Monthly Archives: January 2015

Principles for the 2015 K2-budget

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bilde (1)2014 has been a demanding and tight budget year. However, we still managed to close the budget in balance, which was important in order to visualize the good financial management of K2. We have not increased our debts in 2014, but we still have to tackle our old debt of 3.2 million from 2013. Thus, we must outline how we intend to reduce the deficit in the coming years.

The 2015 budget must be in balance despite the extra “burden” of a very good result of the local salary negotiations for K2 employees. The negotiations ended with a 5 % salary increase which increased the annual salary costs at K2 with 2.6 million per year. We will obtain a 3 % salary- and price compensation, but an overall 1.6 % cut by UiB’s central administration brings the overall compensation down to 1,4%. Thus, in order to achieve a balanced budget we have to continue with technician payment of 50 000 per year per technician. We will receive a total of 4 million in operating funds for PhD and Postdocs. Of these, 2.8 million will be spent on the 25 public defenses planned for 2015, and approximately 500.000 will be used to cover the deficits. The remaining 650.000 will be earmarked PhD-Candidates and Postdocs. To compensate, the annual Small Operating Funds of 760.000 will be allocated to PhD-Candidates and Postdocs; candidates from “poor” research groups will have priority (announcement will come in February). As for external funding, it is great to register that there has been a 46 % increase in BOA-funding since the establishment of K2 in 2013.

K2 thus has many “rich” groups, but the department itself has very little room to maneuver. As a result it is almost given how we have to distribute our funding to come deliver a budget in balance.

The budget will be on the agenda at the Institute Council on February 5.
Click here for the budget.

Best regards

 

Eystein Husebye                                                        Synnøve Myhre

Head of Department                                                  Head of Administration

New procedures for forgotten and expired passwords

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As of Friday this week (January 30.), there will be some changes in procedures and rules for passwords to the UiB systems. The changes are made to simplify and facilitate self-service while still maintaining security.

 1) All users must still change their password regularly, at least every 13 months. You will get a warning by e-mail when the passwords is near its expiry date.

2) The rules for how passwords should be made, are simplified. Click here to read the new rules.The new rules are available on

3) If you should forget your password, or did not change it before expiry, you may now log in using ID-porten and set a new password. ID-porten is a common log in solution to public services in Norway. You may use MinID, Bank-ID or a few other means of identification. You will find this logon by going to Sebra and choosing “PASSWORD – Change password”.  Click here for a guide in how to use the new function (in Norwegian) 

 4) If you are not able to log on using ID-porten (this is true for some foreign citizens in particular), you may contact the SEBRA approver in your department, give your mobile number and have the approver order you a one-time log on code to be sent by SMS. A list of approvers can be found here:

5) After having changed your password, you will be asked to submit your mobile phone number. If you do this, you can order a one-time log on code yourself if you should happen to forget your password later. We therefore recommend that you submit your mobile number!

Any questions about these changes or about passwords and security in general, can be directed to the IT Department service desk BRITA on phone 55 58 47 00 or BRITA

 

 

 

From the HSE-Section: Exposure register

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 UiB has a duty to keep a register of all employees and students who are, or could be, exposed to hazardous materials which may cause illness over time.  Based on a module from the material register “EcoOnline”, “EcoExposure” is a person register where one may register singular exposure as well as repeating exposure.  Information course in the exposure register will be arranged March 25 at HIB and March 26 in the BB-Building.  As many as possible are encouraged to participate, both technical staff, scientific staff, PhD-Candidates and students working in a lab.  Deadline for signing up is February 5.
Click here to sign up (in Norwegian):
Glove Safety Course in the BB-Building on February 18.  Click here for information and to sign up (in Norwegian):
We encourage everyone to keep checking the HSE-gateway.  This website is constantly updated with a lot of useful information:

 

 

Ups, we did it again

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bilde (1)

 

 

Last September we learned that Jan Haavik (Biomedicine) and Stefan Johansson landed their first Horizon 2020-project called MiND in the Marie Sklodowska-Curie program, under the pillar Excellent Science. Soon after, Gunnar Mellgren received an ERA-NET grant for a project aiming at studying cancer-preventive effects of diabetes drugs. Both ERA-NET and IMI are specific programs with a thematic focus, thus complementing H2020. With 2 granted projects out of 5 applications, K2 did very well.

Now the results from the first announcement of health-related research projects in Horizon 2020 are being published. Helga Salvesen obtained a grant for a cancer project tied to the pillar Societal Challenges called Female cancer prediction using cervical omics to individualise screening and prevention (FORECEE). Helse Bergen is partner, while UiB represented by K2 is associated partner, so-called 3rd party. Recently we also learned that Cecilie Svanes, affiliated with Center for International Health and Public Health but also a part of the thoracic medicine research group, successfully obtained a grant to study lung health across generations in European cohorts.

Last week I obtained a grant based on the application ULTRADIAN as coordinator, a project focusing on developing dynamic hormone diagnostics. Nine out of 466 applications obtained grants, which gives a success rate of 1.9%. As many as 138 of the 466 projects qualified for round 2. The EU-commission has received criticism for letting too many application through to the final round, so now the bar will be raised in future calls. Another reason for low success rates (1.9-6.9%) was that an unusual high number of applications were submitted.

All in all MOFA still has had a reasonably good start in H2020, but more grants would have been desirable. How does one succeed? Key success factors are to build or participate in strong networks with “EU-experience”, another is to involve industry (SME) as much as possible. K2 is prioritizing administrative resources to those who wish to write applications, and it is also possible to obtain positioning funds (PES) in order free time for application writing, networking, meetings and consultants.

 

Good luck with future applications

Best regards

Eystein Husebye

Political strike 28.01.2015

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A political strike against changes in the The Wokring Environment Act will take place on 28.01 at 14:00-16:00.

As per instructions from the Department, enterprises will deduct salary from employees participating in the strike.

 -All UiB employees planning to leave their work place in order to participate in the strike must warn nearest leader and their union representative as soon as possible, an no later than by the end of Friday 23.01.
– Necessary preparedness must be taken into consideration
– Salary will be deducted for participating in the strike
– Faculties and departments will subsequent to the event submit a list of names to the Payroll Office with copy sent to Division of Human Resources.

 For more information click here (in Norwegian)

Public defence Week 4

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de_bortoliAlessandro De Bortroli
 will have his public defence on Friday January 30, 2015
Trial lecture: Thursday January 29, 2015, 14.15
Topic: ”Atrial fibrillation after Cardiac sugery; mechanisms,prevention,treament and outcome”
Place: Aud 2, BB-bygget, Jonas Lies Vei 91

Public defence: Friday January 30, 2015, 08.15
Place: Aud 4, BB-Bygget, Jonas Lies Vei 91
Title of dissertation: ”Improving the procedural saftey and effcacy of radiofreqency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation”
1st  Opponent: Professor Gûnter Breithardt, Westfalischen  Wilhelms-Universitet
2nd. Opponent : Professor Pekka Raatikainen, University of Eastern Finland

Press release (in Norwegian)
 

 

 

 

Public defence week 4

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Ingrid Kristin Torsvik will have her Public defence on Friday January 30, 2015

Trial lecture: Friday January 30. 2015, 10.15
Topic: “Svangerskap etter overvekts kirurgi; risiko for mor og det nyfødte barnet”
Place: Barneklinikkens auditorium, Jonas Lies vei 65

Public defence: Friday January 30, 2015, 12.15
Place: Barneklinikkens auditorium, Jonas Lies vei 65 
Title of dissertation: “B vitamin and iron status during infancy”
1st opponent Professor Olle Hernell, Universitetet i Umeå, Sverige 
2st opponent : Professor Claus Klingenberg, Norges arktiske universitet, Tromsø

 Pressemelding

 

MIC Course

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MiC will arrange a course in Multimodal Imaging on March 16-20, 2015.  The course has limited capacity, so it is important register early.  Click here for course description and link for signing up. Click here for complete course program.