginning think about how and where you can build in flexibility. It is good to start thinking about which labs make similar demands, how office environments can “respond to different needs” or be transformed to learning environments and how the future learning environments best combine tomorrow’s technology and wishes . But, the university will always have special premises that can’t be flexible, such as special laboratories. I am currently mapping needs and the areas of the premises and plan workshops on future work and learning environments.

Do you have any thoughts on what it will look like in Science Village when it’s done?
Right now it is important to focus at the needs of the premises before thinking about what it should look like. But one of my passions is to create aesthetic values! It’s important that the environment is beautiful and pleasant. What is beautiful is in the eye of the beholder, but there are some things that are more general. For example, to use a “nice scale”, proportions that the human body can relate to. And to think of things like how natural light can be reflected or filtered through greenery. My wish is that it will be a warm and welcoming environment.

Thank you Charlotte, we are very much looking forward to working with you!

Welcome to our next Morning talk at the Lund University Science Village office! This time we look at the bigger picture and what’s going on in Brunnshög. We will be visited by Lund Municipality, the Cathedral of Lund, the Loop (Skanska) and Science Village Scandinavia AB.

Register to the Zoom webinar

Today, March 23d, the first groundbreaking took place in central Science Village – Wihlborg’s innovation house Space is planned to be completed in 2023 and host offices and labs (read more at Space, Science Village – Lund — Wihlborgs). A lot is happening in both Science Village and Brunnshög as a whole. What’s going on right now? What will the area look like in the future? In the year 2023? 2026? 2042? Join us in an exciting talk with guests from Lund Municipality, the Cathedral of Lund, the Loop (Skanska) and Science Village Scandinavia AB

When: Tuesday April 5th 8:15-9:00
Where: Zoom
For whom: everyone who is interested
How: Register to the event and you will receive the meeting link by email

Morning talks at the Science Village office

The Science Village office will offer a series of talks with invited guests who address topics related to Lund University’s Science Village establishment but also campus development in general.

The LU Science Village office

The Lund University Science Village office’s mission is to offer support to the Faculty of Science and LTH to optimize their establishment in Science Village and at the same time support the new opportunities that will arise on the present day campus. The office opened on 1 July 2021 at the Ingvar Kamprad Designcentrum (IKDC) and is headed by Professor Eva Åkesson, former Vice-Chancellor at Lund University and former Chancellor at Uppsala University. The office works to contribute to the university’s vision of environments in interaction, renewal of the university, increased research progress, increased interdisciplinary strength, new education programs, inspiring study environments – and a rich student life across the whole campus.

About the office

The recorded video of the February Morning Talk is now available with swedish end english captions. Note that the english translation is automatically generetad – a technology that we help develop by using it.

Go straight to the recorded video of the 16/2 Morning Talk

Instruction: watch with or without captions

1. Click the following link to open the video player in a new tab in your browser: https://lu.instructuremedia.com/embed/63235d8a-e498-47dc-a3fc-b557a8095976
   
   
2. Click on the gearwheal in the lower right corner of the screen to open “settings”. Click on “captions” and choose language. Please note that the english translation is automatically generated and may contain errors.
   
   
3. The captions can now be turned on and off by clicking on the symbol for captions (in between the symbols for settings and volume).

More information about the content of the talk: Wednesday February 16th. Morning talk at the Science Village office: scope proposals for LU’s establishment in Science Village (in Swedish)

Scope proposals for establishment of chemistry and physics in Science Village have been sent for consultative procedure today.

2022-02-21 Memorandum information about the consultation procedure
2022-02-21 Consultation English version

Additional addressees
During the consultation period, everyone is welcome to contact the Science Village Office for further dialogue and to get a presentation of the scope proposals.

Contact the office

This post in Swedish