Dear colleagues,

The last few weeks have been busy for many of us with teaching starting up again, several application deadlines and high activity in many of the labs with new and ongoing projects.
This semester we have also planned PhD defense for 12 candidates, way above the recent semesters. When it comes to master students, we got 23 new students this round, which is a rather normal number and nothing like the very high number of students we got last time.
Tomorrow, 20.9.2022, at 14:15-16:00, there will be a chance to get to know a bit better this year’s MSc students and even present a taste of your groups research for them. Please see email from Inari for more information and registration.

There will be focus on several important subjects at the department the coming months, and I’ll come back to these during the fall. One of the subjects is as always HSE, and this is important to focus on.
We are aiming for a full, mandatory HSE-day on December 9, followed by our traditional Christmas party in the cantina at BBB in the evening. I hope all of you already now reserve this day, and the evening.
I’m really looking forward to this traditional event after a couple of years without!

Malin Lundekvam startet  som avdelingsingeniør 1. september i  forskningsgruppen Translasjonell Cellesignalisering og Metabolisme.

Eiendomsavdelingen får i uke 40 montert sykkelbur med UiB-kortleser der det i dag er
4 P-plasser for biler under bygget «Fjellsida». Kontakt Eiendomsavdelingen ved spørsmål.

In week 40, the Estate and Facilities Management division will have a bicycle cage fitted with a UiB card reader where there are currently 4 parking spaces for cars under the «Fjellsida» building. Contact the Estate and Facilities Management division if you have any questions.

Tilbud om helsekontroll 2022

Ansatte og studenter ved UiB som arbeider i risikofylt arbeidsmiljø, kan ha krav på helsekontroll. Informasjon om helsekontroll er nå tilgjengelig på HMS-portalen.
Arbeid og arbeidsplassen skal tilrettelegges slik at ansatte og studenter ikke blir utsatt for helseskade. Helsekontroll kan bidra til å forebygge sykdom og helseskader, og avdekke uheldig påvirkning fra arbeidsmiljøet. Ansatte og studenter skal gjennomgå helseundersøkelse før arbeidsoppstart hvis de skal jobbe med: Pelsbærende forsøksdyr og Bly og blyforbindelser.
Ansatte og studenter som jobber i risikofylte arbeidsmiljø skal ha tilbud om egnete helsekontroller dersom risikovurdering påviser helserisiko knyttet til eksponering av: Biologiske faktorer, Farlige kjemikalier, Kunstig optisk stråling, Bergarbeid, Støy, Støv med asbestfiber og Ioniserende stråling hvis årlig dose overskrider 6 mSv.
Linjeleder skal sørge for at overforstående ansatte og studenter får egnet helsekontroll. Hvis dere trenger å bestille time for en slik helseundersøkelse, kan dere ta kontakt med Bedriftshelsetjenesten på e-post: bht@uib.no  Vi holder til i Christies gate 20, 1. etasje (inngang fra Muséplass).

Offer for health check 2022

Employees and students at UiB who work in a risky work environment may be entitled to a health check. Information about health checks is now available on the HMS portal.
Work and the workplace must be arranged so that employees and students are not exposed to health damage. Health checks can help prevent illness and health damage, and uncover adverse effects from the working environment. Employees and students must undergo a health examination before starting work if they are going to work with: Fur-bearing laboratory animals and Lead and lead compounds.
Employees and students who work in a risky work environment must be offered suitable health checks if a risk assessment shows a health risk linked to exposure to: Biological factors, Hazardous chemicals, Artificial optical radiation, Mining, Noise, Dust with asbestos fibers and Ionizing radiation whose annual dose exceeds 6 mSv.
The line manager must ensure that the staff and students above receive a suitable health check. If you need to book an appointment for such a health examination, you can contact the Occupational Health Service by e-mail: bht@uib.no. We are located at Christies gate 20, 1st floor (entrance from Muséplass).

New students on the Master’s programme

The new students on the Master’s programme of Biomedical sciences will be looking for projects this autumn and spring. We are therefore collecting project descriptions for them. The timeline of the projects is from June/august 2023 to June 2024.
Last year we invited all potential supervisors to a “Master’s Day” where they had a 5 minute brief presentation of themselves and their project. After all the presentations we had a mingle session where supervisors and students could meet. We have received very positive feedback from this, and we will arrange this again in late November or the beginning of December this year.
Please send your project to siri.aaserud@uib.no or studie.biomed@uib.no by the 14^th of October. We will distribute all the projects to the students by the second half of October. The students can then approach the supervisors of the projects they are interested in. We ask you to not formally sign on a student to the master’s project before the 10^th of December. This is because of several reasons:
-For the students to have time to find out more about the projects and meet with the supervisors they are interested in.
-The projects are available a short time before the presentation at the “Master’s Day” at the end of the BMED320 projects so that the students know more about methods and the research carried out at the Department (and Faculty).
-So you can evaluate each of the students approaching you.
We also ask you to hand in the Master’s agreement 14 days after you have formally signed on a student, so the study section know which projects are available after December. The students have until 1^st of June next year to submit the master’s agreement. Thus, students might contact you after December too.Please let me know if you have any questions about taking on a master student.
Best, Siri Tangen Aaserud, Master coordinator.

VIKTIG! Frister for innkommende gjestestudenter ved UiB

Planlegger du å ta imot gjestestudenter i vår? Eller kommer studentene til neste høst? Uansett er det essensielt å ikke glemme UiBs sentrale opptaksfrister:
Vårsemesteret 2023 (januar-juni): 15. oktober (2022)
Høstsemesteret 2023 (juli-desember): 01. mai (2023)
Fristene gjelder alle typer studenter, enten de er Erasmus Traineeship-studenter, eller andre typer innreisende gjestestudenter.
Det er ekstremt viktig at disse fristene blir overholdt, for ellers vil ikke studentene få tilgang til bygget, offisiell studentstatus i Norge, etc. For å være helt sikker på at papirarbeidet blir fulgt opp ordentlig og fristene overholdt, vennligst ta kontakt med internasjonal studentkoordinator Stian Krog (stian.krog@uib.no eller studie.biomed@uib.no) i god tid før fristenes respektive utløp. Uten administrativ forankring vil studentopphold ikke bli godkjente, og UiB får heller ingen studiepoeng for uautoriserte studenter som dukker opp, så det er svært viktig at Studieadministrasjonen blir koblet på tidlig, og er med under hele prosessen.

IMPORTANT! Deadlines for incoming guest students at UiB

Are you planning on receiving guest students this spring? Or will you have students visiting next fall? Regardless, it is essential not to forget UiB’s central admission deadlines:
Spring semester 2023 (January-June): 15 October (2022)
Fall semester 2023 (July-Desember): 01 May (2023)
The deadlines apply to all types of students, whether they are Erasmus Traineeship students, or other types of incoming guest students.
It is extremely important that these deadlines are respected, otherwise the students will not get access to the building, official student status in Norway, etc. To be sure that the paperwork is being followed up properly and the deadlines respected, please contact international student coordinator Stian Krog (stian.krog@uib.no or studie.biomed@uib.no) in due time before the respective deadlines expire. Without administrative anchoring, any student stays will not be approved, and UiB will get no ECTS for unauthorized students showing up, so it is highly important that the Section of Academic Affairs gets in the loop early, and stays connected throughout the entire process.

Erasmus+ er EUs program for utdanning, opplæring, ungdom og idrett.

Best i Norge på studentutveksling (dialogapi.no)
Det er verdens største utdanningsprogram, med et budsjett på 28,8 milliarder euro for perioden 2021-2027. Erasmus+ har tre hovedtiltak: Mobilitet, Partnerskap for samarbeid, Støtte til politikkutvikling
Les mer om mulighetene i programmet på vår ressursside.
I Norge er det Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse og Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet som er nasjonalkontor for Erasmus+ og som sørger for mobilisering til programmet og tildeling av de nasjonale midlene.

Sorry, links in Norwegian!

Nordplus

CCT196969 effectively inhibits growth and survival of melanoma brain metastasis cells.
Reigstad A, Herdlevær CF, Rigg E, Hoang T, Bjørnstad OV, Aasen SN, Preis J, Haan C, Sundstrøm T, Thorsen F. PLoS One. 2022 Sep 9;17(9):e0273711. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273711. eCollection 2022.PMID: 36084109 Free PMC article.

Molecular physiology of Arc/Arg3.1: the oligomeric state hypothesis of synaptic plasticity.
Eriksen MS, Bramham CR. Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2022 Sep 8:e13886. doi: 10.1111/apha.13886. Online ahead of print.PMID: 36073248 Review.

Quantitative proteome profiling reveals molecular hallmarks of egg quality in Atlantic halibut: impairments of transcription and protein folding impede protein and energy homeostasis during early development.
Yilmaz O, Jensen AM, Harboe T, Møgster M, Jensen RM, Mjaavatten O, Birkeland E, Spriet E, Sandven L, Furmanek T, Berven FS, Wargelius A, Norberg B. BMC Genomics. 2022 Sep 7;23(1):635. doi: 10.1186/s12864-022-08859-0.PMID: 36071374 Free PMC article.

CCBIO
Thursday, September 22, postponed.

BBB

Helena Erlandsson Harris from the University of Bergen will give a talk entitled “The alarmin HMGB1, inflammation and arthritis – immunoprofiling and molecular studies”.

Position: Professor, The Broegelmann Chair in Translational Immunology, University of Bergen and Professor at the division for rheumatology at Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet.
Research field: Inflammatory mechanisms in rheumatic diseases.
Main achievements: Authorship to many highly cited papers on alarmin functions of HMGB1. Coordinator of the EU-FP/ programme Counterstroke.
Seminar focus: Immunoprofiling of juvenile arthritis using the cohort we have established at Karolinska University Hospital and in-depth studies of the alarmin HMGB1 and its role in inflammation, including arthritis.
Thursday, September 29, 14.30 

Horizon Europe Success Factors

Welcome to the third event on Horizon Europe for UiB researchers, on Friday 7 October.
This time the focus is on factors for succeeding with your proposals for project funding – strategic networking, proposal writing and  the evaluation process – but also on how we link a research project to the big, global challenges.
There will be panel debates, introductions to the various parts of a project proposal in smaller groups, and stands with information about the calls for proposals coming in 2023 and 2024.
The target group for the event is academic staff at UiB. Registration deadline 30.09.2022 – 12.00.
Horizon Europe Success Factors | Division of Research and Innovation | UiB
Scandic Bergen City, Håkonsgaten 2-7, 07.10.2022 – 09.00–15.00

UiB Opp – kompetanseutvikling for eksternfinansiering og forskningsstøtte

UiB Opp er UiB sitt kompetanseprogram for å støtte opp under institusjonens økende behov for forskningsstøtte, og for kunnskap om eksternfinansiering knyttet til både forskning, utdanning og innovasjon. Programmet er åpent for ansatte som ønsker å utvikle seg innen feltene forskningsstøtte eller eksternfinansiering. BOA-teamet har ansvar for programmet.
UiB Opp – kompetanseutvikling for eksternfinansiering og forskningsstøtte | Støtte til eksternfinansierte prosjekter (BOA) | UiB
UiB har som mål å være et ledende internasjonalt forskningsuniversitet. For å nå dette må blant annet bidrags- og oppdragsfinansieringen ved UiB styrkes, og i dette ligger også et behov for økt kompetanse på søknadsskriving og drifting av prosjekter i organisasjonen.
Vi skal løfte UiBs forskere, forskningsstøtteapparat og støtteapparatet rundt eksternfinansiering av forskning, utdanning og innovasjon. Dette gjør vi blant annet  ved å sikre at forskere og forskningsledere får opplæring i prosjektutvikling og drift av forskningsprosjekter, og ved å heve kompetansen hos en større målgruppe slik at flere kan bidra inn i støtteapparatet, eller ved å gi ytterligere spisskompetanse til den delen av administrasjonen som allerede jobber med forskningsstøtte og eksternfinansiering.

Sorry, links in Norwegian!

Meld deg på OPP!

19.-25.september arrangeres Innovasjonsuken OPP. Over 40 arrangementer er tilgjengelig i arrangementskalenderen. En glimrende arena for studenter, gründere, investorer og næringslivet for møtes for nettverksbygging, kompetansedeling og framsnakking.
Se hele programmet her: www.innovasjonsukenopp.no/program

Sign up for OPP!

19-25 September is the Innovation Week OPP. Over 40 events are available in the events calendar. An excellent arena for students, entrepreneurs, investors and the business world to meet for networking, sharing expertise and chatting.
See the entire program here: www.innovasjonsukenopp.no/program

«The promise of ctDNA and CTCs in the evaluation of cancer treatment efficacy» 

Over the past ten years, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) have received enormous attention as new biomarkers and subject of translational research. Join us in a Zoom webinar to hear Professor Klaus Pantel, the father of the term liquid biopsy, give a talk on the application of CTCs and ctDNA in cancer research.
Special Seminar with Klaus Pantel | Centre for Cancer Biomarkers | UiB
Speaker: Professor Klaus Pantel, Director of the Institute of Tumor Biology, Center for Experimental Medicine, UKE Hamburg.
Thursday, September 29, 2022, from 12.30-13.30
The seminar starts at 12.30. Please log in a couple of minutes in advance, the webinar is open from 12.25. Link to join Webinar: https://uib.zoom.us/j/65981679564pwd=VHRxbTYwdUt0THdweG9YVEY0Y3JaQT09

Post doc and PhD! Research grant for stays abroad in 2023

The Faculty of Medicine reminds that all university-funded research fellows and postdoctoral fellows can apply for financial support for stays abroad. Employees in externally funded positions must apply to their funding source for support.
The application deadline for this round is 1 October 2022. Support is then sought for stays abroad for 2023.
We ask that the departments inform their employees about the application deadline and the applicable guidelines. The department must be informed in advance. We would like to point out that there were new application forms and rates in 2021, and that it is these forms that must be used.
Financial support for stays abroad for PhDs and Postdoctoral Fellows | Faculty of Medicine | UiB
The faculty only has the opportunity to partially finance stays abroad, so everyone is encouraged to also apply for external funds through other schemes. See here: Funding Search | EURAXESS Norway
All applications must be sent to the faculty together, with signatures and attachments, either by e-mail to post@med.uib.no, or fully scanned into this case with the main document on the applicant’s surname, and other documents as attachments.

Reminder!

UiB Ferd Career Center for Early Stage Researchers

«UiB Ferd supports early stage researchers in their career development»

UiB Ferd Career Centre supports doctoral candidates, postdoctoral fellows, researchers and associate professors. We offer a range of services designed to help you develop your career within or beyond the university.

Mer forskning til studentene!
Mange av våre studenter ønsker å lære mer om forskning og en akademisk karrierevei, men opplever at det er vanskelig å komme i kontakt med fakultetets forskere. Dette er ikke nødvendigvis studenter som i utgangspunktet er ute etter sommerjobb/stipend eller ph.d.-stipend, men studenter som gjerne vil lære mer om forskning og akademia før de eventuelt tar et slikt valg.
Det er et langsiktig mål for fakultetet å rekruttere flere personer med profesjonsutdanning inn i faste universitetsstillinger. Dette mener vi vil styrke både undervisningen og forskningen på sikt, og vi tror at det å gjøre fakultetets forskningsaktiviteter mer tilgjengelig for studentene vil bidra til dette.
Vi søker nå forskere på alle nivåer som kan tenke seg å være kontaktpersoner for studenter som vil lære mer om forskning. Merk at det ikke foreligger noen lovnader om videre arbeid inn i forskningsgruppen, verken fra studentens eller forskerens side selv om kontakt oppstår.
Det viktige er at hvis du velger å delta på dette må du svare på de henvendelsene du måtte få fra studenter, og at du er tilgjengelig for møter med studenter (for eksempel i form av samtaler, omvisning på enhet, invitasjon til gruppeseminar).
Navnet ditt med kontaktinformasjon (e-post) og en kort beskrivelse av forskningsfelt vil bli lagt ut i de kanalene der vi vanligvis har kontakt med studentene. Vi håper mange vil bidra til denne «studentportalen for forskning». Vi har også opprettet en nettside der vi har startet arbeidet med å legge inn informasjon om forskere som har registrert seg.
Hvis du er interessert, vennligst send navn, instituttilhørighet og 1-2 lett forståelige setninger om forskningsfeltet ditt til Ramune Midttveit (ramune.midttveit@uib.no)

More research for the students!

Many of our students want to learn more about research and an academic career path but find it difficult to get in touch with the faculty’s researchers. These are not necessarily students who are looking for, for example, a summer job/scholarship or PhD scholarship, but simply students who would like to learn more about research and academia.
It is a long-term goal for the faculty to recruit more people with education in medicine, odontology, nutrition, or pharmacy into permanent university positions. We believe this will strengthen both teaching and research in the long term, and that making the faculty’s research activities more accessible to students will contribute to this goal.
We are now looking for researchers at all levels who want to sign up as contact persons for students who want to learn more about research. Note that there are no promises of further work into the research group, neither from the student’s nor the researcher’s side in this, even if meetings occur.
However, if you choose to participate in this, you must respond to inquiries you may receive from students, and you must be available for meetings with students (for example in the form of conversations, guided tours in the lab, invitation to group seminars).
Your name with contact information (e-mail) and a short description of your research field will be posted in the channels where we usually have contact with the students.We hope many will contribute to this «student portal for research». On the dedicated web page you will find information about the registered researchers.
If you are interested, please send your name, department affiliation and 1-2 easy-to-understand sentences about your field of research to Ramune Midttveit (ramune.midttveit@uib.no)

Call for mobility applications – north2north program

Possibility to apply for mobility funding for staff and students through north2north in spring 2023. North2north is the mobility program in the UArctic network. UiB sends one institutional application for n2n funding. Application deadline is September 30 2022 for activities in the spring semester 2023.
In this call it is possible to apply for funding to incoming and outgoing staff, and outgoing students (incoming students apply directly to n2n). It is not possible to recieve n2n grant if you already have a grant from a different mobility program (Erasmus+, Nordplus, etc).
Staff use the attached application form on the bottom of this page. Students applying for exchange through UiBs bilateral agreements to n2n partners will be contacted. Other students that want to aplly use the attached application form.
PhD candidates apply as staff for shorter stays (research stay, networking activities, academic seminars or meetings, etc.). For long-term stays or participation in i.e. phd-courses, summer schools or other teaching activities phds apply as students. Call for mobility applications – north2north program | International Centre | UiB
Deadline: 30. september 2022

The Research Fund for Asthma and Allergy 2022

The research fund for Asthma and Allergy aims to promote research in the field of asthma and allergies. In 2022, the fund distributes up to NOK 500,000 to research projects and/or other projects that promote research, for example pilot projects. The asthma and allergy area can affect many different professional fields, and we encourage all professional environments, at all levels, to apply if their research may be relevant to our diagnostic groups. Application deadline 2 October 2022 Criteria for application:
• Promote research in the field of asthma and allergies
• Maintain dialogue with the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association (NAAF) during the work.
• Projects with a focus on children will receive some priority
• Applications are written on a separate application form that can be downloaded from the website.
The application form and information about the Research Fund can be found here: Forskningsfondet for astma og allergi (naaf.no). Sorry, links in Norwegian!

Nyhetsbrev fra Institutt for Biomedisin
Publisert hver andre uke
Ansvarlig redaktør: Frode Berven
Redaktør: Anne Mette Søviknes