This weeks edithorial

Dear everyone,

Now it has already been one year with me as head of department. It was a very exciting year with many heights, but also some headwinds. I am proud to be head of a department with so many fantastic employees who contribute to both high-level teaching and, not least, internationally excellent research, according to the committee from EVALMEDHELSE, which further concluded that “Both the research and teaching activities have been of high international standard and visibility, which has attracted researchers in basic science and clinicians to successfully collaborate on the well-defined expert areas within this administrative unit”. As Eystein already mentioned last week, we are almost at the finish line with the strategic plan for 2025-2030, where we will include some of the recommendations from the committee.

The past year has been very successful in terms of allocations of external funding that covers indirect costs (ERC, NFR, various allocations from the EU, etc.) and there are many of you who have plans to lead a Center of Excellence (SFF). We have got better routines in place and most people are now familiar with the form that must be filled in for applications for external funding, so that a project economist is connected in time to help with the budget. And even though I unfortunately can’t do magic, and K2 is still running at a loss, we are on the right track! We have vacated some of the area in the lab building, which provides savings both for rent and not least operating costs.

Planning for the multi-campus model for medical education is in full swing, and we have gained many new colleagues in Stavanger. In the autumn, the first 20 medical students who will fullfill the studies in Førde after the 3rd year will start in Bergen, so then there will gradually also be more colleagues there. I hope that as many people as possible can participate in the Institute’s day on 8 September at 11:30-16:00, where we will work with the answers from the working environment survey (FAMU).

Last but not least: Thank you very much to Silje Skrede, you have done a fantastic job as a head of innovation! Lots of good luck in the future as vice-dean for research, research education and innovation! Welcome to Valeriya Lyssenko as the new head of innovation at K2. And thank you very much for your efforts as director of the Centre for Pharmacy to Reidun Kjome, who is now joining the dean’s office as vice dean for education. I wish Lars Herfindal lots of luck as the new director of the center!

I wish everyone a very good summer!

Silke

Important information regarding vacation registration

Dear colleague,

UiB HR is now requesting an overview of unregistered vacation days at the department, along with a plan for follow-up.

This creates a significant amount of additional administrative work.

Therefore, please register your vacation as soon as possible in the Self Service Portal. If you need to make changes later, it’s quick and easy to do so.

(Secondary positions is the only exeption).

New WEB Pages

News from the W4 Project – New Pages for Research and Research Units (Research Groups, Research Projects, Research Centers) on UiB.no

Today, we have launched new pages for the areas of Research (uib.no/research) in both Norwegian and English, as well as pages for research groups, research projects, and research centers. The pages have been launched with a new design and content structure.

In total, we have updated and created 800 new pages. Special thanks to FIA and the faculties for their excellent cooperation.

The research pages are strategically important for highlighting the core activities of the university and showcasing the breadth and diversity of the research. The pages are also fundamental for disseminating research results, recruitment, and collaboration within the various academic environments and projects.

See the new pages here:

https://www4.uib.no/en/research
https://www4.uib.no/forskning/forskningsprosjekter
https://www4.uib.no/forskning/forskergrupper
https://www4.uib.no/forskning/forskningssentre

It is now possible for each research group, center, etc., to edit their own pages. Information on how to gain access can be found here (NO).

The cooperation agency Helse Vest: Nominate candidates for the research and innovation awards

 

Before the summer is over, we would like to remind you that nominations are now open for this year’s awards for research and innovation, including young researchers.

The awards will be presented as usual during the research conference in November. We hope you can help spread the word about this in your institutions, and encourage relevant academic communities to nominate good candidates for all the awards.

 

 

The deadline for nominations is September 15th, but it’s good to start the process early and there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from submitting your nominations now!

 

See information and nomination form on the websites:

Frem kandidatar til forskingsprisane og innovasjonsprisen 2025 – Helse Vest RHF

Strategic Plan 2025–2030: Shaping the Future of K2 Together

The leadership at K2 has now established the strategic framework for the institute’s development over the next five years. The 2025–2030 strategic plan provides a clear direction for how we will strengthen our position as a leading medical research and education institution.

Research

We aim to enhance both the quality of our scientific output and the level of external funding. Key initiatives include:

  •  Maintaining a high proportion of externally funded activities (BOA), with a target of 25% relative to total allocations.
  • Increasing the use of open access publishing and prioritizing publications in high-impact (level 2) journals.
  • Strengthening collaboration with research advisors, with a focus on competitive grant applications to NFR, ERC, EU, Helse Vest, TMS, KG Jebsen, and similar funding bodies.

Education

We are committed to high-quality teaching and digital competence:

  • Providing training in digital platforms such as TP, Mitt UiB, and Inspera.
  • Harmonizing study plans across regional hospitals to ensure a unified implementation of Vestlandslegen.
  • Enhancing support for part-time academic staff at affiliated hospitals.

Innovation

We promote both technological and social innovation:

  • Organizing annual FORUM meetings with innovation as a central theme.
  • Encouraging participation in innovation arenas such as the Eitri Innovation Hub and Start Bergen.

Recruitment and Infrastructure

We will pursue strategic recruitment and capacity building, with a focus on academic merit and institutional needs:

  •  Improving access to and visibility of technological platforms and equipment through searchable online resources.
  • Strengthening research schools and academic networks.
  • Offering research training courses and supervisor development programs.

Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE)

We strive to be a safe, inclusive, and attractive workplace:

  •  Conducting annual updates of the HSE handbook and action plan.
  • Emphasizing the psychosocial work environment and ensuring a clear and supportive leadership structure.

Dissemination

We aim to increase the visibility of K2’s activities and achievements:

  • Establishing regular meeting points between the communications advisor and research group leaders.
  • Maintaining up-to-date websites and actively utilizing K2nytt.
  • Enhancing our presence in the media, including newspapers, social media, and other public platforms.

This strategy is our shared roadmap—and our success depends on collective effort. Thank you for your continued dedication and contributions.

Best regards,
Eystein Sverre Husebye
Deputy Head, K2

Researcher interested in women’s health?

Join us on November 5th!

Driv Center for Women’s Health Research invites you to the National Conference on Women’s Health Research in the University Auditorium in Bergen.

The conference brings together researchers from all over the country and offers a strong academic program, which is updated on the website, within:
• Translational research
• Biomedical research
• Clinical research
• Community medicine research

In addition, there will be a panel debate on how we can implement women’s health research in clinical practice – an important step in strengthening women’s health in the entire population.
📝 Registration and submission of abstracts opens on August 1st!
💡 Driv for Women’s Health: Research that changes
👉 Feel free to share with fellow researchers – see you in Bergen!

#women’shealth #healthresearch #women’shealthresearch #Driv #research #conference #medicine #equality

📢 Important reminder about refrigerator routines

Hi everyone,

Sofie and Ingri have just done a thorough cleaning of the fridge, and unfortunately we discovered some food that had expired – some all the way back to 2020. There was also a strong smell and mold at the bottom of the fridge, as well as water accumulation as a result of this.

To avoid similar situations in the future, we remind you of the following:

🗑️Throw away food that has expired – especially if it is several years old.
📅 Regularly check the date markings on the food you put in.
🧼 Keep the fridge tidy and clean – don’t let it pile up with old food.
👥 Shared responsibility – we appreciate everyone taking responsibility for their own food.

I am happy to take responsibility for following up on keeping the fridge tidy going forward, but it is important that everyone contributes.

A funny depiction of a fridge that is long overdue to be cleaned. A man wearing a hazardous materials clean suit and gas mask pulls things out and puts them into a yellow biohazard bag. Smoke or steam pours from the the open refrigerator door.

This weeks edithorial

Dear everyone,

Congratulations to Silje Skrede who will start as vice-dean for research, research education and innovation from August.

Then we received the happy news this week that Bergithe Oftedal has been awarded Fripro funds from NFR, congratulations so much!

The results from the department council election have also been published, the members from 1.8.25 are:

Group A (permanent employees in teaching and research positions): Stefan Johansson, Randi Bertelsen, Emmet Mc Cormack and Aase Raddum. Deputies: Holger Bratke, Anders Førsvoll

Group B (temporary employees in teaching and research positions): Ulrik Larsen, deputy: Hege Fredriksen Berg, Marianne Bråtveit

Group C (technical and administrative staff): Kristin Paulsen Rye, deputy: Bente Berg Johansson, Maartine Jordana Baarholm

Thank you for participating, I look forward to good cooperation!

And last but not least: remember the FAMU group work on June 19th at 12-14 (calendar notice follows!), and save the date September 8th for the department’s day at 11:30-16:00 at Bikuben.

Have a great weekend!

Silke

 

Workshop: AI-supported assessment and feedback

Dear colleagues,

Next week there will be a workshop on AI-supported assessment and feedback provided by Olav Tenstad.

The workshop is organized by the ‘Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Health in Bergen’ and is aimed at lecturers in medicine and health at the Faculty of Medicine at UiB, Høgskulen på Vestlandet and Helse Bergen.

When: Thursday June 19th, 13:00 – 16:00

Where: Grupperom 9A110bP, 9th floor at the BBB

For more details and to sign up for the workshop, please got to: https://forms.gle/XbBx5Z6WexLNiRHW6

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Best regards,

Harald