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