Monthly Archives: September 2014
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Week 38/2014.
The Animal Lab Facility; a core facility at K1
The Lab Animal Facility is the foundation for essential parts of the research at the Faculty. K1 is responsible for this unit. The financial situation of the Facility must be consolidated. This will be accomplished through internal efficiency and saving measures, as well as through increasing rates on housing and services.
The most demanding research operations at the Faculty, in terms of funding and scientific competence, are organized as core facilities. All core facilities have their own base budget, but a large part of their financing comes from renting services and infrastructure to research groups. The budget encompasses not only daily operations, but also purchasing and maintaining equipment. New scientific possibilities are to be developed and implemented. The financial model will be based on accounting numbers and follow the principles shared by all core facilities.
The Lab Animal Facility will have to initiate two parallel processes to achieve a better budget balance. Revenues must be increased, meaning higher rates on user payments. The Animal Lab Facility must also save more money compared to current daily operations, particularly on salary expenses.
The demand for budget improvement for the forthcoming year is 1.5 million NOK. The Lab Animal Facility and the financial sections will look into the practical consequences of this demand. New facility user rates will be decided in a few weeks. The role of user input in terms of work load and participation on projects will be defined in each project and play a part in the financial discussion. It is important that research groups, departments and The Lab Animal Facility all co-operate during initial application processing to determine a correct calculations of costs as well as pre-assuring necessary capacities. Low priority projects and/or projects with a weak funding base may be denied. In applications for competition-exposed funding, expenses for using The Lab Animal Facility must be calculated correctly.
Researchers, The Animal Lab Facility and its academic advisory group and department management will be the principal participants in the scientific priorities implied in this process. The economic framework for the enterprise and demands for financing and budgets will be more clearly formulated by K1 in dialogue with the Faculty and other departments. The base funding for K1 and the Faculty has developed in such a way that it bears direct impact on daily operations.
Alongside handling the difficult budget situation of today, it is important to assess available academic resources regarding competence and practical functions. The task of The Lab Animal Facility is to contribute actively to research in the forefront of the international biomedical science fields.
Nils Erik Gilhus Rolf K. Reed Eystein S. Husebye
Head of Department K1 Head of Department IBM Head of Department K2
Obituary Michael Brauckhoff
Michael Brauckhoff died suddenly on his way to work Wednesday morning, September 10 2014, at age 48. It was a very heavy and unexpected news to receive.
Michael Brauckhoff was appointed professor at the University of Bergen and chief physician at the Department of Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, in 2008. His great dedication, skills and commitment made him an outstanding clinician, researcher and teacher. He was both a genuine scientist and a skilled physician appreciated by patients. He was a highly respected surgeon with additional offices in the national and international endocrine surgical community.
The spouse and three children have suffered an irreplaceable loss. We have lost an exceptionally talented and beloved colleague.
Turid Aas and Jan Erik Varhaug
on behalf of the colleagues
UoBs first Horizon2020 project awarded K2 and IBM
We wish to congratulate Professor Stefan Johansson from K2 and Professor Jan Haavik from Department of Biomedicine with the grant from EU’s 8th Framework Programme, Horizon 2020. The grant is allocated the interdisciplinary research network MiND which focuses on ADD and autism, and where UiB is a partner.
Read more about the allocation here (in Norwegian).
Parking outside the laboratory building
It is a recurrent problem that people park their cars in the guest spots at the parking lot outside the 8th floor of the Laboratory Building without having reserved the spot in advance. As long as you do not have an allocated spot, ALL parking in the guest parking spots must be approved by either Lars or Klaus in the 8th floor reception in advance.
Parking in the handicap spots is not allowed without a valid handicap certificate.
Public defence week 38
Hogne Sønnesyn will have his public defence on Friday September 19, 2014.
Trial lecture: Friday September 19, 2014, 09:15
Topic: «Autonom dysfunksjon – risikofaktor for utvikling og forverring av demens?»
Public defence: Friday September 19, 2014, 10:30
Place: Aula 2nd floor, South Building, Stavanger University Hospital
Title of dissertation: «Frequency and prognostic implications of orthostatic hypotension and white matter hyperintensities in older people with mild dementia»
1st opponent: Professor Torgeir Bruun Wyller, University of Oslo
2nd opponent: Ph.d. Sverre Bergh, Sykehuset Innlandet, Ottestad
Poster and press release (both in Norwegian)
Horizon 2020: Stakeholder Consultation for the Societal Challenge “Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing”
The Commission has released a short questionnaire for contributors to add to the stakeholder consultation on the development of the 2016-17 work programme for the Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing societal challenge. This consultation questionnaire forms part of a broader effort by the Commission to consult stakeholders on the future direction of this societal challenge. The deadline for submission to the consultation is 20 September. For more information.
Fulbright Grants for Norwegian Citizens
The Norwegian Fulbright program offers a wide range of long- and short-term opportunities for Norwegian citizens to study, conduct research and teach in the United States. Deadline is October 1st. For more information. You can read more about former grantees’ experiences here.
Novo Nordisk Fonden Exploratory pre-seed grants
The exploratory pre-seed program is a stimulus fund established to accelerate commercialization of biomedical research findings and development of novel technologies within the life sciences. The program seeks to support application-oriented research and to test new ideas that may lead to the development of new medical treatments, disease prevention, devices and diagnostic methods as well as new industrial biotechnology in the life science area. Deadline is October 16th.
For more information.
New Publications
Week 37/2014.
What is required in order to be a good lecturer?
The autumn’s most important day is approaching: The K2 Exam and teaching seminar. At the registration deadline 69 lecturers had signed up for the annual supplementary training, which is one of K2’s most important efforts to elevate the teaching quality. What is actually required in order to be a good lecturer? Completed training in pedagogical competence? This is a demand for lecturers in principal employment, but not for the many lecturers employed temporarily or in co-positions. Is it important to implement e-learning tools? Or is it better to bring chalk along, so that one may use the blackboard in the auditorium? Is it perhaps most important that one learns how to upload pdf-versions of the lecture notes at My Page? Or is obtaining higher salary subsequent to the local salary negotiations what provides inspiration to do a good job as lecturer? Well, this, and many other issues, you may ponder and discuss with colleagues interested in teaching at Hotel Terminus on Wednesday 17.09.14. We begin with lunch at 12.
Eva