Author Archives: apoih

Reminder: Have you used or/and registered your vacation?

Leave a reply

There are still many who are registered with remaining vacation days in 2024 (paid vacation days). The accounts for K2 show 1611 days in 2024 that have not been used. This reflects approximately 64 employees who have 10 days or more that are not registered. The deadline for registration was October 1st.

We remind you of the importance of everyone entering their vacation for the entire year. This to ensures that everyone gets the rest they need and that the company’s vacation records are accurate.

If you have vacation days left, they must be taken before the end of the year. If you have forgotten to register your vacation, it must be done immediately in the self-service portal.

The link and guidance to the portal can be found here:  Self service Portal | Employee Pages | UiB

Note that you must select the ‘Request for absence’ button and ‘Create Application’.

This weeks edithorial

Leave a reply

Dear everyone,

today is the last day of autumn holiday (for those who have) which I will use to remind everyone that traditionally we have always used autumn to conduct the annual employee appraisals.

All employees with a main position at UiB must have employee appraisals. This also includes PhD candidates, and then it is important to remember that the conversation is not carried out by the supervisor. For employees with a part-time position (or extra employment as it is now called), the research group leader can agree with the employee that it is not necessary.

Employee appraisals are an important arena for clarifying performance expectations, providing mutual feedback and insight into each other’s work situation, and addressing the working environment and conditions at the workplace. For younger researchers in particular, it is important that career planning is included, and that basic pedagogical competence and teaching experience are something they should think about.

Since I am the new head of department, this time I will have employee appraisals with all permanently employed associate professors and professors in main position (at least 50%) in additon to research group leaders and core facility leaders.  According to my list, there will be 49 talks, so I hope that you understand that it will stretch over some time.

Head of Administration Mia Holmaas is responsible for the employee appraisals with employees in the administration.

Otherwise, the conduct of the employee appraisals is delegated to the research group leaders – again a reminder that all employees must belong to a research group. This is a process we are working on, Susanna has already sent out some questions to the research group leaders so that we can make sure that all employees actually receive an employee interview.

Have a great weekend!

Silke

Sabbatical in Denmark? Call for AIAS Visiting Fellowships

Leave a reply

Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies at Aarhus University offers a number of visiting fellowships to outstanding researchers from abroad who are looking for an opportunity to engage in the international and interdisciplinary research community of AIAS and to collaborate with the research environments at Aarhus University (AU).

Visiting fellows will have their daily office space at AIAS, and will have the opportunity to participate in the activities at AIAS and at the relevant research environments at AU. AIAS offers optimal office facilities, and a thriving international and interdisciplinary community with joint social and academic activities.

Application deadlines vary according to start date:

  • May 1, 2025 (noon): for visiting fellowships starting in the fall of 2025.
  • November 1, 2025 (noon): for visiting fellowships starting in the spring of 2026.

https://aias.au.dk/opportunities-at-aias/aias-visiting-fellowships

European Rare Disease Research Alliance (ERDERA)

Leave a reply

ERDERA is a European partnership consisting of over 170 organizations, championed by the European Union. It launched in September 2024 and will provide financial support to collaborative international research projects, clinical trials, and initiatives for knowledge exchange and networking. The Research Council of Norway is a member and calls for funding will be open for Norwegian researchers.

  • There will be annual joint transnational calls . The first call will open in December 2024
  • The multi-stakeholder board is seeking Rare Disease Researchers, Geneticists, Healthcare professionals, education & training professionals, ethics & patient consent experts. Apply by 31 October 2024
  • The ERDERA roadmap will be presented at the launch event on 28-29 October

More information will be posted on ERDERA – European Rare Diseases Research Alliance

Respiratory viruses that cause pandemics

Leave a reply

7 november kl 18.00
Hotel Norge, Nedre Ole Bulls plass 4, Bergen

With an ever growing global population and increased international travel, pandemics are now expected to occur more frequently. Influenza is the most common cause of pandemics during the last century, with the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic causing up to 50 million deaths.

Influenza pandemics occur at unpredictable intervals when a novel virus arises by changing its viral host specificity to spread in humans, with pigs acting as a mixing vessel for avian and human viruses.

Talks:
Nina Langeland: “Covid-19, spredning og komplikasjoner: COVID-19, transmission and complications.”
Rebecca Cox: “Influensavirus som pandemisk agens: Influenza as a pandemic virus.”

https://dnva.no/detskjer/2024/08/luftveisvirus-som-skaper-pandemier

ERC Starting Grant Programme

Leave a reply

Are you interested in applying for an ERC Starting Grant? Are you a researcher with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal?

UiB will organize a Starting Grant Programme consisting of 3 in-person seminars and a digital meeting in February-June 2025. The participants are expected to submit a proposal in October 2025 (deadline not published yet).

If you want to attend the programme, please contact Silke Appel, head of the department.

If you need more information about the programme or ERC Starting grant, please contact your research advisor.

Contact the research advisor:
susanna.pakkasmaa@uib.no

This weeks edithorial – week 40

Leave a reply

On September 20th, the Innovation Festival at the University of Bergen (UiB) was arranged for the first time. It brought together staff and students from all faculties, as well as representatives from companies and organizations that have made significant progress in innovation and establishment processes, or can contribute to such efforts (e.g. the Norwegian Industrial Property Office).

The program struck a good balance between inspiration and specific advice concerning the innovation process and support functions. Some important reminders surfaced, such as: protecting an invention does not necessarily mean applying for a patent. Depending on the product, idea and purpose, one can, for example, enter into a licensing agreement with a company that uses a method or protocol but keeps it secret, or register a trademark.

There were also reflections on the idea that, in our era of open access, one should not necessarily share ideas or inventions just for the sake of openness, but consider the values of one’ inventions and how they can be exploited. Once published, it is usually too late, so this needs to be considered early on.

Professor Daniela Elena Costea from the Department of Clinical Medicine gave an exciting presentation on targeted drug delivery using nanodiamonds. However, innovation can also be an integral part of dissemination. Researcher Irene Baug from the Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion demonstrated how virtual reconstructions of medieval buildings can give a vivid impression of Bergen’s past. There should be ample opportunities for disseminating results from medical research in a similar manner.

The day concluded with the awarding of this year’s UiB Idea grants. Two of the student projects awarded with grants originate from K2: A new external defibrillator by Mads Malm Svenningsson (supervisor Vegard Tuseth) and Kasi – a case study app for medical students by Erlend Thue, Jesper Andreas Viste, Gard Andreas Svendal, Jonas Hodneland Sundfjord, and Trond August Flatås (supervisor Harald Gotten Wiker). Congratulations!

More detailed coverage of the event can be found here.

When the second Innovation Festival is hopefully held in 2025, I hope more K2 staff will take the time to participate.