Five SFF finalists from the University of Bergen
The Research Council of Norway has selected five candidates from the University of Bergen to advance to the second stage of the competition to become a Centre of Excellence (SFF).
Published: (Updated: )
“I am very proud of the applications that have made it through this first stage, and I wish them the best of luck in the process ahead,” says UiB Rector Margareth Hagen.
“We have seen an impressive mobilisation and tremendous effort from a great many research communities in the SFF process. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the teams whose applications did not advance,” she says.
A highly competitive selection process
Of the 176 applications submitted nationwide, 36 have been invited to the final round of the SFF call, The Research Council of Norway reports (external link). Five of the successful applications come from research communities at the University of Bergen.
The finalists will now develop more comprehensive centre proposals ahead of the application deadline in November 2026.
Here are the five UiB research communities that have reached the final round:
- Multidisciplinary Understanding of Sound, Interaction, and Cognition – MUSIC
The application is led by Stefan Koelsch at the Faculty of Psychology. - Centre for Reciprocal Rhythms in Immunology, Somnology and Endocrinology – RRISE
Led by Eystein Husebye and Anette Wolff at the Faculty of Medicine. - Centre for Thundercloud Electrodynamics
Led by Martino Marisaldi at the Faculty of Science and Technology. - Norwegian Centre for Cellular Physics – CellPhy
Led by Sushma Grellscheid and Justas Zalieckas at the Faculty of Science and Technology. - Center for Early-Life Diabetes Mechanisms (iDIA): From Molecules to Models, from Transcription to Translation
Led by Pål Rasmus Njølstad and Marc Vaudel at the Faculty of Medicine.
By the end of 2027, the Research Council of Norway will allocate NOK 1.76 billion to around 11 new Centres of Excellence. The new centres will start operating in 2028 and will run for ten years.
What is music?
The proposed MUSIC centre will explore what music is by bringing together perspectives from fields including neuroscience, music therapy and evolutionary biology. The researchers aim to understand the universal features of music, how it works in the brain, what is uniquely human about it, and how music contributes to social connection and therapy.
Understanding the rhythms of the body
The proposed RRISE centre will investigate how the body's biological rhythms interact across the immune system, sleep and the endocrine system. By bringing these areas together, the researchers aim to uncover new connections between sleep, hormones and immune function, potentially leading to new insights into health and disease.
Understanding electricity in thunderstorms
The Centre for Thundercloud Electrodynamics will investigate the electrical processes inside thunderstorms. By studying how electrical charges develop and move within thunderclouds, the researchers aim to improve our understanding of lightning and the fundamental processes that drive thunderstorms.
Exploring the physics of cells
The Norwegian Centre for Cellular Physics (CellPhy) will investigate the physical principles that govern how cells function. Combining approaches from physics, biology and quantitative modelling, the centre aims to uncover how physical forces and processes shape cellular behaviour and contribute to health and disease.
Understanding how diabetes develops early in life
The proposed iDIA centre will investigate the biological mechanisms that contribute to diabetes from early life onwards. The researchers will combine genetics, large health registries, biobanks and advanced computational models to identify risk factors and disease mechanisms at an early stage. The long-term goal is to enable earlier, more precise and personalised approaches to preventing and treating diabetes. Read more about the proposed iDIA centre at UiB
About the SFF scheme
The Centres of Excellence (SFF) scheme gives Norway’s leading research communities the opportunity to organise themselves into centres to pursue ambitious scientific goals through collaboration and long-term core funding. Research at the centres is expected to be innovative and have strong potential to produce groundbreaking results that advance the international research frontier. The centres are intended to pursue ambitious ideas and address complex problems where coordinated, long-term research efforts within or across disciplines are essential to achieving their goals.