Foto: Eivind Senneset
One of the challenges we are currently facing is that our financial framework has seen a decline year by year, as factors such as inflation, price increases, and wage growth are not fully compensated through our annual allocation. It is therefore necessary for us to work simultaneously on increasing revenue and reducing costs. One of our major expense items is the rent, and in 2022, we implemented a 15% reduction in our areas. This resulted in a significant cost reduction.
At the beginning of 2025, the areas used and paid for by BIO amounted to approximately 16,600 m². This includes offices, laboratories, and common areas, both at Marineholmen and Espegrend. This year, we will pay about 40 million NOK in rent. Without the area reduction in 2022, this amount would have been considerably higher (closer to 50 million NOK). Nevertheless, as announced in 2022, we need to conduct another round of evaluations for further reducing our areas.
We have therefore established a working group with the goal of identifying areas that can be relinquished to EIA, aiming to reduce our annual rent by an additional 15% (equivalent to cutting rental costs by 6 million NOK annually). The group is led by Frank Midtøy and includes Ann Kristin Frøyset and Ørjan Totland. Additionally, Nina Hølland and Beate Rensvik will participate as needed. Linda Hjørnevik will serve as safety representative (“verneombud”) observer. The work will start by updating the area mapping from 2022, and the group will move through the floors, map the areas, and speak with key personnel regarding labs, instrumentation, and office spaces. This work relies entirely on accurate information about current usage and needs to make the best possible assessments. The group reports directly to the head of administration and me.
We want an open process, where everyone affected will have the opportunity to express their needs. I will report weekly to the institute’s leadership team so they can keep all “faggrupper” informed about progress. We will also provide updates through “bionytt,” at general meetings, and during bioTHURSDAYS.
I understand that this is a challenging process, and it is crucial that the areas we relinquish do not have long-term negative consequences for BIO’s academic activities and development. It is especially important for us to seek solutions that can result in positive effects and improvements in the daily work environment for our staff. Furthermore, we aim to minimize the impact of this process on daily operations.
We seek a swift clarification of the main points regarding the area reduction, with an overarching plan ready before summer 2025.
After a two-week break (due to the winter break and the NT Teaching Retreat), bioTHURSDAY is back next week, Thursday March 13th at 12:00. We will have a bioLUNCH featuring presentations from Rachael L. Morgan (Ecology & Evolution) and Rebecca M. Ellul (Fish Health). More details can be found elsewhere in today’s “bionytt.”
Finally, I would like to congratulate Katja Enberg on being awarded the Olav Thon Foundation’s National Prize for Excellence in Teaching 2025! A fantastic and well-deserved recognition! You can read more about the award here: https://olavthonstiftelsen.no/forskningsstotte/vinnere-av-olav-thon-stiftelsens-pris-for-fremragende-undervisning-2025/
Have a great weekend!
Ståle
