This text was translated with the assistance of UiO GPT.
The saying goes “none mentioned, none forgotten.” However, I'd like to highlight a few of the notable achievements from the spring semester as we approach the holiday season.
Anticipation was high concerning which research groups would receive grants in connection with the Norwegian Research Council’s call for the so-called "AI billion" ("KI-milliarden"). The announcement of allocations was made at Scene HumSam in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library in Georg Sverdrup’s house, which many viewed as a positive sign for the UiO. Indeed, UiO will lead two out of the six new national AI centres. Our faculty is connected to both of these centres. Both PSI and TIK are affiliated with the Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI, led by Arnoldo Frigessi from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. PSI is linked to the MishMash - Centre for AI & Creativity, led by Alexander Refsum Jensenius from the Faculty of Humanities. Additionally, TIK is associated with the Sustainable, Risk-averse and Ethical AI centre, which will be led by Simula. Artificial intelligence presents a significant challenge both for research and education, and we are hopeful that PSI’s and TIK’s involvement in these three AI centres will yield positive outcomes for the entire faculty.
The research at PSI received very favourable evaluations in the national assessment of medicine and health sciences, EVALMEDHELSE, led by the Research Council of Norway (NFR). The entire PSI was assessed, and the international evaluation committee expressed admiration, stating "The committee's overall evaluation of PSI is highly positive, describing it as very strong overall, with certain aspects standing out as truly excellent.” It is particularly pleasing that the research from all divisions and centres at PSI received such positive acclaim. NFR has signalled that humanities and social sciences research will be evaluated in the not-too-distant future as well. While we are unsure if the forthcoming HUMSAMEVAL will follow similar principles to EVALMEDHELSE, the recent successful evaluation of PSI unquestionably strengthens the faculty as a whole, as PSI can share its insights and learnings with other departments and centres.
UiO awards several accolades at the university's annual celebration on 2nd September. This year's Research Award and the Award for Young Researchers are awarded to Carl Henrik Knutsen and Sirianne Dahlum, both from ISV. The awards are a well-deserved recognition of their efforts and contributions to democracy research and will enhance the visibility and attention surrounding their work specifically, and democracy research more broadly.
Positive developments are also occurring in education. We are pleased that enrolment numbers for our programmes remain strong, even in a time when many young people are opting for vocational courses such as nursing and teacher education. Clearly, there is still considerable interest in studying social sciences, which we are happy about. Many are putting in efforts for recruitment, but our most effective ambassadors are satisfied students. Therefore, we will continue to ensure our study programmes maintain high academic quality and address the societal challenges young people are concerned with today.
On the researcher education front, new endeavours are also taking place. SAI has become a partner and mentor in a doctoral network funded through the EU's Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks programme. The network, called HEALENAE, includes both European and African universities. Thus, SAI is in the company of universities in Cape Town, Edinburgh, Leuven, Makerere, Nairobi, and Aarhus. The researchers and PhD candidates will examine the link between environmental impact and health issues on the African continent.
Faculty members continue to be sought after for public engagement and are prominently featured in events at Scene Domus Bibliotheca and other venues, such as the annual democracy conference, where all the rectors of Oslo schools participated. ARENA has made efforts to enhance research communication and has developed a new podcast, responding to the substantial demand for up-to-date knowledge on European cooperation within the EU.
On the innovation front, it’s worth mentioning that two PSI staff members, Krister W. Fjermestad and Tilmann von Soest, received support for their respective innovation projects (read in Norwegian) from UiO’s innovation initiative, SPARK, early in the semester. Fjermestad’s project aims to further develop a programme that offers preventative support to parents and siblings of children with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Von Soest’s project focuses on neighbourhood health, employing advanced data analysis and machine learning to chart and assess public health and living conditions. The relevance and utility of our staff’s expertise were underscored when ?I’s Karen Helene Ulltveit-Moe was appointed as head of the new expert council for Norway's Government Pension Fund Global. This council will advise the Ministry of Finance on investment strategies of the fund.
These are merely glimpses of the spring's activities. Most of the important daily life and invaluable everyday work within academic environments are not mentioned here. That does not make it any less important.
Soon, holidays and quieter days await us. I wish everyone a great summer. Welcome back next semester.