The OBUA project
In its proposal for an integrative Berlin research area, the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) has set as one of its major objectives the improvement of research quality and has thus assigned Objective 3 - Advancing Research Quality and Value with the initiation of respective topic areas and activities. Among them range research and actions on the professionalization of the Ombudswesen at the partner institutions of the BUA - and beyond-.
Demands that seek to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Ombudswesen are underlined by findings of national and international guidelines that address issues related to the implementation of standards of good scientific practice, both conceptually and practically. The concept of the OBUA – Ombudswesen at BUA project also draws on the results of the pilot project Ombuds-Modelle@BUA (2020), commissioned by the Objective 3 - Advancing Research Quality and Value of the Berlin University Alliance, and led by Dr. Simona Olivieri (Freie Universität Berlin). The Ombuds-Modelle@BUA (2020) project aimed to provide an overview of the current state of affairs of the Ombudsman system at the BUA institutions, and has drawn attention to the Ombudspersons’ need for support in their daily work in form of training sessions, exchange, and institutional support.
The follow-up project OBUA - Ombudswesen at BUA, thus, taking up on the expressed needs of the parties concerned, aims to promote a coordinated approach to the professionalization of the Ombudspersons, which may be achieved by integrating initiatives to ensure further training, by establishing a network for exchange and engagement of the partners, as well as by initiating a discussion among the BUA-partners.
Finally, the OBUA – Ombudswesen@BUA project will be conducted also in the wake of meta-research, so as to further engage in research on methods, evaluation, and sustainability of the Ombudswesen.
Objectives
- capitalize on the existing infrastructure, so as to create a shared pool of services;
- create a strategy for joint training;
- promote the exchange among the Ombudspersons of the Berlin area by means of joint training and the development of a platform on which they may discuss and develop common strategies;
- initiate a discussion among BUA partners.
