How can employees innovate?

Innovation at UiB is based on the university's profile as an international research intensive university. Our ambition is to develop innovation through collaboration across traditional professional boundaries, by applying new knowledge in ways that develop new processes, services or new products that create value for society.

UiB strives to create societal value from new ideas and knowledge  created by its students and employees. UiB supports all routes to innovation; for example, societal value may be achieved through commercialization projects, through social innovations, or through change  in local, national and international policies that strengthen society.

Innovation in the public sector will, for example, often follow various routes to innovation, through actors in the public sector adopting new solutions, methodologies or services developed in collaboration with knowledge communities.

Social innovations often contribute to creating value in society.  Common to all forms of innovation is the ability to translate research results into solutions that are used and create value in society.

• Health incubator

UiB has the Eitri Medical Incubator in collaboration with Helse Bergen and VIS.

• Knowledge clusters

UiB has six knowledge clusters in the areas of media, health, marine, climate, energy and technology and the Middle Ages.

• VIS

VIS is UiB’s technology transfer office, and receives innovation ideas from employees at UiB, and helps them further on their innovation pathway. 

Meeting places for collaboration on innovation led by business actors:

• Industrial clusters

NCE Maritime Cleantech develops energy-efficient, environmentally and climate-friendly solutions for the maritime sector.

GCE Ocean Technology develops innovative marine technology in renewable energy, marine food production, marine mineral resources and oil and gas production.

NCE Seafood Innovation Cluster develops sustainable solutions for the seafood industry.

NCE Media brings together companies, research and educational institutions and others in the work with innovation in the media industry.

NCE Finance Innovation brings together 80 members in finance and technology development.

NOSCA Clean Oceans works especially with oil spills, and UiB co-owned  Norce is a member.

Proptech Innovation focuses on innovative solutions in the real estate and construction industry. UiB co-owned Norce is a member.

NCE Norwegian Smart Care Cluster focuses on digital solutions for health care and welfare technology. 

• Catapults

Norwegian catapult are national centers that deliver facilities, equipment and expertise to companies and others, so that it becomes easier to develop prototypes, test, visualize and simulate. These services are available to university staff. 

Ocean Innovation - delivers design, prototyping, testing and verification to the marine  industry.

Sustainable Energy - development and testing of sustainable systems for production, storage, distribution and management of energy.

If your research has resulted in an innovation idea that you'd like to further develop, you have the following options:

1. Talk to a research advisor at your faculty or contact an innovation advisor at the Division of Research and Innovation (FIA) for a first clarification of the way forward.
2. Talk to an innovation advisor at FIA, contact information can be found in the box to the right.
3. If the idea needs more developing, you can consider to apply for funding for the idea through UiB idé.
4. If you think the idea is ready to be assessed for commercialization , contact your immediate manager at UiB before contacting VIS and start the process of submitting the idea through a so-called DOFI (disclosure of invention). Read more about your duties and rights as an employee at UiB when it comes to reporting on inventions generated through research in the sections below.

Commercialization and technology transfer through VIS

UiB is a co-owner of VIS, which works with technology transfer and commercialization on behalf of UiB and other research institutions in the Bergen region. VIS can help academic staff develop innovation ideas and projects with non-profit or commercial potential. Among other things, they can provide advice on patent regulations, financing opportunities and networks, as well as contribute to the financing of ideas with commercial potential.

UiB has the rights to all ideas and projects with innovative potential from scientific staff. It is up to the research institution to decide whether they want to exercise this right. VIS makes this decision on behalf of the university. VIS guarantees that the first contact for new projects will be confidential and non-binding if you wish.

Photo:

VIS

Relevant regulations

• The University has compiled rules on the dissemination and management of research results, including the Employee Inventors Act, which briefly states that you as an employee are obliged to report on ideas (inventions) that you have produced as a result of your research (or other work) through your employment at UiB.
• If you have several employers, or are a PhD candidate who is not employed by UiB, you must contact your employers to find out how any rights are to be shared.

UiB has developed (and will develop more)  offers for employees who want to learn more about innovation. Below you will find an overview of the offers:

For scientific staff:

Momentum is UiB's career development program for younger researchers - postdocs, researchers or associate professors who want to pursue an academic career at a research university. Innovation modules have been developed as an integral part of the program.

For administrative staff:

UiB Opp is a skills development program for administrative staff who work with research support and external funding. Innovation modules have been developed as an integral part of the program.

The service innovation program is a development program for administrative staff at UiB developed by the HR department.

This handbook will guide researchers and advisors on how to foster, scale, and accelerate innovation across the University: https://www.uib.no/en/innovation/152430/innovation-handbook (UiB network or VPN only)

Photo:

Rune Smistad, FIA

If you want to talk to someone about innovation, the first step is to contact a research advisor or innovation adviser at your faculty.

If they can’t help you, you are welcome to contact one of the innovation advisers at the Division of Research and Innovation, contact information can be found in the box to the right of the page.