The Quality Board for Icelandic Higher Education has completed its first review of the activities of the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies (Árnastofnun). In its evaluation, the Quality Board focused on the institute’s organization and human resources, research work, collections and digital data, and relations with society.
The Árni Magnússon Institute commissioned an assessment by the Quality Board in the fall of 2021 in connection with work on a new strategy and the impending move to a new building in 2023. The institutional review is based on the Árni Magnússon Institute’s self-assessment report. In addition, a specially appointed review team visited the institution in early April 2022, where they met with the director, department heads, employee and student representatives, board members, external stakeholders, and partners.
The review team was very positive about the the Árni Magnússon Institute’s activities. The staff is highly motivated and reliable, and the institute’s research is highly respected both nationally and internationally. External stakeholders appreciate the institution’s expertise, strong leadership, and active staff who are actively involved in national and international collaborations and networks. The institution enjoys great respect in Icelandic society. The review team also identified key funding-dependent opportunities to increase the visibility of the Árni Magnússon Institute’s activities and to gain even greater recognition for its research and activities abroad.
The Quality Board highlights the exciting opportunities that the new building will bring. Improved public access to new facilities will enable the institution to expand its social engagement. The move also provides an opportunity to consider and review the regulatory framework and structure to support the director’s strong leadership. The Quality Board emphasizes that the institute’s new strategy, which is currently under development, has clear goals for research, museums and digital infrastructure, internationalization, and expansion and dissemination.
The report can be found here.
