NTNUs guidelines for academic positions

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These guidelines were laid down by the Rector on 2 January 2025 and from the same date they regulate appointment, transfer and promotion to teaching and research positions as well as appointment and promotion to researcher positions at NTNU. This is a translation of the original Norwegian version. Note that national legislation and NTNU guidelines may be available online in Norwegian only. Note also that the Norwegian original version includes footnotes for interpretation purposes. Only footnotes pertaining to Norwegian language requirements have been included in the English pdf-version. [Last updated 4 April 2025: Rector decision Chapter 4.6 on documentation and assessment of educational competence.]

See the entire guideline in pdf.

General

The guidelines for academic positions apply to appointment, transfer and promotion to teaching and research positions pursuant to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges (uhl.) and associated regulations, and to appointment and promotion to research positions pursuant to the special provisions for certain position codes in the salary plan booklet (Norwegian Civil Service Handbook, section 5.7). The positions used at NTNU are stated in NTNU's salary policy.

The terms of employment are regulated by the Civil Service Act (sal.) and NTNU Staff Regulations to the extent that no special provisions have been specified in the Universities and University Colleges Act (uhl.) and associated regulations.

The main rule at NTNU is that all teaching and research positions and researcher positions must be advertised publicly. The advertisement requirement applies to both permanent and temporary appointment and is independent of the source of funding; cf. NTNU Staff Regulations.

Everyone involved in the processes for appointment, transfer and promotion is obliged to follow the Public Administration Act's rules on impartiality (fvl §§ 6, 7 and 8). They must not have close ties to any of the applicants or close cooperation, for example through supervision or co-publication, or any particular advantage or disadvantage from assessing them. Each individual is responsible for assessing their own impartiality and reporting circumstances that may lead to disqualification. See NTNU's guidelines on impartiality in the recruitment process.

Applicants are considered to be a party to the case and have the right of access pursuant to the regulations to the Public Administration Act (fvl regulations, Chapter 5). This means that applicants have the right of access to, for example:

the extended list of applicants, for applicants who have not been granted an exemption from the public list of applicants
assessments from the Expert Committee
facts and assessments of an academic and pedagogical nature in the report from trial teaching.

Provisions on the authority to make recommendations and appointments in teaching and research positions are laid down by the NTNU Board itself in accordance with Section 7-2 of the University and University Colleges Act (NTNU board resolutions S-sak 59/24 and S-sak 49/16).

See the supplementary practical guidance and templates for the recruitment process:
Recruitment of permanent employees in teaching and research positions (sharepoint.com)

1.1 Definitions and abbreviations

The Appointments Committee (AU) makes decisions on appointments (Section 6 of the Civil Service Act) and exemptions from probationary periods (sal. § 15), as well as decisions on disciplinary measures, suspension and dismissal (sal. § 20) and dismissal (sal. § 30). This guideline is limited to employment, transfer and promotion. The Committee's other tasks are regulated by the Civil Service Act and NTNU's Staff Regulations.
Adjunct position is a teaching and research position of up to 20% for a fixed term, which may last from two to six years (uhl. § 7-7)
Academic work is used to refer to scientific/artistic work and academic development work in the various career tracks, but depending on the context, it can also include all forms of academic work, including educational work, applied knowledge and practice.
Academic development work is "systematic work drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and/or practical experience, which is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to installing new processes, systems and services, or to improving substantially those already produced or installed (cf. the Frascati manual's definition of experimental development work)
Researcher positions include “forsker 1108” (researcher), “seniorforsker 1109” (senior researcher 1109), and “toppforsker 1183” (top-level researcher) (cf. the Norwegian Civil Service Handbook)
The authority to make recommendations for academic positions lies with the Head of Department.
The recruitment group conducts interviews, trial teaching and reference checks of applicants.
Teaching and research positions include “universitetslærer” (university teachers), “universitetslektor” (assistant professor), “førstelektor” (associate professor), “dosent” (professor), “førsteamanuensis” (associate professor), and “professor” (professor) (cf. uh. regulations)
Educational competence is pedagogical or didactic competence to promote learning, including knowledge and skills in the development and implementation of teaching and supervision at university and university college level (uh. regulations § 3-8).
Basic educational competence is achieved through university pedagogical education and practice (e.g. NTNU's 200-hour Uniped programme).
Academic positions include in this guideline teaching and research positions and researcher positions.

Abbreviations:
sal. – Act relating to Civil Service (Civil Service Act)
aml. – Act relating to the working environment, working hours and employment protection, etc. (Working Environment Act)
fvl. – Act relating to procedure in cases concerning the public administration (Public Administration Act)
fvl. regulations – Regulations to the Public Administration Act
ldl. – Act on Equality and Prohibition against Discrimination (Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act)
offl. – Act relating to the right of access to documents held by public authorities and public undertakings (Freedom of Information Act)
uhl. – Act relating to Universities and University Colleges (Universities and University Colleges Act)
uh. regulations – Regulations under the Universities and University Colleges Act, Chapter 3 Teaching and research positions and recruitment positions
uh. tenure track - Regulations relating to employment on tenure-track terms

CoARA - Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment
DORA - San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment
HR – Human Resources
HTA - Basic Agreement for State Employees (“Hovedtariffavtalen”)
MSCA - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoctoral fellowships
SPH – Norwegian Civil Service Handbook (“Statens personalhåndbok”)

1.2 Permanent and temporary employment

The main rule in the state is permanent employment.

Temporary employment requires a valid legal basis. Temporary employment can be made:

when the work is of a temporary nature (sal. § 9 (1) a)
when the employee is a substitute for one or more others (sal. § 9 (1) (b)
for practical work (sal. § 9 (1) (c)
for educational positions (sal. § 9 (1) d)
when an unforeseen need has arisen for a period of up to six months (sal. § 9 (1) letter e). An extension cannot be granted on this basis. If there is a need, one of the other legal bases for temporary employment must be met.
In the case of employment in an artistic fixed-term position or adjunct position on a fixed-term basis (uhl. §§ 7-6 and 7-7)

The Rector has decided that permanent appointments shall be made if the work tasks have a duration of more than 18 months. In some cases, temporary appointments may be made pursuant to the Civil Service Act § 9 (1) (a) for tasks with a duration of more than 18 months when this can be specifically justified. A valid reason may be, for example, the employment of researchers to carry out cutting-edge research tasks and there is no long-term need for the expertise. Before the case can be submitted to the appointing authority, it must be approved at Faculty level to ensure the correct legal basis and justification, and that all other possibilities for using existing resources have been exhausted.

Temporary appointments beyond 18 months can also be made for:

appointment of a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow for two years in a researcher code
employment of candidates with disabilities or gaps in their CVs for up to two years in accordance with Chapter 2.2.1 of these guidelines
appointment of a named person for the performance of externally funded activities in accordance with Chapter 2.2.2 of these guidelines
temporary position as a result of illness or leave of absence
redeployment of employees to a time-limited internal project that is being extended

Employees who have been continuously employed on a temporary basis for more than three years pursuant to Civil Service Act § 9 (1) (a), (b), or (e) shall be appointed on a permanent basis (Civil Service Act § 9 (3)).

The management shall present statistics and an assessment of the use of temporary appointments in IDF-LOSAM and IDF-SESAM at least twice a year. Management reports on the status and development through the plan, budget and follow-up process (PBO).

1.3 Fixed-term employment in teaching and research positions

An appointment for a fixed term of years may be made for a teaching and research position where creative or performing artistic competence is an essential element of the competence required. The fixed-term period is four to six years. No one may be employed for more than one fixed term in the same job category (uhl. § 7-6).

A fixed-term appointment may be made for adjunct teaching and research positions of up to 20%. The fixed-term period shall be from two to six years (uhl. § 7-7).

Positions are advertised in accordance with NTNU's guidelines for academic positions and NTNU Staff Regulations. NTNU's general guidance on the recruitment process and NTNU's template for the advertisement text must be used.

2.1 Public advertisement

2.1.1 Duty to advertise

Teaching and research positions shall be advertised with qualification requirements unless otherwise stipulated in laws, regulations or collective agreements (uhl. § 7-2). The main rule also applies to researcher positions.

The obligation to advertise a position is related to the qualification principle, which means that the person who is best qualified in accordance with the qualification requirements stipulated in the advertisement text must be appointed. As a rule, the positions must therefore be publicly advertised to ensure free competition by giving all potential candidates the opportunity to express their interest (sal. § 4).

Public advertisements are currently made through nav.no. Otherwise, advertisements are made in the manner deemed most appropriate within the state rules that apply at any given time. Vacancies must also be advertised internally through NTNU's intranet (aml § 14-1). The application deadline must be at least two weeks from the date of the advertisement.

2.1.2 Priority of engagement

Public advertisement shall be omitted where the position can be filled by a redundant employee or a part-time employee with the right to an extended position, or because of inclusive working life measures (IA). For part-time employees who may have preferential rights to an extended position, it is sufficient that the position is first advertised internally. If there are several applicants with preferential rights to a position, a comparative qualification assessment must be made of the relevant candidates.

2.1.3 Re-advertisement

If no qualified applicants have applied, or if it is relevant to deviate from the qualification requirements in the advertisement in a significant respect, the position must be advertised again. The same applies if a disproportionately long time has passed since the position was advertised or if circumstances related to the position have changed significantly. All applicants must be notified if the position is to be advertised again. The chair of the appointments committee decides on the re-advertisement.

If you have not received a qualified applicant and must meet a teaching need, it is possible to be employed for up to one year in a lower position (uhl. § 7-3); see Chapter 7.3 Employment decision and employment contract.

2.2 Exemptions from the requirement for public advertisement

Use of employment without a public advertisement with associated justification must be reported to IDF-LOSAM on a quarterly basis.

2.2.1 Exemptions under the Civil Service Act's rules on temporary employment

The main rule in the state is that all positions must be advertised (sal. § 4).

In special cases, exemptions may be granted from the Civil Service Act §§ 3 to 6 on public advertisement, recommendation and appointment to teaching and research positions and researcher positions of up to 12 months (NTNU Staff Regulations chapter 2.1). The exception assumes that it is unlikely that the employment relationship will be extended and that there is legal access to temporary employment (see Chapter 1.2 on permanent and temporary employment). However, out of consideration for the qualification principle, appointments of up to 12 months must be advertised where the ordinary appointment process can be carried out without significant inconvenience to the institution, and it has been possible to foresee the need.

As part of the Norwegian government's inclusion effort, candidates who have a disability or gaps in their CV can be employed temporarily for up to two years with a temporary salary subsidy without the requirement for a public advertisement and recommendation (sal. regulations § 3a).

Decisions on appointments pursuant to these exemption provisions in the Civil Service Act may be made by the Dean or a person authorized by the Dean, on the recommendation of the Head of Department.

An appointment or extension of the employment relationship that will extend beyond 12 months shall be processed in accordance with the ordinary rules on advertisement, assessment, recommendation and appointment.

2.2.2 Exemptions under the Civil Service Act's rules on externally funded activities

Exemptions may be made from the requirement for advertisement for the appointment of persons in externally funded positions pursuant to the Regulations to the Civil Service Act § 3 (3) on the conduct of Externally Funded Assignments. At NTNU, exceptions can only be made from the requirement for advertisement and assessment for the position of project manager/researcher where the person in question is the application writer and future employee of the project, where a postdoctoral fellow has been the main applicant for a project, or where the funding source sets requirements about who is to be appointed as a condition for funding.

Decisions on appointments pursuant to this provision in the Civil Service Act may be made by the Dean or a person authorized by the Dean, on the recommendation of the Head of Department.
2.2.3 Exceptions under the Universities Act's rules on appointment without advertisement
If there are special reasons for doing so, the Board may itself appoint persons in teaching and research positions and in adjunct positions, without the position having been advertised first. This does not apply if more than one member of the Board opposes this (uhl. § 7-8). Special reasons for appointment without prior advertisement apply when:

to achieve strategic goals, there are particularly strong reasons for filling the position as quickly as possible,
in very special cases, it is desirable to associate a specific person with specialist expertise from another university, research institution or partner in the social, cultural or business sector, or for the appointment of academic director (professor) of externally funded centres that have been awarded such as Centres of Excellence (SFF), Centres for Research-based Innovation (SFI), or Centres of Excellence in Higher Education (SFU).
the position has been advertised several times with no applicants who meet the competence requirements of the position, or
this is necessary to improve the gender balance in senior academic positions, and one of the other criteria in (a), (b) or (c) is also met.

It must be documented that the person being appointed meets the competence requirements of the position and it must be substantiated that it would not be possible to obtain better qualified applicants if the position was advertised.

In such cases, the Faculty must prepare a well-reasoned recommendation to the NTNU Board as the appointing authority. If the recommendation is rejected, the position must be advertised.

2.3 Advertisement text

Before advertisement of a position, union representatives for the organizations at the Faculty that are represented in the IDF-LOSAM works council must be informed of the advertisement text. The employee representatives may demand discussion of the salary allocation (HTA section 2.5.5 no. 1).

The employees of the unit in question must be informed of the advertisement text and given the opportunity to participate (HTA section 30 no. 4, and section 9.6 of the NTNU local pay adaptation agreement).

The text of the advertisement is adopted by the chair of the Appointments Committee based on a proposal from the Head of Department. Advertisement texts must follow current guidelines/templates at NTNU regarding structure and content. The text of the advertisement must consider gender equality and diversity.

For positions associated with interdisciplinary activities, centres or programmes, the Faculties/museum that are academically involved must be given the opportunity to comment on the proposed advertisement text before it is approved. The chair of the appointments committee at the host Faculty/museum approves the text of the advertisement.

2.4 Processing of applications

A public list of applicants must be made available to applicants as soon as possible after the application deadline, normally within 2-3 working days. An extended list of applicants shall be made available to those applicants who request this (fvl-regulations § 15).

If any of the applicants request to be excluded from the public list of applicants, this request must be processed (offl. § 25). There must be special reasons, such as that public disclosure may cause specific harm or inconvenience, for an applicant to be exempt from the list of applicants. If the request cannot be granted, the applicant shall be notified immediately and given the opportunity to withdraw the application. NTNU employees who apply for other positions at NTNU cannot, in principle, be exempt from public disclosure.

The recommending authority may choose to consider applications even if the application deadline has passed. In that case, all applications that have been received up to the time the application in question were received must be processed. Applications received more than 14 days after the application deadline cannot be considered in any circumstances (NTNU Staff Regulations, Section 4.3).

Candidates who, after a comprehensive first-hand assessment, may come into conflict with legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services will not progress further in the recruitment process. See the Export Control Act and NTNU's info page on control of knowledge transfer.

Qualification Requirements for Employment, Transfer, and Promotion

The qualification requirements for teaching and research positions are set out in the Regulations to the Universities and University Colleges Act (2024) with associated NTNU guidelines. The faculties may stipulate supplementary subject-specific qualification requirements and guidance for experts, preferably following national coordination through Universities Norway's disciplinary strategic units.

The qualification requirements in the Regulations concerning Appointment and Promotion to Teaching and Research Posts (2006) may be used as a basis for a transitional period (uh. regulations § 5-2):

applications for promotion to teaching and research positions submitted no later than 31 July 2025
decisions on appointment to teaching and research positions before 1 August 2025
application for promotion from "universitetslektor" (assistant professor) to "førsteamanuensis" (associate professor) until 31 December 2027.

The qualification requirements in the Regulations from 2006 have been included in the statutory mirror as an appendix to this guideline.

Qualification requirements for researcher positions are set out in sections 10.3.1 and 10.3.2 of the Norwegian Civil Service Handbook with supplementary NTNU guidelines.

The same qualification requirements apply to appointment, transfer and promotion. Upon appointment, any other desired skills and requirements for personal qualities must be stated in the advertisement text.

Employees can apply for promotion from a junior position via an associate professor position to a senior position within the professor, “dosent” and researcher career tracks (see Chapter 8). At NTNU, “universitetslektorer” (assistant professors) who have taken a doctoral degree can apply for promotion to “førsteamanuensis” (associate professor). NTNU also allows employees to apply for a transition between the “dosent” career track and the professor career track.

3.1 “Universitetslærer” (university teacher)

To meet the qualification requirements for “universitetslærer” (uh. regulations § 3-2), a minimum of the following is required:

a first degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area,
educational competence,
Norwegian language skills at level B2 and
relevant professional or teaching experience.

NTNU's requirements for basic educational competence are set out in Chapter 4.

3.2 “Universitetslektor” (assistant professor)

To meet the qualification requirements for “universitetslektor” (uh. regulations § 3-3), a minimum of the following is required:

a second degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area,
educational competence,
Norwegian language skills at level B2 and
relevant professional or teaching experience.

NTNU's requirements for basic educational competence are set out in Chapter 4.

3.3 “Førstelektor” (associate professor)

To meet the qualification requirements for a “førstelektor” (uh. regulations § 3-4), a minimum of the following is required:

a second degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area,
educational competence,
Norwegian language skills at level B2,
relevant professional or teaching experience, and
contribution to high-level academic development work, in accordance with international or national standards in the discipline/professional field.

NTNU uses the definition of experimental work in the Frascati manual as a basis for academic development work (see chapter 1)

NTNU's requirements for basic educational competence are set out in Chapter 4.

3.4 “Dosent” (professor)

To meet the qualification requirements for "dosent" (uh. regulations § 3-5), a minimum of the following is required:

a second degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area,
educational competence,
Norwegian language skills at level B2
extensive relevant professional or teaching experience, and
significant contributions to academic development work at the highest level, in accordance with international or national standards in the discipline/professional field.

NTNU uses the definition of experimental work in the Frascati manual as a basis for academic development work (see chapter 1)

NTNU's requirements for basic educational competence are set out in Chapter 4. Additional requirements for "dosent":

Quality development in own teaching and supervision over time and a high degree of reflection on own practice
Broad experience with teaching and supervision at different levels
Extensive experience in educational leadership and participation in the academic communities in higher education

NTNU’s additional requirements for the highest academic positions:

competence in applied knowledge (innovation, dissemination and interaction with society) and/or
academic leadership and roles of trust.

3.5 “Førsteamanuensis” (associate professor)

To meet the qualification requirements for “førsteamanuensis” (uh. regulations § 3-6), a minimum of the following is required:

a doctoral degree in a relevant subject area, or competence at an equivalent level documented either by scientific work or artistic work of the same scope and quality,
educational competence, and
Norwegian language skills at level B2.

NTNU's requirements for basic educational competence are set out in Chapter 4.

3.6 “Professor” (professor)

To meet the qualification requirements for professor (uh. regulations § 3-7), a minimum of the following is required:

a doctoral degree in a relevant subject area, or competence at an equivalent level documented either by scientific work or artistic work of the same scope and quality,
educational competence, and
Norwegian language skills at level B2 and
significant contributions to research or artistic development work at the highest level, in accordance with international or national standards in the field.

NTNU's requirements for basic educational competence are set out in Chapter 4. Additional requirements for professor:

quality development in own teaching and supervision over time and a high degree of reflection on own practice
broad experience with supervision, preferably at master's/PhD level
initiate, lead and/or participate in the development of educational quality in the academic communities

NTNU’s additional requirements for the highest academic positions:

competence in knowledge in use (innovation, dissemination and interaction with society) and/or
academic leadership and elected posts/appointed roles.

3.7 “Forsker 1108” (researcher)

To meet the qualification requirements for “forsker” (NTNU salary policy chapter 4.2.3), a minimum of the following is required:

higher degree in a relevant subject area

3.8 “Seniorforsker 1109” (senior researcher)

To meet the qualification requirements for “seniorforsker” (Norwegian Civil Service Handbook 5.7.2 § 4), research competence at the associate professor level is required, that is at least:

a doctoral degree in a relevant subject area, associate professor qualifications at a Norwegian institution, or documented competence at an equivalent level through scientific work of similar scope and quality

3.9 “Toppforsker 1183” (top-level researcher)

To meet the qualification requirements for “toppforsker” (Norwegian Civil Service Handbook 5.7.3 § 4), research competence at professor level is required – that is, at least:

a doctoral degree in a relevant subject area, or competence at an equivalent level documented by scientific work of similar scope and quality,
significant contributions to research at the highest level, in accordance with international or national standards for professors in the field.

NTNU’s additional requirements for the highest academic positions:

competence in knowledge in use (innovation, dissemination and interaction with society) and/or
academic leadership and roles of trust.

3.10 Requirements relating to Norwegian competence

There are general requirements for Norwegian competence at B2 level for all employees in teaching and research positions. Competence in Swedish or Danish is equivalent to Norwegian (uh. regulations § 3-9). Qualification requirements for Norwegian language skills must be met to apply for transfer or promotion.

In special cases, an exemption from the language requirement may be granted for employees in adjunct positions (uh. regulations § 3-9). Exemptions depend on the employee's work tasks. The assessments are based on the HK-dir's guide to the regulations and NTNU's guidelines on language policy (see Section 4.7).

Pursuant to the Regulations under the Universities and University Colleges Act § 3-8, exemptions from the Norwegian language requirement may be made at the time of appointment if the employer creates a basis for the employee to acquire the competence within three years from the date of appointment. If the employee has not achieved the competence within the deadline, he or she does not have the competence required for the position. The employer must consider further measures (see Section 7.4).

Requirements for educational competence

NTNU has ambitions to offer education and teaching of high international quality. It is therefore important that the requirements for educational competence are met at the time of appointment, transfer and promotion. Pursuant to the Regulations of the University and University Colleges Act § 3-8, NTNU has stipulated more detailed criteria for educational competence and how this is to be documented.

All applicants for teaching and research positions must document their educational competence in the application. This also applies to applications for transfer and promotion and applications for status as excellent teaching practitioners.

Documented basic educational competence is a general requirement for employees in teaching and research positions and artistic fixed-term positions at NTNU. Requirements for basic educational competence must be met to apply for transfer or promotion.

In the case of employment in an adjunct position and a corresponding part-time position, exemptions may be granted from the requirement for documented basic educational qualifications. Requirements for educational competence will depend on the employee's work tasks and responsibilities during the employment period. Those who carry out teaching tasks must have university pedagogical training equivalent to at least one Uniped module. Those who carry out supervision tasks must receive training/courses adapted to the relevant target group. The same applies to permanently employed researchers who periodically carry out teaching and supervision tasks.

There are no requirements for educational competence for guest lecturers or others who make minor contributions to the teaching. The Head of Department may grant temporary exemptions from the requirements for educational competence for those who teach a single course/semester as part of the employees' competence and career development, or in cases where it has not been possible to find a substitute with educational competence.

4.1 Educational competence

Educational competence means pedagogical or didactic competence to promote learning, including knowledge and skills in the development and implementation of teaching and supervision at university and university college level (uh. regulations § 3-8).

At NTNU, employees are expected to develop their didactic and university pedagogical competence throughout their career.

Educational competence is developed over time through various activities and reflection, and includes, for example, being able to:

plan, implement, evaluate and develop teaching, assessment and supervision that is rooted in both disciplinary and educational research and that promotes students' learning and development
contribute to the development of good learning environments, educationally, physically, digitally and psychosocially
facilitate variation in teaching and assessment forms, and contribute to academic and pedagogical innovation and appropriate use of technologies
facilitate coherent teaching by formulating appropriate learning outcome descriptions at course and programme level, and choose learning activities and forms of assessment that support students' learning
analyse, prepare and further develop course and programme descriptions within their subject areas
develop and carry out student-centred and activating learning activities
carry out supervision in different contexts
assess and give feedback on assignments and theses
contribute to the development of the quality of education through systematic quality assurance
document and reflect on the results of their own teaching and supervision
collect and apply feedback from students, colleagues, working life and society to further develop teaching and learning activities
be familiar with and relate to relevant governing documents for teaching in higher education
initiate collegial collaboration on education and quality of education at course and programme level
develop and share teaching materials and learning resources
initiate and contribute to peer supervision and the development of educational competence programmes
justify their own view of learning and knowledge and relate reflectively to their own role in higher education

4.2 Common competence requirements – basic educational competence

At NTNU, the requirements for basic educational competence are defined as follows:
To be able to:

plan, implement, evaluate and develop teaching, assessment and supervision that is rooted in both disciplinary and educational research and that promotes students' learning and development
contribute to the development of good learning environments, educationally, physically, digitally and psychosocially
facilitate variation in teaching and assessment forms, and contribute to academic and pedagogical innovation and appropriate use of technologies
facilitate coherent teaching by formulating appropriate learning outcome descriptions at course and programme level, and choose learning activities and forms of assessment that support students' learning
develop and carry out student-centred and activating learning activities
collect and apply feedback from students, colleagues, working life and society to further develop teaching and learning activities
be familiar with and relate to relevant governing documents for teaching in higher education
initiate collegial collaboration on education and quality of education at course and programme level
document and reflect on the results of their own teaching and supervision
give reasons for their own view of learning and knowledge and relate reflectively to their own role in higher education

4.3 Additional requirements for basic competence for the position of “dosent”

In addition to the requirements set out for basic educational competence in Chapter 4.2, the following requirements apply to appointment and promotion to the position of “dosent”:

quality development in one's own teaching and supervision over time and a high degree of reflection on one's own practice
broad experience with teaching and educational development at different levels
extensive experience with educational leadership and participation in professional communities in higher education

4.4 Additional requirements for basic competence for the position of professor

In addition to the requirements set out for basic educational competence in Chapter 4.2, the following requirements apply to appointment and promotion to the position of professor:

quality development in one's own teaching and supervision over time and a high degree of reflection on one's own practice
broad experience with supervision, preferably at master's/PhD level
initiate, lead and/or participate in the development of educational quality in professional communities

4.5. Qualification methods

Basic educational competence is generally developed through NTNU Uniped's university pedagogical, research-based, development programme with a scope equivalent to 200 hours in interaction with own teaching practice or the equivalent from other institutions.

Documented 100 hours of PedUp or similar before 2019 is approved as equivalent basic educational competence.

Those who have been employed at NTNU since before 2016 can apply to have their basic educational competence assessed through the "Temporary scheme for assessment of basic educational competence".

For applicants with teacher training or pedagogical training, the Faculty may appoint an internal committee or special assessors to assess whether a partial exemption from the requirement for basic educational competence can be granted.

4.6 Documentation requirements

The minimum requirement for basic educational competence is normally documented in terms of a course certificate. Applicant with a course certificate from another institution, must attach information about course content, learning outcome and scope.

The requirements for educational competence are documented in a pedagogical portfolio (maximum 20 pages) (Guide for documentation of educational competence at NTNU and template for pedagogical CV). The documentation section provides an overview of the applicant's teaching and supervision experience. The reflection section shows the applicant's reflections related to students' learning, professional development as a teacher, exploratory approach to teaching, and collegial attitude and practice.

The Expert Committee assesses the applicant's educational competence and whether the applicant fulfils the educational competence requirement for the position and, if not, what the applicant lacks. For applicants for promotion to professor or ”dosent” who can document their status as an excellent teaching practitioner at NTNU, it is sufficient for the Expert Committee to assess the competence of their supervision (see Chapter 9.6).

The appointing authority may make exceptions from the requirement for basic educational competence upon appointment, provided that the competence can be attained within two years from the date of appointment (uh. regulations § 3-9) (see Chapter 7.3 on appointment decisions).

At the NTNU University Museum, museum-related dissemination skills are equated with educational competence in that the overall pedagogical competence is assessed in connection with appointment, transfer and promotion to teaching and research positions (uh. regulations § 3-8).

In addition to the experience-based competence, courses and training with a total scope of at least 60 hours are required in teaching, supervision or dissemination at university and university college level. The relevance of the courses is assessed based on the nature of the position.

When assessing museum-related dissemination skills, active facilitation and the use of different pedagogical strategies to reach different target groups, also beyond the students, are considered. Emphasis is placed on critical and innovative dissemination in relation to themes and instruments, both analogue and digital. When assessing museum-related dissemination skills for employment, transfer or promotion, it must be documented:

quality development in own dissemination over time
broad experience in communicating to different target groups
participation in the development of dissemination quality in the academic community.

Areas of competence and competence assessment

5.1 Areas of competence that can be included in the overall competence assessment

NTNU follows the principles in the DORA declaration and the CoARA commitments on responsible assessment of research and recognition of a wider range of academic results and activities in accordance with NTNU's social mission (see NTNU's guidelines on responsible research assessment). NTNU's competence matrix provides examples of results/competences, documentation and reflection/self-assessment that may be relevant to discuss and assess in connection with appointment, transition and promotion to teaching and research positions and researcher positions, especially at associate professor and professor level.

a) Academic qualifications – research/artistic work and/or academic development work

Scientific/artistic work and academic development work
Contribution to different parts of the research process, artistic and professional development processes, including leadership, collaboration and openness
Peer review

b) Educational competence

Basic educational competence
Teaching and supervision
Development of quality of education in the academic community

c) Applied knowledge – dissemination, innovation and interaction

Academic dissemination – general and user-oriented
Knowledge-based innovation and collaboration with working life
Interaction with society – politics, administration and the voluntary sector

d) Academic leadership and roles of trust

Management and administration – education and practice
Academic appointments - nationally and internationally
Elected positions / union representatives

e) Other expertise

Norwegian/Scandinavian language competence
Professional competence and practice

The qualification requirements for the position and other competence requirements set out in the advertisement guide what is to be emphasized in the overall assessment of:

the applicant's results and contributions in relevant areas of competence
the quality, originality and impact of the academic work
the applicant's academic breadth, development and potential
personal suitability for the position

5.2 Distribution of responsibility for the assessment of the various areas of competence

The Expert Committee makes a complete assessment of the applicants' professional qualifications (item a). The committee shall also assess the applicant's educational competence (item b), as well as other academic-related competence (item c and d) that is relevant to the position in question.

Upon appointment, educational competence (item b), other competence (item c, d and e) and personal suitability for the position will be subject to supplementary assessment by the Head of Department's recruitment¬ group through interviews and reference checks. If teaching and supervision are assigned to the position, the recruitment group shall assess the pedagogical competence in trial teaching or other tests as a basis for its recommendation.

The Faculty's Appointments Committee makes decisions on appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions on the recommendation of the Head of Department.

If an applicant does not meet the requirements for educational competence and language competence, the appointing authority may nevertheless choose to offer employment on the condition that educational competence¬ is met within two years and language competence within three years at the latest. The requirements must be met to apply for promotion.

5.3 Overall competence assessment

The recommendation and decision on appointment, transfer and promotion are based on an overall assessment of all the competence requirements that apply to the position. Quality is emphasized over quantity.

In the appointment process, qualifications beyond the basic requirements for the position are included in the overall assessment when ranking qualified applicants. Particular emphasis is placed on qualifications that are closely related to the subject area and tasks of the position. It is the candidate who best meets the qualifications applied for who will be appointed to the position.

"Academic qualifications" (item a) are weighted more heavily than other qualifications, unless otherwise stated in the advertisement text or the qualification requirements of the position.

If the position has requirements for "educational competence" (item b), such qualifications carry more weight than "applied knowledge" (item c), "academic management and roles of trust" (item d) and "other competence" (item e), unless otherwise stated in the advertisement text or the qualification requirements of the position.

For top academic positions (professor, associate professor, researcher 1183), the applicant must also document competence in "knowledge in use" and/or "academic leadership and roles of trust". Such competence cannot be used as a substitute for the fulfilment of requirements for "academic qualifications" and "educational competence".

The recommending authority and the appointing body must make a final assessment of the applicants' overall qualifications and competences.

"Personal suitability" for the position and pedagogical abilities where relevant may, after an overall assessment, be a deciding factor in employment cases based on justifiable grounds related to requirements in the advertisement text and the extent to which certain personal qualities are required for the tasks associated with the position.

Expert assessment and recommendation

The Head of Department appoints experts and any special assessors. The experts shall assess the applicants' academic qualifications and competence in connection with appointment, transfer or promotion, before the Head of Department submits his or her recommendation.

Appointments to teaching and research positions at associate professor level and for top-level researcher 1183 require an expert assessment (external assessment).

Requirements for expert assessment normally also apply to employment in adjunct positions. The Head of Department may make exceptions from external assessment for candidates who are employed in a permanent professorship at Norwegian accredited institutions or at recognized institutions abroad. In these cases, it is sufficient that two academic staff members with competence at least at the same level as the position in question submit a statement based on submitted documentation about the candidate's qualifications and competence in relation to the job-description (internal assessment). An expert assessment from the applicant's institution is approved as part of the basis for the assessment of the applicant's academic qualifications.

For appointments to the positions of “universitetslærer”, “universitetslektor”, “forsker 1108” and “seniorforsker 1109”, it is sufficient that two academic staff members with at least associate professor qualifications submit a statement on the applicants' qualifications (internal assessment).

6.1 Composition and procedure of the Expert Committee

The Expert Committee shall have at least three members with competence at least equivalent to the position category for appointment, transfer or promotion. At least two of the members must have expertise in the same subject area as the applicant. Both genders must be represented (uhl. § 7-2, second paragraph). The chair of the committee must be external (uh. regulations § 3-11). When assessing competence at associate professor level at NTNU, at least one of the experts must have higher qualifications. Only one of the experts can be employed in a main position or in an adjunct position at NTNU. The person who holds the position in question should not be a member of the committee. As far as possible, and in the subject areas where it is natural, one of the experts must be from another country. For positions with requirements for educational competence, at least one of the members must have sufficient educational competence.

Applicants are informed of who has been designated.

An administrator is designated who coordinate and ensure progress in the expert committee's work, and that the assessment is carried out in accordance with NTNU's guidelines. The role can be assigned to an external chair or an internal member of the committee. The role can also be performed by an employee who is not a member of the committee, preferably related to the department's day-to-day operations, e.g. deputy chair or head of academic unit.

In special cases, one or more special assessors may be designated to comment on parts of the applicants' production. These are advisory to the experts and issue separate statements that are sent to the ordinary experts. For advertised positions, the Faculty may choose to designate internal special assessors to assess the applicants' educational qualifications.

As a rule, the experts must give a joint statement. Dissent in a joint statement must be explained. The Head of Department decides whether the experts can issue separate statements.

The Expert Committee must follow NTNU's guidelines for expert assessment. The assessment must be available no later than 3 months after the applicants' work has been sent to the Expert Committee.

The applicant has the right to receive the Expert Committee's competence assessment as soon as it is available. The applicant may submit objections to the processing of the application and comments to the Expert Committee's assessment within a deadline set by the Faculty. The deadline cannot be less than two weeks. The committee shall then issue a supplementary statement based on the comments (uh. regulations § 3-12). The applicant has the right to receive the supplementary statement for information.

The Expert Committee's assessment, the applicant's objections and comments, if any, as well as the committee's supplementary statement, are sent to the institution.

6.2 Basis for assessment

The Expert Committee makes an overall assessment of the applicants' competence based on their reasoned application with associated documentation as specified in the advertisement text (employment) and/or in the qualification requirements of the position (transfer/promotion).

The applicant's documentation of scientific work / artistic work / academic development work, contribution to the research process / artistic development process / academic development process, as well as the applicant's reflection on the most important work, own professional development, the quality and impact of the work.
Submitted works: Normally 3-5 works for an advertised position and 5-15 works for an application for transfer/promotion, depending on the tradition in the subject area, career track and position level. Quality is given more weight than quantity.
he applicant's documentation of educational competence, experience and contributions, as well as reflection on their own teaching practice (cf. NTNU's template for a pedagogical portfolio).
Documentation of other academic competence that is relevant to the position (e.g. dissemination, innovation, interaction with society, academic leadership and roles of trust, professional competence. Assessment of Norwegian/Scandinavian language competence falls outside the committee's mandate).
CV and list of scientific works/artistic work/academic development work and where these have been published (complete list or list of the most important works in accordance with the requirements of the call).

6.3 Expert assessment in connection with appointment

In appointment cases, the Expert Committee shall normally assess which three applicants are academically best qualified for the position, provided that so many meet the qualification requirements for the position.

Applicants should only be ranked if the order is obvious. If applicants are considered to be equally qualified, and especially if there are applicants of both genders, this must be specified in the statement from the committee.

If there are many applicants, the committee shall group the applicants in relation to the extent to which they meet the basic requirements of the position and the desired competence. The Expert Committee shall provide a brief description of the applicants' qualifications (ref. areas of competence that can be included in the overall assessment, items a), b), c) and d), and make a statement on what distinguishes the best qualified applicants from the others. In particular, the committee shall seek to map the applicants' academic potential in its assessments.

The committee provides a supplementary assessment of a limited number of applicants, in proportion to the qualification and documentation requirements of the position and the advertisement text. If possible, the committee provides a thorough assessment of the three applicants that the committee deems best qualified after an overall assessment. For positions with requirements for educational competence, the assessment must state the extent to which the applicants meet the requirement.

The assessment must state on what basis and in which subject area the applicant is declared competent, and whether the assessment is unanimous or divided (uh. regulations § 3-12).

When positions are announced at several position levels or if there are no qualified applicants at the level of the position advertised, the assessment shall specify at what level the applicants have been found to be qualified.

6.4 Pedagogical testing, interviews and references

The recommending authority designates an advisory recruitment group. The group usually consists of the Head of Department, head of research unit, pedagogical coordinator, student representative designated from the relevant student body and recruiter from HR. Both genders must be represented. An internal member of the Expert Committee may participate in the recruitment group.

If teaching is assigned to the position, the recruitment group must assess pedagogical abilities in a trial teaching session or other tests as a basis for recommendation.

If requirements for Norwegian/Scandinavian language competence have been assigned to the position, the recruitment group shall, based on the applicant's documentation, trial teaching and interviews, assess the extent to which the applicant meets the language requirement.

The applicants who, in the opinion of the recommending authority, appear to be the best qualified shall be invited to an interview. At least two references must be obtained for each of the applicants who are considered for recommendation. No one should be employed without an interview having been conducted and references obtained.

If any of the qualified applicants for a position state that they have a disability (sal. regulations § 4), a gap in their CV (sal. regulations § 4a) or an immigrant background (sal. regulations § 4b), at least one applicant from each of the groups must be invited to an interview before the recommendation is made.

New information that comes to light during interviews or in some other way and that is important for the assessment of the applicants, must be included in the case documents.

If an applicant has requested that no information be obtained from the current or former employer, and the recommending authority nevertheless wishes to obtain information, the applicant must be notified so that he or she can have the opportunity to withdraw the application.

6.6 Recommendation

The Head of Department is the recommending authority. In cases of doubt, the Dean/Rector decides who is the immediate superior and who is the recommending authority for the position in question.

The Head of Department submits his/her recommendation after an overall assessment of the applicant's qualifications based on:

the opinion of the experts with any objections/comments and additional opinions,
the statement from the recruitment group and
the Head of Department's assessment of the applicant's personal suitability.

For a transfer/promotion, the recommendation is based on the opinion of the experts, with any objections/comments and additional statements.

To enable moderate gender quotas, the assessment shall state whether the qualifications of the applicants in question are approximately the same or not.

Applicants' right of access to a formal recommendation is regulated by regulations to the Public Administration Act. At the request of the applicant, the applicant has the right to know who has been recommended and their ranking. Applicants are not entitled to access the grounds for the recommendation.

Appointment

Appointments to teaching and research positions take place in the Appointments Committee for teaching and research positions and researcher positions at the Faculties/University Museum, unless the Board itself is the appointing authority pursuant to the Universities and University Colleges Act § 7-8 on appointments without advertisement.

The chair of the Appointments Committee makes decisions on appointments in adjunct positions and on appointments for a period of less than one year.

7.1 The Appointments Committee's mandate and composition

The Appointments Committee (AU) makes decisions on who is to be appointed (uhl. § 7-2) and on exemptions from the probationary period (sal. § 15, first paragraph).

Appointments are made based on a recommendation. The appointing body decides which of the recommended applicants is best qualified and shall be offered the positions. The Appointments Committee is responsible for ensuring that the appointment procedure has been conducted properly and in line with applicable regulations, that gender equality considerations have been taken into account and that the qualification principle has been followed.

Composition of the Appointments Committee for academic positions:

Dean/Museum Director (Chair)
3 representatives of the academic staff, including 1 temporary academic staff member
1 student representative

The Dean/Museum Director appoints the representatives of the academic staff and the student representative from among the members and deputy members of the Faculty Board/Museum Board based on a proposal from the Faculty Board/Museum Board. The term of office is four years for permanent staff and one year for temporary academic staff and students. Everyone can be reappointed once. The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act is practised in the same way as for elected bodies at NTNU (ldl § 28). The chair of the Appointments Committee designates one of the permanently staff representatives as deputy chair. The Appointments Committee may decide that others may attend in connection with a specific case.

The appointing body decides whether a member is disqualified (fvl. §§ 6, 7 and 8). The member in question does not participate in this decision. The member of the appointing body is replaced, if possible, by his or her deputy representative when the member is disqualified. The members are obliged, on their own initiative, to inform the appointing body of matters that may be of importance to the issue of impartiality. In the event of appointment to positions where the Dean/Museum Director is disqualified, the Dean withdraws from the meeting during consideration of the matter and is replaced by the Rector or a person authorized by the Rector.

The duty of confidentiality is practised in accordance with the Public Administration Act § 13. The members of the appointing body have a duty of confidentiality regarding what they become aware of in connection with an appointment case. Those who are otherwise involved in employment matters are subject to the same duty of confidentiality as the members of the appointing body.

7.2 Proceedings of the Appointments Committee

The Appointments Committee shall make decisions at meetings. In exceptional cases, matters may be dealt with by circulation of documents if the members of the committee agree to this. If at least one of the members of the Appointments Committee demands a meeting in a specific case, or the written procedures show dissent, the matter must be dealt with in a meeting.

In the civil service, participation in Appointments Committees is generally an official duty. The members of the committee may not prevent a decision by failing to attend the deliberations or refusing to sign the minutes of the meeting. If, however, some of the members of the committee do not participate in the consideration of a matter or do not sign the minutes of the meeting, the committee has a quorum if at least half of the members participate and sign.

The Appointments Committees are independent administrative bodies that aim to contribute to independent and satisfactory case processing. This entails, among other things, the duty to ensure that sufficient information about the case has been gathered before a decision is made (fvl. § 17). The Appointments Committee may therefore decide that people than the members may also attend to shed light on a specific case. This person withdraws from the meeting when the actual decision in the case is to be made.

The members of the Appointments Committee cannot be instructed by the institution. All members of the Appointments Committee may ask questions that are necessary to shed light on the case, including considerations related to, among other things, the assessment of qualifications, the legal basis for temporary employment and applicants with special rights. If a majority of the members of the Appointments Committee believe that the information about the case is insufficient, the case may be sent back to the recommending authority for reconsideration.

The recommendation presented by the recommending authority must be so comprehensive that the Appointments Committee has access to a fully satisfactory basis for assessment. If a member of an Appointments Committee or the Board wishes to appoint an applicant who has not been recommended, a written assessment of the applicant must be obtained from the recommending authority (sal. § 6, third paragraph).

The final appointment decision is recorded in minutes that are signed by everyone or approved electronically. The matter is decided by ordinary majority decision; in the event of a tie, the chair of the meeting has the casting vote.

7.3 Appointment decision and employment contract

The appointment decision and employment contract must state if:

the employee is required to be able to demonstrate knowledge of Norwegian at level B2 within three years. Competence in Swedish or Danish is equivalent to Norwegian. The employer must facilitate this through adaptation of the employee's work duties so that the competence can be achieved within the deadline. The employer and employee must draw up a mutually binding plan for how the level of competence can be achieved within the deadline. If the employee has not achieved the competence within the deadline, he or she does not have the competence required for the position. The employer must consider further measures (uh. regulations § 3-9). Whether there are objective grounds for dismissal depends on the employer's actual facilitation, the employee's efforts to meet the requirement and the department's ability to assign suitable teaching ¬tasks. In exceptional cases, the Dean may grant an extension of up to two years, if this is justifiable considering the Department's teaching needs and overall activities.
the employee is required to satisfy the requirements for educational competence within two years. The employer must facilitate this through adaptation of the employee's work duties so that the competence can be achieved within the deadline. If the employee has not achieved the competence within the deadline, he or she does not have the competence required for the educational part of the position. The employer must consider further measures (uh. regulations § 3-9). See item a) on the assessment of further measures.
temporary employment is offered for up to one year in a lower position. Such temporary employment can only be offered "If no applicant satisfies the qualification requirements for appointment to an advertised position, and it is necessary to employ someone due to the teaching situation. The applicant must meet the qualification requirements for the lower position. Leave of absence to which the employee is entitled pursuant to law or collective agreement shall not be included in the calculation of the period of employment" (uhl. § 7-3).
it is a prerequisite for the person's employment in an adjunct position that the person in question is affiliated with a specific external institution through his or her main position.

7.4 Offer of employment

The person who is appointed must be notified in a written offer of employment.

A written employment contract must be entered into in accordance with the Working Environment Act §§ 14-5 and 14-6. The letter must state a deadline for when the person in question must confirm the offer of a position. When the position is filled, the other applicants must be notified as soon as possible. The notification must contain the name of the applicant who is employed in the position (fvl. § 27).

In the case of temporary employment, the duration and/or the assignments to be carried out, as well as the legal basis for temporary employment, must be stated in the offer of employment and the employment contract.

The offer of employment must also contain provisions on any probationary period; see Section 6.6.1. The person who is appointed confirms in writing that such information has been received when signing the employment contract.

7.5 Probationary period

For the first six months, all employees are on probationary work pursuant to the Civil Service Act § 15, unless the appointing body has expressly decided that the probationary period shall not apply. A probationary period for temporary employees may not exceed half of the duration of the employment relationship (sal. § 15 (1)).

If a probationary period is imposed in connection with transfer from one position at NTNU to another, it is assumed that the accrued protection against termination and notice periods are maintained. A prerequisite for applying the provisions of the Civil Service Act on dismissal within the probationary period is that the employee has been followed up with feedback, etc.

When calculating the period of employment in relation to the Civil Service Act § 23, all continuous service at NTNU is considered, including length of service at previous institutions that have been incorporated into NTNU through an institutional transfer or merger.

Transfer and promotion

The qualification requirements for transfer and promotion to teaching and research positions are set out in Chapter 3.

There is no institutional application deadline. Applications are processed on an ongoing basis according to the date of submission unless the Faculty has set an application deadline.

8.1 Right to apply for promotion

Promotion means that the institution gives an employee the right to use a title that belongs to another job category, provided that the employee meets the qualification requirements for the position category in question. The promotion does not entitle the employee to changed work tasks (uh. regulations § 3-13, second paragraph).

Employees in teaching, research and researcher positions can apply for promotion:

From “universitetslærer” to “universitetslektor”
From “universitetslektor” to “førstelektor”
From “universitetslektor” to “førsteamanuensis”
From “førstelektor” to “dosent”
From “førsteamanuensis” to “professor”
From “forsker 1108” to “seniorforsker 1109”
from “seniorforsker 1109” to “toppforsker 1183”.

An application for promotion may only be submitted at the Faculty and within the subject area in which the applicant is employed (uh. regulations § 3-13, SPH Sections 5.7.2 and 5.7.3). Consideration shall be given to the development of the subject area of the position from the original job description until the time of application.

Applicants who have not been assessed for teaching and research positions at NTNU during the last two years can request to have their qualifications assessed by an Expert Committee. If, during the last two years, a position has been advertised at NTNU that is in a higher position category than the applicant is employed in and that is in the same subject area, the applicant may not request a competence assessment until two years after the application deadline in the advertisement. The same applies if the applicant has submitted and subsequently withdrawn the application (uh. regulations § 3-13, sixth paragraph).

A “seniorforsker 1109” who has not been assessed for their competence at another Norwegian institution may request to have their competence assessed (SPH Section 5.7.3 § 9). The deadline for applying for promotion to “toppforsker 1183” is 1 May each year (SPH Section 5.7.3 § 11).

For applicants who meet the criteria for promotion from “universitetslærer” to “universitetslektor” based on a master's degree, the Faculty's Appointments Committee may award administrative promotion without assessment by experts (uh. regulations § 3-11). The same applies to applicants who meet the criteria for promotion from “universitetslektor” to “førsteamanuensis” based on a doctoral degree and basic educational competence, and for applicants for promotion from “forsker 1108” to “seniorforsker 1109” based on a doctoral degree.

If the Faculty imposes additional requirements on the “universitetslektor” or “førsteamanuensis” in addition to the degree obtained and documented basic educational competence, it is sufficient for two academic staff members with associate professor qualifications to submit a statement on the applicant's qualifications (see introduction to Chapter 6).

The employee must have at least one year left of the employment period to apply for promotion to teaching and research positions. The institution is obliged to carry out¬ the competence assessment if the application is submitted at least one year before the end of the employment period. The institution is not obliged to complete the assessment if the applicant resigns from the position earlier than one year after the application for promotion was submitted (uh. regulations § 3-13, seventh paragraph). For “seniorforsker 1109”, the employment must have a duration of at least two years beyond the time of application to enable an application for promotion (SPH, Section 5.7.2 § 1). For “toppforsker 1183”, the employment must have a duration of at least three years to enable an application for promotion (SPH Section 5.7.3 § 1).

The right to apply for promotion does not apply to fixed-term employees on tenure-track terms or employees in adjunct positions (uh. regulations § 3-13, eighth paragraph).

Competence assessment for adjunct positions is not a sufficient basis of assessment for appointment, transfer or promotion. In such cases, a new assessment must be made in accordance with NTNU's procedures and qualification requirements.

Expert assessments from the University of Oslo (UiO), the University of Bergen (UiB) and the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) that are not older than five years can be approved as a basis for assessment of promotion at NTNU (uh. regulations § 3-14, seventh paragraph). The Faculties decide through a Dean's decision whether expert assessments also carried out at other accredited Norwegian institutions or at other NTNU units can be approved as grounds for promotion. Any additional requirements at NTNU that do not apply at the other institutions must be considered separately. It is sufficient for such additional requirements to be assessed by two internal experts in the highest academic positions.

NTNU's guidelines for the approval of expert assessments and declarations of competence from other institutions apply correspondingly to promotion to “toppforsker 1183” (SPH Section 5.7.3 §§ 6 and 7).

8.2 Assessment and decision-making process in connection with promotion

The composition and procedure of the Expert Committee are set out in Chapters 6.1 and 6.2. The provisions also apply to subject areas where national promotion committees are used. The tasks must be distributed in such a way that the requirement for an external chair is met. Special assessors may be appointed to meet the requirements for academic and professional competence in the applicant's subject area..

The Expert Committee shall assess the applicant's competence, based on NTNU's qualification and documentation requirements (see Chapters 3, 5.1 and 6.2). The assessment must state on what basis and in which subject area the applicant is declared competent, and whether the assessment is unanimous or divided (uh. regulations § 3-14).

The Faculty receives the Expert Committee's assessment, with any comments from the applicant and a supplementary statement from the committee. The Faculty's Appointments Committee decides whether promotion should be awarded. It is assumed that the declaration of competence is unanimous. Decisions in cases concerning promotion cannot be appealed (uh. regulations § 3-14).

Promotion shall be granted with effect from the time the application was submitted. For promotion to “seniorforsker 1109” after obtaining a doctoral degree, promotion is granted from the first date of the month after the doctoral degree has been submitted for assessment (SPH Section 5.7.2 § 7)

If the application is rejected due to failure to meet the qualification requirements, a new application can be submitted no earlier than two years after the previous application was sent to the institution (uh. regulations § 3-14). For “seniorforsker 1109”, the deadline is one year after notification of rejection (SPH Section 5.7.2 § 8).

8.3. Right to apply for transfer

Employees can apply for a transfer between job categories at the same level (uhl. § 3-15), that is, between:

"førsteamanuensis" and "førstelektor"
"professor" and "dosent"

In the event of a transfer, the same requirements for competence and competence assessment apply as in the case of promotion.

NTNU's guidelines on the right to apply for promotion, and on the assessment and decision-making process related to promotion, also apply to applications for transfer between job categories.

A transfer does not entitle the employee to a change in work tasks (uh. regulations § 3-6).

Excellent Teaching Practitioner

A permanent scheme for excellent teaching practitioners (“merittert underviser”) at NTNU was established in 2022. Status as an excellent teaching practitioner can only be granted based on an assessment given by peers appointed by NTNU.

9.1 Who can apply for the status of excellent teaching practitioner

The following can apply for the status of excellent teaching practitioner:

Permanent employees in teaching and research positions are given the opportunity to apply.
Applicants must have a minimum of five years of experience teaching in higher education.
Applicants must document educational competence at a level that is significantly higher than the expected basic educational competence (currently the requirement for 200 hours of university pedagogical training)

9.2 Call for applications

The call for applications will be available on 1 March.

9.3 Competence requirements for excellent teaching practitioners

Four main criteria are used as a basis for the assessment of an application to be awarded the status of excellent teaching practitioner at NTNU.

1. Focus on student learning

This means that the applicant:

has worked systematically and over time with the development of teaching to improve the students' learning outcomes in both course and programme perspectives, and reflects on this development and
works systematically with and applies feedback from students and colleagues to further develop teaching and the learning environment in courses and study programmes.

2. A professional development as a teacher

This means that the applicant documents that he/she:

has systematically and over time developed, tested and reflected on forms of teaching, learning and assessment in their own teaching, and/or through systematic development work and educational management at course and study programme level, and
can refer to specific plans for development work and further development of their own teaching competence and practice.

3. An exploratory approach to teaching

This means that the applicant:

gives reasons for the connections between learning outcome descriptions and the choice of teaching and assessment methods in both course and programme perspectives, and
reflects on their own teaching activities, from planning and testing to analysis of students' learning, with support in relevant research and theory on teaching, learning and assessment.

4. A collegial attitude and practice

This means that the applicant:

has collaborated over time and regularly with students, colleagues, management and others on development work to improve the quality of education in courses and study programmes, and
has taken the initiative for and actively contributes to the sharing of experience and knowledge development within and across academic environments.

9.4 Application and application deadline

Applications for the status of excellent teaching practitioners must be written as a reflection note, and structured based on the four main criteria. Applicants must familiarize themselves with the application supervisor and formal requirements for application.

The annual deadline for applying for the status of excellent teaching practitioner is 31 August. Documentation cannot be handed in after the application deadline.

9.5 Peer review

9.5.1 Basis for peer review

The application and interview are the basis for the assessment. Peer reviewers are two excellent teaching practitioners and one main peer reviewer. In addition, a student representative (appointed by the Student Parliament) assesses the student perspective in the application. Several groups of peer reviewers are established based on the number of applications.

9.5.2 Interview

Applicants who meet all formal requirements must be interviewed. The interview will be used to supplement the application. Participants in the interview are applicants and peers.

9.5.3 Overall assessment

The application is assessed based on the criteria for excellent teaching practitioners. The peers will assess the applications with attachments, conduct interviews and make an overall assessment in accordance with the criteria.

9.5.4 Written feedback

All applicants who are peer-reviewed receive feedback. The feedback is based on the criteria for excellent teaching, and in the event of a rejection, the feedback must also point to areas for improvement. There is no right of appeal or right of reply to the peers' assessment and conclusion. The award of the status of excellent teaching practitioner at NTNU requires that the peers are unanimous.

Applicants will be sent the peers' assessment as soon as it is available and no later than within 3 months.

9.6 Award of the status of excellent teaching practitioner

The Rector awards the status of excellent teaching practitioner based on the application and peer review.

For applicants for promotion to professor/associate professor who can document their status as an excellent teaching practitioner at NTNU, it is not necessary to reassess the applicant's educational competence; only supervisory competence must be documented and assessed separately. This assumes that national subject-/discipline-specific guidelines do not stipulate extended/specific requirements.

Employees with the title of excellent teaching practitioner commit to being a resource person for quality development of education and to be a member of NTNU's Pedagogical Academy.

9.7 Incentivize excellent teaching practitioners

Excellent teaching practitioners receive a salary increase in line with the "Special agreement on salary for those who achieve the status of excellent teaching practitioners".

9.8 Entry into force

Recognition of the status of excellent teaching practitioner takes effect from 1 January the following year.

Terms of Employment for Researchers

10.1. NTNU's researcher policy

NTNU's researcher policy shall contribute to researchers being given better predictability and security in their working conditions, and a good framework for career development. It will also help NTNU attract and retain the best researchers by being an attractive employer that offers stable employment conditions. The following policies and terms of employment apply to researchers at NTNU:

Researchers must have research and innovation as their main task. Other career-enhancing tasks such as teaching and supervising students can be given up to 20% of the position under given conditions.
As a rule, researchers must be appointed after public announcement of the position. Exceptions follow from the guidelines for academic positions. The Departments shall, as far as possible, plan and recruit expertise that there is a long-term need for.
NTNU has two different models for appointments: the Department model or direct employment in projects. It is the Department's needs and strategic assessments that govern the choice of model.
Researchers must be included in the strategic staff plan at the Departments.
All researchers must have a career plan that is adapted to the researcher's own wishes and the needs of the Department. NTNU shall facilitate good career development, including the opportunity to do other tasks enhancing academic merit. The career plan must be followed up through annual performance assessment interviews.
NTNU will make use of the promotion opportunities in all steps of the career track.
The Head of Department or head of personnel has the right to define which projects the Department's researchers are to apply for and work on.

10.2 The Department model or direct employment on projects

Researchers can either be employed permanently or temporarily in the externally funded project or employed at the Department.

In the Department model, an employment contract is entered into for permanent employment at a Department. It is the Department that will then be responsible for applying for and obtaining new projects, while the researchers invoice working hours for the projects they work for. The Head of Department is responsible for having an overview of the portfolio of projects and allocating the expertise available at the Department. The Head of Department has a responsibility to employ all the researchers and to ensure that the project manager is allocated the resources needed. The project manager can express his or her wishes for resources, but it is the research manager who has the last word.

In the case of direct employment on a project, the researcher's employment is formally linked to the Faculty or the University Museum and a Department, so that personnel responsibility is exercised by the Head of Department, deputy head or head of academic unit, while the salary funds originate from external funding. An employment contract is entered into, which states that the work is externally funded and that the employment relationship can be terminated when the funds cease. Thus, the termination of external funding will be specifically linked to one or more employed researchers, and will have consequences primarily for their employment conditions, unless NTNU succeeds in finding another project for the researchers.

It is the Department's needs and strategic considerations that must govern the choice of model. The type of researchers the Department has, whether they are cutting-edge or broad-based researchers, will often be of great importance. In general, a Department that has a solid portfolio of projects, and that can use the researcher or a group of researchers for various projects, will run less risk in choosing the Department model. This model provides advantages in the form of more security and predictability for the researcher. Direct employment in a project will be best suited for Departments that have projects that require more specialized expertise, and where it is in the interests of both the Department and the researcher that academic specialization is prioritized. When choosing a model, the Head of Department must make a risk assessment of the working environment, and measures must be implemented to eliminate or reduce risk. The Faculties must make it possible for the Departments to choose the model that best suits their research group and activities.

10.3 Strategic staff plan

The Faculties and the Department must include researchers in their strategic staff plan. The strategic staff plan will, among other things, help the Departments to plan and recruit researchers who have a long-term need for expertise. The strategic staff plan is intended to help ensure that more researchers are employed on a permanent basis or that dismissal is avoided when external funding expires.

10.4 Career plan and appraisal for researchers

An overall goal for NTNU is to ensure that the researcher position is attractive throughout the employment relationship, with the opportunity for career building and development of academic competence. Career plans must be made based on both short-term and long-term goals. This means, among other things, that researchers must be managed and developed in line with tomorrow's need for knowledge and what NTNU and the Departments want to prioritize in the long term. Furthermore, NTNU must ensure that competence is retained beyond the individual project through competence and career development.

The career plan must be prepared in collaboration between the employer and the employee, where a course is created that safeguards both interests. The Head of Department, with either the head of the research group or the head of the academic unit, is responsible for preparing a plan. The career plan must support researchers in having research as their main task. As part of the individual researcher's career plan, it can be agreed that the researcher will contribute with teaching and supervision. This gives the researcher career-enhancing experience, and the researcher can contribute his or her expertise to research-based teaching. Teaching or supervision tasks are not a collective right that all researchers have but must be agreed on in the specific case and based on the wishes and needs of both the researcher and the employer. Teaching and supervision tasks must be limited in scope and time, for example to a course for one semester, and be targeted to the needs of the researcher and NTNU.

All researchers must have regular performance appraisals about their work situation and career. The performance assessment interview will also be a good starting point for researchers to address their desire to change careers.

10.5 The Head of Department's management responsibility

The Head of Department is responsible for conducting strategic development of the entire Department, including the project portfolio, and is also responsible for keeping salary costs at a justifiable level within the budget framework. Strategic assessments must be made by the Head of Department in the application phase regarding academic orientation (safely within the Department's academic areas), finances (full funding) and project management (regarding internal competition). The Head of Department must also consider during the application phase whether there are other tasks of a temporary nature that the researcher can be engaged in, pending the outcome of the application. The researcher policy makes it clear that the Head of Department has the right to manage the project's crew and thus the composition of a researcher's project portfolio.

10.6 Guideline for career-enhancing tasks and bridge funding for researchers

The Rector has adopted a supplementary guideline on career-enhancing tasks and bridge funding[link to Norwegian memo from the Rector], which specifies point 1 of the researcher policy.

The guideline is intended to enable researchers to qualify for combined teaching and research positions at NTNU or other universities. When it is in the interests of both the researcher and NTNU, researchers can be offered tasks such as teaching and supervision as part of their career plan.

Teaching and supervision may also be offered as bridge funding between projects on the terms and conditions set out in the supplementary guidelines. Bridge funding means that the researcher teaches or performs other relevant tasks, for example in dissemination and innovation for the Department, for a period after a project has been completed while waiting for a new project. In the case of bridge funding, it is the Department that finances the researcher's salary.

The supplementary guideline regulates when, how and how much teaching and supervision can be agreed in the career plan, and how bridge funding can be agreed and the scope of such funding.

Entry into force, transitional arrangements and revision

The guideline entered into force on 2 January 2025.

During a transitional period until 1 August 2025, a decision may be made on appointment to teaching and research positions in accordance with the qualification and documentation requirements in the repealed Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions (uh. regulations § 13-2, first paragraph).

Employees who apply for promotion no later than 31 July 2025 have the right to have their application assessed in accordance with the repealed Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research positions in accordance with the procedures and deadlines that apply at their Faculty (uh. regulations § 13-2, second paragraph).

The guideline for appointments to academic positions continues provisions based on the Civil Service Act from Staff regulations including local procedural rules for teaching and research positions at NTNU.

The general provisions in the Staff regulations including local procedural rules for technical and administrative positions at NTNU will also apply to academic positions as far as they are appropriate. The staff regulations are discussed and negotiated with the main unions in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Act and the Basic Collective Agreement in the Civil Service. The provisions have also been included in this guideline for reasons of user-friendliness and compliance. The provisions have been somewhat reformulated and supplemented considering recent Rector decisions/policies and the new Universities and University Colleges Act and associated regulations.

In the event of changes in the Staff Regulations that affect academic positions, and where the parties have the right to negotiate pursuant to the Civil Service Act, the guidelines must be updated without delay and the Faculties must be informed of the changes. General provisions of the Staff Regulations include:

Exemptions from advertisement (sal. § 4 and sal. regulations § 3.3)
Exceptions from permanent employment (sal. § 9)
Summoning applicants with disabilities or gaps in their CVs to an interview (sal. § 4)
General procedural rules for appointment committees (fvl. § 17)
Notification of appointment (aml. § 14)
Probationary period (sal § 15) and calculation of employment period (sal. § 23)
impartiality (fvl. §§ 6, 7 and 8)
Duty of confidentiality (fvl. § 13)
Right of access (fvl. regulations)

The guidelines include text excerpts from key laws and regulations for appointment, transfer and promotion to teaching and research positions. These are not necessarily quoted verbatim, but reference has been added to help in questions of interpretation. HK-dir. will prepare a guide to the sections of the regulations to the University and University Colleges Act.

The references are intended to make it easier to administratively update the guidelines because of minor changes in laws and agreements. The Faculties must be informed of such updates.

If changes in laws and agreements entail more than a simple update of the guidelines, proposals for revision of the guidelines shall be discussed with the Faculties and the main associations.

Appendix: Comparison between legislative provisions for old and new qualification requirements for teaching and research positions

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