On 17 February, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences launched the Greenhouse for Life Sciences. We are extremely pleased about this. It is also great to see our Vice Dean of Innovation and Internationalisation, Hilde I. Nebb, moving into the position of Director of the Greenhouse, which she played a key part in developing. March 15 is the date set for Hilde’s transition from the position of Vice Dean to the role of Director of Innovation.
Greenhouse for Life Sciences
Some of the innovation work Hilde has undertaken as Vice Dean at the Faculty of Medicine will naturally be continued at the new unit, which is organisationally subordinate to MED. Hilde I. Nebb has done a lot of pioneering work for the Faculty. Some of the innovation work that has been driven by Hilde on behalf of the Faculty, both as the dedicated Dean of Innovation and recently as the Dean of Research for eight years under Frode Vartdal, has now become so extensive that it has been natural for the work to continue under a different organisational structure. Read more in Hilde’s own editorial in MED News no. 3 2022 on the Greenhouse for Life Sciences: The Faculty enters a new era of innovation with the Life Science Growth House.
The importance of Scientia Fellows
Scientia Fellows could very well be at the top of the list of Hilde I. Nebb’s achievements at the Faculty. It is hard to imagine that we would have been able to achieve the Scientia Fellows project without her. She put in significant efforts and displayed great perseverance to develop applications and draw up agreements for Scientia Fellows I and II and she was then responsible for the practical work associated with recruiting postdoctoral fellows from a number of countries. Since 2014, 160 emerging research talents have been working as part of the outstanding research communities at the University of Oslo via the Scientia Fellows programme in biomedical research. This has also contributed towards international growth at MED. Read more in Hilde’s editorial in the previous issue of Med News: "Something to be proud of".
What might not be as well known, but that Hilde deserves great praise for, is the fact that Scientia Fellows has also been a financial success story for the Faculty. In addition to the obvious resources of getting this many additional researchers into our laboratories and research projects, we have benefited from significant performance-based reallocation funds (RBO) in connection with the EU funding received for the two Scientia Fellows programmes. EU-funded research has been a priority area in Norway and it is therefore gratifying to be able to state that there have been substantial results from these projects.
In total, the Faculty has received around NOK 50 million in RBO funding in connection with the Scientia Fellows projects during the 2016-2022 period.
On a practical level, the RBO funding for Scientia Fellows has helped us to launch and run the Postdoctoral Programme, the School of Health Innovation, as well as contributing additional external funding and the innovation efforts that formed the basis for the development of the Greenhouse for Life Sciences.
The funding has also helped enable us to complete the top three major research projects that the Faculty Board decided to support in autumn 2017 through a total of NOK 48 million in self-funding during the 2018-2023 period: Karl-Johan Malmberg: Program natural killer function, Tor Erik Rusten: Tumor-Host Biology and Koen Verveake/ Hua-Hu: Martinotti Cells.
If this funding scheme is continued, the Faculty will continue to benefit from RBO funding from Scientia Fellows 2 for a few more years, something which would also help us to focus on our strategic priorities in the coming years. Based on the results of the previous two rounds, the Faculty is highly motivated to participate in a third round of Scientia Fellows.
A driving force for the Faculty
Hilde has been the Dean of Research for eight years and the Vice-Dean of Innovation and Internationalisation for three and a half years and, during this time, she has played a key role in the overall activities of the Faculty. As Dean of Research under Frode Vartdal, she also managed the major initiatives involving SFF applications, interdisciplinary research project applications and the top research initiatives together with the Research Council of Norway. She also played a key role in connection with the initial Jebsen applications submitted by the Faculty. I think it is also important to mention that Hilde I. Nebb helped secure the agreement with Oslo University Hospital to support major external research projects. Hilde is enthusiastic, willing to put in the effort and particularly hardworking. This has enabled her to achieve significant results that the Faculty are both grateful for and proud of. I and the office of the Dean have really appreciated the working relationship we have had with her over the years.
Management changes
Now that Hilde I. Nebb is leaving the role of Vice-Dean of our Faculty during this final year of the current office of the Dean, we do not feel it would be appropriate to appoint a new Vice-Dean for the final six months. Those of her responsibilities that will not be moved to the Greenhouse will largely be covered by the Dean of Research. The office of the Dean will continue its work, but without Hilde as part of the team. We would like to wish Hilde the very best of luck in her important new position!
Finally, I would also like to congratulate Faculty Director Hans Mossin, who has now been offered a permanent position as the Director of the Faculty of Medicine and I would like to wish him the best of luck with the task ahead. Read more in the separate article in this issue of MED News: Hans Mossin becomes the new Director of MED.