Woman using a microscope in a lab.

BUILDING EUROPE'S CAMPUS FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

UiT- THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY

UiT-the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) is home to several research groups and centres which are at the scientific forefront internationally and have advanced research infrastructures at their disposal. UiT offers a wide range of laboratories, field research stations, test centres, a university hospital and several polar research vessels.

One example of advanced research institutions at UiT are the Centres of Excellence (SFF), which were established in 2002 by the Research Council of Norway. The latter intends to stimulate Norwegian research communities by establishing centres devoted to long-term basic research at a high international level, and aims to raise the quality of Norwegian research. More information on the SFF scheme and all the SFF centres can be found on the Research Council's website.

The Centres for Research-based Innovation (SFI) are also funded by the Research Council of Norway and develop competence at a high international level that is important for innovation and value creation. Innovation is strengthened through investment in long-term research in close collaboration between outstanding research environments and R&D-active companies. More information on the SFI project and all SFI centres can be found on the Research Council's website.

UiT has three Centres of Excellence:

Bringing together world-leading experts, this center will fill a vital knowledge gap in polar science by quantifying impacts of ice sheet change on Earth’s carbon cycle and sensitive ocean ecosystems.

  • CAGE (2013-23) - Center for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate

The centre investigates the role of gas hydrates in Arctic areas and the potential effects they will have on underwater ecosystems and our global climate in the future.

The centre aims to develop and apply computational methods to understand, interpret and predict new chemistry, physics and biology of molecules in complex and extreme environments. The centre is shared equally between the University of Oslo and  UiT, with the University of Oslo being the project owner.

UiT has three SFI centers:

Visual Intelligence aims to be the leading provider of new deep learning-based solutions for groundbreaking complex image analysis. This include the use of AI for various purposes, one such can f.ex. be analysis of CET-scans or medical diagnostics.

  • Dsolve- Biodegradable Plastics for Marine Applications (2020-2028)

Dsolve aims to reduce plastic litter and associated problems (ghost fishing, macro and microplastic) caused by the fishery and aquaculture industries. The goal is that traditional plastics in these sectors can be replaced with new biodegradable materials.

  • CIRFA- Center for Integrated Remote Sensing and Forecasting for Arctic Operations (2015-2023)

The overall ambition of CIRFA is that the centre will become a knowledge hub for research and development on Arctic surveillance technologies, with leading expertise in disciplines such as remote sensing, signal processing, radar technology, RPAS technology, numerical modelling and data assimilation. CIRFA builds on broad expertise in remote sensing, and utilizes the significant infrastructure that has been built up in Tromsø in recent decades.