University of Oslo: NOK 2.1 million from the Growth House to innovative researchers and students at UiO
This spring, the new innovationthe University of Oslo (UiO) the Life Science Growth House announced its first calls for innovative researchers and students.
Wide-ranging project portfolio
The Life Science Growth House will contribute to idea stimulation among researchers and students in life sciences, health and technology at the two owner faculties – The Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences – but the services of the Growth House are available to the entire university, also in the axis with Oslo University Hospital and Akershus University Hospital.
In this application round, we received 36 applications from researchers and four applications from students, of which 23 and two applications were awarded grants, respectively.
In the twelve projects at the Faculty of Medicine that have been awarded seed funding, the researchers are to develop new methods, services or products to, among other things, obtain better and higher quality of DNA data; treatment of high blood pressure, eye disease, tuberculosis and brain cancer; intensive care; use of mini-organs to test drugs and disease models in general and neurological diseases in particular; methods to look at body composition with CT and detection of disease-causing organisms as well as study of the immune system.
In eight projects at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, researchers will look at early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer; a new drug for head and neck cancer; tools for use in brain research and research on pregnant women; measurement on skin; development of a smart sock for use in diabetes evaluation; radiation-tolerant semiconductor and catalyst for energy conversion.
A joint project between the two owner faculties is working on the cod’s immune system, which can also give us knowledge on the human immune system.
In addition, researchers at the Faculty of Dentistry have received support to create a new version of the digital dental chart, and researchers at the Faculty of Educational Sciences have received support for tools to identify mechanisms to finance social innovation platforms.
One student project from each owner faculty has received support. The student project at the Faculty of Medicine works with immunotherapy for skin cancer, while the student project at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is developing a rocket.
Hilde Nebb
Director of the Life Science Growth House Hilde Nebb.
‘It is very gratifying that we can now support many innovative researchers at both our owner faculties so that they can continue to work on maturing their innovation ideas. We see that we have managed to reach out to projects in the early phase of the innovation process in line with the intention with the Growth House. We are now looking forward to working further with the projects which, in addition to the financial support they have received through this call, can receive counselling from our highly competent innovation advisers’, says director of the Growth House, Hilde Nebb.
‘When it comes to student projects, we have supported two very good projects, one at each owner faculty. And with students who have ambitions to launch a rocket far into the atmosphere, we can state that “the sky is the limit”.’
More support opportunities
Researchers and students can contact the Life Science Growth House at any time to receive tailored counselling from our innovation advisers. As part of this they also assess whether the project can benefit financial support and a mentor.