An annual report to be proud of – message from the centre leader
 In the annual report for the Centre for Digital Life Norway (DLN), you can read about activities in, and across, our 36 research projects and activities coordinated by the centre.
The goal of the centre is to strengthen transdisciplinary collaborations around digitization and modelling in biotechnology to solve societal challenges and contribute to value creation. Our activities cover innovation, responsible research and innovation (RRI), data and infrastructure support and outreach. I want to mention in particular the importance of career development and the activities for the 350 junior researchers in our research school.
Together with you in our growing national community, we have a lot to be proud of from what we have accomplished so far, and I’m truly looking forward to develop this as we now are in the process of applying the Research Council of Norway for five new years.
Download the annual report, and enjoy your reading!
Trygve Brautaset
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The digital life signature course in transdisciplinary life sciences for PhDs and postdocs is ready for launch
Dates: 24–27 August and 12–13 October in Trondheim and project work in-between
Registration deadline: 12 June
Do you want to learn more about working on transdisciplinary research projects within biotechnology and the life sciences?
Check out our new course and sign up.
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You will learn how to collaborate with scientists from different academic fields using cutting edge research data as a basis for your work. The special focus will be on implementation of responsible research and innovation (RRI) principles in your research. You will learn how to collect and manage big datasets while working together with other PhD students and postdocs. You will work directly on a pre-defined project with a highly skilled supervisor and a transdisciplinary team.
Members of the Digital Life Norway Research School will be prioritized and get their costs covered.
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Other research school events
Other events
- 8–10 Sep.: Nordic Life Science Days, Malmö–Copenhagen
New this year: the NLS Investment Day
Let us know by 15 May if you want to join us.
The largest partnering conference in the Nordic region focusing on the life science industry. The Centre for Digital Life Norway will be present for the fourth time. We encourage our research projects to join us. Projects that wish to attend, can apply DLN to get their costs covered for one person. We will also assist with producing promotional one-pagers for the projects. Should the event be cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, NLSDays will offer 100% refund of all registration fees or transfer them to the next NLSDays, 18–20 April 2021. Questions regarding the conference should be directed to Alexandra Patriksson.
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THE DIGITAL LIFE FOOTPRINT
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New digital life project presentation: Calinhib
What if you could replace heart valve surgery with a pill? The Calcification inhibition project (Calinhib) is searching for molecules that block heart valve calcification using cell biology and artificial intelligence (AI). Finding this molecule and developing it into a therapeutic drug could stop heart valve calcification as soon as it is detected.
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Recent digital life publication on RRI
How do we best integrate awareness about science–society relations into daily practices in research and higher education? The researchers in the DNL project RES PUBLICA «Responsibility, practice, and the public good across Digital Life» have explored this through the responsible research and innovation (RRI) course that they developed for Digital Life Norway. They argue that a reflexive approach with basis in the researchers own practice is a more fruitful way of aligning the intentions behind RRI with research and innovation practices than training in the use of instrumental tools. Read the article.
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DLN people in the media
Professor at the University of Bergen and group leader for competence and infrastructure network in DLN, Inge Jonassen, and Director of the Research Council of Norway, John-Arne Røttingen, have written about the importance of openly available data in the ongoing corona research. Read the article (in Norwegian).
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Use your opportunity to apply for financial support from the Centre for Digital Life Norway.
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DLN funding for project collaboration on research: Cross-project activities
The possibility of harvesting synergies between the various sets of expertise within the centre's projects is one of the benefits of being part of the centre. To stimulate this, we have made available resources to support cross-project activities. Examples of such activities could be exchange of competence, methods, small pilot projects, workshops, research visits etc. This is also a good opportunity to involve researchers and postdocs in the project.
Open-ended deadline. Read more.
DLN innovation funding
The centre´s research projects can apply for financial support for activities necessary to progress in the innovation process of the projects, such as: business idea scouting and/or definition, market validation, customer exploration, business modelling, partner search, development of research-based advice to practitioners or policy-makers etc. The funding can be used for hiring external expertise or for costs related to traveling to meet with potential customers, users, partners etc.
Open-ended deadline. Read more
Other funding opportunities
- Various calls for proposals from the Research Council of Norway
Application deadline: 20 May
Calls for proposals for researcher projects for scientific renewal; young talents; international mobility; and large-scale interdisciplinary projects. There is also an open-ended deadline for Industry R&D, which might be a possibility for your industry partners.
- PreSeed funding, BioInnovation Institute, Denmark
Application deadline: 4 June at 2 PM
For innovative life science projects within therapeutics, bioindustrials and medical technologies. Preliminary proof of concept should have been shown. The call issues grants or convertible loans for maturation of research-based innovation carried out at Nordic research institutions or hospitals. The call fits very well for many of our DLN projects. We encourage you to consider applying and will offer support in the process if desired.
Funding amount up to DKK 3.5 million per project.
Questions regarding the call should be directed to Alexandra Patriksson.
- The Novozymes Prize, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark
Deadline for nomination: 7 May
The purpose of the prize is to raise awareness of basic and applied biotechnology research. It is awarded to recognize outstanding European research or technology contributions that benefit the development of biotechnological science for innovative solutions.
Funding amount for the awardee’s research (DKK 4.5 million), a personal award (DKK 0.5 million) and an international symposium within the awardee’s field of research.
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New DLN coordinators for innovation and industry collaboration, RRI and communications
- DLN has expanded its innovation team with Beate Rygg Johnsen. Since graduating from the institute of biochemistry at UiO, Beate has worked in the industry. She has many years’ experience from the biotech and pharma industries and from start-ups. Her main roles have been working with company strategy, portfolio management and innovation projects.
- Anders Braarud Hanssen will contribute to the RRI-policy and outreach work in the centre and towards other stakeholders. He is a philosopher of technology and a PhD candidate on ethics of biotechnology patents at the University of Twente, the Netherlands. He has been part of the Oslo Group on Responsible Innovation at the Work Research Institute (WRI) at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet). He is currently working as a senior advisor at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design at OsloMet. Anders also has a background from the Research Council of Norway where he worked in the NANO2021 programme and the ELSA programme.
- Norunn K. Torheim is the new communications advisor of DLN. She is a graduate engineer in biotechnology from NTNU and has a PhD from the Norwegian Radium Hospital and the University of Oslo (UiO). Norunn has worked with communications at UiO's strategic interdisciplinary initiative UiO:Life Science and several other public institutions, including the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board.
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Publication reminder
Remember to acknowledge the Centre for Digital Life Norway in papers based on your Digital Life projects.
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