At this conference we focus on initiatives in academia and industry and the need for collaboration as well as framework conditions needed to put research to use for the benefit of patients and society.
Sessions
08:30–09:00 Registration and breakfast
Place: Area outside Forum auditorium
09:00–10:30 Impact Breakfast: Preparedness
Place: Forum auditorium
- Welcome to Science Impact 2026
Jens Petter Berg, Vice-Rector for life sciences and health research, Professor, University of Oslo (UiO) - Preparedness: research & innovation and coordination & collaboration
Kenneth Ruud, Director General, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) - Fighting antimicrobial resistance in turbulent times
Ole Andreas Løchen Økstad, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, UiO - Vaccine preparedness for the next pandemic
Gunnveig Grødeland, Professor, Centre for Pandemics and One-Health Research and Institute of Clinical Medicine, UiO - Societal food preparedness
Karen V. Lykke, Centre for Global Sustainability, UiO - Cyber readiness
Dinh Uy Tran, Associate professor, Department of Informatics, UiO - Some perspectives on energy and transport preparedness
Erik Sauar, CEO, PhD, Cenate AS - Pharmaceutical preparedness from an industry perspective
Monica Larsen, Senior Adviser, Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Norway (LMI)
Chairperson: Hanne Flinstad Harbo, Dean, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
10:30–11:00 Networking
Place: Area outside Forum auditorium
11:00–12:30 Parallel sessions
Immunotherapy and cancer
Place: Forum auditorium
- AI-Facilitated Immune Receptor Engineering (AFIRE)
Fridtjof Lund-Johansen, Researcher, Group leader, MD, PhD, Precision Immunotherapy Alliance (PRIMA), Norwegian Centre of Excellence, UiO and OUS and Geir Kjetil Sandve, Professor, Department of Informatics, UiO - Oncolytic Molecules that Kill Cancer with Direct & Abscopal Tumour Effects
Renée Christine Amundsen, Chief Operating Officer, Lytix Biopharma - TCR-NK therapies for treatment of solid cancers
Anders Holm, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Business Development, Zelluna - Building circular RNA-based expression systems for enhanced next generation gene and cell therapies
Erik Digman Wiklund, CEO, PhD, Circio - Nextmap – Harnessing AI for cancer prevention and treatment
Ole Christian Lingjærde, Professor and Head of department, Department of Informatics, UiO - Targeting intracellular proteins in immune cells
Miriam Aarsund Larsen, PhD, CEO, Cellmover
Chairperson: Wenche Gerhardsen, Head of Communications, Oslo Cancer Cluster
Clean production of energy and products
Place: Toppsenteret
- FELT/CH-CYCLE – Paving the ground for CO2 valorisation to fuels and chemicals
Unni Olsbye, Professor, Department of Chemistry, UiO - REFINE – From solar energy to fuel
Athanasios Chatzitakis, Researcher, Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, UiO - Solutions for massive-scale deployment of solar power (PV)
Erik Stensrud Marstein, Centre director, FME Solar, Chief scientist, IFE, Institute for Energy Technology and Professor, Department of Technology Systems, UiO - Securing long-term reliable clean energy
Halvard Haug, PhD, Team Lead, O&M Analytics, Scatec - Metal-organic frameworks: Design, development, assessment and potential use (TBC)
Petra Agota Szilagyi, Professor, Department of Chemistry, UiO - SLB Capturi: From Research to Real Impact
Jim Stian Olsen, Chief Technology Officer, SLB Capturi - Marrying sorbents and processes for CO2 capture from point sources
Shreenath Krishnamurthy, Senior Research Scientist, PhD, SINTEF Industry - Sorbent-Based Carbon Capture: From Point Sources to Direct Air Capture
Anna Lind, Senior Research Scientist, PhD, SINTEF Industry
Chairperson: Øystein Prytz, Vice Dean of Research, Professor, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO
12:30–13:30 Networking and lunch
Place: Area outside Forum auditorium and Toppsenteret
13:30–15:00 Parallel sessions
Autoimmune diseases
Place: Forum auditorium
- Developing treatment for autoimmune diseases
Rasmus Iversen, Researcher, PhD, K. G. Jebsen Center for Specific Autoimmune Therapy, UiO and OUS - Harnessing the germinal centre: an antigen-agnostic platform for evolving and predicting next-generation therapeutic antibodies
Johanne Jacobsen, Associate Professor, Institute of Clinical Medicine, UiO - CAR-T within autoimmune diseases – lupus, vasculitis, myopathies and beyond
Tarje Bergdahl, Country Medical Director, Novartis Norge - Disruptive therapies for MS prevention and cure
Katja Stahl, Senior Medical Manager, Nordics and Baltics, Biogen - Collaboration across sectors to fight autoimmune diseases
Sigrid Reppe Moe, MD. PhD , Medical Advisor Immunology, MSD Norge - Advancing Standards of Care in Immune-Mediated Diseases – How to Bring Academic Science to Patients
Elisabeth Gyllensten Bjørnsen, Medical Advisor Gastroenterology, PhD, AbbVie - The integration of healthcare and research data and models without borders for chronic immune-mediated diseases – WISDOM
Janna Saarela, Professor and Centre Director, NCMBM – Norwegian Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Medicine
Chairperson: Ole Kristian Hjelstuen, CEO, PhD, Inven2
Quantum technology and emerging technologies
Place: Toppsenteret
- Quantum Understanding: Basics, Integration, Technology & Sensing (QUBITS)
Justin Wells, Professor, Department of Physics, UiO - QSTAR – developing reliable and useful quantum computers
Franz Fuchs, Senior Research Scientist, SINTEF Digital and Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, UiO - Development and potential use of quantum sensors for defence applications
Gunnar Rustad, Principal Investigator, PhD, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) - Innovative solutions for secure communication, monitoring and navigation above and below water
Ellen D. Tuset, Vice President Operational Excellence, PhD, KONGSBERG - NEuroMOrphic hardware for energy efficient artifical intelligence (NEMO)
Henrik Hovde Sønsteby. Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, UiO - Norwegian Quantum House – strengthening Norwegian quantum science and technology
Monika Sandnesmo, Executive Director, Norwegian Quantum House (Norsk kvanteklynge) and Head of Research and Innovation Policy, SINTEF Digital
Chairperson: Monika Sandnesmo, Executive Director, Norwegian Quantum House (Norsk kvanteklynge) and Head of Research and Innovation Policy, SINTEF Digital
15:00–15:30 Networking
Place: Area outside Forum auditorium and Toppsenteret
15:30–16:30 Impact Afternoon – Pitching competition life sciences and beyond: tomorrow's solutions start with today's talents
Place: Amphitheatre outside Parken bakeri
Pitches from young researchers in the UiO Growth House and Inven2 portfolio.
You will meet
- Julia Madsen-Østerbye, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
- Satar Yousefiasl, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry
- Amanda Frøynes, Outrun
- Animesh Bhowal, Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Claire Prendergast, A+ WORDS
- Erna Davydova, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Amalie Skurtveit, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Chairperson: Norunn Torheim, UiO Growth House
The audience vote for the winner.
16:30–17:00 Networking with refreshments
Place: Parken bakeri
Organisers
Main organiser: UiO Growth House
Internal partners at the University of Oslo (UiO): Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO:Energy and environment, Centre for Global Sustainability
External partners: Inven2, SINTEF, LMI, Oslo Cancer Cluster, Nansen Neuroscience Network, Oslo University Hospital (OUS), Oslo Science Park and Oslo Science City
Questions?
Please contact the UiO Growth House, Norunn K. Torheim, Head of communications and public and external relations, at norunnt@uio.no
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