Involvement

The co-determination of all members of the university is enshrined in law. Young scientists with and without a permanent position can be involved throughout the entire university via the intermediate staff association of the University of Bern or through the faculty entities.

Involvement in the university self-government is important not only because it enables all stakeholder groups within the university to participate in a comprehensive quality assurance and development process, but also because it serves as a helpful networking and profiling resource. Accordingly, intermediate staff have a seat in the senate, in the university-wide committees, the structural and appointments committees (to choose a new professor) and in faculty and institute committees.

Intermediate staff are also involved in the decision processes at national level: The Actionuni association represents young researchers as well as the associations of non-professorial academic staff of the Swiss cantonal universities, the Federal Institutes of Technology, the Swiss universities of applied sciences, and the Swiss universities of teacher education. Among other things, Actionuni has a seat on the Swiss University Conference and on the foundation board of the Swiss National Science Fund.