Newsletter February 2024
The UiO Growth House – UiO’s innovation unit for life sciences, health, and technology
Call: Seed funding for innovative UiO researchers – apply by 4 April
Do you have an innovative idea based on your research for a new product or service, but need funding to develop your early-stage technology or service further? Apply for seed funding from us!
This call is aimed at applicants (faculty/staff, clinicians, postdocs, and PhD candidates) who (i) are employed at the University of Oslo (UiO) and (ii) have an innovative idea or are working on an early-stage technology or service.
We have dedicated NOK 1.5 million to this round of seed funding. You may apply for seed I NOK 50 000 or seed II max NOK 200 000.
See the call and application criteria and apply
Application deadline: 4 April 2024
The student innovation programme Co-Create launched – apply by 28 February
Co-Create is all about helping students turn big ideas into real solutions for real-world problems. Students in the Oslo region who are curious about start-ups and entrepreneurship or just love solving problems can apply to attend.
Co-Create is available to students from the University of Oslo (UiO), BI, OsloMet, Kristiania and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). The aim is to provide more start-ups. The programme has received support from Innovation Norway.
The programme will be kicked-off with workshops 11–15 March. The topics are Calm?Tech?Futures and Medicine, AI and Dignity.
- Visit the Co-Create website uio.no/co-create to read more about the programme and the workshops and apply.
Application deadline: 28 February
Ready for new round of Aleap bootcamp – apply by 15 March
Do you have a great idea for a health solution? Apply for a place at Aleap's bootcamp to learn more about the path from idea to market, how to make a value proposition, regulatory process and intellectual property strategy, fundraising, organizational governance and pitching.
Dates: 10, 11, 24 and 25 April and 6 May.
The UiO Growth House and the UiO and OUS technology transfer office Inven2 are partners. The Growth House will also choose projects from its innovation project portfolio. These will receive guidance from the innovation advisers in the Growth House throughout the bootcamp. Senior innovation adviser in the Growth House, Beate Rygg Johnsen (in the picture) is also responsible for teaching Design Thinking at the bootcamp. This is a method for developing products based on users' needs.
- Read more and apply on Aleap's webpage.
Application deadline: 15 March
Vacant position in MATRIX linked to the Growth House – apply by 17 March
MATRIX – Norwegian Centre for Clinical Cancer Research – has advertised a position as Professor II/Associate Professor in cancer medicine (20 % position for 4 years) at the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo (UiO). The one who is hired will collaborate with the UiO Growth House and be a mentor for innovation projects within oncology, especially through our School of Health Innovation.
- See the advertisement.
Application deadline: 17 March
The Growth House at Norway Life Science 2024
At the Norway Life Science conference 2024 13–14 February with the title Unlocking the Potential of Health Data, the UiO Growth House co-hosted a plenary session and our director Hilde Nebb (in the picture) was among the speakers.
Read more about the session based on the summary of one of our co-hosts The Life Science Cluster
We're thrilled to share highlights from the plenary session on 'Attracting investments and talents to build Norway’s Life Science Industry'.
- The session was hosted by The Life Science Cluster, the UiO Growth House, Norway Health Tech, Oslo Science City, and the Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Norway (LMI). Attendees delved into what global industry leaders are looking for when they invest, how to cooperate strategically in the global competition for investments, and concrete examples of strong investment areas in Norway.
- Keynote speaker Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of Trade and Industry, gave a talk on how to attract investments to Norway.
- Follow the Science – Making the case for Norwegian Research and Innovation – we heard an engaging talk from Hilde Nebb from, UiO Growth House, followed up with a dialogue with Alexandra Bech Gj?rv (SINTEF), and Kjetil Tasken (Oslo University Hospital & the University of Oslo/University of Oslo)
- Oslo City's Department for Culture and Business Development, led by ?yvind S?tvedt, and DNB's EVP Business Banking Norway, Rasmus Aage Tidemand Figenschou, gave us insight on how to attract talent and investments.
- Guro Bj?ntegaard (AstraZeneca), Magnus R. Bj?rsne, PhD, MBA, Assoc. Prof. (BioVentureHub), Christine Wergeland S?rbye (Oslo Science City), and Ketil F. Widerberg (Oslo Cancer Cluster) presented a new collaboration agreement between AstraZeneca, Oslo Cancer Cluster, and Oslo Science City, which aims to strengthen the Nordic healthcare industry by facilitating closer collaboration between researchers, start-ups, and pharmaceutical companies.
- Participants also explored the power of global partnerships through Nordic cooperation, with speakers such as Hanne Mette Kristensen (The Life Science Cluster), Henrik Ullum (Statens Serum Institut), Anette Steenberg (Medicon Valley Alliance), and Johanna Lidén (AstraZeneca).
- During the session, Hanne Mette Kristensen (The Life Science Cluster), announced the collaboration 'Life Science Academy for Start-ups'. The project will develop and offer a 360-degree product development program for start-ups within life science, which ensures an early and structured effort in each product development phase. It is the project’s goal to strengthen the innovation capacity of start-ups in the ?resund-Kattegat-Skagerrak area, by ensuring that marketable products are fully developed, which in the long term creates increased survival, growth, and scalability among participating start-ups.
- Moderators: Idar Kreutzer (NHO) and Filippa Kull (Stockholm Science City).
Save the dates for upcoming events
25 September we host the innovation conference Science Impact for the second time in collaboration with several internal and external partners. The conference is a part of Oslo Innovation Week
We are also working on innovation hangouts, impact breakfast and Arendalsuka. The events will be announced on our webpage once the dates have been set.
Contact us if you have an early-phase innovation idea!
We offer tailored guidance and support, including seed funding up to NOK 200,000. Contact us if you want to discuss how to proceed with your early-phase innovation idea.