University structures

The faculties are organized into departments comprising at least 10 to 15 professorships and lecturerships that are thematically aligned with teaching and research. In the future, the departments will serve as planning and development units for the faculties.

According to the University Strategy 2030, the aim is to ensure that the university retains its status as a comprehensive university while at the same time enabling further thematic development in the various departments. However, the financial situation of the University of Bern stands in the way of this. Professorships are the driving force behind income and expenditure, content and structure – in other words, academia.

In order to remain capable of acting, professorship planning should become more dynamic and replace the continuation of the current situation in the case of retirements.

The guidelines were further developed taking into account feedback from the core team, the expert committee and the closed-door meeting of the University Executive Board and the deans. In addition, various discussions took place between August and December 2025, including with the Interface Project (Schnittstellenprojekt), the University Archivist, the MED Dean’s Office and the Office for Equal Opportunities. The guidelines were discussed at the University Executive Board meeting in October and subsequently revised. The consultation with the faculties took place from November to January 2026.

Further discussions with relevant departments (including the Legal Services Office, the project management of the Interface Project, the Academic Careers Office and the WISO Dean’s Office) took place. In addition, feedback from the consultation was processed and the guidelines were finally approved by the University Executive Board in June 2026. Templates and key performance indicators are currently being developed, whilst the timetable and initial process steps are being implemented.

The full implementation of the process in accordance with the Guidelines on Professorship Planning is scheduled to begin in 2027.

Status: August 2026

The University of Bern has continuously grown over the years, has become more complex, and is increasingly shaped by digital transformation. Therefore, a targeted further development of administrative structures is necessary. Only in this way can it be ensured that the University of Bern will continue to operate flexibly, efficiently, and effectively in the future.

The Schnittstellenprojekt is one of the projects from the action area “Rethinking University Structures” within the “Fit for Future” program. Its aim is to relieve the faculties of administrative tasks – especially in the areas of finance and HR – so that they can concentrate on their core tasks of teaching and research. Administrative processes at the University of Bern have grown considerably in complexity, among other things due to digitalization. The analysis of existing processes has shown that administration must be further developed in order to meet future requirements and the demanded efficiency.

For more information, see: Schnittstellenprojekt (in German only)

President Virginia Richter is the sponsor of the Interface Project. In a short video, she discusses the purpose of the Interface Project, her hopes for collaboration between the central administration and the faculties, and how the project will proceed.

The introduction of a so-called “partner model” is planned for the Human Resources and Finance departments. The partners in Human Resources and Finance will advise and support employees and managers on-site.

The 10 strategic centers at the University of Bern are very heterogeneous, and there is potential for development in their management.

Cooperation agreements were to be drawn up between the center, the participating faculties, and the university management, which are clearly distinguishable from existing instruments such as performance mandates, framework agreements, and rules of procedure.

A conceptual basis for the contracts was established through needs assessments, experience reviews and a detailed clarification of objectives. The concept also assessed the effectiveness of existing processes and the additional workload in relation to the added value of possible alternative approaches.

Various clarifications took place as part of operational and strategic discussions with the faculties and centres. In addition, there were several independent exchanges with the project client and the then Secretary-General.

The idea of a tripartite contract between the University Executive Board, the faculties and the centres was examined but was not deemed suitable for resolving the existing problems. The groundwork was laid for an annex to the performance mandates. The introduction of an annex to the performance mandate for Strategic Centres has been dispensed with.

The Staff of the University Executive Board will supplement future performance mandates between the University Executive Board and the centres with tables detailing centre professorships and information on the funding of promotions, in consultation with the contracting parties and with the involvement of other departments.

Status: August 2026

The implementation and adaptation of processes within the university require close cooperation between the faculties/centers and the central administration to ensure that decision-making authority is distributed equitably.

Processes, procedures, and regulations should be designed to be efficient and effective from the perspective of both the faculties and the central administration. The project’s goal will be achieved through accessible, workshop-style working groups in which specific problems and potential solutions are analyzed collaboratively.

Since July 2025, the measures defined during the workshops on travel platforms have been implemented. These include, in particular, revisions to the business travel policy by the university administration and the introduction of an online tool to simplify the booking process. The latter has been handed over to the business analysts at ID.

The project can be considered completed within the framework of F4F (spring 2026).

To live up to its commitment to excellence in teaching, the university faces a need for development in areas such as digitalization, AI, and internationalization. The teaching support units offer assistance, but they repeatedly find that information does not reach the target audience seamlessly. There is also a lack of a feedback system, and there is room for improvement in the coordination of processes within the degree programs.

The “Strengthening Program Directors” project has established an initial information and contact network between the VRL and the faculties. In the next step, needs assessments will be conducted through interviews. These and other measures have been integrated into the task portfolios of the support units and will no longer be continued as a project under the Fit for Future umbrella. Information on the results of the needs assessments and the measures derived from them will be available in the project information section once the projects are completed (e.g. EASE: Educational Academic Staff Empowerment).

The project can be considered complete within the framework of F4F (spring 2025).