2019
THE UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN: SOCIETAL IMPACT
A GREETING FROM THE RECTOR The University of Bergen has its eyes focused on the world, as is the tradition here in Western Norway. Our footing and foundation are in a city and region rich in history and culture, having high-level value creation and innovativeness in a safe community with ample welfare. This provides the best local and regional conditions in which to tend to our social mission. Our strategy is enshrined in the motto, “Knowledge that shapes society“. This clearly signals our role in society. We create new insights and understanding through research, and this knowledge is the foundation for all our teaching, dissemination and innovation. Knowledge, in addition to competent, curious and innovative
students, is our biggest contribution to society, at both the local and global levels. We carry out this social mission in close cooperation with the city and the region. With 18,000 students and more than 4,000 employees, our presence is clearly felt in Bergen. In this report, through facts and figures, we wish to demonstrate the value we represent for society at large, for the city of Bergen and for the region that is our anchor point. Happy reading!
Dag Rune Olsen, Rector
THE UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN: SOCIETAL IMPACT
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THE UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN IN 2019 PROPORTION OF WOMEN AND MEN
52% 48%
LABOUR YEARS
(2,128)
(1,934)
4,062
DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES The University of Bergen (UiB) is an international university. This is reflected to a high degree among our employees, with 88 different nationalities represented. Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom are the countries with the largest numbers of employees at UiB, after Norway.
REVENUES (MILLIONS NOK)
5,213 University of Bergen total revenues
1,080 Contribution and commissioned research income (BOA)
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CONTRIBUTIONS TO BERGEN GOODS AND SERVICES (MILLIONS NOK)
Total
2,020
As the city’s largest institution of higher education, the University of Bergen (UiB) contributes invaluable k nowledge, education and internationalisation in the city of Bergen. UiB is also an important collaborative partner for both business and the public sector in our joint mission to realize the Sustainable Development Goals. Central in this effort is UiB’s cluster initiative, a research design that results in both local and international ripple effects. UiB and its 18,000 students are also strong contributors to the city’s cultural activities and nightlife. Without the students, the city of Bergen and major events such as the Bergen International Festival, the Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF) and Bergenfest would not be the same. Marte Mjøs Persen, Mayor of Bergen
535* 26% of UiB’s expenditures for goods and services in 2019 were spent in Bergen
* Does not apply to suppliers with invoice addresses/main offices outside Bergen.
STUDENT EXPENDITURES (MILLIONS NOK)
2,286
This is how much money UiB students spent in Bergen in 2019 through rent, shopping and tickets for cultural experiences in the city.
SUPERVISED PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
757 students had work-related supervised training during the 2018–2019 academic year.
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Work-related supervised training By working, students at UiB make great contributions to the regional economy, and during their studies, many get r elevant work experience. UiB has cooperative agreements with a number of companies and public sector partners to provide supervised training for students. During the 2018–2019 academic year, 757 UiB students received supervised practical training. The largest collaborative partners for practical exchanges are the former Hordaland
Name: Anne Baumann Study programme: Comparative Politics Internship Host: Bergen municipality, Business Development Section
County Council (master’s students in education, and students in the educational theory and practice programme) and Helse Vest – the Western Norway Regional Health Authority (medicine, psychology and other health sciences). For UiB, it is important to offer studies that are highly work relevant. Supervised practical training during the study period enhances the quality of education and allows students to get useful experience and job training.
Practical training in Bergen municipality’s Business Development Section gave me valuable and relevant work experience that would not have been possible otherwise. It was very interesting to discover what I can use my education for. In addition, I met and worked with a number of incredibly nice people whom I now can contact if I have requests.
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OUR STUDENTS NUMBER OF STUDENTS
WESTERN NORWAY
61% come from one of the Western Norwegian counties*
17,889
Western Norway is the most important geographical recruitment area for the University of Bergen. *Vestland, Møre and Romsdal and Rogaland
BRAIN GAIN
32.5% UiB ensures a brain gain in Hordaland. Graduates of UiB largely remain in Hordaland after completing their studies.
45.7% 32.5% were residents of Hordaland before their studies. 45.7% remained in Hordaland after completing their education.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOCAL LABOUR MARKET
82%
Percentage of students who have a job in addition to studies.
2,200
Student contributions in the workforce amounted to 2,200 labour-years in 2019.
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THE ARTS
“The Voice of the Century”: Critics proclaimed Soprano Lise Davidsen voice of the century already after her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in November 2019. Davidsen studied at the Grieg Academy, and in October she earned an honorary doctorate at UiB. In the photo, she is with Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway after the premiere in New York.
CONCERTS
150 students and staff concerts were held at the Faculty of Art, Music and Design in 2019.
EXHIBITIONS
50
exhibitions and lectures were arranged by students and staff at the Faculty of Art, Music and Design in 2019.
First woman: In 2019, Hildegunn Øiseth was the first Norwegian woman to be appointed to a position in instrumental jazz at associate professor level. With Øiseth on the staff, the Grieg Academy hopes to create an environment for female jazz musicians. Øiseth is a trumpeter and is lauded for using the ‘bukkehorn’ (goat’s horn), an ancient Norwegian instrument.
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INTERNATIONAL UiB The University of Bergen is an internationally oriented university that is conducting research on global challenges and educating students in these areas. To find solutions to great issues such as global health, climate change, migration and poverty, it is important that the university cooperates with partner universities and research institutes around the world. UiB has agreements with some 600 institutions in all academic disciplines.
STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD
799
China UiB has a special collaboration with China. The collaboration is designed to make provisions for research, teaching, innovation and dissemination of high-quality knowledge. UiB has an agreement with several institutions in China, and in the autumn of 2019 signed a new agreement – this time with Peking University, ranked as one of the best universities in the world.
Exchange students in 2019. Students at the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Psychology are most likely to travel abroad on student exchange.
Arqus In 2019, UiB and the universities of Granada, Graz, Leipzig, Lyon, Padova and Vilnius received EU grants to create Arqus European University Alliance. The aim of Arqus is to establish an alliance for comprehensive and close cooperation in teaching, research and community relations. One of the central ideas of Arqus is to have a regional anchor point and a large interface with people and with business and community life in the region.
VISITING FOREIGN STUDENTS
1,231
Uganda
visiting foreign exchange students studied at the University of Bergen in 2019.
In 2019, UiB and Makerere University in Uganda observed 30 years of cooperation. The cooperation is the longest continual international comprehensive agreement at UiB. Among other achievements, the collaboration has resulted in 150 doctoral degrees and 300 master’s degrees.
NORWAY’S MOST CITED UNIVERSITY
90 80 70 2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
UiB’s research meets approval and is used by other researchers. This is shown in the evaluations of the most important rankings. For several years, the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings has ranked UiB as the most cited university in Norway; in 2019, UiB scored 94.1 out of 100.
THE UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN: SOCIETAL IMPACT
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SDG BERGEN RANKING
RANKING
COURSE IN SUSTAINABILITY
#53
#15
SDG214
In 2019, the acclaimed Times Higher Education (THE) ranked universities for the first time from the perspective of their social and financial contributions to society, based on the sustainable development goals. UiB was the first Norwegian university to be included in this ranking.
Ranking on Sustainable Development Goal 12, Responsibility consumption and production, in THE’s ranking. UiB was the first major university that was Eco-Lighthousecertified, which is Norway’s most widely used environmental certification scheme.
The course SDG214 takes a leading role in cross-disciplinary education in ocean science for sustainable development; it attracts students from around the world and has gained worldwide attention.
The University of Bergen plays a leading role as the scientific Hub for Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life below water, on behalf of the United Nations Academic Impact. UiB’s mission is to inspire and motivate partners globally in the effort to develop knowledge pertaining to a sustainable sea.
The University of Bergen is a renowned university with extensive academic breadth, and I have good memories from the time I spent as a student at UiB. As Prime Minister, I would like to highlight in particular the focus on marine research, climate and energy, the environmental transformation and global social challenges. In these areas, the university is a global leading institution. Through its education and research, UiB is of great importance, not least for business and industry in Western Norway. I would also like to highlight the leading role the university has taken in developing ways by which universities and university colleges in Norway can help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
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MARINE RESEARCH Bergen has a long tradition with the ocean. Marine research is one of UiB’s priority a reas. Some of the marine research groups in Bergen are among the most respected in the world, and they have been acclaimed as international powerhouses having a high degree of societal impact.
I have great respect for the University of Bergen, which is one of the great universities of the world when it comes to marine science. I am deeply humbled at being awarded an honorary doctorate and look forward to being a representative of the University of Bergen. Peter Thomson, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean and honorary doctor of the University of Bergen
Major investigation: Bergen is Norway’s ocean city In a large survey conducted by pollster Opinion, the majority point to Bergen as Norway’s ocean city. 30 per cent put Bergen at the top of the list among Norway’s many cities on the sea. About 40 per cent base their choice of city on the marine research and education environment the city has to offer.
EU FUNDING
34% of the EU funding for marine research at Norwegian universities went to the University of Bergen. This puts UiB at the top of the list with twice as much funding as the second-placed university was granted.
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KNOWLEDGE CLUSTERS The University of Bergen aims to be a catalyst for innovation and knowledge sharing. This is why we cooperate with research institutions and societal and business stakeholders to build knowledge clusters in which we can develop excellent and creative research, education and innovation. The knowledge clusters are established in fields where UiB already has high scientific quality on a global elite level.
UiB IS ENGAGED IN SIX KNOWLEDGE CLUSTERS:
Health cluster
Climate cluster
The health cluster’s vision is to become an international powerhouse that will create innovative health and care solutions in primary health care services for the whole human being through the use of outstanding research and education, comprehensive practical training arenas and interdisciplinary teamwork. Construction of the Alrek building started in 2019 and will be completed by autumn 2020.
UiB hosts the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, the largest climate research centre in the Nordic region and one of the leaders in its field in Europe. The Bjerknes Centre co-ordinates large parts of the climate research community at the Geophysical Institute, the Department of Earth Science and the Department of Biological Sciences, as well as climate researchers at NORCE, the Nansen Centre and the Institute of Marine Research.
Media cluster
Energy shift cluster
Media City Bergen is an international knowledge and business cluster for the media industry in which UiB is a pivotal hub. Sharing the same roof as leading media and technology companies such as NRK, TV2, Vizrt, BT, IBM and Vimond, UiB cooperates with the media sector on education, and hosts a concentration of internationally leading researchers who develop knowledge and innovations in the field of media.
The energy shift cluster VEST is a collaboration between UiB, NORCE, the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Energy Shift VEST will consist of a fusion of environments from research and development, business and industry and the public sector in the Western Norway region. The goal is to mobilise to achieve advanced research and innovation towards the shift in energy production.
Marine cluster The Bergen Marine research cluster gathers world leaders in marine research in Bergen. UiB is a major stakeholder in the marine cluster, and together with our partners, we develop knowledge pertaining to our ocean territories, marine resources and aquaculture. The goal is to respond to regional, national and global challenges in climate, technology, health, environment and resources.
Medieval cluster The Medieval Cluster makes provisions for enhanced collaboration between the academic environment and gatherings at UiB, as well as with external parties such as museums, archives, schools, the tourism industry, government administration and other representatives of the arts and society.
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RESEARCH AND INNOVATION BUSINESS CONCEPTS
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH
36
registered business concepts in 2019 from the University of Bergen.
INNOVATION PROJECTS
46
4
UiB hosts four centres of excellence in research. The four include the Birkeland Centre for Space Science, the Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health, the Centre for Cancer Markers and the Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour. In addition, UiB is a partner in the Norwegian Centre for research on mental illnesses (NORMENT), a Centre of Excellence (SFF) coordinated by the University of Oslo.
CONFERRED DOCTORATES IN 2019
innovation projects started in cooperation with Vestlandets Innovasjonsselskap (VIS) in 2019. UiB had a total of 60 ongoing projects in collaboration with VIS at the start of 2020.
229
INNOVATION IN MEDICINE
Professors at the Faculty of Medicine, Rolf Bjerkvig and Per Eystein Lønning, along with chief physician Lars Prestegarden of the Cytovation company, are the innovators behind a drug that kills cancer cells in situ by activating the body’s immune system. In a short period of time, the company has received approval for clinical trials in Europe, where studies are currently being conducted.
THE UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN: SOCIETAL IMPACT
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HEALTH BERGEN 4 DAY TREATMENT
2,000
patients have received treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder through the Bergen 4-day treatment (B4DT) model. The model was developed by UiB professors Gerd Kvale and Bjarne Hansen. Treatment is administered over four intensive days during which time patients receive training and are treated with individually adapted exposure therapy. By recombining earlier known principles in a new way and establishing a model for training and integrated quality assurance, world-class results have been achieved. Fifteen health trusts in Norway have adopted the treatment model, and outside Norway it has been adopted in Stockholm, Reykjavik and Houston.
BCEPS The research group Global Health Priorities was consolidated as the BCEPS Centre in 2019, under the leadership of Professor Ole Frithjof Norheim. BCEPS receives NOK 121 million in support from the Bergen Research Foundation, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, UiB, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. BCEPS will intensify its work on local capacity development primarily in African countries by training more researchers and health administrators to make better economic choices and fairer decisions in tight budget situations.
The first in Norway The Research Centre for Clinical Treatment, NeuroSysmed, will receive NOK 160 million from the Research Council of Norway to discover new and better treatment for brain diseases such as MS, ALS, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. This is Norway’s first research centre under a new initiative launched by the Research Council of Norway; the centre will organize and implement trial treatments of patients from the entire country. The centre will be led by Professor Kjell-Morten Myhr and Professor Charalampos Tzoulis, and includes a collaboration between UiB, Haukeland University Hospital and Haraldsplass Hospital.
The university hospital and the university have gone hand in hand throughout history and have been mutually dependent to develop as an educational institution and a hospital, and not least in the field of research. The Faculty of M edicine has remained one of the cornerstones of the university ever since the University of Bergen was founded in 1946. Each year, we educate thousands of healthcare workers, and together, we are the country’s second largest research environment in medicine and health sciences. Together with the university, we have a high-expertise environment that continually develops healthcare services for the benefit of patients and the population at large. Eivind Hansen, Chief Executive Officer, Helse Bergen
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CLIMATE By 2030, UiB will become a climate neutral university. The university intends to achieve this ambitious climate objective by reducing emissions associated with the procurement of goods and services, travel and energy consumption, as well as by making area usage more efficient.
A CHANGE OF HABITS
NEW TRAVEL POLICY
90%
of staff and students at UiB are willing to change their habits out of consideration for the climate. This was one of the results in a survey conducted in 2019.
EMISSIONS REDUCTION
40%
10%
reduction in CO2 emissions in conjunction with air travel. In November 2019, the University Board adopted a new travel policy targeting a 10 per cent CO2 reduction.
CONSUMABLE MATERIALS
9 tonnes CO2 In autumn 2019, UiB introduced procurement of environmentally certified consumable materials in office supplies. Calculations show that adoption of this measure will result in a reduction of about nine tons of CO2 emissions per year.
CLIMATE RESEARCH
40 per cent reduction in emissions from the procurement of goods and services by the year 2025.
251
published articles from UiB in the field of climate research. UiB is a major actor in Norway and globally in this field. Web of Science ranks Norway in 16th place in volume of international publications returned by the search query “climate�, and UiB is at the top in Norway.
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GLIMPSE FROM 2019
Prestigious status
15 years of research funding
The Centre for Integrated Earth System Education (iEarth) in 2019 received the status of Centre for Outstanding Education (SFU). iEarth is a national collaborative project led by the University of Bergen, and it aims to develop teaching in the earth sciences. Through iEarth, the vision is to promote a student-focused and innovative learning environment for future students of the earth sciences. This is one of the ways to teach complex social challenges.
In 2019, the Trond Mohn Foundation celebrated its first 15 years. The foundation has through the years granted funding for a number of socially beneficial research purposes. A good example is the TMS Starting Grant Programme. The funds allow young researchers to build a research group around their field of interest and provide them with a long-term horizon. Since the first TMS Starting Grant was awarded in 2007, a total of 42 young researchers have been recipients of the grant.
Lightning’s secrets revealed In December 2019, the Birkeland C entre for Space Research at UiB revealed what happens in the upper atmosphere when there is lightning and thunder. A key question that has long concerned space researchers is the sequence in gamma flashes and visible lightning. Do they occur at the same time, or does one precede the other? Researchers from UiB came to the conclusion that the gamma flashes come before visible lightning. The new discoveries were made from the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor instrument package, which was sent out to the International Space Station in 2018.
Contents and design: Communication Division, UiB Printing: Bodoni AS Photo: Cover page: Thor Brødreskift / p. 2: Eivind Senneset / p. 4: Hans Jørgen Brun / p. 5: Private (portrait photo), Colourbox (large photo) / p. 7: Karen Almond/Met Opera (photo 1), private (photo 2), Eivind Senneset (large photo) / p. 9: Thomas Haugersveen/Office of the Prime Minister (portrait photo), Eivind Senneset (large photo) / p. 10: Thor Brødreskift (portrait photo), Unsplash (large photo) / p. 13: Helse Bergen / p. 15: NASA
The University Museum of Natural History opened its doors in mid-October after several years of renovation work. Since the reopening in 2019 and during the remainder of the year, the collection had 49,413 visitors. The University Museum of Bergen had 66,713 visitors in 2019.
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