The Norwegian Consortium for Microbial Genomics (NCMG) is a national network bringing together scientists with complementary expertise to exchange knowledge about transmission of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. 

The next NCMG meeting will take place December 9-10, 2021 at 13:00-16:30 at Lovisenberg diakonale høgskole (and online). 

Due to the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic these last weeks and the further social restrictions that are expected from the government this evening (Des 7), it has been decided to have the 5^th NCMG meeting virtual. This means that the reception that was planned for Thursday evening is also cancelled.

IBA collaborates with NCMG, and several IBA members are presenting their work at the meeting. Please see link for detailed programme: PDF.

There is no participation fee. However, please note that IBA cannot cover any expenses for those who attend in person.

Please register using the following link: Registration NCMG.

For questions contact: Jorun Hill at NIPH.

Meeting place: Lovisenberg diakonale høgskole, Lovisenberggata 15B, 0456 Oslo, Room 201

Map and directions

More information: www.ncmg.no

(NB – the address stated in the registration form is no longer valid)

The IBA annual meeting took place  November 1^st  and November 2^nd 2021 at Thon Conference Universitetsgaten (TCU), Oslo and assembled more than 100 participants.

IBA congratulates Amanda Singleton & Olaug Bergum (NTNU) and Ragnhild S. R. Sætra (NTNU) for best poster and oral presentation prize, respectively.

More information on the programme, keynote speakers and abstracts can be found in the meeting booklet under.

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Organising committee: Özgün C. Onarman Umu (NMBU), Yngvild Wasteson (NMBU), Marina Elisabeth Aspholm (NMBU), Camilla Sekse (NVI), Alejandro Jimènez Melèndez (NMBU), Ephrem Debebe Zegeye (NMBU), Kirill Ovchinnikov (NMBU) and Marita Torrissen Mårli (NMBU).

News 💫

New contact info for IBA: iba-coordinator@ibv.uio.no

Grant for external courses (extended). For IBA PhD and research track students. Have you found a relevant external course at EMBL ,the Wellcome Genome Campus or Cold Spring Harbor (or elsewhere)? Please, apply here for IBA funding. New deadline for application: November 15^th. This call is for courses taking place from October 2021 – April 2022. A new call will be opened in early 2022. 

Upcoming courses and events 

October

Academic Presentations. Nature Academy. October 25th – 26th. Virtual workshop where you learn how to make effective slides and posters, and to develop your verbal and non-verbal presentation skills. October 25^th from 09-11 and 12-14. October 26^th from 09-11. Please read more and register here: https://forms.gle/YgCiEbgkRvvJdCxc8. Open to all IBA members and associates!

November

IBA annual meeting – November 1-2. Oslo. We are looking forward to seeing you all in Oslo! This year´s annual meeting is arranged by IBA participants from NMBU. The deadline for registration has passed.

IBA/TTA Bioinformatics course – Level 2. November 3rd. This 3.5 h course is a continuation of IBA/TTA bioinformatics course level 1. Read more and sign up here. The course is open to all IBA members. Please note that due to the short length, IBA does not cover travel and accommodation. NB! Postponed

Communicating your Science to the Public. Nature Academy – November 8^th and 9^th. This virtual workshop provides attendees with practical strategies on how to communicate complex findings in an understandable manner for non-specialists. November 8th: 9-11 and 12- 14. November 9th: 9-11. Read more and register here: https://forms.gle/hckgW7Pi7rYiC3wj8. Open to all IBA members and associates!

IBA/TTA Bioinformatics course – Level 2. November 10th. This 3.5 h course is a continuation of IBA/TTA bioinformatics course level 1. The course is open to all IBA members.Keep the date, more information and registration link will follow later. Check the IBA course page for updated information. Please note that due to the short length, IBA does not cover travel and accommodation.

Pathogenic Immune Evasion Strategies – November 15th -16th. Trondheim. This course will give an overview of the different ways of pathogens to evade the host immune system and more focused talks about specific pathogens and their evasion strategies. Read more and sign up here. Travel and accommodation are supported for IBA PhD students and research track students only. Registration deadline: October 15^th.

Applying for Research Positions. Nature Academy – November 22^nd – 23^rd. Finding the most appropriate research position for graduating students and post-docs completing their contract can be a formidable task. This workshop aims to give you the necessary skills to find and secure the right position for the next step in your career. November 22: 09-11 and 12-14. November 23: 9-11. Read more and register:https://forms.gle/NhVQJuSd6aqsCsXQ6. Open to all IBA members and associates!

IBA/TTA Bioinformatics course – Level 3. November 23rd. This is a half-day course at UiO on prediction of 3D molecular structure using PyMol and other tools. Keep the date, more information and link for registration will follow later. Check the IBA course page for updated information. The course is open to all IBA members. Please note that due to the short length, IBA does not cover travel and accommodation for this course.

One Health Approach to Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. November 29^th – December 3^rd. NMBU Ås Campus. This course will review the microbiology, epidemiology and pathogenicity of some of the most common bacterial zoonotic pathogens in Norway. In addition, the course will introduce the use of modern genetic methods in surveillance, outbreak investigations and research relevant to public health, food safety and veterinary medicine. Read more and sign up here. Travel and accommodation are supported for IBA PhD students and research track students only. Suggested credits: 2 ECTS.

December

Course on Creating Scientific Illustrations. December 6th – 10th. Virtual. Do you want to use illustration as an effective communication tool? Learn the essentials of graphic design and visual communication theory, drawing by hand and drawing digitally during this one week course. Suggested credits: 2 ECTS. Read more and sign up here: https://www.ibaschool.no/events/creating-scientific-illustrations-3/. If the course is full, places will be distributed to IBA PhD students/research track students > IBA postdocs > other IBA members. Deadline: November 15th. 

IBA/TTA Bioinformatics course – Level 3. December 15th. This is a half-day course at UiO on prediction of 3D molecular structure using PyMol and other tools. Keep the date, more information and link for registration will follow later. Check the IBA course page for updated information. The course is open to all IBA members. Please note that due to the short length, IBA does not cover travel and accommodation for this course.

Grant applications for IBA PhD / research track students

✈️ Travel Grants for Research Stays in Norway and abroad. IBA will take in rolling application from IBA PhD students (and research track students) through all the rest of 2021. Please read more and apply here.   

Course and Workshop Proposals Are you working in the field of infection biology and/or antimicrobials and carry an idea for a short course/workshop/event for this autumn that would fit for IBA members? Or maybe you would like to arrange a workshop for IBA members on transferrable skills? You can now apply for financial and administrative support from IBA! Please follow this link. New deadline for application: November 15^th

Future activities under development

Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Course 2022. Second offering of a high impact 5-day course that was first undertaken with the National Doctoral Program in Infection and Antibiotics of Sweden in 2018. The course is planned for spring/early summer 2022 (the precise dates are still under consideration). You can find the program from 2018 course here: https://www.ibaschool.no/2018/08/13/iba-ndpia-course-on-antibiotics-and-antibiotic-resistance/  

IBA Trondheim is running a 2-day course on Pathogenic Immune Evasion Strategies from November 15-16th 2021 at Scandic Lerkendal. The course will most probably be a hybrid meeting where you can join also virtually.

Deadline for registration is October 15th

This course will give a general overview of the different ways of pathogens to evade the host immune system in addition to more focused talks about specific pathogens and their evasion strategies. This will include different bacteria like mycobacteria, N. gonorrhoeae, and S. aureus in addition to viruses and parasites. 

Prelimenary program: PDF

The course is aimed at IBA Ph.D. students/ medical or veterinary research track students, but also others are welcome to join.  Travel and accommodation expenses are included for IBA Ph.D. and research track student members only.

IBA has an opening in our 2021 budget and we therefore open a last-minute call for: 

a) Support for IBA PhD members to attend external courses. Are you an IBA PhD student (or research track student) and would like to attend a course another institution in 2021? Have you found a course at EMBL , the Wellcome Genome Campus or Cold Spring Harbor for example? Please apply here for IBA funding.

b) Course and workshop proposals. Are you working in the field of infection biology and/or antimicrobials and carry an idea for a short course/workshop/event for this autumn that would fit for IBA members? Or maybe you would like to arrange a workshop for IBA members on transferrable skills? You can now apply for financial and administrative support from IBA! Please follow this link.

Please note: application deadline for both calls:  October 15th. The call is for events taking place this year (2021). 

 c) In addition, we have also opened up applications for our regular “Travel Grants for research stays in Norway and abroad». We will take in rolling application through all the rest of 2021. Please read more and apply here.  

Questions? Please contact IBA.

Time and place: October 4-7 (Week 40 ). Participants physically present in Bergen depending on COVID restrictions – otherwise online.

The course is intended for PhD-students and post-docs working in immunology or vaccine related projects. It will provide an introduction to the history of vaccines, vaccine development, immunological mechanisms of protection, clinical trials, adjuvants and mode of action of different types of vaccines. It will be held as a combination of lectures and student assignments. Course is built on the HUVIR320 course previously held at UiB. 

Click here for more information on the course and instructions on how to register. Please note that the course will be limited to 20 participants. Please register before 2nd September.

Our sister organisation in Sweden, NDPIA, in collaboration with Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR) is offering a course that combines introductory lectures and student learning activities with an international symposium on infection and cancer. International experts will present basic concepts on principles by which viruses and bacteria subvert the cellular micro-environment to cause cancer.

Participants will have an opportunity to:

• Design experimental models to address knowledge gaps in infection and cancer
• Discuss their research with colleagues and international researchers in the field
• Build their national and international scientific network
• Discuss with experts working within infection and cancer research

The course will be online from 23rd – 27th August. Registration deadline: August 4th, 2021.

Click here for more information and instructions on how to register. Contact IBA coordinator for any questions.

Date/Time: Nov 01, 2021 – Nov 02, 2021, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Meeting location: Thon Conference Universitetsgaten (TCU), Oslo

We are happy to invite all IBA members to the IBA Annual Meeting 2021 at the Thon Conference Universitetsgaten in Oslo! 

You can register here, the registration deadline is August 30^th! 

The meeting fee, accommodation, and travel expenses (economy class only) will be covered for all members and associates.

For attendees who need accommodation, the Hotel Bristol will be booked for the night of November 1^st and all meals are included. The hotel is located 100 meters away from the meeting location. 

All IBA PhD students, postdocs and research track students attending the annual IBA meeting are expected to present their research projects in oral or poster presentation sessions. Please submit your abstract here by September 15^th. There will be prizes for the best poster and best oral presentation!

The topics that will be covered in the meeting include antimicrobial resistance and One Health, novel antimicrobials and probiotics, host-pathogen interactions and microbial genomics and metagenomics. Updates on the tentative program, keynote speakers and more practical information will follow later.

Click here for more information

Contact information:

For question regarding the meeting hosted by NMBU in Oslo (agenda, hotel and other practicalities): Özgün C. Onarman Umu

For IBA-related questions: Chris Hadjineophytou

Time and place: 29^th of November 2021 – 3^rd of December 2021 (Week 48), NMBU Ås Campus

This course will review the microbiology, epidemiology and pathogenicity of some of the most common bacterial zoonotic pathogens in Norway. In addition, the course will introduce the use of modern genetic methods in surveillance, outbreak investigations and research relevant to public health, food safety and veterinary medicine. During one-week course, there will be practical sessions where the students will get a practical approach on the microbial genomics and metagenomics data analysis with no bioinformatical skills are expected.

Please visit our courses and events page for more information.

IBA offers support for travel and accomodation for our PhD and research track members.

Monday October 18 – Friday October 22 – 2021 at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway.

The course will provide detailed insight and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. The objectives will include understanding of principles regarding antibiotic resistance, methods for detection of resistance, clinical breakpoints, resistance epidemiology, mechanisms for resistance development/evolution and spread, drivers behind development of antimicrobial resistance, clinically important resistance mechanisms in bacteria, molecular methods for typing of resistance bacterial clones and concepts in drug discovery.

Please visit our courses and events page for more information. The application deadline for students not registered at UiT is on June 1st.

*course programme updated on May 21st

IBA offers support for travel and accomodation for our PhD and research track members.