Newsletter 87 from August 2018
Dear all I hope you enjoyed the fantastic summer. Please find the latest news:
Moving plans
As it now appears as if the Skou building is ready for occupation in October, more detailed relocation plans can now be completed and presented. Please note that all moving information will be sent separately by mail and often with short consultation deadlines, where it will be possible to make adjustments based on your wishes. Extra house meetings regarding the moving plans are held as follows:
The Skou building: 3 September at 12.00 in the Bartholin Auditorium
1160 and 1180 complexes: 10 September at 13.00 in the coffee room at Physiology
1230 complex: 12 September at 9.00 in the coffee room
The intention is that you are to participate in the house meeting of where you are to work after the move. You will also receive the necessary information in writing.
The official opening of the new building and housewarming party
There will be two events:
Monday 8 October at 11.00 the official opening will take place. All employees are invited (Morten Pless has emailed the invitation on 28/8). Rector will do the welcome speech and both the Housing Minister and the Mayor will speak. Ellen-Margrethe Skou will cut the ribbon.
Friday 12 October, we have the employee party for all employees at the Department - this is also taking place in the Skou building. The party starts at 17.00, and the party committee emailed invitations to all 17 August.
News about academic positions
Professorship in Medical Bacteriology. The appointment process is under way.
Tenure track assistant professor position with teaching in pharmacology. There were 51 applications, and the assessment is in progress.
Two-year assistant professor position with teaching in Physiology. There were 13 applications, and the hiring process is under way.
Furthermore we are working on posting two new academic positions: An associate professor position (broad advertisement) and a professorship - likewise advertised broadly.
The Department will pay for proof-reading of manuscripts - the rest of the year
Due to the Department's good financial state the rest of this year, we will - as an attempt - make it possible to have your scientific manuscripts proof-read and edited by a British company with whom we have good experiences:
The price depends on the length of the manuscript: You pay approx. DKK 100 per 1000 words.
If you can find a similar company, we will also, in accordance with a specific assessment - grant funding.
Attempted break-ins in 1170 (Biochemistry building) 25 July
One evening in July three of the Department's employees, who were working late in building 1170, had the unpleasant experience of being present while a burglary was attempted - twice. The Department management team has had the process analysed and has identified some weaknesses in the emergency response. These have been discussed with the Technical Manager at Health and are now also being discussed with AU's emergency response coordinator. The Department's employees must, of course, be able to feel safe here - also after 'normal working hours'. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the employees in question, in part for the handling of the situation that night and in part for their help mapping out the process and the weaknesses of the emergency response.
Reminder regarding honorary doctorates
The deadline concerning proposals for honorary doctorates is postponed to Monday 3/9 at Noon (see email from Morten Pless 8/5). Last Tuesday, no proposals were submitted to the Faculty - hence this reminder.
Honorary professors and visiting professors
It is still possible to suggest collaborative partners for appointment as honorary professors. The Faculty has decided that suggestions concerning one of the planned 50 Skou honorary professors must be submitted prior to October 2018, after which it will be decided who will be appointed. Through AUFF, funding for longer stays for visiting professors can be applied for (http://auff.au.dk/bevillinger/auffs-gaesteforskerpulje/). The next application deadline is early September.
Friendly reminder to participate in the survey on freedom of research
Link to the questionnaire was sent to all researchers at AU on 9 august and the deadline for responses is 9 September. The survey is mentioned in the senior management team news letter: http://www.au.dk/om/uni/universitetsledelsen/nyhedsbrevuniled/2018/24/
Better applications for funding
We have developed a new webpage Better applications for funding that compiles the offers for help and guidelines of the Department on the Department’s website so you need to look one place only. The webpage also provides an overview of deadlines for, among other things, Reap and quality assurance.
Assistance to the commercialization of research results
Bo Frølund, who has been employed at the TTO to assist in, among other things, the commercialization of projects from the Department, has got a new job - in the Innovation Fund. Until a replacement for Bo has been appointed, Maija Strala Ibsen from the TTO will be able to assist. More specifically she can assist in:
Establishing a spin-out company
Entering into cooperation with the business community
Finding a commercial partner or an investor.
For more information please contact: Maija Strala Ibsen Tlf: +45 25563639 E-mail: maija@au.dk
Book the date of professor Thomas Vorup-Jensen's inaugural lecture
His inaugural lecture is held 23 November at 15.00. More information will follow later.
Announcement of call - Project Grants in Clinical and Translational Medicine 2018
Deadline 12 September. Find more information here: http://novonordiskfonden.dk
Announcement of call - Project Grants in Bioscience and Biomedicine Basic
Deadline 19 September. Find more information here: http://novonordiskfonden.dk
Arla Food for Health (a consortium between Arla Foods amba, Arla Foods Ingredients Group P/S, Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen) - Active call
Deadline 15 October. Find more information here: https://www.arla.com/company/arla-food-for-health/
The Olav Thon Foundation 2019 - support for Nordic research projects in medicine 2019
Deadline: 15 September Contact annimh@biomed.au.dk for more information regarding the call.
Support from the Independent Research Fund Denmark for resubmission of ERC applications
The Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) runs a support programme for preparing a resubmission of ERC starting - and consolidator - grant applications that have been rejected, yet ranked high by the commission. You can apply to DFF for 35,000 kr/month max., and for up to 24 months, in order to improve your application and resubmit it for the next evaluation round. Apply to DFF with a 3-page project description, copies of the original ERC grant and its evaluation by the EC and a budget plan. There are three deadlines per year for this DFF-scheme: 1 May, 31 August and 16 October. So, the next deadline is 16 October. For more information see this guide: https://dff.dk/en/application/calls/dff-danish-erc-programme-may-2018.pdf
Course in shipment of packages with dry ice
Cathrin (Trine) Guldager Sørensen holds an IATA course on shipping of packages for employees at Biomedicine 1st October at 9:30. More info will follow.
Minutes of the Departmental Forum 13 June can be seen here
Minutes of the LSU meeting 4 June can be seen here:
Minutes of the Academy Council meeting 17 may can be seen here:
http://health.au.dk/fileadmin/www.health.au.dk/Akademisk_Raad/Referat_17_maj_2018.pdf
Minutes of the FSU meeting 19 April can be seen here
Best regards
Thomas G. Jensen