There are many examples of why the launch of our new centre on 1 January 2021 will be Norway's largest investment in research and education in data science and computational science.
dScience is born
The flagship is named dScience - Centre for Computational and Data Science. The name gives several associations and reflections. The name can refer to “d” for data and contains the term “Science” that is essential for the centre. Or maybe the name gives you associations to iScience and "the derivative"? Most importantly, dScience is easy to remember and easy to pronounce. Given the centre’s work language and academic terminology we have chosen an English name.
Computational and data science moves across our disciplines and units. During the process over the past year, no less than 36 research groups from all of our departments reported relevant research activity contributions to the centre. The focus on computational and data science at the Faculty has long been extensive - built to support international collaboration in research and education, but also consists of a large proportion of our collaboration with companies and units in the public sector. Based on this, the Faculty Board decided on 22 June that the centre will be established at the Faculty level, and that all departments at our Faculty will take part in the new centre. In the longer term, it is natural to invite more UiO Departments and units to join the centre. Medicine, Law, Philosophy and the Social Sciences are just some of the natural contributors to strengthening the centre’s interdisciplinary research and problem solving.
dScience as a vibrant meeting place
Dialogue, collaboration and work processes between the research groups, students, start-ups and businesses will be crucial for success. dScience should not be an abstractly constructed centre, but have a physical and vibrant organization and centre location. This coming fall we are actively working to establish the actual workspace where we want to create dynamic and flexible areas where problem owners and problem solvers can meet. The goal is that within the first centre period of five years we can establish ourselves permanently on the Blindern campus where we can offer researchers a permanent desk or network connection, with the presence of business and start-ups, perhaps in collaboration with Oslo Science City.
The key to success
In a time that interdisciplinarity and convergence is central to almost all calls for proposals, initiatives and evaluations, and digitalization takes a big part in several fields, the centre will give UiO a unique position and power to strengthen research and education. Not least, dScience will be a meeting place for both new and established research, where you can network and exchange ideas. The ambition is clear: dScience will become a world-leading unit in the field. Through systematic and interdisciplinary development of strong professional environments we can make it happen. Until now, we have worked to ensure broad participation, and making a solid marketing plan for visibility and attracting interest for the centre. In the first five-year period, we will:
1. Consolidate units and research groups at the University of Oslo through
- supporting basic research and education
- developing meeting places between researchers, students and the business sector
- developing national and international networks
- work for increased gender balance in research and education
2. Build excellent research by supporting calls towards
- Centres of Excellence, SFF
- Centres for Research-based Innovation, SFI
- Horizon Europe, in particular the ERC
3. Develop Partner programs
- in collaboration with incubators, such as the Data Science Lab in StartupLab
- in collaboration with key units, such as Innovation Norway
- in collaboration with departments and units in the public sector
4. Move to permanent offices at Blindern Campus, that provide a vibrant workspace for researchers, start-ups, students and representatives from the business sector – in collaboration with Oslo Science City, amongst others.
We hope many of you will choose to establish research in collaboration with the dScience Centre. There is now a time frame, where UiO may take a national ownership in computational and data science. We are ready!
Feel free to read the reports and documents from the dScience-process.