Dear K2 employee

This week I took over as head of department after Pål, but only for a short period – Pål has a short leave until 10 May and I will try to provide the same good service as him in the meantime. Now that it is time for Easter, it is appropriate to thank all K2 employees for their efforts so far this year. Research and teaching are taking place at a high pace, even though resources are scarce. Falch’s Junior Prize will be awarded and the research group leaders are asked to promote candidates, see announcement in this issue of K2-news.

A special thank you to Maria Holmaas and the rest of the administration who are making a formidable effort to keep the wheels turning. K2 is a fantastic workplace and has an enormous potential for good research and teaching. Carry on and do what is good better.

I hope all of you all take the opportunity to enjoy some days off over Easter, and recharge your batteries with both physical and perhaps spiritual food. The war in Ukraine is a strong reminder that we cannot take freedom and democracy for granted.

Easter greetings,

Eystein Husebye

Head of Department Njølstad has explained K2’s finances, which entail major cuts in our budgets. This means that we must take radical action to obtain balance. Therefore, the we propose that the salaries of all K2 employees be cut by 5%, with the exception of those in the leadership. After all, we are heavily burdened by doing so. Furthermore, all operating funds for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows will be confiscated. You can apply to the Head of department for a refund of up to half of your operating budget for particularly important tasks. Furthermore, all PhD students or their research group must pay for the assessment of the PhD dissertations. Finally, all KG-Jebsen and Trond Mohn centers at K2 will be charged an extra “tax” to cover the deficit, approximately 250,000 per year.

We regret that we have to take such radical steps to get the budget in balance, but we see no other options. You can read about the detailed cuts by click on this link.

Good weekend, when the time comes

On behalf of the leadership group

Peer review guides the journal’s editorial staff in making publication decisions and identifying substandard manuscripts that should not be published. It also provides authors with the opportunity to improve the quality and clarity of their manuscripts. The purpose of peer review is not to demonstrate the reviewer’s proficiency in identifying flaws; negative critiques are not obligated. Reviewers should identify strengths and provide constructive comments to help authors resolve weaknesses in the work.

Because the number of scientific articles published each year continues to grow, the quality of the peer-review process and the quality of the editorial board are cited as primary influences on a journal’s reputation, Journal Impact Factor, and standing in the field. Scientific journals publishing peer-reviewed articles depend heavily on the scientific referees or reviewers who typically volunteer their time and expertise. In addition to fairness in judgment and expertise in the field, reviewers have significant responsibilities toward authors, editors, and readers. Reviewers also have ethical responsibilities, such as confidentiality, be constructive in the critique, have necessary competence, be impartial and hold integrity.

Published biomedical papers may have a direct impact on clinical practice and inform policy. Therefore, it is crucial to have the peer review system and that peer reviewer reports are of the highest quality possible to inform editors’ decision on the fate of the manuscript. It is crucial that we spend time on peer reviews for the journals. As reviewers, will also learn from the process and it is way to stay informed about how the field is moving before the research is in print.

Professor emeritus Jan Erik Nordrehaug at K2 has performed peer reviews for a number of journals in a lifetime including the Norwegian Journal of the Medical Association. For this, he will now have the Journal´s award “The Reviewer of 2021”. The Scientific Director, Siri Lunde Strømme, says “We have benefited greatly from an impressive number of, and always solid, reviews from Nordrehaug over the years, so also in 2021”. Congratulations!!!

Have a nice week-end,
Pål.

Dear all of you!

Now it has already been more than 3 weeks since we finally got to meet at Solstrand again for our strategy seminar. It was incredibly nice to meet so many of you! I hope that there are more people who thought that it was nice and useful to have the seminar, but feel free to give feedback here (link).

Speaking of meeting people: 17-18 June 2022 it is UiB’s turn to organize the NorDoc conference for PhD candidates from Nordic countries with scientific presentations and debates from leading researchers. The goal is to raise awareness of responsible research and innovation as a strategy for achieving sustainability in health and medical science.

The program is available here: https://www.uib.no/en/med/149977/programme-nordoc-2022 The conference offers PhD candidates not only network opportunities, but also workshops on career development and transferable skills. So, this can be very useful to you!
The registration deadline is 16 April.

Last week, the university management visited the Faculty of Medicine. On Thursday they were with us at K2. Those who attended were Rector Margareth Hagen, Vice-Rector Pinar Heggernes, Vice-Rector Benedicte Carlsen, Senior Consultant Morgan Reza Rashidi Alangeh, University Director Robert Rastad, Assistant University Director Tore Tungodden and Department Director Kari Fuglseth.

We held the meeting in Glasblokkene with a good view of the many buildings K2 is located on Campus Haukeland and to show the close relationship with the university hospital. There was room for three short professional talks. Professor Eva Gerdts seemed to convince everyone that there is a big difference between women and men in terms of heart disease and that more research is needed to better treat women with heart disease. Researcher Marc Vaudel aroused interest in data showing that the child’s own genes are most important for birth weight and increased risk of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. And Professor Eystein Husebye demonstrated the Endopod, a teaching podcast developed by a medical student in his research group.

The university management had wanted to hear our thoughts on opportunities and challenges. Regarding the first, we pointed out the opportunities for research, teaching and innovation in the close relationship with Haukeland University Hospital. We have several centers under planning and have an application for a COE in the finals. We see many opportunities to increase external funding, especially EU funds, and that building a culture on K2 is important. When it comes to challenges, the failing economy is key. We perceive that there is a gradual reduction of K2 by a significant reduction in our basic allocation over the last three years. The cuts hit us especially hard due to our large BOA economy. We perceive this as unfair and demoralizing. We also explained that so far, we have not had any streamlining or improvement of the economy through the introduction of the BOTT systems, centralization of finance and specialists. Both the Rector and the University Director agreed with our description of the situation and that this is of great concern. Various measures were discussed. The university management works intensively with the case through various channels. They want to come back to visit some of our centers to learn more about how they work. These are good signals from the management!

Wishing everyone as good a weekend as possible given the situation in Ukraine. My thoughts go to the Ukrainian people who are having a terrible time now.

Pål

Right now, many of us are assembled at what has been a highly successful seminar. Vice dean Marit Bakke and hospital director Eivind Hansen met a well-prepared panel for a debate regarding collaboration between the university and the hospital. We have also learnt how we can improve our presentation of our research in the media – another important arena. Not least, we have just plainly had a nice time together, those of us who are here. Having a nice time together is also important: Friendship fosters trust and collaboration and lead to improved research and education.

The library – more than just articles

The University library  offers several useful services in addition to retrieving and printing papers that we do not get hold of ourselves. They offer guidance in literature searching for systematic reviews and PhD theses as well as how to handle references (including individual guidance for master- and bachelorstudents), contact ubbmed@uib.no. In addition, they can help you on the way to making your research accessible in line with Open Science requirements. They may help you in developing a Data Management Plan (contact research-data@uib.no). Open Science is becoming a more frequent requirement and the library offers courses in how to publish open access (contact bora@uib.no).

Mette

Next week, K2’s conference at Solstrand kicks off. This is the second time we are arranging a combined EHS day and strategy seminar for everyone, which was previously organized as separate days and where only the research group leaders were invited to the strategy seminar.

We have put together a program that we hope is of interest and creates curiosity and debate. The four core tasks of our social mission are represented.

In research, we will learn more about how to apply for EU funding and discuss how to better utilize our great research advantage – to be closely linked to Haukeland University Hospital. Dean Per Bakke and CEO Eivind Hansen will initiate a debate. This will also include how to better utilizate our common resource in teaching. The Unit for Learning will present new ideas about exams as a form of learning. This will be put into practice by everyone completing an OSCE exam – it will probably be the highlight of the conference!

The struggle for attention in the public space is getting bigger and bigger and more and more important. A separate session is therefore devoted to research communication.

Innovation is now included in many announcements about funding for research, and we will therefore learn more about what opportunities Eitri has to strengthen innovation in our work. And I want to inform about what has become a new economic reality at K2 and the entire faculty in general and ask for input on how you think we can meet this.

A very important part of all conferences is the social dimension. And now after almost two years of reduced social contact due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will be wonderful to meet and interact with people from the entire institute again!

Well met!

Pål

Head of Department

We are announcing a competition among the research groups for the best website (see details in this week’s K2-nes). The winners will be announced at the strategy seminar at Solstrand. Researchers, journalists, patients and others use our websites to find out about research, teaching and innovation at our department.

What do they find if they look us up today? Overall, pages with major shortcomings. People who no longer work here are posted in group photos, projects are not up to date, there is no English translation, and many items are missing.

We have an enormous potential for improvement – to show a “better face” to the outside world. You and your research group now have the opportunity for a “kick start” and competition against the others. Websites are like vegetables and fruit – they need to be fresh. Former employees must be taken “off the poster”, new ones must appear, news must be published and disseminated.

We simply have to interact with the outside world in a better way

Grap the chance, gather your group and update your pages!

Good weekend, when the time comes

Eystein Husebye
Deputy Director

Bishop Per Lønning had “Finally at Home” as the title of a book he wrote when he was called as bishop in Bjørgvin diocese and returned to Bergen after 18 years in Oslo. After almost 2 years with large and historically unusual restrictions on activity at work and in leisure time due to the coronavirus pandemic, we as UiB employees can now return to our normal workplace on campus – finally “at home”!

As is well known, the government has removed the one-meter rule in teaching for universities and colleges. We must now strive for full physical presence in teaching.

There will no longer be a requirement to facilitate home offices and employers must assess how much home office is right in the individual workplace. Any agreements on the use of a home office during parts of the working hours in the future must be agreed between the manager and the employee. At K2, this authority is delegated to the research group leaders with regard to the scientific staff, and to the Head of Administration (Mia) for the administrative and technical staff. The research group leaders must agree this with the Head of Department (me).

Nevertheless, there is still great contagion pressure in society and high sickness absence. The use of digital meetings and home offices can still be a relevant tool at K2 to prevent many people from becoming ill at the same time and to ensure continuity in work tasks and functions.

As also is well known, there will also no longer be a number limit for indoor events. For events with fixed, designated seats, the distance requirement is removed when sitting on the seat. The organizer shall facilitate that it is possible to keep distance otherwise in the venue or event area.

It will be good to return to normal conditions at work and in leisure time. It feels like being at home again after a long journey.

Have a great weekend!

Pål

Head of Department

Dear all of you!

Do you/your research group/teaching group know someone who has excelled in 2021, either on the research front (publication, research/innovation environment, PhD work, dissemination) or in terms of teaching? The Faculty of Medicine has announced several awards for 2021, so now you have the chance to nominate colleagues/environment (or yourself!). The categories are

• Publication of the Year
• Research group/innovation of the year
• PhD work of the year
• Award for outstanding research dissemination
• Teaching award (There are no specific price categories, but a main price of NOK 150,000 and up to two more awards of NOK 50,000 each are awarded! )

We from K2 can put forward a candidate in each category, so do not hesitate to submit proposals (with justification) by Monday 7 February. More detailed information can be found here  

Proposal for Publication/PhD/Group/Dissemination

Proposal for Teaching awards

We are unfortunately heading into a time of a new financial everyday life. There will be permanent cuts in the basic allocation to our faculty. The framework for the basic allocation for 2021 was 718 MNOK. The reduction in the framework for the faculty from and including 2022 is as much as 50 MNOK.

The reasons for this significant cut are many. A main cause is the reorganization of the pension calculation, which is determined by KUD. In addition, KUD has reduced the allocation to the universities as part of the reorganization of the financial systems and the expectation of streamlining. In addition, there will be increased expenses for UiB due to increased room rent and expected savings due to more use of open access. The faculty takes a large part of the 50 MNOK, but the departments still get a significant cut. This is calculated on the basis of the size of the basic grant, and for some of the amounts this includes BOA. Since K2 is the largest department, we get the biggest cut, twice as much as the other departments. The amount is stipulated to be 6.3 MNOK per year.

Political efforts are being made through various channels to reduce the cuts from KUD. We can hope that this reverses a part of it, but it will still be a new economic everyday life for all universities in Norway.

What to do with this? We must increase revenues and reduce costs by a similar amount. Is this possible? Yes, I think so, but it will be demanding, and everyone must contribute. A main goal is that we should not revoke positions. We will nevertheless increase research, education, innovation and dissemination.

To increase revenue, we must increase the BOA. This is one of K2’s strongest cards. We can do this! But, we must be even better at making good applications and directing them where there is the greatest opportunity for grants. I think there is a great potential in EU funds, and this will be discussed at the 2^nd K2 Retreat at Solstrand February 24-25. We can create courses for continuing education of various professions and make money on these courses. We must help students complete their studies and not drop out. If UiB gets a breakthrough for Vestlandslegen, this will give a boost to our funding.

But we must also cut costs. How can we work better for less money? Area efficiency is a great opportunity. Here we have to think innovatively. My office at the old Department of Pediatrics had approx. 20 shelf meters with binders. All this had to be shrunk to 1 shelf meter when moving to Glasblokkene. It was a demanding exercise, but it worked. The most interesting thing, however, is that after 5 years I have not yet used the papers even in this meter. Some may have a greater need, but most can manage with a PC and an monitor. The laboratories are very important for translation research, but here too we must think new. Much of the research is done on platforms and on a computer today, and it is possible to share bench space with others. In the administration, we must reduce personnel costs. Specialist teams have been introduced. And the introduction of new personnel and finance systems must eventually pay off.

These were some thoughts on how we can cope with the challenging measures and hopefully come out stronger, but I also need good suggestions from you. The first opportunity will be at the 2^nd K2 Retreat. We will have a separate session on the economy there.

Have a great weekend!

Pål

Who deserves K2’s Teaching Award?

Teaching is one of our core activites and we want to stimulate GOOD teaching at K2!

Our institute wishes to honour a teacher or teaching environment who has demonstrated an extraordinary effort within the field of teaching or development of innovative teaching and learning programs, by forwarding the K2 Teaching Award (NOK 50’000). Think of a nominee an e-mail the name of your candidate and a brief explanation to mette.vesterhus@uib.no by March 15th. The K2 Teaching Award is awarded at the Teaching day in the spring.

“Norway is re-opened, and we are back in the auditoriums!” I yelled into the microphone in September as the students burst into applause in a crowded auditorium at AHH. Restrictions returned after that, but we are going to return to “live” teaching on campus – a decision will be made sometime this month. We will bring along some innovative solutions:

“Videonotat”: The faculty as well as the students want us to provide hybrid solutions, or sufficient information for the students so that they may acquire similar knowledge, in order to accommodate those students who should stay at home due to infection. Hybrid teaching can (most often) be simpler than you might think! In MittUiB there is a link to “Videonotat”. For information on how to use it, see https://www.uib.no/diguib/78854/opptak-av-forelesning-videonotat. Contact information for technical assistance may be found in the auditorium/room. For other questions, contact UiB læringslab or the study administration studie@kliniskmedisin.uib.no.

Happy New Year!

Christmas and the holiday season is over. I hope most people have had an experience of holiday and the opportunity for reflection, and gathering with those they love. It gives motivation and strength to embark on a new year with new opportunities.

2022 starts with increasing coronary infection wave due to omicron variant. It presents several challenges for our activity, but my impression is that it is going pretty well anyway. We have become accustomed to this situation. Fortunately, we work at an institution that comes out relatively well since most people have permanent jobs and the activity has not stopped with bankruptcy that threatens the way other enterprises experience. The ones I think come out the worst are children, young people and the elderly due to isolation for groups that have a great social need. Let us hope that the vaccination coverage will soon reach a level that reduces the waves of infection and allows normal activity to resume.

With a new year, there are many exciting opportunities. I will remind you of the application deadlines for RCN 2/2 and 9/2. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get funded, and he/she who dares nothing, wins nothing. The feedback is better than before, and it provides a good basis for improving the application for a next round. I will otherwise draw attention to the new programs in Horizon Europe. We should apply for more EU funding!

Enjoy the new year!

The economy is tightening

It’s never nice to talk about finances when it’s getting worse. Unfortunately, the economy will be tighter in the future.

The Corona pandemic has so far entailed several extra expenses for UiB, which are now distributed among the faculties according to the size of their basic grant. Since the Faculty of Medicine is one of the largest faculties, we therefore get one of the biggest cuts in the budget for the next three years. Our faculty takes most of the bill, but some is distributed among the departments, also here according to the size of the basic grant. For K2, this means a cut of approx. NOK 2.2 million annually for the next three years.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. Upon its departure, the Solberg Government served a major cut for all universities in Norway. A change in pension financing means that the university and college sector will no longer pay pension costs as a fixed percentage of the salary base but will pay for actual pension costs throughout the year. Together with some other measures, more than a billion kroner will be cut for the universities as a whole. Unfortunately, the new Støre Government has not only sustained it, but rather increased it. This is a permanent cut in the basic allocation to the universities. That means a weakened economy for K2 in the years to come. We will try not to withdraw positions and look for other ways to reduce costs. And then there is the issue of increasing our revenues: external financing is becoming more important than ever. So, get on with the applications. K2 cheers on you!

In this new situation, it is important that we have a common understanding of the challenge and that we must stand together in this. Then there is also an opportunity to be innovative and find new solutions that can even improve our primary tasks: research, teaching, innovation and communication. And for the record: K2 Retreat 2 on Solstrand is going as planned. That will be a good opportunity to discuss across research groups, teaching groups, staff groups and organizational units – alternative and better ways of working with somewhat less use of resources.

We will make it through this! Let’s develop an even better K2.

Have a great weekend!

Pål R. Njølstad
Department Head

Strategy for the future – you can look forward to the Solstrand meeting 24-25 February

The program for the strategy seminar at Solstrand is starting to shape up and will be very exciting. A main theme will be our collaboration with the health trusts in Western Norway. There will be talks by both Eivind Hansen and Per Bakke followed by a panel discussion where we hope the department’s employees will be active. We have a good collaboration, but it can get better. The competition for the best researchers and teachers is fierce and resources are scarce. How can we make the best use of our potential? We hope that the discussion can lead to 2-3 concrete proposals that can be put into practice.

Another main theme will be research funding with an emphasis on EU funding. Katie Anders from the Research Department and our envoy in Brussels, Charlotte Eide will participate. Application opportunities and information about Digital Europe are on the agenda. Related to this will be talks about innovation and what opportunities the incubator Eitri has to offer.

We will focus on teaching and dissemination on various platforms, including participation by the head of the Center for Investigative Journalism, Per Christian Magnus. How can we convey research in a more sober, yet exciting way without sensational postings that create unrealistic expectations?

The individual research groups and environments will also have the opportunity to present themselves and there will also be a competition, perhaps even an OSCE exam?.

We also hope there will be amble time for social interactions across groups and campi where K2 is represented.

Have high expectations and be an active participant!

Good weekend
Eystein Husebye
Deputy Head of K2

Main goals of the Faculty of Medicine

Dean Per Bakke has initiated a process in which the Faculty of Medicine wants to identify a few main goals that are common to the entire Faculty. It is about describing goals that we all should / want / to work for, and which make us proud to be part of our Faculty. The idea is that these should be goals for a given period of time, e.g. five years.

Some moments regarding the goals:

• They should be something to work towards and reach for, but not unrealistic to achieve and not be dependent on improbable appropriations
• They must be part of the assignment The Faculty of Medicine has as a university and in line with the strategies of K2, the Faculty and UiB
• They must be able to be integrated with other departments within our Faculty
• They should be measurable – did we reach the goals?

The process at K2 will go through the research groups which received this information last week. Contact your group to participate in the discussion on proposals for these goals. The deadline for the research groups’ input to the management group at K2 is 26 November.

Good luck with the process and discussions!

Pål Rasmus Njølstad

The Eitri Medical Incubator had its official inauguration Nov. 1. Lead by Torleif Markussen Lunde and Maija Slaidina, Eitri boasts over 2400 m² dedicated to innovators, including 3 culture labs, over 100 workspaces with large and small meeting room capacities all housed over 2 floors adjacent to the lab building and the BBB. Prominent UiB and HUS dignitaries, including UiB rector Margareth Hagen and vice-administrative director of Haukeland University Hospital, Clara Gram Gjesdal spoke of the importance of multidisiplinary knowledge building and innovation within the healthcare sector at the event, which also included speeches from investment manager Kristin Odfjell and managing director of VIS, Stine Fiksdal. Entertainment was provided by Fredrik Saoera. Following its grand opening, Eitri, in collaboration with centres of excellence CCBIO and Neuro-SysMed, hosted this years Falch lecture by Dr. Robert S. Langer of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who gave an inspired lecture “Creating and implementing breakthrough technologies in biotechnology and nanotechnology”. Furthermore, Eitri this week hosted the CCBIONEUR912: Health Innovation course.The overall aim of this course was to encourage and enable our PhD students and young researchers to identify and evaluate the innovation potential in their own research projects, and provide them with the knowledge needed to be able to do this. The course provided inspiration and practical knowledge on alternative ways to realize the innovation potential from research projects. Professional expertise from the Medical Faculty, Division of Research and Innovation at UiB, and the local tech transfer office VIS provided a good understanding of the legal and practical framework for research-based innovation, including how to protect and exploit their intellectual property. I think its fair to say that Eitri has had a baptism of fire over the last weeks and it will be exciting to see how projects and innovation from campus Haukeland evolve in this unique ecosystem! Don’t be afraid to reach out to Eitri or myself if your interested in more information on Eitri or how Eitri can help your innovative research.

Contact: https://www.eitrilab.no/

Dear everyone,

Back in the chair again after an exciting and busy process of coordinating an SFF application! I think the product was very good and hope RCN agrees 🙂

I would like to thank Silke Appel who acted for me and the rest of the management team at K2 who naturally got more work assignments.

In 2019, we arranged for all employees at K2 a “K2 Retreat” at Solstrand, which we have received very good feedback on. The plan was therefore to repeat this – every other year due to economic circumstances. However, the corona pandemic meant that we unfortunately could not arrange it in 2021. Since the society has reopened with minor restrictions, there will be a new “K2 Retreat” 24-25. February 2022 as you have received information about previously. We hope that the infection rates will remain at an acceptable level so that no restrictions are introduced again on this type of event.

I would like to remind you of the registration deadline, which is 21 November. You can sign up here: K2 KONFERANSEN 2022 / K2 CONFERENCE 2022 (uib.no).

I hope to see as many of you as possible at Solstrand, and that you engage in discussions, groups and other activities. The conference does not get better than what the participants make it!

Have a great weekend!
Pål

Dear all of you!

This week I was supposed to welcome Pål back as head of department, but after a hectic period with finishing the SFF application, he first takes some well-deserved vacation before he is back at the steering wheel from 1 November. So I get to run the institute a little bit longer 😊

As you hopefully know, all UiB employees have their own personal page where you can upload a photo and enter information about your research field, competence and more. This is very useful and makes it much easier to find people and collaboration partners, and not least it becomes much easier to recognize people when you meet them. I would like to use this leader to encourage everyone to check the page and update the information that is there. It is not difficult to edit (https://manual.uib.no/webmanual/personside/). Rose can help you take a picture.

Greetings from Aarhus where I enjoy being at my first “regular” conference after the corona measures.

Strategy is currently being discussed both at the faculty and department levels; how can we become a better organization for research, teaching and dissemination –  and in continuation of this, how should we make K2 and UiB a brand name that attracts the best students, staff and grants.

Even though we are individualists, it is about collaborating, having projects that are interdisciplinary. However, it does not stop there. We must have a good collaboration with the health trust if we are to win in the competition for research funding and be able to give our students the best teaching.

How to go about this strategy is not always obvious. Strategy is a management responsibility, but just as important is that all employees are involved in common projects and goals. This will be the topic of K2’s strategy seminar 24-25 February at Solstrand, and we in the leadership group hope that as many as possible can participate, not least from our campi outside Bergen.

Cooperation is built through meetings and common meeting places are important. Next Wednesday, the Annual Faculty Day will be held in Auditoriet AHH from 10-13. The same afternoon, Bjørn-Tore Gjertsen, the recipient of this year’s King Olav the V’s cancer research prize will be celebrated in “Store Auditorium”. Join in the celebration of those who have excelled over the past year and discuss collaboration and strategy with your colleagues

Eystein Husebye

Deputy Chairman

Dear all!

This will be relatively long, please read everything!

I will start with some joyful things: I hope that as many people as possible have the opportunity to attend the Faculty Day on 20 October at 10-13 October, where the faculty’s teaching and research prizes will be awarded at the auditorium at AHH. Among other things, the prize for research environment of the year goes to Eva Gerdts’ research group Hypertension and Heart Dynamics/Centre for Research on Heart Disease in Women, and “Endopodden” is awarded with a teaching prize.

The day then continues in a very pleasant way with a celebration seminar for Bjørn Tore Gjertsen on the occasion of the award of King Olav V’s cancer research prize at 15-18 at Store Auditoriet, Sentralblokken. Registration is required for this event (click here). We now just have to take advantage of the fact that the coronary restrictions have been eased and we can reconvene! And not least, there will be some food  😊

The third pleasant matter is about outstanding research: would you like to seek ERC funds? Then you now have the opportunity to apply to the faculty for support for a mentor. The idea is that a more experienced ERC applicant (preferably one who has received ERC funds in the past) helps you along the way. This is especially important for younger research talents. If you are interested, please contact me or Amra for more information.

Last but not least, anyone who has projects involving the handling of personal data must check RETTE to see if everything is in order. There are many projects that require changes to RETTE, most often there is a lack of a short justification for the need to process the personal data.

Have a really good weekend (and autumn holidays for some)!

Dear all of you!

In recent years, we have had great help from our research advisor Amra. Now she wants more challenges and has moved to the faculty, where for one year from 15/9 she will contribute even more to the research advisor team. Fortunately, this means that she can still be contacted! We thank Amra for her excellent contribution to K2, wish her the best of luck and welcome back!

And then we have been told by the HR section at the faculty that they have reduced staffing and that things will take some extra time in the future. At the same time, we can find some information ourselves on UiB’s website and may not always need to contact human resources:

• For questions regarding salary and the self-service portal, you can contact the payroll office via UiB-hjelp
• You can also find user guide to the self-service portal here: Self-service portal | Employee pages | UiB
• For questions about entry and exit/mobility, you can find a lot of useful information on the international centre’s website: International Centre | University of Bergen (uib.no)
• You can also find answers to many HR-related questions in the Employee Handbook: University of Bergen :: Employee Handbook (compendia.no)

And then it is often your immediate leader who can answer some of the questions. So feel free to ask your supervisor, research group leader or UGLE for advice.

Have a really good weekend!

Although this was already mentioned in last week’s K2nytt, it is worth repeating: We are very proud and congratulate Bjørn Tore Gjertsen on the King Olav Vs Cancer Research Prize. Well deserved!

Otherwise, many of you are probably busy teaching and writing applications – remember, among other things, the application deadline for Helse Vest research funding 15/9, promotion to professor 15/9 and deadline for applying for a research fellowship from MED 19/9. There have also been some changes to the guidelines: a person cannot be the main supervisor for more than four people in recruitment positions (PhD candidate and postdoc) funded from the faculty (https://www.uib.no/med/65433/ledige-stillinger)

Finally, a few words about the corona situation: many of us are now fully vaccinated, and we want to have as many people back on campus as possible. Employees who are dependent on public transport can work from home office where possible, but this must be agreed upon with your direct leader. We would rather not have more than 2 days of home office per week.

Have a really good weekend!

It is now possible to apply for funding for stays abroad, both for senior and younger researchers. The professors have the possibility to go on a sabbatical every 7^th year, which is a fantastic opportunity to establish new collaborations, build networks and have time to plan projects and write applications. New collaborations are not only useful for the professor him- or herself, it provides opportunities for others in the research group to go abroad. Several of the groups at the department have utilized this in an exemplary way, for example the endocrine, diabetes and lung research groups.

Now, professors, postdocs and PhD students can apply for such funding both from UiB (deadline 1 October,  and Helse-Vest (deadline 15 September.  Postdoctoral fellows are especially encouraged to apply (Helse-Vest) and UiB provides an extra year of salary if you use it for a stay abroad. Support can also be applied for from the Research Council and other funding bodies *. The application deadline for a sabbatical leave is 1 April to the department each year.

Many do not consider an extended stay abroad due to practical challenges with regard to work and studies for their partner, schooling for children and housing. An alternative could be a shorter stay, perhaps to a country in Europe that requires less practical preparation. Such stays can also be valuable in order to establish the networks that can lift your research.

Read the announcement and apply. Request to visit an institution abroad is rarely turned down when you come with your own salary.

Good weekend!

Eystein Husebye

*Other funding bodies

• http://www.uib.no/mofa/forskning/fond-oglegater#1medisinskforskning
• NFR/ EURAXESS sin stipendbase: http://www.euraxess.no/prognett-euraxess/stipendbasen/1232443083609
• Fullbright: http://www.fulbright.no/en/grants

The semester is well underway, and this also means that it is time for the annual employee interviews. All employees who have a main position at UiB must have employee interviews. This also includes PhD candidates. For employees with 10-20% positions, the group leader can agree with the employee that it is not necessary.

The employee interviews are an important arena for clarifying expectations of performance, providing mutual feedback and insight into each other’s work situation and addressing the working environment and conditions at the workplace. Especially for younger researchers, it is important that career planning is included, and that basic pedagogical competence is something they should keep in mind.

The employee interviews have been delegated to the research group leaders, while I as acting head of department will begin the employee interviews with the research group leaders, which Pål will continue to do when he is back at the helm. This has been moved to 21 October since the SFF application deadline has been postponed until 20 October. Head of Administration Mia Holmaas is responsible for the employee interviews with administrative staff

We are happy to announce that the Eitri Medical Incubator  will be inaugurated on November 1, 2021. We welcome you to build an ecosystem, together with us, where healthcare innovation can thrive. Eitri will be an arena for people transforming healthcare, putting ideas to work. We welcome innovation within drug discovery, diagnostic tool development, medical devices, e-health applications and beyond. We will host startups, industry professionals, clinicians and researchers conducing innovative research with great impact.

Eitri is located on 8th and 9th floor of the BBB (Bygg for Biologiske basalfag) and will be open for guided tours in August and September. Sign up here  if you are interested, and, please, remember to indicate your full name and email address. Contact us if none of the offered time slots is convenient for you, we will be happy to schedule additional visits.

If you are conducing innovative research with potential to improve human lives, Eitri may be the best place to bring your project to fruition. At Eitri you will benefit from advising, mentoring and educational events. Moreover, you will learn from likeminded peers and industry professionals surrounding you.

We offer dedicated desks and shared desks that can be used on first come first served basis. If you are interested in joining Eitri community and having a dedicated or shared desk at Eitri, please, fill out the form below to indicate your potential interest by September 15.

https://skjemaker.app.uib.no/view.php?id=10760401

Please, contact Maija Slaidina (maija.slaidina@uib.no<mailto:maija.slaidina@uib.no>, 409 96 025) or Torleif Markussen Lunde (torleif.lunde@uib.no<mailto:torleif.lunde@uib.no>, 454 28 780) for more information or scheduling additional Eitri tours.