Daily Archives: Thursday November 14th, 2024

Leader of the week

Ten of the Research Council of Norway’s (RCN) new portfolio boards are in the process of developing portfolio plans for research and innovation calls. The portfolio boards are responsible for distributing around nine billion NOK annually, and the portfolio plans guide the academic, thematic, and strategic allocation of funds. These plans are governance documents that aim to contribute to predictability and clarity in funding guidelines. The portfolio plans should be short and overarching, and will be detailed in an investment plan that is updated annually. The new plans will be presented to the RCN board in February 2025.

To ensure that the plans are based on updated knowledge and take various perspectives into account, RCN is organizing digital input meetings. In these meetings, the goals, priorities, and measures in the draft portfolio plans are presented, and participants have the opportunity to provide input. The digital input meetings take place from October 2024 to January 2025 and are open (anyone can register). There is now one remaining input meeting for Welfare and education on December 17, and one for Democracy and global development on January 8.

In the portfolio board meeting for innovation in October, representatives from a wide range of stakeholders participated, including FFA (Joint Arena of the Research Institutes e.g. NORCE, SINTEF), UHR (Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions), and individual institutions, including UoB. It emerged that the current draft of the portfolio plan for innovation was considered a good starting point, while views on priorities differed. One point that clearly divided opinions was the extent to which allocations should contribute to competence generation and -transfer. Should it be “other” portfolios that contribute to the education of researchers, while in the innovation portfolio funds go directly to operations and investment in innovation projects without emphasizing the competence aspect? Some argued that “this is not the portfolio we should use to educate PhD candidates,” while others emphasized the importance of having at least one project partner as an R&D provider to promote transfer of knowledge.

As we know, RCN isin a restructuring process, but it can still play an important future role as a funding source for K2 research. It may be useful to participate in the remaining input meetings to get an impression of the direction the portfolio plans are moving in and to familiarize yourself with the new portfolio plans when they are available.

Finally, I would like to remind you of the deadlines for nominations for the L. Meltzer’s College Fund awards, which is December 1. Nominations can be made by all professors and department heads at the University of Bergen. You can nominate candidates for the Meltzer Award for Young Researchers, the Meltzer Award for Outstanding Research Dissemination, and the Meltzer Award for Outstanding Research (the latter will be awarded for the first time in 2025). More information here: https://meltzerfondet.w.uib.no/sjekkliste/

Seminar: Ten years with the Health Care 21 strategy

Jonas Gahr Støre, who was then the Minister of Health, initiated the HelseOmsorg21 strategy. The goal was to create a targeted and holistic effort for research and innovation in health and care. Now, ten years later, we are taking stock. How has it gone and what have we learned?

What have we done well where we have succeeded? And what will be important going forward with a changing world, an increasing proportion of elderly people, staff shortages in services, and a digital shift? These are some of the questions that will be discussed at this seminar hosted by the HelseOmsorg21 Council.

At the seminar, you will hear success stories from the ten-year period and gain insight into which success stories we need going forward to achieve the vision of Knowledge, innovation, and business development for better public health.

You will meet people who have worked closely with the strategy, and people with international experience who can provide us with inspiration and benchmarking from an international perspective. Does Norway have what it takes to succeed internationally in research, innovation, and business development?

November 25th, 08:30–10:00

https://www.forskningsradet.no/arrangementer/2024/ti-ar-med-helseomsorg21/

(only available in Norwegian)

ERA4Health Partnership has pre-announced the Joint Transnational Call 2025:

Fostering Pragmatic Comparative-Effectiveness Trials in Non-communicable Diseases (EffecTrial)

Aim of the call:

– to support randomised, interventional and pragmatic comparative-effectiveness multi-country Investigator-Initiated Clinical Studies (IICS)

– to encourage and enable transnational collaboration between clinical/public health research teams (from hospital/ public health, healthcare settings and other healthcare organisations) that conduct comparative-effectiveness multi-country IICS.

These interventions shall have high public relevance only in the fields of these specific diseases or conditions (that are of equal importance):

  • Cardiovascular diseases
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Nutrition and lifestyle-related diseases
  • Non-communicable respiratory diseases

The projects will require collaboration with several European countries. 300.000 EUR for the Norwegian partners (400.000 if coordinating).

Deadline for preproposals: 28 January 2025

Breakfast seminar

Breakfast Seminar – The Good Work Environment Changing Work Life –

What About the Work Environment?

Occupational Health – Psychosocial Work Environment – Regulations

Digital Breakfast Seminar on November 26th on Zoom from 08:30 to 10:00

We invite you to this year’s fourth breakfast seminar on November 26th about occupational health, the psychosocial work environment, and regulations. We have invited the Norwegian Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI) and the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority. How is the state of the work environment in Norway, and what can potential changes in the regulations for the psychosocial work environment contribute?

STAMI publishes a Fact Book on Work Environment and Health every three years. The Fact Book provides status and trends for the work environment and health in Norway. STAMI’s director, Therese Hanvold, stated at the launch that “the Norwegian work environment is generally good. We have high employment and low temporary employment, fewer work injuries and work-related deaths, and a high degree of job satisfaction, job motivation, and job attachment. Nevertheless, we need to take steps to get more people to participate in working life. The Fact Book helps identify the most important challenges so that efforts for the work environment can be targeted and effective,” says the STAMI director. Department Director Cathrine H. Ljoså, NOA/STAMI, will review some important trends at the Breakfast Seminar.

In October, the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority issued a consultation on changes to the Working Environment Act and the Regulation on the Performance of Work to clarify the regulations on the psychosocial work environment. The note proposes changes to the Working Environment Act, in addition to proposing clarifying regulatory provisions that will clarify the requirements of the work environment regulations for the psychosocial work environment. We have invited Senior Advisor Kristin Johansen Cock to explain the proposal.

Program:

  • 08:30 – 08:40 Welcome by June Vibecke K. Indrevik, the university’s chief safety representative (UHVO), and Michael Riisøen, the university’s deputy chief safety representative
  • 08:40 – 09:25 Latest news on the state of the work environment in Norway. How does the work environment affect our health, and what is important to consider in preventive work? By Cathrine H. Ljoså, Department Director NOA/STAMI
  • 09:25 – 09:50 Changes in the work environment regulations for the psychosocial work environment by Senior Advisor Kristin Cock, Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority
  • 09:50 – 10:00 Questions and thank you for today. Questions can be asked during the seminar by entering questions in the chat or raising your hand.

The seminar will be held digitally on Tuesday, November 26th, from 08:30 to 10:00 on Zoom, and you can register here:

Breakfast Seminar (Webinar) – The Good Work Environment on November 26th

Register by the end of the working day on November 25th. An invitation with a link to the seminar will be sent automatically. Information with the link and program will also be sent to all registrants the day before the seminar.

Hosts: June-Vibecke K. Indrevik, the university’s chief safety representative (UHVO) UiB, and Michael P. Riisøen, deputy UHVO UiB.

Welcome!

Is artificial intelligence (AI) sustainable?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is both a scientific discipline, an engineering discipline, a business model and a tool. So what does it mean to operate with “sustainable” AI? Come and hear what two leading UiB experts, Jill Walker Rettberg and Marija Slavkovik, think about the topic.

19.11.2024 – 16.30–18.00
Science building, Allegaten 41, Auditorium 1

https://www.uib.no/nt/172924/er-kunstig-intelligens-ki-b%C3%A6rekraftig

(only available in Norwegian)

 

Professional morning with web and design: Clear language and how to write well for the web.

Morning Session on Web and Design: Clear Language and How to Write Well for the Web

Do you want to create websites that work well? Come and learn why clear language is important and beneficial for both our users and UiB. We will provide you with a simple checklist for good content.

19.11.2024 Time: 08:30–09:30
Location: Smauet Café (Nygårdsgaten 5, 2nd floor)

Fagmorgen med web og design: Klart språk og hvordan skrive godt for web. | Kommunikasjonsavdelingen | UiB

(only available in Norwegian)

37 million for cancer research at UiB

The Cancer Society is showering UiB and Helse Bergen with funds this year. Oleksii Nikolaienko will use the money to learn more about who is at risk of getting cancer.

“It is great to receive this recognition that we are doing something people support,” says Oleksii Nikolaienko at the Mohn Cancer Research Laboratory at the Department of Clinical Science 2, UiB and Haukeland University Hospital.

He is leading one of a total of eight projects from Bergen that have received money from the Cancer Society in this year’s allocation. Five of the projects are owned and operated by the University of Bergen. In total, Helse Bergen and UiB are awarded 61 million NOK.

From K2, Professor Bjørn Tore Gjertsen is also receiving funds from the Cancer Society.

https://www.uib.no/med/174081/37-millioner-til-kreftforskning-ved-uib

(only available in Norwegian)

Defense | 27/11/24 | Amit Bansal

THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE

UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN

DEFENSE OF THE PH.D. DEGREE

Amit Bansal

The candidate is from the Department of Clinical Science 2

Main Supervisor: Professor Rebecca Cox
Co-Supervisor: Professor Kristin G-I Mohn

Trial Lecture: Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 10:15 AM

Location: Large Auditorium, Central Block, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65

Assigned Topic: “Marburg virus disease in healthcare workers in Rwanda and in high-income countries – challenges and solutions”

Defense: Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 12:15 PM

Location: Large Auditorium, Central Block, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65

Thesis Title: “SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers, and biomarkers of long COVID”

  1. Opponent: Professor Anke-Hilse Maitland-van der Zee, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Netherlands
  2. Opponent: Associate Professor Magnus Paulsson, Lund University, Sweden.
  3. Committee Member: Researcher Randi J. Bertelsen, University of Bergen

The defense will be led by Professor Piotr Mydel.

Open to all interested parties

Meltzer and UiB fund

 

There are a number of foundations with research and education at the University of Bergen as their statutory purposes. These foundations announce funds that both employees and students can apply for, and some of the foundations also have external applicants within their statutory purposes. The largest of these foundations is the L. Meltzer College Fund, and there are also about 25 other foundations from which funds can be applied for.

This portal provides an overview of the foundations from which it is possible to apply for funds. Information is provided about each foundation and its purpose, who can apply, and what can be applied for.

The application deadline for 2025 will be 01.12.2024.

Link to the portal: https://fond.app.uib.no/apex/f?p=182:1 (only available in Norwegian)

Best regards,
Kurt