Self-Evaluation guidelines

The self-evaluation should provide the panel with background knowledge of the department. The self-evaluation should be both retrospective and explain the strategy of the department.

The report should not be longer than 30 pages of full text, however the departments are encouraged to include data in the text rather than in appendices to ensure that data does not stand alone but the meaning of the data is narrated. The data does not count as text.

To ease the workload of the department and to ensure a solid link between different processes at DTU, parts of text in the self-evaluation should be copied from - or later used in - the Strategic Plan of the department. Which part should be reused is clearly marked below.

After the research evaluation, the impact cases will become part of a case catalogue which can be used by DTU’s management and administration as well as the department to communicate impact of the university and the department’s research.

Report structure

• Max 30 pages full text (tables from the Strategy plan can be added to this)
• In English
• Should be understandable without referring to annexes

Report content:

Department profile and strategic plan

This section should include relevant text from the department’s Strategic Plan sections: 1, 4, 6, and 7.. Please note that only relevant paragraphs, not full sections, should be included.

• The overall research profile
• Academic culture (can include Strategic Plan 7.2.).
  1. Link to website where CV’s of faculty can be found – or if the department wants to include in annexes, please refer to annex.
• The department’s research development over the past 5 years or since the last research evaluation, including follow-up of the 5 most important recommendations from the previous evaluation
• The department’s strategic plan for the next 4 years. This section should be based on the department’s Strategic Plan sections: 1, 6, 7 If relevant sections about scientific advice and innovation can be included.

The sections

• Section composition, i.e. total no. of staff, no of staff divided on titles, diversity of staff.
• Scientific field, If relevant, Scientific Advice and Innovation can be included.
• Assessment of strengths and areas of potential future development
• Key challenges and opportunities
• Research plan
• Special factors that should be noted.

The PhD school (max 3 pages)

According to the Danish University Act, all Danish universities are required to evaluate their PhD schools. Because of this legal requirement, the department’s self-evaluation report and the final evaluation results concerning the PhD school are public and not confidential (see Annex I for further explanation of the Danish PhD education in a DTU context).

Include the following sentences in the self-evaluation report: “According to the Danish PhD Order, the PhD education in Denmark is rated at 180 ECTS points equivalent to three years of full-time study. Most of the PhD students are employed by the university, and as part of their employment contract they may be assigned to work for the department for up to 420 hours during the three years. “

Please describe how the department has worked with the following in the past 6 years.

1. The PhD school’s comments on data provided (annex G and annex H)
2. Please refer to annex H for an overview of PhD organization at DTU and Denmark
3. PhD research output and employment of PhD graduates
4. Description of the PhD school’s work with PhD onboarding, diversity, well-being, supervision and supervisor training.

To describe the plans for developing the PhD Programme in the SP period, please include relevant text from from the SP regarding the PhD education.

The research infrastructure

• Describe the department’s current state-of-the-arts research infrastructure, laboratories, datasets etc., including the wear and tear, user and analysis support, accessibility of the facilities for the researchers and future possibilities in existing infrastructure.
• Describe any special security measures for the infrastructure in terms of accessibility, cf. URIS guidelines and others.
• Insert the plans for research infrastructure and laboratories (7.1. from the SP).

Funding strategy

• With reference to Annex D “Department finances” and table 6.3 and extracts from section 6 from the SP, please describe the funding strategy of the department in the evaluation period and for the coming years.
• Refer to annex H about the Danish funding landscape

Impact: a description of how department works on having impact in research and society, include:

• Brief outline of the department’s understanding of impact.
• Characteristics of the department’s impact.
• What measures have been taken to create the right conditions within the department. If impact is not a result of planned measures, but rather bottom-up, please consider what has made impact possible e.g. engaged staff, partnerships etc.
• If relevant, include a selection of impact indicators and description of what they illustrate
• 3-4 impact cases in annexes. The cases can be reused in SP/HP/annual report.

Conclusion and SWOT

A coherent conclusion, including a brief analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) at department level.

Annexes:

• List of questions for the expert panel
• Impact cases
• Annual report indicators – the indicators can be included in appendices or can be integrated into the self-evaluation report^
• The department’s finances from the past 5 years*
• The Danish funding landscape**
• Overview of sections
• Bibliometric analysis of Department and Sections*
• Statistics for the PhD school of DTU dept.name*
• Organisation of PhD studies at DTU**
• A brief explanation of the terms researchers and members of faculty**
• DTU Tenure Track**
• DTU in profile**
• Optional appendixes from the department (– in moderation)
• Links to online CV’s
• Programme for the site visit
• Map of campus sites

^ annexes that the department can extract from DTU databases

*annexes that are supplied by DTU’s central administration

**annexes that are generic and must be appended when submitting the self-evaluation report