Monthly Archives: December 2014

New routines for candidate numbering

As of January 1st 2015, the University of Bergen will change its routine for candidate numbering on exams.  This means that the students’ student number will no longer be used as candidate number.  Instead, the candidates will be given a unique candidate number for each individual exam.  With this change in routine, UiB will have the same arrangement as other universities and colleges in Norway.
For more information (in Norwegian)

The teaching records system will be phased out

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry has decided to no longer use the teaching records system which has been used in the last few years.  This decision is based on technical challenges with the system, and the fact that it is difficult to ensure sufficient data quality.  Instead of the individual lecturer having to register his/her teaching activities, the faculty will attempt to retrieve data from Felles studentsystem (FS) as a basis for teaching records.  For more information (in Norwegian)

Announcement of Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degrees

Erasmus-plus_logoDivision of Student Affairs has announced funding for Erasmus Munduns, Joint Master Degrees (EMJMD), with application deadline March 4, 2015. Institutes interested in applying for funding should apply via the faculty, who will provide a new application to Division of Student Affairs.   Any plans regarding the establishment (or termination) of academic study programmes must also be included in the institute’s education reports. Click here for announcement letter with more information(in Norwegian). Click here for complete program guide.

COST: New research networks – medical and health related research

Cost logo bildeCOST is a European network organization where most European countries participate.  An important task for COST is to promote European research collaboration by initiating scientific networks.  It has now been decided that COST-actions related to COST’s committee “Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences (BMBS)” will be initiated.  Click here for more information about this actions.  For more information about COST-actions in general, click here.  For application form, click here.  Note: All links are in Norwegian.  For general information about COST in English, see

Exam time and pre-Christmas activities

Eva Gerdts

So we are in advent again, and many courses will have exams before the autumn semester comes to an end on 12.12.14. This is a busy time for both students, lecturers, censors and the academic administration.  In addition, detailed planning of new curriculum for the school of medicine is ongoing.  This issue was once again on the agenda at the Faculty Board meeting on 26.11.14.  The framework for teaching and exams was approved.  In the future curriculum there will be at most 19 hours of scheduled teaching activities every week, and there will be exams at the end of each semester covering the multi-disciplinary learning goals.  In addition, at the end of 3rd and 6th year, a practical station exam (OSCE-exam) will take place.  Each semester, a semester council responsible for teaching and exam activities will be established, and K2 will be responsible for three of these semester councils, as well as for final exams on the 6th study year.  In order for the semester councils to have as strong a foundation as possible for its important work, it is now time for the heads of the academic sections, in coordination with people in charge of courses and topics, to gather lecturers and plan when and how teaching will be done of the individual topics in the new curriculum.  A detailed plan for distribution of study credits between courses in different semesters is the starting point for this important work.  The new curriculum will be implemented for first-year students from autumn 2015 and onwards, and in autumn 2016 a new curriculum will also be implemented for fourth-year students.  Thus there will be a 4-year period where teaching will follow both the new and the old curriculum.  I know that several academic sections are already well underway with this work, and it is important to finish our part of the teaching planning as soon as possible.  I kindly ask this to be sent to head of academic affairs within January 31, 2015.  Updated information on the new curriculum is available at http://www.uib.no/mofa/63484/ny-studieplan-medisinstudiet-ved-uib (in Norwegian)

Good luck with this important work!

Eva

Horizon 2020 – Spotlight: Scoping papers Work programmes 2016/17

Scoping papers are working documents, sent to the Programme Committee for the Horizon 2020 Specific Programme for discussion in the context of the preparation of the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017. As such, information and descriptions of activities indicated in this document may not appear in the adopted Work Programme 2016-2017, and likewise, new elements may be introduced.

The scoping papers released so far set out in more detail the coming main priorities for each part of the Horizon 2020 Work Programme. Member States, European stakeholders and initiatives from society and industry, as well as Horizon 2020 Advisory Groups have been consulted throughout 2014, and their input has been taken into account for strategic programming and drafting the scoping papers. After another round of Advisory Groups consultations on developing the Work Programme contents, the adoption of the Work Programme for 2016-2017 is planned in the third quarter of 2015.

The Horizon 2020 Strategic Programming Document which gives guidance for the development of the Work Programme 2016-2017 defines the key priorities for the framework program 2016/17 and the Focus Areas which are relevant to Pillar 2 (Industrial Leadership) and 3 (Societal Challenges). Compared to the current programme where 12 Focus Areas had been identified, the draft specifies 9 candidate areas whereof 3 are new ones: Internet of Things, Automated road transport and Industry 2020 and Circular Economy. Personalizing health and care which has been a focus area of the last strategic programme, does not longer appear, but will still have its anchoring within the Societal Challenges Pillar as one individual Call on Promoting healthy ageing and personalised healthcare. 5 subareas are specified in the scoping paper on “Health, demographic change and well-being”:

1. Ageing: from early development to the elderly
2. Translational research
3. Population health and health promotion & sustainable health and care systems
4. Infectious diseases
5. ICT for health

The scoping papers are, although they are confidential documents, available at certain websites and through the national Research Councils. You can look at them here.

Follow-up of the HSE-seminar

As a follow-up to the HSE-seminar we had this autumn, we would like to remind everyone about performance appraisals for 2014. Performance appraisals should be conducted with nearest leader.  Everyone employed in principal employment should be offered a performance appraisal.  Technicians and PhD-Candidates will conduct their performance appraisals with their research group leader.  Those who have not been offered a performance appraisal in 2014 should contact their research group leader.  Professors with principal employment will be offered performance appraisals in 2015 when the new Head of Department is employed.

hms

Network Luncheon – Bergen Postgraduate School of Clinical Medical research

The research school would like to invite all interested PhD-Candidates to a network luncheon on Monday December 15 at 11:30 in the Conference room, 3rd floor, BB-Building.  The following candidates will present their research this time:

1.  Øystein Solberg Eikrem, PhD candidate.

Title:”Correlation of Transcriptome Sequencing Data from Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded vs. RNAlater® stored Kidney Biopsies” Group:Renal Research Group. K1.

2.  Yunpeng Ding,  PhD candidate.

Title:  “Plasma glycine levels and risk of coronary artery disease in patients with suspected stable angina pectoris”. K2.

After the presentation a delicious lunch will be served – free of charge!

Please send an e-mail if you are interested in participating to Hildur.skuladottir@gmail.com

forskerskolen_2

Midway evaluations week 50

Laeya Abdoli Najmi
Wednesday December 10, at 13:45-14:45
Place: Seminar room, 9th floor, Laboratory Building
For more information click here.

Andre Sulen
Friday December 12, at 10:00-11:00
For more information click here
Place: Seminar room, 7th floor, Laboratory Building

Leslie Sofia Pareja Eide
Tuesday December 9, at 08:30-09:45
Place: SAS Hotel, Bryggen
For more information click here.

Public defence week 50

moyo_sabrina_picture_2Sabrina John Moyo will have her public defence on Monday December 8, 2014.

Trial lecture: Monday December 8, 2014, 09:15

Topic: “Molecular diagnostics – a means to reduce burden of disease in children in resource poor settings?”

Public defence: Monday December 8, 2015, 11:15
Place: Aud.1, BB-building, Jonas Lies vei 91

Title of dissertation: “Viral diarrhea in children under two years of age in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania”

1st opponent: Ph.d. Johan Nordgren, Linköping University, Sweden

2nd opponent: Ph.d. Frank Olav Pettersen, Oslo University Hospital

Poster    Press release