Category Archives: Utgave 02-2024

Dear colleagues,  

The last weeks the weather has been a bit rough, a perfect opportunity to stay indoors and get some work done. And work has been done!  

Wednesday last week we handed in the EVALMEDHELSE self-evaluation forms to the Research Council of Norway. This evaluation takes place every 10 years and is extensive. We basically report on all the activities of the department and research groups/units the last 10 years. This includes the societal and sector impact of our work, strategy plans, collaborations, research, teaching, economy, funding, SWOT-analysis, how we comply with rules and regulations and much more. We delivered one report for the department, and six reports for six different research groups/units, plus a document with three impact cases. If you want to have a look at these documents, they can be found in the Teams channel “Institutt for biomedisin”  → “EVALMEDHELSE” → “Documents submitted to NFR”. Gathering all the information needed and creating these documents (about 200 pages in total) was a real team effort. I would like to thank everybody that has contributed to this finished product, which I think turned out really good!  

The accounting for 2023 for our department is now finalized. The budget for 2023 did not look good, but after taking several measures during the year we managed to end the year almost in balance (not including negative transfers from 2022)! Everybody contributed to this in different ways, and I think we should be very proud of this accomplishment!  

The economy for 2024 will also be very strict, and our budget indicates big red numbers, but we will keep working hard and smart and improve as much as we think is possible and responsible.  

We had the Dean, Per Bakke, visiting us at the faculty lunch two weeks ago. He talked about the economic situation at the faculty. Bottom line is that the faculty and departments must improve the economy quite a bit, and a project group is appointed with the mandate to suggest how. Frits Thorsen will be our representative in this project group. If you have input/ideas on how the economy can be improved, please approach him. This project group work starts today (February 5) and has May 15 as deadline. 

Malin Lundekvam startet den 01.02.2024 som ph.d.  i gruppen til Thomas Arnesen

Vi gratulerer Helge Wiig med hans 70 års jubileum og takker for hans verdifulle innsats ved IBM

Innføring i forskningsetikk

UiB har laget e-læringskurset «Innføring i forskningsetikk» som anbefales for alle ansatte i vitenskapelige stillinger:
https://mitt.uib.no/enroll/L4P4DJ.
Kurset skal bidra til å sikre god kjennskap til grunnleggende forskningsetiske normer og retningslinjer. Det finnes på norsk og engelsk og tar ca. 15 minutter å gjennomføre. God forskningsetikk er avgjørende både for forskningens kvalitet og integritet. Forskningsetikk er ikke bare et fundament, men også en nøkkel til å bevare tilliten til forskningen, både til enkeltforskere og UiB som institusjon.

Introduction to Research Ethics

UiB has created the e-learning course «Introduction to research ethics» which is recommended for all employees in scientific positions: https://mitt.uib.no/enroll/L4P4DJ
The course will help to ensure a good knowledge of basic research ethical norms and guidelines. It is available in Norwegian and English and takes approx. 15 minutes to complete. Good research ethics are crucial both for the quality and integrity of the research. Research ethics is not only a foundation, but also a key to maintaining trust in research, both for individual researchers and UiB as an institution.

Utlysing av fakultetets priser 2023: forsknings-, innovasjons- og utdanningsprisene

Det medisinske fakultet vil på Fakultetets dag i 2024 dele ut priser for årets publikasjon, årets ph.d.-arbeid, årets forskningsmiljø, fremragende forskningsformidling, innovasjon og fremragende tiltak innen utdanning.
Les utfyllende om prisene her: Utlysing av fakultetets priser 2023 forsknings innovasjons ….

Please see the Employee Pages for UiB welfare offers

Welfare | Employee Pages | UiB

News from international HR UiB

Newsletter: awaiting the Februar newsletter – January 2024.pdf (uib.no)

Kunnskapsprat: Digital omstilling i UH-sektoren – status, muligheter og utfordringer

Hvor god er universitets- og høyskolesektoren til å utnytte digital teknologi for å heve kvaliteten og relevansen i utdanningen og forskningen? Hvordan står det til med den digitale kompetansen i sektoren? Velkommen til vår digitale kunnskapsprat, onsdag 7. februar kl. 10.00–11.00.
Vi inviterer til panelsamtale med sentrale aktører i utdanningssektoren, og går nærmere inn på flere aktuelle problemstillinger:
– I den digitale omstillingen jobber institusjonene mye med tekniske og organisatoriske tiltak, men: Hvordan jobbe for å fremme en digital omstilling som bidrar til å styrke fagene, forskningen, undervisningen og utdanningskvaliteten?
– Sektorens digitale kompetanse fremstår som relativt begrenset, viser kartleggingen, så hvordan bør sektoren jobbe med å løfte kompetansen blant egne ansatte?
– Institusjonene er positiv til å dele tjenester og produkter med andre. Hvilke nye muligheter gir dette for det videre arbeidet med digitalisering i UH-sektoren?
I panelet finner vi:
– Seunn Smith-Tønnesen, universitetsdirektør ved Universitetet i Agder (UIA) og nestleder i digitaliseringsstyret
– Stine Grønvold, prorektor for utdanning ved Høgskolen i Innlandet (HINN) og medlem i digitaliseringsstyret
– Harald Bolstad Evensen, fag- og forskningspolitisk ansvarlig i Norsk studentorganisasjon (NSO)
– Sveinung Skule, direktør i HK-dir
– Programleder: Ragnhild Tungesvik, divisjonsdirektør i Divisjon for høyere utdanning og forskning, HK-dir.
Kunnskapsprat: Digital omstilling i UH-sektoren – status, muligheter og utfordringer | HK-dir (hkdir.no)
Tidspunkt: 7. februar 2024 kl. 10.00-11.00
Sted: • Digitalt, Påmelding: Webinar Registration – Zoom

Universitetsbiblioteket tester ut Keenious

Keenious er et eksempel på en ny type akademisk søkeverktøy som benytter teknologi basert på kunstig intelligens til å finne forskningsartikler. Universitetsbiblioteket ønsker å teste ut om dette er et nyttig supplement til tradisjonelle søkeverktøy. Studenter og ansatte ved UiB vil derfor vårsemesteret 2024 ha tilgang til Keenious Plus. Denne tilgangen gir flere funksjoner enn gratisversjonen.
Les mer her om hvordan du bruker verktøyet og hvordan du kommer i gang: Universitetsbiblioteket tester ut Keenious | Universitetsbiblioteket | UiB

The University Library is testing Keenious

Keenious is an example of a new type of academic search tool that utilizes technology based on artificial intelligence to find research articles. The University Library wants to test whether this is a useful supplement to traditional search tools. Therefore, students and staff at UiB will have access to Keenious Plus during the spring semester of 2024. The Plus version provides more features than the free version.
Read more here about how to use the tool and how to get started: The University Library is testing Keenious | University of Bergen Library | UiB

Language café – every Tuesday at 16-18.

Take the chance to get to know your fellow students while at the same time practicing your spoken Norwegian!
Maybe you’ll even meet someone who speaks the exact language you want to learn?
There will be a number of fun activities to set the mood such as «Academic word of the day», «language jenga» and lots more!
Various snacks and coffee will also be served. The language café will be open to ALL UiB students every Tuesday at 16-18.
Språkkafé påmelding / Language café registration (uib.no)
There will be drop-in as usual, but registration is required for the first meeting on 13 February.
Babelstuen, Universitetsbiblioteket Humaniora, Haakon Sheteligs plass

Brain asymmetries from mid- to late life and hemispheric brain age.
Korbmacher M, van der Meer D, Beck D, de Lange AG, Eikefjord E, Lundervold A, Andreassen OA, Westlye LT, Maximov II. Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 1;15(1):956. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45282-3.PMID: 38302499 Free PMC article.

On the hunt for metalloenzyme inhibitors: Investigating the presence of metal-coordinating compounds in screening libraries and chemical spaces.
Schuck B, Brenk R. Arch Pharm (Weinheim). 2024 Jan 26:e2300648. doi: 10.1002/ardp.202300648. Online ahead of print.PMID: 38279543

Investigating Polypharmacology through Targeting Known Human Neutrophil Elastase Inhibitors to Proteinase 3.
Gartan P, Khorsand F, Mizar P, Vahokovski JI, Cervantes LF, Haug BE, Brenk R, Brooks CL 3rd, Reuter N. J Chem Inf Model. 2024 Jan 26. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01949. Online ahead of print.PMID: 38276895

The dopamine receptor D1 inhibitor, SKF83566, suppresses GBM stemness and invasion through the DRD1-c-Myc-UHRF1 interactions.
Xue Z, Zhang Y, Zhao R, Liu X, Grützmann K, Klink B, Zhang X, Wang S, Zhao W, Sun Y, Han M, Wang X, Hu Y, Liu X, Yang N, Qiu C, Li W, Huang B, Li X, Bjerkvig R, Wang J, Zhou W. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Jan 22;43(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s13046-024-02947-7.PMID: 38246990 Free PMC article.

Fatigue in Parkinson’s Disease: A Proteomic Study of Cerebrospinal Fluid.
Eidem LE, Birkeland E, Austdal M, Bårdsen K, Lange J, Alves G, Berven F, Nilsen MM, Herlofson K, Tysnes OB, Omdal R. Mov Disord. 2024 Jan 20. doi: 10.1002/mds.29715. Online ahead of print.PMID: 38243743 No abstract available.

Neurobiological mechanisms of electroconvulsive therapy for depression: Insights into hippocampal volumetric increases from clinical and preclinical studies.
Abe Y, Erchinger VJ, Ousdal OT, Oltedal L, Tanaka KF, Takamiya A. J Neurochem. 2024 Jan 18. doi: 10.1111/jnc.16054. Online ahead of print.PMID: 38238933 Review.

BBB Seminar 

Ron Wevers from Radboud University Medical Centre, The Netherlands, will give a talk entitled “Untargeted metabolomics in body fluids and tissues – from the bench to the bedside”.
https://www.uib.no/en/biomedisin/167169/bbb-seminar-ron-wevers 

Thursday, February 15, 14:30 

CCBIO seminar

TBD​

Thursday, Feb. 22​, 14:30​

Please see all coming BBB-seminars here:

BBB Seminars | The Department of Biomedicine | UiB

March 14, BBB seminar, Oliver Billker, Umeå University, Sweden
March 21, CCBIO seminar, Mika Kontro, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Finland
April 11, BBB seminar, Helge Wiig, Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen
April 25, CCBIO seminar, TBD
May 23, BBB seminar, Karin Dedek, University of Oldenburg, Germany
May 30, CCBIO seminar, Antonio Curti, University of Bologna, Italy
June 6, BBB seminar, Ylva Hellsten, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
June 20, CCBIO seminar, TBD

Symposium for the Center for Medicine with AI in Bergen – 8 February

The medical faculty at the University of Bergen, Western Norway University College and Health Bergen are pleased to invite you to a symposium focused on how we can together create a coordinated center for Medicine with AI in Western Norway.

Symposium for Senter for medisin med KI i Bergen_ 8.2.24_Eitri_Program

See also this page: Symposium for Senter for medisin med KI i Bergen | Det medisinske fakultet | UiB

Time: 8 February 2024, at 09.00 – 13.00. Place: Eitri medical incubator, Haukelandsbakken 31

Essential ERC – A very basic introduction to the European arena for excellent science

It is easy to assume that all researchers are familiar with the European Research Council (ERC) grants for excellent researchers at all stages. This is however not entirely true. This is a short, very basic webinar for early stage and mature researchers who wants to know more about the grants offered to excellent researchers at all experience levels. What can you apply for, how do you apply, when and at what stage? After the presentation, there will be a Q&A.

Essential ERC – A very basic introduction to the European arena for excellent science (forskningsradet.no)
The webinar complements our other activities for applicants to the ERC, such as writing courses, proposal reading days and more. The webinar is held in English. Registration deadline:13 February at 11 am
Digital:Live streaming, 13 Feb 14:00 – 15:00

ERC Proof of Concept; Innovation from excellent science

The ERC Proof of Concept Grants (PoC) aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research. You may apply for a PoC if you are a Principal Investigator in a Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy Grant.
Line Fredslund Volkers, call coordinator for PoC at the ERC, tells you what you need to know about PoC before you apply. We have two contributions from researchers who received PoC projects. Finally, the National Contact Point for EIC (European Innovation Councill) will speak about the possibilities in EIC. In the first EIC Transition call of the majority of the researchers getting a grant had previously received ERC grants.

ERC Proof of Concept; Innovation from excellent science (forskningsradet.no)
The 2024 ERC PoC-call opened in November 2023 and there will be two deadlines: 14. March and 17. September.
The webinar will be in English. Registration deadline: February 8 at 7am
Digital: Live streaming, 08 Feb 10:00 – 11:45

Research grants i Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) – webinar

Are you interested in doing basic research focused on the elucidation of the sophisticated and complex mechanisms of living organisms?

You can apply for funding from the Human Science Frontier Program (HFSP). Please note that you do not need to have a background in biology, participation of scientists outside the traditional life sciences is recommended because such collaborations have opened new approaches for understanding the complex structures and regulatory networks that characterize living organisms, their evolution and interactions.

Norway is again a full member from January 2023, and The Research Council of Norway will in February 2024 organize a webinar about the HFSP Research Grant. In 2024, the final deadline for the Research Grant call is March 28th, and the application must be initiated before March 19th.

Research grants i Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) (forskningsradet.no)

The webinar is in English and you’ll receive the Zoom link 1-2 days before the event.

Next level grant writing with AI  – open webinar

Tuesday, February 13, 2024. 14:00-16:00 Central European Time.
Next level grant writing with AI – scientifyRESEARCH
Prof. Dr. Daniel Mertens from Schiller & Mertens: Scientists Need More! on a funding webinar, where we will cover:
How to find research funding faster – with a focus on grants for Europe-based early-career researchers.
How to write a successful grant application – part 1 – AI assistants for texting, information retrieval and for literature review.
How to write a successful grant application – part 2 – Harnessing the power of AI for brainstorming of research ideas, of experimental setups and for collaborations.

Cell Symposia: Engineering development and disease in organoids

Home – Cell Symposium: Engineering development and disease in organoids (cell-symposia.com)
August 19–21, 2024,  San Diego, CA, USA

Division of Research and Innovation – events and courses

Norsk: Kommende arrangement for Forsknings- og innovasjonsavdelingen | Universitetet i Bergen (uib.no)
English: Upcoming events for Division of Research and Innovation | University of Bergen (uib.no)

University of Bergen Library – events and courses

Norsk: Kommende arrangement for Universitetsbiblioteket | Universitetet i Bergen (uib.no)
English: Upcoming events for University of Bergen Library | University of Bergen (uib.no)

Digital understanding, knowledge and competencies (DIGI) – staff and students

Norsk: Digital forståelse, kunnskap og kompetanse | Universitetet i Bergen (uib.no)
English: Digital understanding, knowledge and competence | University of Bergen (uib.no)

Se tematiske søkerkurs til frister i 2024 – NFR

Sjå opptak av søker webinar (forskningsradet.no)

PhD Grant Writing Workshop

The Faculty of Medicine invites all PhD-candidates to a workshop on «How to write a successful grant proposal».

The workshop will enable PhD-candidates in medicine and sciences to start early with their future research project. Participants will gain insight into the international funding landscape and develop hands-on knowledge by working on their own project proposal.

PhD Grant Writing Workshop (Day 1) | Faculty of Medicine | UiB

Target audience: PhD-candidates enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine who want to kick-start their academic career in the nearest future.

13.05.2024 – 09.00–13.00, EITRI Medical Incubator, Haukelandsbakken 31

UiBdoc

UiBdoc is a non-profit interest organization for PhDs, postdocs and other temporary scientific staff at UiB.
See events here: About – UiBdoc

UiB Ferd Career Center for Early Stage Researchers – events and courses

Upcoming events for UiB Ferd Career Center for Early Stage Researchers | University of Bergen
Newsletter: February 2024 (cloud.microsoft)oft)

NorDoc course database – get ECTS

COURSES | nordoc (nordochealth.net)

ELIXIR Norway – see service offers for your project

SERVICES – Elixir Norway
For any inquiries, the ELIXIR Norway Helpdesk can be reached through: support@elixir.no

IT division – events and courses

IT division | University of Bergen (uib.no)

JPIAMR – AMR Interventions 2024

3-7 Partners from 3 countries. Probably 300.000 EUR for the Norwegian partners; other partners are funded by their national funders.
Topic 1: Design novel or improved interventions to prevent, mitigate and /or treat fungal infections, which are resistant to treatments and/or are at risk of developing resistance
Topic 2: Improve and/or, compare and/or evaluate strategies, technologies, treatments, methods, protocols or data collection based on existing  interventions, aiming to prevent or reduce the emergence or spread of antibacterial or antifungal resistance or to treat/cure infections caused by resistant bacteria/fungi and recommend new policies.
AMR Interventions 2024 – JPIAMR
Deadline (proposals): 14 March 2024

Human Frontier Science Program Research Grants

900.000-1.500.000 USD, 3 years. Topic: basic research focused on the elucidation of the sophisticated and complex mechanisms of living organisms. For international research team of 2-4 members. Exploratory or discovery grants that are based on ideas and concepts. Preliminary data are not required.
Research Grants | Human Frontier Science Program (hfsp.org)
Deadline: annual, next: March 2024

DAM Foundation – research grants

1,5-3 MIO NOK for 3 years. Stiftelsen Dam is one of Norway’s largest foundations and provides funding for health and research projects that will provide better health through participation and activity for people in Norway. The applications are sent through a volunteer organisasjon like the Norwegian Red Cross, The Norwegian Cancer Society, the National Association for Publich Health etc.

Om programmet – Stiftelsen Dam
Deadline: annually, 15 February

Human Frontier Science Program

Here is a call that is particularly relevant for several researchers at Biomedicine. HFSP is the funding program for basic research in life sciences. It requires international collaboration and does not fund applied/medical research. Projects are bottom-up high-risk projects. No preliminary results are required.
Research Grants | Human Frontier Science Program (hfsp.org)
HFSP Research Grants support innovative basic research into fundamental biological problems with emphasis placed on novel and interdisciplinary approaches that involve scientific exchanges across national and disciplinary boundaries.
a) Research Grants: 900.000-1.500.000 USD, 3 years. For international teams of 2-4 researchers. There are separate calls for early and established researchers. Deadline: 28 March 2024
b) Postdoctoral Fellowships: 3-year fellowships. The host institution cannot be located in the country where the applicant has obtained a doctorate or worked as a postdoctoral fellow, nor can the applicant be a citizen of the host country. The applicant cannot have worked with the supervisor at the host institution previously. Deadline: annual, May

NFR Collaborative Projects  – Enabling Technologies

12 MIO NOK, 4 years. Requires collaboration with partners in other sectors.
– Industrial Biotechnology. Biotechnological methods, enzymes, microorganisms and other cell systems to produce various products, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, feed, textiles and energy.
– Technology convergence. Create radically new technologies through professional fusion within the enabling technologies.

Samarbeidsprosjekt for å møte utfordringer i samfunn og næringsliv (forskningsradet.no)
Deadline: 13 March 2024

ERA PerMed -Targets for Personalised Medicine Approaches

Joint Transnational Call, most likely 3-5 partners from at least 3 countries, 300.000 EUR for the Norwegian partners. Topic: Identification or Validation of Targets for Personalised Medicine Approaches. Must combine the research on new and advanced targets with companion biomarker research (companion diagnostics).

EP PerMed Joint Transnational Call for Proposals (2024) – European Partnership for Personalised Medicine – EP PerMed
Deadline: 5 March 2024

Financial support for stays abroad

MED: Financial support for stays abroad for PhD candidates and Postdoctoral Fellows | Faculty of Medicine | UiB
NFR: Funding for Research Stays Abroad for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows (forskningsradet.no)

Calls for Erasmus+

Tilskuddsutlysninger | HK-dir (erasmuspluss.no)

UiB Opp – kompetanseutvikling for eksternfinansiering og forskningsstøtte

Se UiB Opp kurs her: UiB Opp – kompetanseutvikling for eksternfinansiering og forskningsstøtte | Støtte til eksternfinansierte prosjekter (BOA) | UiB

Nyhetsbrev fra Institutt for Biomedisin
Bilder er enten fra UiB.no eller www.freepik.com
Publisert hver tredje uke
Ansvarlig redaktør: Frode Berven
Redaktør: Anne Mette Søviknes