Before starting

Contact the Data Protection Officer for advice on the processing of personal data:Rune.Nesdal.Jonassen@sshf.no.

 

It is often a good idea to discuss the project with someone with statistical expertise as well. ContactThomas.Bjerregaard.Bertelsen@sshf.nofor help with statistics.

 

Requirements for user involvement must be met. User involvement must be included in the project from the idea stage.

Separate guidelines have been drawn up for user involvement in health research in Norway’s specialist health services.
 
Guidance on user involvement (helse-sorost.no)
 

The assessment phase involves evaluating whether the planned project can be carried out. The project must be assessed in consultation with the department manager to determine whether sufficient resources can be allocated to it.Confirmation of approvalfrom your own department must be submitted withthe application for approval. If other departments may be involved in the project (e.g. radiology, medical biochemistry), they should also be contacted.

 

It is important to prepare a budget, if applicable, that includes all costs, including any hospital co-payment and contributions from other departments (e.g. for blood sampling). Discussions and possibly meetings with the project manager, clinic director, department manager, research director and other Research Section staff may be necessary.

 

Separate procedures have been drawn up for studies involving clinical trials of medicinal products conducted by the pharmaceutical industry.
 

Sørlandet Hospital announces internal research funding annually. The funds are awarded to employees in accordance with the current corporate strategy and quality criteria.

Every spring, five positions (PhD and postdoc) are announced, starting the following year. The positions announced are for a maximum of three years in a 100% position. The PhD programme can be completed part-time, but must then be at least a 50% position over a maximum of six years.

 

Seed funding

The purpose of the seed funding is to encourage and facilitate research activity that may lead to a larger research project. These funds can be used to employ someone in a 10–100% research position for a specified period during the current year. Leave for a research position must be agreed with your immediate manager before the application is submitted. Positions are paid at the basic salary rate in accordance with the collective agreement, with no additional supplements other than any research/doctoral degree supplement.

Seed funding is announced once a year, in January. Awarded funds must be used during the current year.

Seed grants of up to NOK 15,000 per project can be used for, among other things, project planning, study trips, and buyout of time for prospective, planned or ongoing research projects at SSHF that are not already funded.
Seed grants are announced once a year, in January. Awarded funds must be used during the current year.

There are many sources of external research funding. The most relevant are listed below. Remember to read the call text carefully. Contact the Research Section for help with the budget/application.

 

• Helse Sør-Øst
• National Programme for Clinical Treatment Research in the Specialist Health Service (KLINBEFORSK)​
• Research Council of Norway
• DAM Foundation
• Norwegian Cancer Society
• EEA Grants
• Novo Nordisk Foundation
• Kavli Trust
• Laerdal Foundation
• Living Conditions Programme
• Norwegian Health Association(dementia and cardiovascular research)
• Sørlandet Competence Fund
• Aust-Agder Competence Fund
• Unifor – collection of scholarships and grants
• EU Horizon Europe, Cluster 3 Health
• EU4Health – the EU’s fourth health programme
• Funding opportunities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo

Also check with your professional association, both centrally and locally.

Research projects in the health and care sector often involve the use of health and personal data. The use of this type of data for research purposes requires various approvals before the project can start.

 

All research projects, both those where SSHF is the responsible institution and those where SSHF contributes to a project led by other institutions, must be reported to the Data Protection Officer.

HereHere you will find an overview of reporting procedures and which bodies you need approvals from for different types of projects. Consent from project participants is the general rule for most research projects. Any type of project seeking an exemption from the duty of confidentiality—that is, the right to obtain patient information without the patient's consent—must apply for an exemption from REK, the Norwegian Directorate of Health or the Data Protection Officer.

 

If you are unsure which permits you need to apply for, contact the Data Protection Officerrune.nesdal.jonassen@sshf.no. 

You must have a plan for collecting and storing research data, which must be included in the protocol. Seeherefor guidance.

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