News about the savings at departmental level
The schedule has been somewhat postponed, and we will not have any news as to the future financial situation at the Department until 16–17 January. The budget figures must be examined by our local cooperation committee on 14 January. The delay applies to all departments. On 16 January Allan Flyvbjerg will forward an email to all employees concerning the distribution of savings among departments. We will then inform you in more detail about the biomedical situation both in a newsletter and at a coming Department meeting. Further information will follow shortly.

There is further information about the process for budget and savings announcements in the article "The cost reduction process at AU enters the next phase"

 As a result of the uncertain economic situation the management team has decided to:
• To postpone the application rounds for courses in January/February.
• To postpone negotiations on local wages till next autumn.

I would also like to remind you that the new guidelines for funding applications (over 1 Dkr million) have  entered into force i.e. all applications and budgets must be forwarded to the Head of the Department for an assessment of whether (additional) related costs should/could be included.

New Year’s reception with the Dean
We continue the tradition of last year with a visit from the Dean at the beginning of the new year. Allan Flyvbjerg will visit the Department on 28 January between 9:00-10:30 and all employees are encouraged to attend. The meeting will take place in the Bartholin Building auditorium.  More information will follow before the actual meeting.

6th holiday week and remaining holidays
As mentioned in my last newsletter all employees can check their holiday balance at mit.au.dk. As announced in the spring all employees are hereby notified to register their 6th holiday week and remaining holiday if any. You need to check if you have remaining/unspent holidays to be held before the 30th April 2014. If after 31 January you still have unplanned, remaining holidays, the Department will notify the holidays to be held. The 6th holiday week will be announced to be held on 27 and 28 March and on 14, 15 and 16 April. Other remaining holidays will also be notified to be held before 30th April 2014.

If you want to transfer the holiday to the next holiday year, it is in special cases possible by filling in an application form which should be forwarded to the Head of Department.  The application form for transfer of holidays is available at the staff website.

If you have questions as to holidays you are always welcome to contact your local secretariat.

Only one buildings manager at the Department as from 1 February
Buildings manager Birgitte Lüttge has got a new job (as leading technician  at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry in Aalborg)  and will be leaving the Department as from 1 February. We are working hard to find substitutes for her primary tasks (work environment and animal facilities) .

Naming of the buildings?
It often leads to confusion and misunderstandings that several of the buildings after the merger of the six biomedical departments into the Department of Biomedicine still are named after the former department. This applies to buildings:

• Biophysics, 1180-1185
• Physiology, 1160-1163
• Medical Biochemistry, 1170-1172
• Anatomy, 1230-1235

And the new building which has not  been named yet.

The Dean has asked the Department of Biomedicine to launch a naming process of the departmental buildings on campus. The Department of Biomedicine has following decided to anchor the process in the Department Forum, which will be the body that ultimately recommends the new names to the senior management team, which is the final decision-making authority regarding the naming of buildings. The buildings on campus must by convention be named after:

• Pioneers behind the creation of " University Teaching in Jutland" in 1928.
• Famous scientists

There is no requirement that the persons after whom buildings are named must be deceased. There is also no requirement that the researchers who may give name to buildings must be within the field of medical research, and the buildings may also be used for other purposes/areas the coming years. All departmental employees now have the opportunity to submit proposals for naming of one or more of the buildings. The proposals will then be discussed in the Department Forum and forwarded to the senior management team for final decision. Deadline for submission of proposals (to Anni Mandrup Høeg) is 12 Februar 2014.

Prestigious grants to young talented researchers from the Department
Ten young researchers from the AU, including 4 from Health, has received The Danish Council for Independent Research Sapere Aude grants. Three of the grants were awarded to talented young scientists from our Department: Marleen Kortenoeven, Rasmus Bak and Yonglun Luo. Congratulations to the recipients.

So much for now. Please remember that you are always welcome to contact me or one of the others from the biomedical management team on matters concerning the current uncertain economic situation you would like to discuss.

Many greetings
Thomas
Mobile 2778 2805