Global challenges at UiB

The priority area Global Challenges at the University of Bergen will highlight and promote interdisciplinary and cross-faculty research and education important for meeting these challenges both globally and locally.

For the period 2022 – 2026, we will prioritise the thematic areas diversity, resources, global health, migration, democracy and human rights.

The priority area will:

• promote research that supports the sustainability goals—the world's joint Agenda 2030.
• highlight and promote research that contributes to a better understanding of democracy, peacebuilding, and human rights.
• stimulate to research that develops more knowledge about global health and how to prioritise to provide better health for all.
• support research that develops a better comprehension of migration and its drivers.
• promote a broad knowledge-based understanding of diversity, both socially and in nature, and stimulate to deepen our knowledge about the consequences of our use of natural resources.

The focus area will also promote research that develops our understanding and knowledge of how the selected thematic areas are connected and how they influence each other.

Check out what we do in our 2023 annual report

Education
UiB is developing and co-ordinating relevant courses and programmes to equip students for the challenges lying ahead. With its international expertise and focus, the University of Bergen aims to be the destination of choice for all students interested in global issues.

The faculties at UiB will co-operate to provide knowledge about complex global challenges. Students will gain the necessary competencies to handle the intricacy and interdisciplinarity of tomorrow’s global challenges. Administrative barriers for interdisciplinary co-operation between faculties at UiB will be removed.

Research
Interdisciplinarity is necessary to conduct research that will impact global challenges. UiB encourages co-operation across disciplines and faculties, and will especially promote interdisciplinary research in the areas of migration, health and inequality, as these three topics addresses key global challenges.

UiB aims to establish strong interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers and research groups. Collaboration between research schools will be encouraged, and educating young interdisciplinary researchers will be prioritised.

Organisation
In order to anchor and coordinate this effort at all levels across the University, a strategic working group with representatives from all the faculties has been given the responsibility for further developing UiB’s global challenges’ strategy. The Deans at all seven faculties at UiB form a steering group.

The strategy work receives special administrative support from a unit at Faculty of Medicine. This administrative unit will, in particular, work to promote research and education related to global challenges, and organise meeting places for students, PhD-candidates, researchers and society in general.

The work on global challenges was officially launched 15 May 2017 with a day-long seminar in the University Aula, attended by over 200 participants.