Leading Actors Join Biomedicine Workgroup

Through an inclusive process involving over 500 individuals, Oslo Science City has pinpointed four gravitational fields of excellence where the innovation district either currently has or realistically can build world-leading knowledge environments: Health and Life Sciences, Digitalization and Computational Sciences, Democracy and Inclusion, as well as Climate, Energy, and Environment.

The initiative is progressing with the creation of specialized academic workgroups, where stakeholders across the research and innovation ecosystem collaborate to advance the innovation district's objectives. Each workgroup is tasked with organizing activities within focused academic streams.

Crucial Collaborative Efforts

Professor Kjetil Taskén, a leading Norwegian cancer researcher, has taken the helm of the biomedicine work process, part of the Health and Life Science gravitational field of excellence. Taskén, a professor at the University of Oslo, has led the Institute for Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital since 2018.

He envisions the workgroup as a dynamic think tank, generating ideas for strategic areas where specific missions can be defined. These missions will be distinguished by clearly defined medical or other needs, research significance, and the innovative potential within the academic and business communities.

"This initiative is fundamentally about collaborative achievement, not individual or institutional positioning. We aim to craft narratives and examples of significant missions that can only be accomplished collectively, potentially unlocking substantial investments from the public or private sectors," explains Taskén.

Distinguished Experts with Diverse Expertise

Taskén has put together an impressive roster of top-tier representatives from the full spectrum of the research and innovation system, drawing keen interest from professional circles.

"The biomedical group consists of distinguished experts with significant contributions to offer. The members possess a wide range of expertise in biomedical fields where Oslo boasts exceptional research and innovation environments," Taskén comments.

Monica Larsen, Senior Advisor at the Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Norway and a member of the group, highlights the importance of collaborative efforts in strong academic areas within biomedicine.

"Enhancing research and innovation partnerships with the business sector is essential, making it crucial for the health industry to be integrated into these processes from the outset," states Larsen.

The members of the workgroup are:

• Kjetil Taskén (OUS/UiO), Professor and Head of the Institute for Cancer Research (Leader)
• Jan Terje Andersen (UiO/OUS), Professor and PI at SFF PRIMA
• Ole A. Andreassen (UiO/OUS), Professor and Head of SFF NorMent
• Melinka Butenko (UiO), Professor and Chair of UiO’s Core Facility Committee
• Tom Hemming Karlsen (OUS and UiO), Professor, Head of the PSC Center and Research Leader at KIT
• Geir Klinkenberg (SINTEF Industry), Research Leader
• Monica Larsen (Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Norway), Senior Advisor
• Hilde Nebb (UiO), Professor and Innovation Director at UiO Growth House
• Torbjørn Omland (UiO and Ahus), Professor, Vice Head at the Department of Clinical Medicine (UiO) and Leader of Campus AHUS
• Mona Elisabeth Rootwelt Revheim (OUS/UiO), Professor and Head of the Intervention Center at OUS National Hospital