NOVA University Network

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The Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network (NOVA)
NOVA is a university cooperation aimed at supporting the understanding of major global challenges in a Nordic context. Together we provide high quality PhD-level courses in subjects related to agricultural, forestry and veterinary sciences, and support PhD and post-graduate veterinarian specialisation students and NOVA’s scientists in building international scientific networks.

NOVA provides the opportunity for teachers to organise high quality PhD courses in collaboration with colleagues at other NOVA universities and with participants from NOVA universities and other international universities/organisations.

Participation in courses is free of charge for students from NOVA member universities. Travel and accommodation, however, is usually not covered.
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Attend a course

All courses listed on this webpage are classified as NOVA courses by the hosting institution. That implies that all PhD and post-graduate veterinarian specialisation students registered at NOVA and BOVA member institutions may attend these courses free of charge. Registration procedures may vary between courses but are always outlined in the course descriptions.

Biological Consequences of Selection

Organised by: Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Course level: Postgraduate level / Doctoral or equivalent third cycle (EQF level 8)

Course form: Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP)

ECTS: 5
Venue: Hafjell Øyer, Norway

Course term: 18 - 22 August 2025 (on site); online from 01 June 2025

Maximum number of participants: 20

Course description:

This course explores the consequences of domestication and selective breeding. Students will critically evaluate the ethical implications of animal breeding and examine how domestication and selection has shaped various traits, including performance, behavior, functional attributes, and maternal ability. The course also covers the fundamentals of animal growth, genetic scaling, resource allocation, and feed efficiency, emphasizing the interaction between genetics and environment. Through group discussions and collaborative reflection, students will integrate key concepts and analyze real-world dilemmas in animal breeding and selection. The course fosters a multidisciplinary approach, encouraging students to engage in critical thinking and present informed perspectives on complex challenges in the field.

Application deadline: 01 May 2025; APPLICATION FORM for PhD STUDENTS

More details about the course are available here. 

Plant breeding for extreme environments

Organised by: Agricultural University of Iceland

Course level: Postgraduate level / Doctoral or equivalent third cycle (EQF level 8)

ECTS: 5
Venue: Skálholt, Biskupstungur, Iceland

Course term: 05 - 10 October 2025

Online participation period: 16 September 2025

Maximum number of participants: 20

Agriculture must meet large challenges in the coming decades. Crops must be adapted to severe challenges caused by climate change and calls from society for sustainable agricultural practices. With increased temperatures and changing weather patterns, crops must adapt to new conditions, in some cases extreme conditions such as water shortages, water lodging, high temperatures and wind. In other cases, crops must be adapted to new environments, for example arctic agriculture. New methods in plant breeding, including genomic and molecular genetic techniques are essential tools to address these challenges. This course will give doctoral students a broad insight to essential plant breeding techniques to face current and future challenges.

Application period: 01 March - 01 July 2025; APPLICATION FORM

One Health: concept, cases and methodology

Organised by: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Course level: Postgraduate level / Doctoral or equivalent third cycle (EQF level 8)

ECTS: 3
Course format: online only, ZOOM

Course term: 13 - 24 October 2025

Maximum number of participants: 20

We will give a theoretical overview of what the One Health concept is, and why a one health approach is necessary to provide efficient solutions to the global challenges of our time. We will describe the benefits (and drawbacks) of transdisciplinary research and how transdisciplinarity is used in this context. Theoretical lectures will be mixed with presentations of successful one health cases. Methods commonly used within the one health concept will be presented, e.g. including epidemiology, bioinformatics, and qualitative research methods.
 
Participants will present their own research project to the group and after the first course week they will give a second presentation describing how the project could be developed using one health concept and methodology. The second week, students will be divided into groups and given the task to come up with a one health research project, and a skeleton for a research application.

Application period: 25 March - 21 September 2025; APPLICATION FORM

Upcoming courses by the application deadline

01 July 2025

Plant breeding for extreme environments

5 ECTS
Organised by: 
Agricultural University of Iceland

Course term:
05 - 10 October, 2025

Venue:
Skálholt, Biskupstungur
Iceland

Application period:
01 March - 01 July, 2025
APPLICATION FORM
Course details

01 July 2025

21 September 2025

One Health: concept, cases and methodology

3 ECTS
Organised by: 
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Online participation term:
13 - 24 October 2025

Course format:
online only, ZOOM

Application deadline:
21 September 2025
Online application form

Course details

Arrange a NOVA Course

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 members

NOVA the Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network

NOVA Local coordinators

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.

The NOVA Secretariat

The NOVA secretariat is responsible for the administration of NOVA and has secretarial functions for the Board. In 2023-2025, the secretarial functions are held at the Agricultural University of Iceland (LBHI).


NOVA Secretariat:
Lukáš Pospíšil
nova@lbhi.is

The NOVA Student Board

The NOVA Student Board (NSB) is a forum in which students from the NOVA member institutions can work together and carry out discussions.

The Nova Student Board:

 katri.rusanen@uef.fi 

Other Networks

NOVA collaborates closely with The Baltic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network (BOVA) and encourages course organisers from NOVA to jointly plan courses with colleagues from BOVA universities.
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Knowledge in the field of sustainable use of resources, environment, planning and food production.

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LBHÍ / AUI

Hvanneyri - 311 Borgarbyggð
Phone 433-5000
lbhi@lbhi.is
Kt. 411204-3590
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