Category Archives: This week’s editorial

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Spring is coming early this year and I have no doubt that I dislike the fact that winter is on the retreat. Big change this year compared to what we are used to in Western Norway. Changes are something we are also experiencing in the UiB context. The challenges are clear in terms of finances and organization and many are worried about the consequences for both education and research. On the Stavanger campus, this week we had a meeting in a joint education council between the faculty of UiB and SUS, led by Vice Dean Marit Øylo. Clinic managers from SUS, coordinators and management from the medical faculty meet there and discuss matters relevant to both the Westland physician and practice students (2015). SUS will move all somatic day care activities to the new SUS on 16/11. Then both practice and education activities will have to be adapted – a lot of logistics and new considerations to take. We believe that this unique experience for the students can also have unique learning value. Recruitment for positions and the development of Campus Stavanger will continue to be important (as part of the new multi-campus model). The new hospital will provide better conditions for both UiB employees and students – we are looking forward to it. The opportunities for cooperation in both education and research between the hospitals are increasing – we must take advantage of that!
Have a good winter – or spring – or whatever it will be this year

Best,

Svein skeie

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The report “Health Industry Export”, prepared by Menon Economics with input from several stakeholders, including LO, NHO, Abelia, IKT-Norge, the Norwegian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (LMI), the Directorate of Health, the Research Council of Norway, and the Oslo Cancer Cluster, was published recently.

While there are signs of increased revenue, employment, and exports within this sector, there is a negative trend in R&D investments, industrial production, and general investments. The profitability of the health industry has weakened in recent years. The pharmaceutical industry accounts for 74 percent of the health industry’s total exports, but a few large pharmaceutical companies represent a major share.

The pharmaceutical industry is an example of an R&D-intensive sector, and the report reveals challenges such as declining use of NRC SkatteFUNN and fewer patents. The number of SkatteFUNN projects, which are intended to stimulate increased R&D in the business sector, has fallen by 17% from 2021 to 2023.

Meanwhile, researchers in Norwegian academic institutions are beginning to feel the economic tightening affecting the sector. The 2024 report from the Research Association’s survey detailing employees’ experience clearly shows researchers’ concerns that the lack of investment in the field will result in weakened research quality and reduced innovation potential. They fear less time and energy for actual research activities, applying for external funding, and not least for the creative process of coming up with new ideas. Innovation is a surplus phenomenon that requires energy, time, and forums that facilitate interdisciplinary meetings. Outcomes may take time to materialize, and will not be visible in the next annual report.

Against this background, the findings in the Menon report may not be so surprising. The gap between ambitions and conditions becomes apparent. Perhaps the new situation will drive innovation according to the saying “necessity is the mother of invention”. Innovative approaches can be part of the solutions to present challenges in and of themselves. It remains to be seen how the sector will adapt to the new realities, but it is clear that both challenges and opportunities are ahead.

Leader of the week

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Dear everyone,

I hope everyone is updated on the fact that the faculty has set up a working group led by Frode Berven (head of the Department of Biomedicine) that will propose measures to reduce the faculty’s total land use (campus Bergen) by at least 10%. Here it is important to find contiguous areas we can give up. Our representative in the working group is Lars Herfindal, feel free to make suggestions to him.

As written before, K1 and K2 have already begun the process of densification and are now in the process of vacating some areas that the hospital will take over. Saved rent and operating costs benefit K1 and K2 directly.

A small update on technician mapping: now it is time for research group and core facility leaders to fill in a questionnaire (deadline 23.2.25). After the winter holidays, we will invite them to dialogue meetings, and then we will continue these talks with the technicians. All information for technicians can be found on the teams channel that has been created, so remember to go in there and check regularly.

All our associate professors and professors (at least 50%) as well as researchers/postdocs who are PI have to participate in the BOA workshops after the winter holidays, registration link will be sent out soon.

And last but not least: Congratulations to Stian Knappskog who has been awarded a NFR grant!

Have a great weekend!

Silke

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Dear all,

A lot of important work is currently underway to coordinate the 2015 model for medical studies and the Western Norway MD pilot into one common study model for medical education in Western Norway. Many are and more will be involved in a broad survey to find the best possible feasible solution to ensure good medical education throughout Western Norway.
In the new multi-campus model, all medical students will be gathered here in Bergen for the first three years of their studies, while for the last three years, the students will be distributed between Bergen, Stavanger, Førde and Haugesund. The students will then receive all practical training and teaching in the same place. The same subjects will be covered in the same part of the programme, which will make it possible to provide good collaboration with good synergies. At the same time, local adaptations are crucial.

Patient contact through courses and, not least, practice in hospitals and in the primary health service is emphasised, as this is of great importance in order to be able to take on the role of doctor in a good way. As in all education of health personnel, it is crucial to have close collaboration between the hospital/health axis and the university axis. Together we are strong! The hospitals in the Western Norway as well as the primary health service are central in the planning work for adjusting the medical programme to a common multi-campus model.

This autumn, the first 20 students who will take the last three years of their medical studies in Førde will start, and they will go to Førde in the autumn of 2028. In Stavanger, the first students are now at the 4th and 5th year of study in the Vestlandslegen, and this is in parallel with the continuation of the 2015-model practice which will gradually be scaled down and will in the spring of 2027 have been transferred to Bergen in its entirety.

All good input to ensure the best possible education of doctors in Western Norway is welcome!

I wish you all a really good weekend!

Camilla

 

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Dear everyone!

This year is a super election year for us: there will be elections for a new rector’s office, university board, faculty board and department council. This is an important opportunity for students and staff to influence decisions that shape our academic environment.

First up is the rector election (24-27 March 2025). There are 2 rector candidates, each with their own team, standing for election: current rector Margreth Hagen with a new team consisting of Pro-Rector Sigrunn Eliassen, Kjell-Morten Myr (Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Infrastructure) and Kristoffer Chelsom Vogt (Vice-Rector for Research and Internationalisation); and Lise Øvreås, who is running for election with Pro-Rector candidate Endre Tvinnereim, Marit Øilo (Vice-Rector for Education), Anne K. Bang (Vice-Rector for Internationalisation) and Karsten Specht (Vice-Rector for Innovation and Infrastructure).

The next election will be the election of new members to the University Board (the election period is 2-7 May 2025). Here the election is for

      • two members and at least 2 deputy members of and among group A (permanent employees in academic positions)
      • one member and at least 2 deputy members of and among group B (temporary staff in an academic position)
      • one member and at least 2 deputies of and among group C (technical and administrative staff).

How to submit proposals for members to the University Board

  • The proposal must be signed by at least the same number of proposers as the number of candidates the proposal contains (groups A, B and C each constitute their own constituency). No one can sign more than one proposal.
  • The proposed candidates must be eligible and asked if they wish to stand for election
  • Candidates must understand Norwegian
  • The proposal will be sent to valgstyret@uib.no by 5 March at 12.00 noon.

In June, the elections will be held for the Faculty Board and the Department Council.

The deadline for proposals for members (groups A, B and C) is set for Friday 4 April 2025 at 3 pm (applies to both the faculty board and the department council)

Proposals should be sent/delivered to the Election Committee’s secretary, Gjert Bakkevold, Faculty Secretariat (Amauer Hansen’s House 4th floor, room 416).

In order for a proposal to be legally submitted, the following requirements apply:

  • The proposal must be in writing.
  • A proposal for a candidate for a governing body must be submitted by at least the same number of proposers as the number of candidates the proposal contains.
  • A proposer cannot propose himself or herself as a candidate.
  • Those proposed must be eligible for election.
  • If a candidate is proposed who can claim exemption from election, the proposal must be accompanied by written consent from the person in question.
  • No one can sign more than one proposal.

Have you ever thought about running for election to the University Board, the Faculty Board or the Department Council? Being part of the University Board, Faculty Board, or Department Council gives you a unique opportunity to influence important decisions and help shape the future of your academic environment. By running for office, you can represent your fellow students or colleagues, promote their interests, and work to improve the university. It is a valuable experience that can provide you with insights, networks, and skills that will be useful in your further career. Take the chance, get involved, and help make a difference! Your voice and your commitment are important.

And even if you do not want to stand for election, it is important to participate in these elections, so that you help ensure that the university is led by people who represent your interests and values. Therefore, it is important that you exercise your right to vote and actively participate in the university elections. Your voice can make a difference!

And last but not least: Congratulations to the award winners of the research presentations from the Research School in Clinical Medicine!

  • Aishwarya Pavithram (1st prize oral presentations);  PhD candidate K2
  • Gonzalo Nido (postdoc award oral presentations) researcher, K1
  • Jenny Lindroos (2nd prize oral presentations) PhD candidate K1
  • Anne Mari Syversen (3rd prize oral presentation) PhD candidate K1
  • Harini Pechiappan (People’s Prize) PhD candidate K2
  • Thea Sjøgren (postdoc award poster) postdoc Helse Bergen (Bergithe Oftedal accepted the award on her behalf)
  • Adrianna Jebrzycka; 1st prize poster PhD candidate K2
  • Brit Ellen Rød (2nd prize poster) PhD candidate K1
  • Camilla Ekanger (3rd prize poster) PhD candidate K1

Have a great weekend!

Silke

This weeks edithorial

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Dear everyone!

Now we are embarking on a new chapter at K2: Together with K1, we have gathered areas in the laboratory building that will be transferred to the Laboratory Clinic at the hospital. This will save the faculty from rental expenses that “K3” will have added to its budgets, and in addition, the departments will save operating costs that are paid directly by the departments. This means that some research groups will have to move a little closer to each other, which hopefully will have a positive effect such as joint projects in the future.

In addition, we will have a mandatory workshop with Kristine Tangen for all our PIs (i.e. associate professors/professors in a main position and postdocs/researchers with their own projects) to gain more understanding of our finances. A registration link will be sent out soon, there will be several possible dates to sign up for.

And last but not least: Remember to nominate for the faculty’s awards! Link to the research awards can be found here, and to the teaching awards here. The deadline is 1.2.2025

Have a great weekend!

Silke

Dear everyone, Happy New Year!

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I will continue to work in 2025 to ensure that we have a good time at K2, both in terms of getting the economy in balance, but not least in terms of well-being. By showing consideration and respect, we contribute to a culture where everyone feels valued and motivated to do their best. And we should use all opportunities to brag about each other: Everyone can submit proposals for the faculty’s awards (teaching and research). For the education awards, the faculty wants nominations to come from groups, not individuals. We from the K2 leadership team are happy to receive suggestions here, with an internal deadline set for February 1, 2025. For the research awards (best publication, best doctoral degree, researcher/research group, dissemination and innovation), it is the departments that can nominate one candidate in each category (except PhD work, where we can nominate two candidates). Proposals can be submitted here, with an internal deadline set for 1 February 2025.

With this in mind, a happy story at the end that I just by coincidence got to know: Jone Trovik has received the award for best lecturer throughout medical studies from class 18B.

Congratulations!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the snow!

Silke

Dear everyone!

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Now it has already been 6 months since I took over as head of department at K2. Time has flown by and Christmas is already next week! I’m almost done with my performance appraisals (all associate professors and professors with 50%-100% position), only a few remain. It has been very useful to get to know the people who make up our academic backbone better, and I have received a lot of good input. Here again a reminder to the research group leaders to ensure that all our employees have the opportunity for an employee interview, and at the same time those who have not yet been offered can request it as well.

As we know, the economy is very tough, and we must continue to reduce our expenses and at the same time increase revenues in 2025. This is what we are working on! Again, an invitation to actively use our core facilities (https://www.uib.no/klin2/63499/kjernefasiliteter), use buy-out of your own time or a technician in applications and consider opportunities to offer continuing and further education (EVU; https://www.uib.no/utdanning/evu).

Despite all the challenges, 2024 has been a successful year for K2 with many awards from external financiers as well as many awards to researchers and teachers associated with K2 (including “Søren Falch and Øienlæge Sigurd Falch’s Foundation’s Junior Prize for Young Researchers” to Marc Vaudel and “Søren Falch and Øienlæge Sigurd Falch’s Award for Outstanding Leadership in Medical Research” to Eva Gerdts, to name a few). Thank you so much for your efforts, everyone!

I wish you all a peaceful and Merry Christmas!

Silke

This weeks edithorial

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The research conducted by PhD candidates constitutes an important part of UiB’s overall research efforts. In 2023, PhD candidates were the sole or co-authors on 30 percent of UiB’s publications. Of the 215 completed PhDs at UiB in 2023, the Faculty of Medicine accounted for 80. Of these, 25 were completed at K2, 28 at IGS, and 17 at K1, while IBM and IKO each had 5. For 2024, a total of 26 PhD candidates will receive their doctorates at K2. This is a great.

In recent years, there has been a decline in the number of joint announcements of PhD positions at the faculty, with only two such positions advertised in the fall of 2024, with nearly 50 applicants. Unfortunately, there will be no room for announcing PhD positions at all in the spring of 2025. The reason for this is increasingly constrained budgets, the use of PhD positions as a co-payment in larger applications and rewards for grants, as well as delays in PhD completion, making the budgets more uncertain for the faculty.

In terms of completion, K2 is fairly stable. About 70% of all started PhDs have defended their dissertations within 6 years. Staff appraisals should be actively used to uncover and remedy delaying factors where possible.

Furthermore, all postdocs who wish to continue an academic career are encouraged to apply for the Momentum program, for which MedFak has 4 spots, with an application deadline of March 21.

The Christmas tree shows the research areas of permanent scientific staff at K2. If you believe your area is not included, please send up to 10 keywords to our research advisor Susanna Pakkasmaa. This will help her send targeted information about relevant announcements.
Merry Christmas!

Kurt

This weeks edithorial

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Dear everyone,

We are approaching Christmas, and many groups have slowly started with Christmas celebrations. Remember that the whole of K2 is invited to a joint little Christmas gathering with mulled wine and gingerbread cookies on December 13th at 11:30, 5th floor lab building.

True to tradition, we have invited our professors emeritus/emerita to a Christmas lunch. It was very nice to have many of the older generation visit us, and our research leader Kurt Hanevik gave an exciting presentation about his research (even though diarrhea maybe wasn’t the most appropriate topic to hear about during lunch).

On the same day, we celebrated together with the faculty that Marc Vaudel received an ERC Consolidator Grant. This is really big, congratulations again!

And then we learned that Oleksii Nikolaienko from the Mohn Cancer Research Laboratory has received FRIPRO funding from the Research Council of Norway! Congratulations! We can happily continue in this way 😊 

Otherwise, many of us were involved in the implementation of OSKE12 on Thursday 5 December – thank you very much to everyone who participated! Without all of you, it would not have been possible to carry out such a resource-intensive exam that is highly appreciated by the students! A special thanks to Ingvil that had her last working day at K2 today. She is starting new adventures in Sjøforsvaret.

Finally, I would just like to mention that the Faculty has announced education awards and requests that nominations for the education awards come from an environment, not from individuals. The department is happy to collect proposals here. The internal deadline is set for 1 February 2025.

The Faculty has also announced research prizes for the best publication, best doctoral degree, researcher/research group, dissemination and innovation. Here it is the departments that can nominate 1 candidate in each category (except PhD work, then we can nominate 2 candidates). Proposals can be submitted here. Our internal deadline is set for February 1, 2025.

Have a great weekend!

Silke

Leader of the week

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Dear all,

These days, we have many happy recipients of Western Norway Regional Health Authority research funding in the form of grants, multi-year project funding and strategic initiatives. There is an incredible amount of exciting clinically relevant research that is done by great K2ers in collaboration with the hospitals here in Western Norway. Congratulations!

At the Western Norway Regional Health Authority Education Conference in Stavanger, representatives from the educational institutions and hospitals in Western Norway are focusing on how we can have a sustainable health service in our elongated country in the future with a good balance between broad knowledge and cutting-edge expertise. It is a clear yes to both – with a need to ensure that we are all generalists in addition to what we are extra good at, while at the same time interdisciplinary collaboration must be increased. Good professionally updated guidelines that are easy to find and holistic thinking. – We all make mistakes. Sharing experiences about mistakes reduces the risk of the same mistakes happening again and again by continuously increasing competence and improving routines.

The education award went to solid teachers in obstetrics who, through VR glasses and self-developed software, allow students to enter the female body and take the fetus’s perspective. Learning with “aha” experiences and in-depth understanding. Collaboration across educational institutions and hospitals will enable more people to learn more and ensure that our loved ones are well taken care of when there is a need for health care.

Have a nice weekend!

Camilla

Leader of the week

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Dear everyone,

I want to use today’s editorial to brag a little about all of you at K2 and highlight what we are good at. I also would like to acknowledge the incredible effort and dedication you all show!

K2 is the department with the highest BOA activity at the faculty, and just last week we celebrated the allocation of funds for 2 new projects from the Norwegian Cancer Society to K2 (Oleksii Nikolaienko and Bjørn Tore Gjertsen). We have a lot of talented students, PhD candidates, postdocs and researchers who show a fantastic effort. Through the technician mapping that is underway, I also see how many dedicated technicians we have who keep the wheels turning and ensure that we carry out and maintain the research (and partly also the teaching) at the level we do. With the help of our core facilities and the expertise of technicians associated with them, many master’s and doctoral degrees, publications and, not least, new research results have been produced with great benefit to patients. And speaking of the wheels that must keep turning: without our employees in the administration, we would not have been able to do it. There are so many invisible tasks that we get good help with.

When it comes to teaching, we have many enthusiastic teachers who have the student’s learning in focus. OSKE12 is just around the corner with contributions from many from K2, not least the administration, who make sure we make it happen!

Let’s continue to have a positive attitude and support each other, smile at each other and give a little extra praise every now and then. I am incredibly proud to be part of this fantastic institute.

Have a great weekend!

Silke

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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/

Dear all,

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It’s time for something more pleasant than just talking about negative numbers and the difficult economic situation: Congratulations to Bjørn Tore Gjertsen on receiving the Helse Vest research award!

And now there are more opportunities to nominate someone you know for an award:

The Meltzer Fund has announced three different awards with a deadline of December 1st.

Meltzer’s Prize for Outstanding Research

The prize is awarded to a researcher or a research group that has distinguished itself through outstanding research. The prize winner must be nationally leading in their field and, if the field exists in other countries, also be well recognized by leading international academic communities. Researchers who are nominated must be permanently employed at UiB.

Meltzer’s Prize for Young Researchers

Up to two prizes can be awarded annually for outstanding scientific work carried out by young researchers. In awarding the prize, particular emphasis will be placed on the researcher’s independence and ability to innovate. Emphasis will also be placed on whether the relevant research contributions appear particularly outstanding or promising, assessed based on the researcher’s age, the nature of the research project, and the research traditions in the relevant field. Researchers who are nominated must be employed at the University of Bergen at the time of nomination. The prize winner must not be over 40 years old in the award year. Researchers who have had parental leave and/or been on sick leave for a period can have this time deducted from the age requirement (relevant documentation must be attached to the nomination).

Meltzer’s Prize for Outstanding Research Communication

The prize for outstanding research communication is awarded for particularly outstanding communication of research. Researchers who are nominated must be permanently employed at UiB. The proposer must justify the nomination based on the candidate’s contribution to the university fulfilling its task of spreading information about research and the importance of research for society.

And the chairman of the board of the Consul Søren Falch and ophthalmologist Sigurd Falch’s fund for medical science, Per Bakke, has requested proposals for the Falch Lecture 2025 with a deadline of December 8th. Here, generally recognized researchers at Nobel Prize level or very high international level will be invited to give a guest lecture and/or seminar at the Faculty of Medicine.

So don’t wait to submit your proposals!

Have a great weekend!

Silke