A new UiB study suggests that biological differences in the body may help determine who benefits from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe depression.
ECT is an effective treatment for severe depression, but is often used as a last resort. A new international study led by UiB shows that patients who respond well to ECT, even before treatment, have clear biological differences in DNA and immune markers compared to those who do not respond. ECT itself does not change gene expression, but the findings may open the way for more accurate and personalized treatment in the future. The researchers emphasize that the results are promising, but need to be confirmed in larger studies.
The University of Bergen receives the award for targeted and comprehensive environmental management over time.
The University of Bergen has been awarded the Environmental Lighthouse of the Year 2025 award in the group and large enterprises category. The jury's justification highlights that UiB "has demonstrated targeted and comprehensive environmental management over time", and that the university's climate and environmental work is firmly anchored in top management and produces documentable results.
The award was presented by the CEO of Miljøfyrtårn, Ann-Kristin Ytreberg, to Vice-Rector Kjell-Morten Myhr and Assistant University Director Kari Fuglseth.
Recognition of long-term work
– UiB is a brilliant example of how a large company can work holistically with environmental management and sustainability. They contribute both directly and indirectly to the green transition in Norway, and they deserve an award for that, says Ytreberg.
On its website, Miljøfyrtårn describes the award as a competition that aims to highlight businesses that are leading the way and showing the way towards a greener and more sustainable future.
– An important confirmation
Rector Margareth Hagen is proud of the award and believes that the prize shows that UiB is successful in its environmental efforts.
– When UiB takes a leading position in the academic work on sustainability nationally, it also commits us to how we develop as an organization. We are therefore incredibly proud to be named Environmental Lighthouse of the Year 2025. The award is a recognition of both the institution and the important efforts that many employees have made over a long period of time, says Hagen.
First university with Environmental Lighthouse certification
In 2016, UiB became the first Norwegian university to be certified as an Environmental Lighthouse. Since then, the university has strengthened its work with a number of initiatives, including:
energy efficiency through smart buildings, solar cells and heat pumps
measures for more sustainable travel habits
schemes such as Green Master and the Climate Fund, which stimulate research and idea development within the climate and environment
better waste management and increased reuse of furniture and fixtures
– It is very gratifying to see that the work is yielding results and that the environmental impact is being reduced in several areas, says Hagen.
Putting action behind words
Ytreberg highlights UiB's comprehensive organization of climate work as an important reason why the university won the award.
– UiB is an impressive player in environmental management. In addition to being an Environmental Lighthouse, they have their own environmental coordinator, climate fund and a steering group for climate work. They really put action behind their words, she says.
Academic program before the award ceremony
Before the award ceremony, an academic program was held where employees and students presented various climate measures and research projects, including:
Ove Botnevik, Helene Wiken and Steinar Sundberg from the joint administration on concrete climate measures
PhD fellow Rebekka Frøystad about her research project at Folgefonna
Johan Wilhelm Holmström Ulla about her master's thesis supported by Green Master
Eva-Lena Nordmann about the certification work from My Green Lab at the Michael Sars Center
The University of Bergen now invites anyone who knows a true bridge builder to nominate candidates for the Christie Prize 2026. The prize is awarded annually to a person or organization that has distinguished itself through outstanding interaction between research, education and community life. The nomination deadline is set for 27 February 2026.
The Christie Prize highlights actors who, through their work, have contributed to highlighting the role of the university in social development. Individuals, groups, institutions, companies and organizations within research, culture, business and social life can be nominated.
The nomination process is confidential, and all proposals are reviewed by a jury appointed by the University of Bergen. A written justification of 1–3 pages must be submitted for each candidate. Nominations must be sent to christiekonferansen@uib.no.
The prize consists of 250,000 kroner, a plaque with a bust of Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie – created by artist James Eves – and a diploma. The winner will be announced during the Christie Conference in the University Auditorium on 28 April.
The Christie Prize was established to demonstrate how research and education can create insight, understanding and innovation across areas of society. The prize is named after the President of the Storting, museum man and bridge builder Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie.
Global Societal Challenges (GSU) is one of three priority areas at the University of Bergen. Funding is allocated to various activities such as events, visiting scholar stays, seminars, and other initiatives that can help develop cross faculty research projects related to the theme of “inequality” in a broad sense. Applications should include concrete plans for continued research collaboration and the submission of proposals to external funding sources.
Application deadline: 1 March 2026.
The proposed Infection Control Act raises important questions about the balance between legal certainty and public health. During this year's first Pandemic Breakfast, two key experts will meet to shed light on the bill's consequences from different perspectives.
Professor of Law at the University of Bergen, Eirik Holmøyvik, and Acting Director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Preben Aavitsland, will together explore how the legislative change can affect both legal frameworks and healthcare practice.
Time and place:
January 2026, 8:30–9:15 am Online or meeting room Tarlebø, Alrek health cluster Language: Norwegian Coffee and tea will be served
The event is open to all interested parties. Register and participate in a topical conversation about infection control, rights and social responsibility.
A research project at the University of Bergen will investigate how probiotics, improved hygiene education and advanced mathematical models can help prevent deaths from diarrhea among children in low- and middle-income countries. The EU has awarded the PRoRota project 5.3 million euros over four years.
The project is led by researcher Sabrina Moyo at the Tropical Infectious Diseases Group, Clinical Department 2. Together with her colleagues Nina Langeland and Bjørn Blomberg, she will investigate why the rotavirus vaccine has a lower effect in developing countries than in high-income countries. The hypothesis is that the intestinal flora in infants plays a central role.
Previous studies from Tanzania have shown high levels of resistant bacteria in children under three months of age. In a follow-up project, the researchers found that probiotics could reduce such bacteria and increase the proportion of "good" bacteria, albeit with a short-term effect. Now, PRoRota will test whether repeated doses of probiotics from birth can enhance the effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine.
Around 4,000 newborns in Tanzania, Malawi and Ivory Coast will participate in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The children will receive either probiotics or a placebo for several periods in the first months, before the researchers measure the incidence of diarrhea, immune response and levels of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
The project also includes enhanced hygiene education for parents and caregivers, where researchers are investigating how WASH routines can be implemented more effectively, and developing a mathematical model that can predict rotavirus outbreaks based on climate and infection data from the three countries.
A separate work package will assess the cost-effectiveness of the measures. Researcher Amani Mori at the Department of Global Health and Community Medicine is leading this section and points out that the burden of disease is hitting both families and the health economy hard.
Moyo emphasizes that the goal is clear: to reduce the number of children who get sick and die from diarrhea. The EU support makes it possible to implement the project on a large scale.
Wednesday 4 February – at 11.30-13.00- Auditorium in Armauer Hansens Hus Translating biomedical discoveries into scalable medical solutions remains slow, with many innovations stalling in the “translation gap.” Misaligned incentives, professional silos, and weak linkages between academia, healthcare, and industry limit real-world impact. This talk highlights key barriers: fragmented funding, insufficient early validation, regulatory uncertainty, and poor incentives for prevention. We present SFI ICoN as a model designed to address these challenges by combining academic excellence with industrial partnerships, clinical relevance, and health technology innovation. Key principles and the center’s 8-year plan will be outlined, providing insights for researchers and innovators looking to accelerate meaningful medical innovation.
CCBIO welcomes you to the first spring seminar of 2026, which will take place on Thursday, January 29th in auditorium 4 at BBB. The event is open to all, and no registration is required. This time, CCBIO researcher Katrin Kleinmanns will be on stage, presenting the work that earned her the Young Cancer Researcher Award.
Kleinmanns is affiliated with the Bjørge and McCormack groups, and her research focuses on new treatment strategies for high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) – the most aggressive and widespread form of epithelial ovarian cancer. In her talk, she will show how advanced preclinical models can contribute to a better understanding of the disease and pave the way for more targeted therapies.
Topic for the lecture
Topic for the lecture Translational PDX models as a platform to advance therapy in ovarian cancerKleinmanns will present, among other things:
Establishment of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models that preserve tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment
Identification of CD24 as a biomarker for non-invasive fluorescence imaging and image-guided surgery
Development of humanized models to test immunotherapies in HGSC
Targeting chemoresistant cancer cells through personalized treatment strategies
Profiling the tumor microenvironment to identify predictive and prognostic biomarkers
Despite advances in surgery and targeted therapy, patients with HGSC still have a poor prognosis, with five-year survival rates around 50 percent and relapse rates as high as 75 percent. Kleinmanns’ work seeks to address this need through new models that better reflect the complexity of the disease.
Practical information
Time: 29 January 2026, at 14.30–15.30
Location: Auditorium 4, BB building, Jonas Lies vei 91
Chair: Professor Line Bjørge
Registration: Not required. UiB students who need ECTS must register in Studentweb.
About CCBIO's seminar series
CCBIO organizes monthly research seminars with national and international speakers. The seminars have three main purposes:
Disseminate relevant biomarker research to the local research community, especially to students and younger researchers
Included as part of the courses BMED380 (master) and CCBIO902 (PhD)
Create a meeting place for informal academic exchange between researchers, PIs, students and other interested parties
All interested parties are welcome to participate.
