New international partnerships strengthen cooperation in research and education
The two new projects will strengthen a global network for sustainable energy storage and Norwegian-Ugandan cooperation on global health. The partnerships will provide new initiatives and opportunities for international collaboration for students and staff at UiB, as well as for the partners.
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Two research and education groups at the University of Bergen have each been awarded NOK 5 million from the INTPART programme. The funding will support two four-year initiatives that strengthen international partnerships in higher education, research, and innovation. These collaborations aim to address global challenges while further enhancing Norwegian academic excellence.
A global network for sustainable subsurface energy storage
At the Faculty of Science and Technology, the new project ICE-SSR will advance education and research in physics-based modeling and simulation of energy and carbon storage. The initiative is carried out in close partnership with NORCE and nine leading universities and research institutions in Europe, North and South America, and Asia.
Researchers at the Department of Physics and Technology (IFT) and the Department of Mathematics (MI) will develop new courses, organize winter schools and workshops, and facilitate exchanges and joint supervision of master’s and PhD students with the project’s international academic partners. The activities are closely linked to the Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources and build on UiB’s world-leading research in CO₂ storage.
“This grant gives us a unique opportunity to strengthen interdisciplinary and international collaboration in sustainable energy and carbon storage in the subsurface. For our interdisciplinary academic community at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, it means we can offer our students access to a global network of leading researchers, innovative courses, and training in the green transition,” says project leader Martin Fernø at IFT.
The project is called International Cluster of Excellence in Sustainable Subsurface Research (ICE-SSR). In addition to Fernø, the project team includes Sarah Gasda (NORCE and IFT), Jan Martin Nordbotten (MI), Kundan Kumar (MI), and Geir Ersland (IFT).
Norwegian-Ugandan partnership and Ugandan research school in global health
The Faculty of Medicine and Makerere University in Uganda are strengthening their long-standing collaboration in global health through the new project BURST-Excel. The aim is to develop a world-leading academic community in global health.
The Centre for International Health at UiB leads the newly established national research school in global health in Norway. Building on UiB’s strong research and teaching, the new project will establish a national research school in Uganda led by Makerere University and promote the development of formal PhD training in health at several emerging universities in Uganda. The project will also link the Norwegian and Ugandan research schools and increase the number of joint research projects with shared PhD candidates.
The initiative will provide mobility grants for outstanding teachers, PhD candidates, and master’s students in global health, both from UiB to Uganda and from Uganda to UiB. It will also strengthen partnership activities between Norwegian and Ugandan institutions across the two countries. The project is closely aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Good Health), while also contributing to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 4 (Quality Education).
“This will truly give PhD candidates and master’s students in global health at UiB the opportunity to engage more directly with the realities they are working on. At the same time, the collaboration strengthens doctoral education in Uganda,” says project leader Thorkild Tylleskär at the Centre for International Health.
The INTPART programme
INTPART, or International Partnerships, is a funding scheme for strategic partnerships between Norway and priority countries outside the EU/EEA. Its aim is to strengthen collaboration in excellent higher education, research, and innovation.
In September 2025, the Research Council of Norway awarded NOK 100 million to 20 such projects for the period 2026–2029. The programme is administered by the Research Council in cooperation with the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir).
