The funding has been announced in the category of Early careers, and it is researcher Thea Bertnes Strømme who is the project manager. The title of the project is ‘Academic Careers: Examining the Significance of Socio-Economic Background (ACCESS)’.
"I am very pleased that the Research Council is giving us the opportunity to research this topic," says a happy Strømme.
"We will look at how recruitment to academic careers varies between different social groups, and how this has developed over time”.
NOVA director Guro Ødegård congratulates Strømme and the rest of the project team.
"It is great to see that NOVA continues to win through with good and relevant applications in important areas”.
"The fact that we have this funding gives us the opportunity to strengthen research in a field that is important for understanding recruitment and diversity in academia," says Ødegård.
Increasing disparities and changes in the sector
The background for the project is, among other things, increasing economic inequality and an international polarisation in trust in experts and institutions.
"There is a lot of research on social background in the education system in general, but less on recruitment to academia. That makes it particularly interesting to take a closer look at this topic," says Strømme.
"There have been changes in the sector over time, and we know little about what this has meant for access to academic positions for different groups.
The project has three parts:
- A comparative study of developments in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland
- A study of Norwegian academic careers
- A quasi-experimental part that examines recruitment to academic positions more directly
Important knowledge for the sector
The project will provide new knowledge about the importance of social background for appointment practice in higher education.
"This is relevant for the public, for students and for academics who want to understand patterns and mechanisms in the recruitment of teachers and researchers," says Strømme.
A team of researchers from NOVA, the Institute for Social Research, the University of Oslo, Vive in Denmark, the University of Stockholm and the University of Turku will collaborate on carrying out the research.
