Organization
CCBIO is organized across seven departments and four faculties at the University of Bergen. Its main activities, with PIs, AIs and most of the other staff and equipment, are located at the Faculty of Medicine鈥檚 Department of Clinical Medicine (CCBIO鈥檚 host department), Department of Clinical Science, and Department of Biomedicine.
Main content
CCBIO also has activity聽and staff at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the聽Humanities, the Departments of Global Public Health and聽Primary Care, Economics, and Informatics, as well as at the聽London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Haukeland聽University Hospital is an important collaborator with聽contributions towards CCBIO both in terms of staff, facilities,聽such as the Clinical Trials Unit, and advanced equipment.聽
Research Management
In terms of science management, CCBIO is organized in four聽integrated research programs with associated teams (basic聽studies, biomarker studies, clinical studies, and societal聽studies), all supported by bioinformatics resources. Lab space聽and advanced core facilities are available for CCBIO, as is聽the Clinical Trials Unit at Haukeland University Hospital.聽The investigators meet monthly to discuss scientific and聽administrative issues and update each other on development聽and progress, and they also gather for a lunch-to-lunch strategy聽seminar bi-annually. The monthly meetings and the bi-annual聽strategy seminars are important platforms for communication聽and for the increasing collaboration within CCBIO.聽
Management group
In 2022, CCBIO was managed by the director, Lars A. Akslen,聽the co-directors, Bj酶rn Tore Gjertsen and Line Bj酶rge, and the聽administrative leader, Geir Olav L酶ken. The management was聽advised by a research advisor (Yamila Cleuren) and a strategic聽advisor (Rolf Reed) and assisted by the web- and newsletter聽editor (Eli S. Vidhammer), an economy coordinator (Mildrid B.聽H酶g氓s), a PhD coordinator (Kjetil Harkestad), finance officers,聽the faculty communications officers and other administrative聽staff allocated to CCBIO in parts of their positions. CCBIO鈥檚聽head office (the 鈥淐CBIO-HQ鈥�) is located at the second floor聽of Haukeland University Hospital鈥檚 main building.
Integration with the host institution and administrative聽support
In terms of administrative support, CCBIO aims to use its聽funds as efficiently as possible towards its research aims,聽while also ensuring excellent administrative services for聽its researchers and a good climate for collaboration with its聽departmental and institutional partners. Consequently, CCBIO聽is organized as a matrix structure to retain full control over聽resources while the day-to-day administration is delegated to聽the involved departments and administrative support units.
As a main principle, funds and positions are located at the聽respective department where the research and teaching聽activities take place. This enables researchers to interact with聽their familiar support staff, thereby minimizing resources聽used on day-to-day administration. In addition, it reduces聽CCBIO鈥檚 vulnerability and creates common interests between聽CCBIO and its departments. This model has proven successful聽due to its efficiency and robustness and has ensured excellent聽collaborative relations.
The Center Council
The Center Council鈥檚 mandate is to provide advice to the聽CCBIO management team, mostly on administrative and聽some strategic issues, and to contribute聽towards ensuring that聽the activity at the center is in accordance with the contract聽with the Research Council of Norway (RCN). The Center聽Council has its focus mainly on potential local synergies,聽whereas the CCBIO Scientific Advisory Board addresses聽the scientific and international perspective. The Council聽is composed of the MOF dean (chair) and vice-dean for聽research, the heads of department from IBM, K1 and K2, the聽head of research from Haukeland University Hospital and聽the CCBIO and MOF directors as observers and the CCBIO聽administrative leader as council secretary. During the establishing聽phase in 2013 and 2014, the Center Council met twice聽a year and has thereafter, by its own choosing, met annually.
The Scientific Advisory Board
The CCBIO Scientific Advisory Board聽(SAB) consists of Professors Carl-Henrik聽Heldin, Bruce Zetter and Ate van der聽Zee, all three being internationally聽leading researchers in CCBIO-relevant聽fields. The SAB鈥檚 mandate is to give the聽center director and center staff advice on聽science and scientifically relevant matters.
Read more about the SAB here.
