Newsletter March 2026
The UiO Growth House – UiO's innovation unit for life sciences, health, and technology
9 April: Sign up for Innovation Hangout – a meeting place for academia and industry
With this meeting place we want to inspire, give self-confidence and knowledge about innovation processes and facilitate collaboration that puts more research to use for the benefit of patients and society.
Venue: Oslo Science Park
Time: 17–20
Programme
- Inspirational talk, Tonje S?raas Birkenes, PhD, ?Principal Scientist, Laerdal Medical
- Role model talk, Novartis
- Pitches from companies: IQVIA, Bryn Aarflot and LINK Medical. More companies to come
- Networking where participants can talk to all the speakers and companies
Organisers: UiO Growth House, Norway Health Tech and Health2B
26 March: Sign up for launch event Medical Device Guidance
Are you a researcher at UiO who develops medical device? At this event we introduce you to Medical Device Guidance a new innovation service from the UiO Growth House. The service gives you a step-by-step overview of the processes you have to go through to ensure that your device is developed according to regulatory requirements in EU.
Time: 26 March, 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM,?
Place: Lyng, Oslo Science Park, Gaustadalléen 21
Important reminders
Apply innovation course – deadline 15 March
Do you want to learn how to identify a good innovation idea from research data? Apply today to secure your spot at our upcoming foundation level IDEA course.
Date and time: 24 March at 12–16.
The course is the perfect starting point for everyone curious about innovation. We will introduce you to the innovation process using the Design Thinking method. The courses are open to all employees from all faculties at UiO.
Read more about the course and apply
Application deadline: 15 March
The UiO Growth House has innovation courses at several levels. The courses are intended to increase innovation competence, strengthen the innovation culture at UiO and contribute to putting more knowledge from research to use. The Step-up level –?Idea to Innovation (I2I) course where you learn how to turn your idea into a successful innovation project, will be held later in 2026. ?
Apply UIO innovation funds – deadline 16 March
Are you a researcher with an innovative idea based on your research that can contribute to solving an important need in society, but need funding to develop the idea further??Check the UiO call for innovation funding within all academic fields and both commercial and non-commercial projects. UiO has dedicated NOK 5 million to this call, and there are two categories of funding:?
- Funding of idea and concept phase of up to 50 000 NOK per project
- Funding of test and further development phase of up to 400 000 NOK per project
Application deadline: 16 March 2026
The UiO Growth House manages the application process on behalf of UiO. Please send an email to?innovation@growthhouse.uio.no?if you have any questions.
Annual report 2025
The goal of the UiO Growth House is that more knowledge from research at UiO will be put to use to benefit society.
Several projects from the UiO Growth House project portfolio admitted to innovation programmes
The UiO Growth House is active in assisting researchers who will apply for admission to UiO's innovation programmes SPARK Norway for health-related life sciences and SPARK Social Innovation. Several of the projects that were admitted in February have received seed funds or guidance from the Growth House as well as help in the application process.
SPARK Norway
- Resolving bacterial infections
led by Trond Vidar Hansen, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO (help with application process) - BE PREPARED: Prevention of critical illness at the bedside in premature infants using artificial intelligence and eNose devices (help with application process)
led by ?sbj?rn Schumacher Westvik, Department of Neonatal Intensive Care, Oslo University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo (seed funding from the Growth house, guidance and help with application process)
SPARK social innovation
- The PIRATE project (image-based test of English vocabulary)
led by Pia Sundqvist, Department of Teacher Education and School Research, Faculty of Educational Sciences (innovation funds from UiO, the UiO Growth House mentoring program, guidance and help with application process) - Take Norway into the classroom!
led by Per Christian Holm Roan, Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (help with the application process) - JUDNI: Joined-Up Decisions for Norwegian Infrastructure
led by David Cameron, dScience, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (help application process) - BlueStroll
led by Vegard Skirbekk, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences (innovation funds from UiO)
The UiO Growth House continues to support the projects that have had help in the application process.
We congratulate everyone and look forward to working further with the innovation projects!
Student innovation: Hackathon weekend 20–22 March
Topics: Calm Technology, Modern Journalism and Health tech.?
Challenge yourself and compete for NOK 20 000
For students from BI, UiO, OsloMet og Kristiania
Organisers: Co-Create and Momentum UiO
16 April: 7th Norwegian Life Science Investor Partnering Day
Investing in Future Health & Life Sciences Technologies, Small-Market Innovators Going Global
Conference by The Life Science Cluster.?
Contact us if you have an early-phase innovation idea!
We offer tailored guidance and support, including seed funding up to NOK 200,000. Contact us if you want to discuss how to proceed with your early-phase innovation idea.
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Published 11 March 2026