Dear all,
Please see below the updated links for external funding:
External funding opportunities
Funding opportunities for education
The webpages are updated every second week. New calls are marked as NEW.
Kind regards,
Amra, Ramune and Kaia
In recent years, K2 has had a relatively good economy. This has given us the opportunity to various strategic initiatives, e.g. in bioinformatics, public health studies, nutrition and genomics. The budget for 2020 that the University of Bergen will give to the Faculty of Medicine means a tighter economy for K2. An increase of 8 million NOK is provided as profit growth and a 3% increase as compensation for the price and wage increase. The downside is that UiB deducts 1% in a so-called strategy cut. These funds will be used by UiB to build up a fund that they wish to use for strategic initiatives. 0.5% is also deducted in a efficiency cut. But what really affects the economy is that the rent for our spaces increases by 5.1%. Furthermore, the Faculty loses 7 recruitment positions.
The Faculty is unable to cover all these cuts, so the departments must take some of these, including K2. The employees had a solid increase in salaries in 2019, but UiB’s compensation for the price and wage increases only covers approx. 1/3 of this. K2 must in 2020 therefore financially be more cautious. We have decided that K2 will in 2020 not repeat the K2 Retreat for everyone, but rather focus on a Strategy Seminar for the research group leaders, platform leaders and education leaders as well as an HMS Day for all employees as before. We must also freeze some positions. K2 aims to be in budget balance to have a healthy economy and not be in arrears. It gives us a momentum even if the economy gets tighter.
K2 is the faculty’s largest department and one of the largest at UiB. We perform research, teaching, innovation and communication at the very top of the university sector in Norway. We have reason to be proud of ourselves and what we do!
Have a great weekend!
Travel expenses for travels made in 2019 needs to be reported within the financial year. It is therefore important that you submit travel expenses as soon as possible.
The deadline for registration of travel expenses in the HR portal / PAGA is Monday 16 December.
In order to secure at swift and correct processing, we remind you to:
-attach all required receipts
-let us know for witch project/annum that you want to charge the expenses
Here are recent publications with contributions from K2 based on last week’s search on PubMed (and optionally articles that have not been included in previous lists). This time the list includes in total 9 recent publications. The entries appear in the order they were received from NCBI. If you have publications that are not included in this or previous lists, please send the references to Hege F. Berg.
Dear all,
Please see below the updated links for external funding:
External funding opportunities
Funding opportunities for education
The webpages are updated every second week. New calls are marked as NEW.
Kind regards,
Amra, Ramune and Kaia
K2 has appointed Professor Audun Nerland as GMO responsible at the institute. Background and work instructions are as follows:
In spring 2013, K2 was notified of an inspection by the Directorate of Health (HOD) regarding work in the laboratories with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The K2 management hence asked Professor Audun Nerland for help because he had worked on such matters at the former Gades institute and the Institute of Marine Research. The inspection resulted in both K2 and the Faculty being instructed to give training to their staff working on GMO.
Because of this, Nerland organized an internal course for staff at both the Faculty and Haukeland University Hospital. He later took the initiative to create and teach at a new university course (HUMGEN302) for students and fellows on regulations for working with GMOs.
The Gene Technology Act instructs us:
– that the laboratories are approved according to the risk level of GMO work
– that a notification / application is submitted about the work, which includes a risk assessment (project application); For work in risk classes 3 and 4, there must also be an impact assessment of what can happen if the relevant GMO is accidentally released into the environment
– that protocols for the work are written properly
– that the staff involved in the work receive thorough training
– that waste management and transport of GMOs are carried out in accordance with the regulations
– that there is a contingency plan in case the GMO unintentionally releases into the environment
It is important to have good procedures for GMO work in the laboratories in the event of an accident. We must expect new inspections from the Directorate of Health. Furthermore, there are frequent questions from both staff at K2 and other institutes about how applications should be designed and work routines / safety when it comes to working with GMOs, and there is a need or representation in various committees and resource groups. Therefore, I have found it necessary to have someone who is formally GMO responsible at K2.
The GMO responsible at K2 shall:
1. Advise those who are going to write applications / reports on working with GMOs (project applications).
2. Coordinate applications for approval of laboratories for work with GMOs.
3. Make sure we have an up-to-date database of applications / approvals for laboratories and projects.
4. Conduct inspections to ensure that the laboratories are organized in accordance with the regulations and that work is carried out satisfactorily.
5. Provide training as required by law, eg. through an e-learning course
6. Together with the HMS Manager, make sure that the “Guidelines for working with GMOs” is updated.
7. Establish a local GMO risk assessment committee.
8. Prepare an overall contingency plan in case of accidental release of GMOs.
9. Be in contact regarding GMO issues with the Faculty / UiB / Directorate of Health / Ministries.
10. Create a website for information and help with applications etc.
Thank you to Audun for his good work so far and for taking on this important task.
Have a great weekend!
Dear Researchers from the Department of Clinical Medicine (K1), Department of Clinical Science (K2) and Helse-Bergen. You are hereby invited to present your work to fellow researchers and the general audience at the 14th Annual Research Presentations arranged by the Research School in Clinical Medicine 22rd-24th January 2020.
If you have presented a poster or had an oral presentation at a scientific meeting or a conference in 2019, you are welcome to present your work at our conference. You can submit one contribution – either a poster or an oral presentation.
Poster presentation:
Oral presentations:
Prizes:
A scientific committee appointed by the Research School will evaluate all presentations held by PhD students and postdocs/researchers. Prizes will be awarded to the best posters/presentations.
Submission:
Fill out the submission form here.
If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us through this e-mail.
Deadline for submission: 1st of December 2019.
Here are recent publications with contributions from K2 based on last week’s search on PubMed (and optionally articles that have not been included in previous lists). This time the list includes in total 3 recent publications. The entries appear in the order they were received from NCBI. If you have publications that are not included in this or previous lists, please send the references to Hege F. Berg.
Dear all,
Please see below the updated links for external funding:
External funding opportunities
Funding opportunities for education
The webpages are updated every second week. New calls are marked as NEW.
Kind regards,
Amra, Ramune and Kaia
I am writing this editorial on the World Diabetes Day. This is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight. It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who was one of the discoverers of insulin in 1922.
World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225.
The World Diabetes Day campaign aims to be the platform to promote by International Diabetes Federation advocacy efforts throughout the year, and to be the global driver to promote the importance of taking coordinated and concerted actions to confront diabetes as a critical global health issue.
The campaign is represented by a blue circle logo that was adopted in 2007 after the passage of the UN Resolution on diabetes. The blue circle is the global symbol for diabetes awareness. It signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes epidemic.
Every year, World Diabetes Day has a specific theme which runs over one or multiple years. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2018-19 is Family and Diabetes.
Several initiatives are also happening in Norway. One is to put emphasis on diabetes research. The Diabetes Association has a long tradition of distributing research funding to a wide range of diabetes research through the Diabetes Association Research Fund. The Diabetes Association’s Research Award was for the first time awarded in 2017, and aims to stimulate more Norwegian diabetes research. The award committee consists of recognized Nordic researchers.
Simon Dankel and I were invited as previous prize winners (Simon won the Research Award for Young Researchers in 2018, I the senior Research Award in 2017) at the award ceremony at the University of Oslo’s Aula and following dinner at Hotel Bristol. Professor Kåre Birkeland at the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital received the Diabetes Association’s Research Award, for his efforts to improve the treatment of type 2 diabetes and to understand the underlying mechanisms of the disease. Postdoctoral candidate Christine Sommer, who won the Research Award for Younger Researchers, has excelled in Norway and internationally for her research on gestational diabetes.
A very special honor was awarded to Professor Emeritus Kristian Folkvord Hanssen at the University of Oslo receiving the King’s Fortjenestemedalje for his long efforts to better treatment of diabetes. Of extra relevance to us here in Bergen is that his grandfather was Olav Hanssen, a former famous physician and researcher at Haukeland University Hospital. Congratulations to the three winners!!!
Enjoy the week end!