MED-nytt, no 3 ¨C 2025

Editorial:
Research and innovation:
What will 2025 bring?

Dean Hanne Flinstad Harbo and Pro-Dean Jan Bjaalie provide insight into some of the strategic measures and initiatives being undertaken by the faculty this year.

Read the full Editorial.

Management Column

Recruiting an international postdoctoral fellow

The EU programme MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships provides an opportunity to recruit talented postdoctoral researchers to your research group. The University of Oslo has had great success with this programme. "Our outstanding research environments should be well-equipped to host more such candidates," says Research Dean Jan Bj?lie. The Unit for External Funding (EEF) is organising a mini-webinar about the scheme, where you can learn more about the programme. Register for the webinar on 24 February here.

News about MED

New opportunities in the EU's research programme

Our research advisors in the Unit for External Research Funding (EEF) are updated on the spring calls. Contact them if you plan to apply. Read more about upcoming opportunities and get tips on how to succeed with your application.

Ivar Skeie Awarded the King's Medal of Merit

Congratulations to Chief Physician and SERAF researcher Ivar Skeie on receiving the King's Medal of Merit. Vice-Dean Grete Dyb presented the award, which was organised by our Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research (SERAF).

Read the full article on the centre's website in Norwegian.

Organisation of IT services at MED

A working group led by Vice-Dean Jan Bj?lie has examined the implications of a potential merger of IT services at MED with the rest of the IT department at the University of Oslo.

"I am very pleased with a productive and constructive collaboration. The report provides a good foundation for a future successful integration," says Jan Bj?lie.

Read the full article on our internal pages.

Rector election meeting at Rikshospitalet

From 24 March to 4 April, you can cast your vote in the rector election and help shape UiO's future. If you missed the election meeting at the Faculty of Medicine, it's not too late. Read about why it's important for you to vote and see the photo gallery from the election meeting at Rikshospitalet. Read the full article on our internal pages.

Studies

Honours certificate in life science innovation

The Honours Certificate in Life Science Innovation was offered for the first time last year, and already 14 students have completed and obtained the certificate. The course amounts to 20 credits and is a collaboration between MED and MN. Read the full article on the UiO:Life Science pages.

Briefings to our staff

• UiO: UiO: Rector election 2025: Attend the election meetings! Join the election meetings. The meetings cover various topics and are held at different locations at UiO. Some of the meetings are streamed. The election takes place between 24 March and 4 April. Voters will rank the teams when they vote.

• UiO-IT: Update to Windows 11 on UiO PCs.If you have a UiO-owned laptop with Windows 10, it will be updated to Windows 11 between 3 and 15 February.
• UiO-IT: Free Use of Overleaf for All Students and Staff at UiO. Overleaf is an online LaTeX editor that simplifies the process of writing and formatting academic texts, such as scientific articles, master's theses, and reports. With an intuitive user interface and support for real-time collaboration, Overleaf makes it easy for students, researchers, and staff to work together across disciplines and geographical boundaries. Introductory seminar on 11 February at 14:00. Registration required. 

• UiO: Looking for a spot in our UiO kindergarten in the fall? 1 March is the deadline for applying to the University Kindergartens for year 2025/2026 with start-up in August. If you need a kindergarten place for your child and meet the application criteria, submit an application on the online form. The application form opens 1 February.

• University Library: Publish and Read agreements with Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, and Brill are now in place.

• IMB: Construction Work at Domus Medica: Work on the new tram terminus is delayed. The latest update is that there will be a bus replacement for the tram until April.

• UiO: Exercise during working hours: the spring course schedule is ready!. All employees can exercise up to 1.5 hours a week. Take advantage of the spring workout offer!

Management meetings

• Instituttlederm?tet: The next meeting is on 18 February. The meetings are held every other Tuesday from 13:30 to 15:30. Agenda papers should be sent by 12:00 on the preceding Thursday.
• The Faculty Director's seksjonslederm?te every Thursday at 12:00.
• Overview of Faculty Board meetings and IDF meetings in 2025 (pdf) with deadlines for submitting items. The next Faculty Board meeting is on 25 February 2025. The agenda and minutes for the Faculty Board are updated here.
• Meetings of the University Board in 2025, with agendas and minutes. The meetings are streamed and open for anyone who wishes to follow along. The next meeting is on 11 March.

Opportunities and deadlines

See all deadlines for applications for research funding under Funding opportunities. 

• Keep an eye on the annual awards calendar. There are several active calls for applications out now!

• NFR: This year, The National Science Week is held from 17 to 28 September, and the theme is safety. You can now apply for support for activities during The National Science Week 2025 (Norwegian). Deadline: 12 March.

• UiO: Who should receive the University of Oslo's Human Rights Award 2025 ? (Norwegian). Until 15 March, individuals, associations, and organisations both within and outside the University of Oslo can nominate candidates for this year's Human Rights Award.

• UiO:Life Science will fund seven to eight interdisciplinary research projects, some of which are reserved for researchers who will have the Life Science Building as their workplace. Researchers from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. UiO:Life Science will hold workshops for potential applicants in January and February. Se more info below.

• Researchers in life sciences at UiO can apply for incentive funds for FRIPRO applications submitted from now until the end of 2025. 

Courses and events

See the University of Oslo¡¯s calendar for an overview of all available courses. See also updated overviews of courses from UiO IT (in Norwegian) and the Updated course overview from the University Library.

Overview: Upcoming public defence.

• In January and February, UiO:Life Science organizes workshops for potential applicants to interdisciplinary research projects in life sciences. Each workshop will have four different topics. Read more and sign up.

• 10 - 14 februar: Co-Create: Design Thinking Workshops. Co-Create invites Oslo students to join our Design Thinking Workshop, where you¡¯ll tackle real-world challenges alongside peers from diverse fields. Learn creative problem-solving techniques, gain insights from expert instructors, and collaborate to develop innovative solutions.

• 28 February: New ITSD - webinar spring 2025 (Norwegian).  The University of Oslo's IT department invites you to an open webinar about TSD - Services for Sensitive Data. If you are unable to attend, a recording of the webinar will be posted on the page afterwards, subtitled in Norwegian/English.

• The Postdoctoral Program¡¯s courses for the spring have now been updated - A golden opportunity for postdocs and other researchers at the beginning of their career. Sign up today! These three courses are first-come, first-served:

  • 24-25 February: Communicating Research: Give your career a boost and improve your ability to communicate how your research leads to societal improvement. There are still some places available.

  • 25-26 March: Research Management. The course provides enhanced knowledge about research management.

  • 8-9 May: Career Development. Gain greater awareness of your own skills and various career paths.

  • 19-20 May: Supervision: How to become a better supervisor? Gain understanding and tools for the supervisory role.

About our research

You can follow the faculty on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram

Klinmed: The genetic key to bipolar disorderIn the largest study conducted to date on the genetics of bipolar disorder, researchers have identified 36 genes linked to the condition. This marks a significant step toward understanding the genetic factors behind bipolar disorder, which could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment in the future.
 

Medisinbloggen: Patients and Relatives Can Contribute to Better Health Research (in Norwegian) by Cecilie R?e, Nada Hadzic-Andelic, Emilie Isager Howe, Grethe M?num and Linda Aimee Hartford Kv?l in Norwegian. Users can provide us researchers with valuable input that enhances the significance and quality of health research.
 

Klinmed: New technology simplifies development of model systems. Researchers at the University of Oslo have adapted a technology that is transforming the field of genetic research. The new method is faster and more precise. "We believe this will be of great significance for the research community," says Johanne Jacobsen.

MED-nytt is an internal newsletter for all employees and associates. Individual MED-nytt subscribers can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time by unsubscribing here. If you want to subscribe to MED-nytt, you can subscribe here.