Leadership Programme for Research Managers

Improve your leadership skills by working with your personal leadership, your relational competencies and concrete leadership challenges you face in your unit.


Target audience

The programme is aimed at leaders of research units (senior researchers, centre directors, research group leaders etc.)

To participate in this programme, you must have a salaried affiliation with AU at the level of associate professor as a minimum.

What’s in it for you?

Improved self-awareness and action competence in the interplay between your personal qualities and the institutional conditions for leadership at AU, with a view to promoting quality, effectiveness and well-being in your unit. 

  • Balancing expectations regarding frameworks, roles and tasks with your own manager, and support in the often difficult transition from researcher to research leader
  • Improved understanding of your role and task as a manager in a university context
  • Knowledge and tools for personnel management
  • Better dialogue skills and improved ability to motivate self-managing employees and lead creative teams/units
  • An opportunity to work with your own specific leadership challenges, for example prioritisation, planning and resource allocation
  • A network with other leaders of research teams/units at AU

Form and content

The programme consists of four modules, two two-day residentials (module 1 and 4) and two one-day non-residentials (module 3 and 4). There will also be leadership development dialogues with a consultant and your immediate manager as well as homework and training in learning groups.

  • The format is varied, including presentations, exercises, reflection and discussion.
  • The programme is practically oriented and concrete, and you will have opportunities to work with a personal leadership project in your own unit
  • You will reflect on your leadership projects together in your learning groups, which will provide valuable input to your projects and each other
  • The NEO PI-3 person profile will enrich your learning experience by giving you greater insight into your own personal preference and how these influence your leadership of your unit

The instructors will be leadership development consultants from AU HR. There will also be guest instructors along the way.

Course certificates

Course certificates are issued to participants who have attended at least 75% of the modules on the programme.