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In May 2025, the university received a whistleblower report concerning a long-standing partnership with a Chinese university. The report addresses the administration of compensation for teaching and the structure of the agreement.
Given the nature of the case and the anticipated scope of the investigation, the university’s whistleblower function determined that it was necessary to bring in external resources for the investigation.
The investigation was carried out by the auditing firm KPMG. From June to August 2025, interviews were conducted with relevant university staff members, and documents were reviewed. This has resulted in an investigation report that has identified shortcomings in the university’s handling of the exchange and that outlines risks related to the lack of clarity in the agreement. The report has been reviewed by the whistleblower function, which has proposed measures based on the investigation’s findings.
– We are taking this matter very seriously and need to learn more about the ambiguities. We will therefore continue to investigate the matter according to the recommendations of the whistleblower function, says Vice-Chancellor Jörgen Elbe.
The recommendations of the whistleblower function will include an evaluation of the university’s management of the collaboration and a recommendation to consider whether the partnership should be terminated. The Director of Human Resources has been assigned the task of investigating whether there may have been any misconduct by employees involved in the collaboration.
One of many international collaborations
Currently, Dalarna University collaborates with around 200 partner universities globally as part of its strategy to enhance the quality of research and education. The current case concerns a single collaboration, but the lessons learned will be used to improve the university’s handling of and procedures relating to matters of collaboration.
About the whistleblower function
The whistleblower function is in place to enable employees to safely report suspicions of serious misconduct that are of public interest without risking retaliation. It is part of systematic efforts to promote transparency and accountability. All employees can report a matter using a secure service and can do so anonymously.
The Whistleblower Act (2021:890) requires Dalarna University to establish an internal reporting channel (whistleblower function).
Whistleblowing Function – Reporting Wrongdoings - Dalarna University
If you have any questions or feel concerned, please contact your immediate manager or the Office of Human Resources.
