Organised by: Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Faculty of Biosciences. 3 ECTS. Time: 24. - 28. June 2024. Location: Ås, Norway. Field of teaching: Immunonutrition. Language of teaching: English. Application deadline: 30th of April 2024. Application method: via email to Dr. Byron Morales Lange the course supervisor, with the following, information: 1 page CV, Thesis topic, Main supervisor and a Motivation letter (200 words maximum).

Aquaculture is an important economic activity across Europe. Although projections from the Food and Agriculture Organization (United Nations) suggest continued growth in the coming decades, fish farming faces challenges related to infectious diseases, environmental conditions and access to novel feed sources. To contribute to solving these problems, immunonutritional strategies have gained interesting relevance in recent years, since they combine (in a holistic approach) aspects of fish health, welfare and nutrition, in addition to environmental sustainability. Thus, through both theoretical classes and laboratory sessions, this NOVA course will focus on: Diet formulation, Feed production and pellet quality, Fish performance, Fish immunology, Microbiota characterization.

Syllabus: Principles of Fish Immunology (Textbook | 2022), Editors Kurt Buchmann, Christopher J. Secombes, Available in: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-85420-1; Fish Nutrition (Textbook | 2022), Editors Ronald W. Hardaym, Sadasivam J. Kaushik. The Fish Microbiota: Research Progress and Potential Applications; Luan, Y., et al (Review | 2023), available in: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2022.12.011.

Contact and/or course organiser: Dr. Byron Morales Lange 

Organised by: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology. 5 ECTS.
Time: 12. February to 15. March 2024. Location: Umeå Plant Science Centre, Sweden and online.

The main objectives are to familiarize the students with the biological process of wood formation, generation of variability in wood and selected contemporary approaches for studying wood biology. This knowledge is prerequisite for developing wood biotechnology aspects in the future by the students. Current status of wood biotechnology will be presented.

The course topics include wood organization, structure, chemistry and mechanics in conifers and hardwoods, from the molecular level to the tissue organization level, followed by an update on molecular, genetic and physiological aspects of wood cell differentiation and cell wall formation. Practical tools for wood analysis and wood biology studies, including traditional and advanced microscopy, atomic force microscopy, microfluidics, and wet chemistry methods will be demonstrated and hands-on experience with bioinformatics tools available for trees will be included.

Program outline
Monday:
Cellular wood development, variability of wood structure in a tree, wood ultrastructure
Microscopy techniques to study wood
Practicum in wood anatomy
Poster session and social activities
Tuesday:
Hormonal control of wood development
Molecular networks regulating wood development and secondary wall biosynthesis,
Mechano-sensing control of wood development
Demonstration of AFM and microfluidic system
Wednesday:
C flux to cell wall
Biosynthesis of cellulose
Biosynthesis of matrix polysaccharides
Wet chemistry of cell wall analysis
Poster session and social activities
Thursday:
Biosynthesis and biotechnology of lignin
Lunch with teachers.
Research seminars on current projects related to cell wall biosynthesis.
Friday:
Tree bioinformatics resources of UPSC
What can be learnt from bioinformatics resources for trees
Practicum on using plantgenie – students will follow their own questions.

Pre/post-course assignments
The students will receive literature to read before or after the course, and should bring a poster related to their PhD project.
For the full 5 ECTS credits, the students are required to participate in all course activities including social activities, poster presentation, and discussions, as well as complete and obtain an approval of a written assignment within 3 weeks after the course. The written assignment will be a short review or a short project proposal within the topic of wood biology and biotechnology, reviewing min. 15 original research papers, approx. 3 pages long.

Application deadline: 12th of January 2024. Registration for NOVA-students
Contact and/or course organiser: Professor Ewa Mellerowicz  
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Organised by: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). 
Time: 31. October - 15. December 2023. Location: Institute of Marine Research at Lysekil, Sweden and online. Application deadline: 10th of October 2023. Application method: via email: Jonas.sundberg@slu.se

This course is developed for PhD students interested in fish and fisheries ecology. The course will provide advanced knowledge in fish and fisheries ecology, including assessment and management practices of aquatic resources. The course will present recent advances in fish and fisheries ecology with specific relevance to ecosystem-based fisheries management and other selected research themes. It is based on a series of seminars covering a broad range of research topics and activities of relevance in the field. The course is running and includes a three-day physical workshop and four online seminars. An important part of the course is that the topics discussed during the course has a clear link to the students’ PhD projects.

Registration for NOVA-students
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Time: 31 October - 5 December 2023. Location: University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

The course provides a pluralist view on various theories, methodologies, and research practices of sustainability transitions. The course is centred on individual work assignments, 7 expert sessions held by renowned international experts in their field, and a joint seminar. Personal work focuses on theoretical and methodological knowledge and research skills, while group work emphasizes dialogues, mutual learning and interdisciplinarity. The course will be offered in a hybrid mode, but live presence in the session days is much encouraged since group work cannot be fully accommodated in hybrid mode, thus necessitating supplementary assignments. In order to make the live learning experience more powerful, the sessions will include lectures, panel discussions, and co-creative research. An excursion will be directed to sites that portray the advances and challenges in sustainability transitions in urban and regional contexts.

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Last taught: 25 - 29 September and 10 October 2023.
Organised by: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
Contact and/or course organiser: Andrea Doeschl-Wilson and Lotta Rydhmer
3 ECTS

The course is arranged by the Graduate School for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (GS-VMAS) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and funded by the Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network (NOVA) and GS-VMAS.

The course focusses on the collection, curation, statistical & quantitative genetic analysis of experimental and field data of infectious diseases, and on dynamic prediction models. Infectious disease data are incomplete by its very nature and the course will clearly outline all the challenges related to handling these data and how to make meaningful inferences and prediction models.  The main focus of the course is on farmed animals, but the majority of theory and tools covered can be adapted to plant or human diseases.

The course will provide participants with an understanding of and the ability to apply basic principles of epidemiology, statistical and genetic analyses of infectious disease data and epidemiological modelling. Students will be able to assess the quality and scope of quantitative genetic and epidemiological analyses of disease data and interpret the results of diverse modelling studies.

Last taught: 4. - 25. September 2023.
Organised by:  University of Helsinki - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UH/AF)
3 ECTS
Doctoral Programme in Food Chain and Health

The attendees will learn the basics of digestion and absorption of Food, the gut barrier and its effect on oral bio accessibility and bioavailability of nutraceuticals, simulation of human gastrointestinal digestion (standardized INFOGEST protocol), interesting recent in vitro and in vivo studies and the trends in the future, the effect of colloidal delivery systems (e.g., micelles, emulsions, micro and nano emulsions, Pickering emulsions, multilayer emulsions, hydrogels, liposomes, phytotomies, solid-lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, nanocrystals, oil bodies, and composite nanoparticles) on the oral bioavailability of nutraceuticals, how to enhance satiety and address noncommunicable diseases using colloidal science, oral tribology and its impact on satiety, and the future trend of colloidal aspects of digestion. The attendees will also participate in a short practical digestion simulation session (half an hour) using our laboratory's standardized static in vitro INFOGEST protocol.

All NOVA courses are arranged locally by each member university. Teachers who would like to arrange a NOVA course should consult the local regulations or focal points, please see below. Funds for teacher mobility can be supported through Erasmus+ or Nordplus, if courses do not have budget for incoming teachers. The local NOVA coordinators may advise on how to apply for this.
According to the NOVA agreement, a course shall have the following characteristics:

• PhD students or specialising post graduate veterinarians from NOVA members are part of the target group.
• The main teachers should be experts in their fields and at least one of them must be employed by the host university.
• The host university guarantees the quality of the course by following their internal requirements for PhD-level or post-graduate veterinarian specialisation courses. The course quality can be subject to follow-up from web-based student evaluations using a NOVA template.
• It is desirable that the course is planned and executed in collaboration between teachers from the host university and other universities, preferably another NOVA member.
• The pedagogic approach builds upon active participation and engagement by all teachers and students during the course. Commonly, the courses contain a classroom/field/lab module combined with distance education modules, but courses can also be completely online.
• If the number of seats is limited, visiting students from other NOVA members should be given priority to at least 25% of the seats, if possible.
• NOVA students do not pay course fees. The hosting university is not obliged to cover expenses for accommodation, food, student travelling and similar expenses.

NOVA the Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network

• Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (Swedish University of Agricultural Science), Sweden (SLU)
• Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (Norwegian University of Life Sciences), Norway (NMBU)
• Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands (Agricultural University of Iceland), Iceland (LBHI)
• University of Copenhagen - PLEN
• Aarhus University - QGG
• University of Eastern Finland - Forest and EnvBio, (UEF-FE)
• Helsingin yliopisto - Eläinlääketieteellinen tiedekunta (University of Helsinki - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine), Finland, (UH-V)
• Helsingin yliopisto - Maatalous-metsätieteellinen tiedekunta (University of Helsinki - Faculty of Agricultura and Forestry), Finland, (UH-AF)

NOVA Local coordinators

• Denmark: Aarhus University - Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Luc Janss at QGG

• Denmark: University of Copenhagen - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN), NOVA - PHD at PLEN

• Finland: University of Eastern Finland (UEF/FE), Marjoriitta Mottonen at UEF/FE

• Finland: University of Helsinki (UH-AF and UH-V), NOVA Coordinator at UH

• Iceland: Agricultural University of Iceland (AUI/LBHÍ), NOVA Coordinator at LBHÍ

• Norway: Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Anna Lewandowska-Sabat, Anna Lewandowska-Sabat at NMBU

• Sweden: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), NOVA Coordinator at SLU

BOVA University Network (BOVA)

NOVA collaborates closely with The Baltic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network, BOVA UN, and encourages course organisers from NOVA to jointly plan courses with colleagues from BOVA universities.