Dear all

Economy
We have received the interim report for the first 6 months of 2013, and there is (as was the case in 2012) a deficit. If we exclude various extraordinary income the best estimate for the final result in 2013 is a deficit of approximately DKr 6 million. Therefore, like last year, we will have to show restraint as far as possible the rest of the year. The figures show a concurrent increase in external funding: The first 6 months of the year, expenditure was approximately DKr 51 million compared to approx. DKr 44 million in the first 6 months of 2012.

Upcoming meetings at the Department (see the schedule below)

• Please note that the first Department meeting will be held as early as Tuesday 10 September at 14:15 in the Bartholin Auditorium 1. The themes will include the follow-up of workplace assessments (VPA) and SDDs. The meeting is in Danish.
• A meeting for the tenured academic staff (VIP) is planned for Monday 23 September at 13-15 in the Biochemistry building, aud. 6. The meeting will mainly be about SDD.
• A house meeting in the Biochemistry building on the follow-up of the APV i.a. is planned for Friday 4 October at 9-11. The meeting takes place in the coffee room in the Biochemistry building.

VIP recruitment
Over the summer we have posted a number of VIP positions:

• A professorship in renal physiology
• A MSO professorship in molecular biophysics
• A 50% professorship in "translational renal pathophysiology"
• An associate professorship in epithelial cell physiology

Assessment committees for the various positions are being formed. The posted positions are not expected to result in an expansion of the VIP staff, the positions being posted at the expiration of temporary employment /or in research areas with very qualified internal candidates.

TAP recruitment
In cooperation with HR we are trying to provide a more complete overview of the TAP recruitment/staff. At present one technician is being hired.

All vacancies are posted/can be seen at: http://biomed.au.dk/aktuelt/ledige-stillinger/

Meeting with HR and Finance about administration before the summer break
A number of initiatives to improve the administrative services was agreed upon. The initiatives will be evaluated at a meeting to be held sometime in autumn.

New HR partner for the Department
Bo Sanden has resigned and will leave his post on 1 September. Our new HR partner is Christina Baas who is LLM (Master of Laws). She has previously worked at the Aalborg Municipal Hospital and at the Aarhus Municipality.

The Jahre Prize for researchers under 40
Christian Brix Andersen Folsted from the Department was awarded the prize. Congratulations to Christian.

Information meeting with Novo Nordisk Foundation
The information meeting will be held on Monday 2 September at 15:00 in the Large Anatomical Auditorium. Applications to be forwarded by 24 September.

Information meeting with the Danish Council for Independent Research
The meeting will address general requirements for applications to the council. There will also be information on how the council examines and evaluates applications. The meeting will be held on Tuesday 3 September at 9-11 in the Preben Hornung room, Fredrik Nielsens Vej 2-4, DK-8000 Aarhus C. Registration is not required.

Network for young tenured VIP
The second meeting will be held on 9 September.

New job employment structure for VIPs at universities in force from 1 September
The main changes are as follows:

• Separation of postdoctoral and assistant professor positions. This means that postdoctoral positions in the future are independent, fixed-term positions at a maximum of four years at the same university. As far as assistant professor positions are concerned, these can be filled for a period of up to four years - though up to five years in the clinical area.
• 8 years of employment at the same institution as assistant professor. Henceforth, assistant professors can be employed - with successive fixed-term contracts - for up to eight years in the same institution against previously only six years. It should be noted that periods of postdoctoral appointments are not included in the maximum eight-year period.
• Introduction of a six-year "tenure track" from assistant professor to associate professor. This means that positions can be filled at the assistant professor level with a possible switch without job advertisement for a permanent position at the associate professor level – provided that a positive academic assessment can be documented before the end of the 5th employment. At our Faculty (Health), this type of position will be reserved for the recruitment of researchers from abroad.
• MSO. In the future, MSO professorships can be filled with a fixed term for up to eight years instead of three to five years (with the possibility of extension up to a total of eight years).
• Clinical associate professors / external clinical lecturers. In the future, clinical lecturers can be appointed to permanent positions and are no longer limited to temporary positions.

Meeting on purchases
A meeting was scheduled for 22 August but later cancelled due to overlapping with the DHL race. Another meeting will be announced as soon as possible.

New prestigious articles published by the Department

• Søren Moestrup and partners have published an article in Nature: Mechanism of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense resistance two human serum. Uzureau et al, Nature. 2013 August 21 doi: 10.1038/nature12516.
• Anders Børglum and partners have published an article in Nature Genetics: Genome-wide association analysis identifies 13 new risk loci for schizophrenia Ripke et al, Nature Genetics, Published online: 25 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ng.2742
• Mette Laursen and Natalya Fedosova have published an article in PNAS: Crystal structure of the high-affinity Na +, K +-ATPase ouabain complex with Mg 2 + bound in the cation binding site. Laursen M, L Yatime, Nissen P Fedosova NOW. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013; 110 (27) :10958-63^rd

Congratulations to the authors.

Best regards
Thomas


Timetable of Meetings at the Department of Biomedicine autumn 2013

The dates for the meetings can be changed if it turns out that they interfere with other activities. In addition to the above meetings, meetings of the education committee and of the network for the latest permanently employed VIP are planned.