Our core values

Our academic core values, with academic freedom at their heart, form the foundation of our work. At Umeå University, we strive to build a more democratic society and uphold the values we ourselves create through dialogue on common approaches in our day-to-day work.

Umeå University's core values

The University's main tasks are to conduct education, research and collaboration in order to contribute to the development of society. Our core values are based on three fundamental academic principles:

academic freedom
academic collegiality
academic integrity.

The underlying principle is that academic freedom requires collegial responsibility and the integrity of staff members. These core academic values form the basis for our ability to carry out our mission with quality and credibility.

As a government agency, Umeå University’s activities are based on the government’s core values of democracy, legality, freedom of opinion, objectivity, respect for equal value, freedom and dignity, as well as efficiency and service.

Film on academic freedom. English subtitles are available. Duration: 03:35 minutes.

Film on academic integrity. English subtitles are available. Duration: 02:47 minutes.

Film on academic collegiality. English subtitles are available. Duration: 03:15 minutes.

Living values

For us, actively working on our core values is essential for fostering a shared approach, highlighting what is important, and demonstrating what Umeå University stands for.

Through several years of dialogue and discussion, we have defined the specific principles on which our core values are based. This work also resulted in a publication, Living values – Working with core values in practice at Umeå University (2024). It describes Umeå University’s core values and contains discussion materials designed to promote regular dialogue on these values.

Living values – Working with core values in practice at Umeå University (PDF)

Latest update: 2026-05-22