European Rare Disease Research Alliance (ERDERA)

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

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

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

Respiratory viruses that cause pandemics

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

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

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

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

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

ERC Starting Grant Programme

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

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

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

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

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

This weeks edithorial – week 40

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

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

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

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

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

More detailed coverage of the event can be found here.

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

Microplastic and Human Health Symposium in Bergen on November 22nd

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The Plastic Network at the University of Bergen and collaborators are happy to invite you to a one-day symposium on microplastics on November 22nd.

The title for the meeting is “Microplastics and Human Health; sources, exposure, and impact”, and includes presentations from renowned experts and early career scientists in the field of microplastic research.

The meeting will take place at Marineholmen in Bergen, but online Zoom attendance is also possible. The meeting is free to attend and includes lunch.

You will find the complete scientific program and link to the registration here (Norwegian) and here (English), or by using the QR code on the attached flyer.

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World Mental Health Day – Seminar with psychologist Andreas Hillestad Schei

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The research is crystal clear. Our most important and decisive source of meaning is our social relationships. No other factors play as significant a role in our quality of life as how satisfied we are with our relationships. And there are far too many people today who are not satisfied.

16.10.2024 – 08.30–09.15
Amauer Hansens hus, aud.

https://www.uib.no/foransatte/172952/world-mental-health-day-seminar-psychologist-andreas-hillestad-schei