The UiO Growth House, dScience - Centre for Computational and Data Science, UiO:Life Science and UiO:Energy and Environment are now co-located in Oslo Science Park. 'Now the units can work more closely together and draw on each other's expertise as well as extract synergies from each other. This gives UiO the opportunity to develop its strategic initiatives and strengthen the innovation thinking', says UiO's vice-rector for research and innovation Per Morten Sandset.
The leaders of the four units: Professor Morten Dæhlen (dScience - Centre for Computational and Data Science); Vebjørn Bakken (UiO:Energy and Environment); Professor Hilde Nebb (UiO Growth House) who has been the primus motor for bringing the units together; and Professor Carl Henrik Gørbitz (UiO:Life Science). They all believe that the co-location will give UiO's researchers and students better innovation services, strengthen interdisciplinary research and education at UiO and make it easier for external actors to collaborate with the university.
About the units
The UiO Growth House will contribute to a stronger innovation culture to put more research to use. The innovation unit helps researchers and students to mature early-stage innovation ideas. The Growth House provides tailored counselling, seed funding, meeting places, innovation mentor programme, student internship and more. The innovation unit changed its name from Life Science Growth House to UiO Growth House on 1th January 2023.
dScience - Centre for Computational and Data Science - has tasks that can be summarised in three main points; i) further develop UiO's strong environments in data and computational science, including areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, knowledge representation and digital twin technology, ii) develop important parts of UiO's digital research agenda for green transition and iii) develop a closer strategic and professional collaboration with industry and units in the public sector, including contributing strongly to the development of Oslo Science City. dScience will still have activities in Kristine Bonnevies hus and dScience lounge.
UiO:Life Science is one of the university's three interdisciplinary strategic research areas and aims to strengthen convergence within life sciences. The primary means of promoting interdisciplinary research is the allocation of convergence environments. The SPARK Norway program offers mentoring, education and financing of health-related innovation projects. In addition, the strategic research area is in charge of the conference Norway Life Science, which is organised annually in February.
UiO: Energy and Environment is also one of the university's three interdisciplinary strategi research areas. The goal of the strategic research area is to contribute to the world getting through a large-scale energy transition while at the same time reducing climate and environmental problems. The transition must be socially just and take into account ecosystems and biodiversity. An important tool for the strategic research area is various internal support schemes for research and education, in addition UiO:Energy and the Environment has the overall coordinating responsibility at UiO for the FME scheme (Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research) at the Research Council of Norway. The strategic research area changed its name from UiO:Energy to UiO:Energy and Environment on 1st January 2023.
