The world is facing climate change, a nature crisis, poverty, health challenges, war, and democracies under pressure. Whilst we must deal with all these challenges, we also have to focus on reducing inequality and better people?s lives and living conditions in a sustainable way.
We need excellent disciplinary research as well as interdisciplinary research and collaboration across sectors in order to achieve this.
UiO would like to establish a Sustainability Hub on campus, filled with interdisciplinary academic communities that can drive and further develop our work related to climate, environment, and sustainability both at the university and in collaboration with society at large.
The Sustainability Hub aims to be a meeting point for interdisciplinary and experimental research, teaching, and innovation regarding sustainability and transitional change.
Call: Co-working space for interdisciplinary project groups
We now offer a co-working space in Domus Academica for researchers working on topics related to climate, environment or sustainability – for periods of two to eight weeks.
Research groups consisting of a maximum of 12 people can apply for the duration of two to eight weeks to develop new projects or educational initiatives or simply write together. The call is open to all scientific staff at UiO while projects and ideas across disciplines will be prioritized. Applicants will be notified in due course, there is no application deadline.
Background
In 2026/27, the new Life Science Building will be completed and many of our academic communities will move there. As a result, a number of premises will become vacant at Lower Blindern, creating unique opportunities for the university to utilise them in a new way.
We want to fill the vacant space in a way that enables UiO to contribute even more to the immense transition we and the rest of the world will have to go through. It is an important part of our social mission.
In UiO’s climate and environmental strategy, one of the targets is to propose a comprehensive sustainability initiative for Lower Blindern. This entails the establishment of research, education, public relations, and innovation in several of the premises there, with the Sustainability Hub at the centre of it all, tentatively in what today is known as the Pharmacy Building.
Further work
The start-up of the Sustainability Hub can be digital, but we have also secured temporary physical premises that can house interfaculty research projects that require co-location for short periods of time. The initiative will start in the spring of 2023 with grant announcements.
We also wish to strengthen educational provision within the fields of climate, environment, and sustainability at Lower Blindern. Study programmes can be linked even more closely to the research that takes place there. The goal is for our students will see their learning in a wider social perspective and lead the way in the green shift.
A working group has been set up to propose how the Sustainability Hub can best be developed in different phases. The final report will be presented to the university management by the end of 2023.
The working group
- Mette Halskov Hansen, (rectorate, lead)
- Mathilde Skoie (Faculty of Humanities)
- Sidsel Roaldkvam (Centre for Development and the Environment)
- Inger Skjelsb?k (Centre for Gender Research)
- Vebj?rn Bakken (UiO:Energy and environment)
- Tore Nilssen (Faculty of Social Sciences)
- Dag O. Hessen (Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences)
- Eivind Engebretsen (Faculty of Medicine)
- Robert Granlund (Student Parliament)
- Belinda Eik?s Skj?stad (The Norwegian Association of Researchers - NAR)
- Gunnar Dick (University Director?s staff, secretary)