Not present: Helle M. Meltzer and substitute Hein Stigum (FHI), Ingvild Dalen (on leave, UiS) and substitute Kolbjørn Brønnick (UiS)

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1 NASJONAL FORSKERSKOLE I POPULASJONSBASERT EPIDEMIOLOGI Minutes of meeting Meeting Steering Committee of EPINOR Time: 7. May 2015, from 09:00 to 15:00 (lunch at 12.00) Chairperson/minutes-taker: Torkjel Sandanger/Bente Evjen Schøning Place: UiB, Kalfarveien 31, Institutt for global helse og samfunnsmedisin Present: Torkjel Sandanger (scientific manager), Rolv Skjærven (UiB), Magne Thoresen (UiO), Karl- Christian Nordby (STAMI), Bente Evjen Schøning (adm.coordinator), Per Nafstad (UiO), Steinar Tretli (Cancer Registry), Mie Jareid (Phd-repr. UiT), Kristin Gärtner (Phd-repr. UiB), Pål Romundstad (NTNU), Elisabete Weiderpass (leader) Not present: Helle M. Meltzer and substitute Hein Stigum (FHI), Ingvild Dalen (on leave, UiS) and substitute Kolbjørn Brønnick (UiS) Agenda Case no: EPINOR 01 Title/description: Approval of minutes and agenda The minutes and the agenda was approved. EPINOR 02 Information Items The meeting started with a short presentation of each of the partners about how they are doing. 2.1: Torkjel Sandanger updated the committee on the current status. After 2.5 years, there are currently 117 PhD students registered with EPINOR, and additional eight students have completed their PhD. The number of research groups affiliated with EPINOR has also increased steadily and today there are 25 research groups. There is a great interest for the Summer Schools, this year 55 students have signed up. An increase from last year where there were 35 students. 21 students have attended courses abroad and there were eight EPINOR students attending the Florence course in Epidemiology in Summer School 2015 Pål Romundstad presented the Summer School programme. There will be 52 PhD students attending; 39 women and 13 men. The Summer School takes place next month. If it is possible, the Andrew Bartlett Course will be filmed and made available online for other EPINOR students.

2 2.4 Annual Meeting 2015, 24.September Lecturer: Kathrine Frey Frøslie from department of Biostatistics, Institute of Basic Medical Science, University of Oslo Title: To explain or to predict? Principles and practicalities - Do you really know the differences between statistical modelling for prediction purposes and modelling in which the aim is to increase the understanding of mechanisms? The meeting will end with a joint lunch. 2.5 Case Study: Presenting the thesis The EPINOR students in NTNU have arranged a case study event based on EPINOR student Tricia Larose s thesis defense. The outcome was very useful according to the participants. The Steering Committee encourages the other student groups to arrange similar events. EPINOR 12 Budget EPINOR has grown above what was calculated in the beginning. This means that the budget must be revised, and priorities must be made. The suggested budget was approved and the following comments were made. EPINOR still priorities the summer school and the annual meetings arranged by EPINOR. In the future EPINOR will budget a total number of participants in Summer School to maximum 60 PhD students. If more than 60 students register those, who are in their first year will be prioritized and those in their last year must yield. The steering committee allows the EPINOR management to negotiate with the partner institutions in reducing the administration to 10 % at UiO, NTNU and UiB. Management will also negotiate with UiT about partly financing the administrative coordinator (20%). EPINOR 3 NOFE (The Norwegian Epidemiological Association) and EPINOR EPINOR considers this meeting important for the PhD students and would therefore still like to cover the NOFE fee for the EPINOR students. The steering committee has an understanding that the yearly NOFE Conference has an increase of PhD student presentations. It has also been observed a change in the themes of the presentations; from a traditional to a more variable program. These changes might be explained by the establishment of EPINOR.

3 EPINOR 4 Admission revision New admission requirements: 1. EPINOR requires that the PhD student inform EPINOR about its graduation date when the date is available. 2. All members of EPINOR must include the EPINOR logo in their thesis (e.g. front cover, backside, acknowledgements) EPINOR 5 Funding revision Additions to the funding guidelines - EPINOR operates with two final deadlines for funding applications. The deadline dates are 15. February and 15. September. The applications will be considered within a month after the deadline. - All travel costs granted by EPINOR (annual meeting, summer school and other traveling grants of 50 %) will calculate the city of departure as the same as the EPINOR member s institution city (Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Stavanger or Tromsø). - All who apply for funding to EPINOR must inform whether they are member of other research schools and if they are applying for funding from other research schools. - All who are applying for funding have to give a reason for not using their financial assets (driftsmidler) EPINOR 6 Course Timeline International courses: Several EPINOR students have attended the EEPE seminar in Florence supported by EPINOR. The seminar is expensive and the feedback is mixed. - EPINOR will in the future support funding applications to the EEPE Florence seminar with the fixed amount of NOK - EPINOR needs to go through international key courses and seminars to pick which should be recommended to the EPINOR students. National courses: Torkjel will set up a time line of courses from all the partner institutions. The time line will be sent to the steering committee members for comments and additions. The time line will be published online. The purpose is to make it easier for students to plan a head what courses they can take at which institution. EPINOR wishes to emphasize the really good courses that are already given at the different institutions.

4 EPINOR 7 Summer School 2016 and International Advisory Board (IAB) - Summer School 2016 will take place June in Oslo - EPINOR will invite the IAB to the Summer School The Summer School s theme will be Causal Inference - The Summer School 2016 programme will partly be presented at the Summer School EPINOR 8 EPINOR and Open Access - EPINOR recommends Open Access to its members - EPINOR will promote Open Access in all suitable channels (website, newsletter, admission form etc.) EPINOR 9 Local Supervisor Activities - Informal monthly supervisor lunches should be implemented by the partners of EPINOR. - The Steering committee discussed arranging a national supervisor seminar with pedagogy as theme. Elisabete will contact Neil Peirce about being the lecturer. Other suitable lecturers will also be contacted. A suggestion to a plan will be presented at the next meeting in December. EPINOR 10 Meeting Schedule Next Steering Committee meeting is 6.-7.December in Tromsø The International Advisory Board will meet the Steering committee 6.June in Oslo, at the same time and place as the EPINOR Summer School Elisabete Weiderpass and Torkjel Sandanger Scientific Leader and Scientific Manager Bente Evjen Schøning Administrative Coordinator

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