Science and Technology Towards 2030
Knowledge Development for a Changing World.
Revised strategy adopted by the Faculty Board on 15 June 2026
The Faculty shall maintain an independent position in society through free and open research of high quality and by educating the professionals of the future
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences upholds a long tradition of knowledge development built on free and independent research. The Faculty conducts research and education at a high international level and maintains extensive collaboration with external partners, both nationally and internationally.
The foundation of the Faculty’s activities is long-term fundamental research within mathematics, the natural sciences, and technology. The Faculty’s ambition is to be among Europe’s leading environments for research, education, and innovation.
The Faculty’s activities shall be characterized by high ethical standards, academic integrity, and excellence in all aspects of its work, as well as a willingness to take bold and innovative decisions. The Faculty shall make clear strategic priorities, cultivate creativity, embrace ambitious goals, and be recognized internationally for its contribution to sustainable societal development. We shall think long-term while remaining relevant to contemporary challenges. At the same time, the Faculty shall serve as a key steward of scientific tradition and culture.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals express a long-term need for change that requires significant efforts from the entire world. Research and education in the natural sciences are crucial to achieving sustainable development in fundamental areas. Lasting solutions must be developed in collaboration with society and industry and depend on new fundamental knowledge and research. Interdisciplinary collaboration across the sciences is essential for understanding and developing such sustainable solutions, for example in reducing the energy requirements of artificial intelligence. Excellent disciplinary and interdisciplinary research within the Faculty’s fields strengthens national knowledge preparedness and self-reliance in strategically important areas that rank highly on the political agenda. This provides the Faculty with a strong foundation for future development.
Free and open research, knowledge sharing, and the education of new generations are the Faculty’s core activities. Some of these tasks are under pressure, and an increasingly challenging international security environment is leading to restrictions on collaboration and knowledge sharing. It is therefore essential that the Faculty manages international cooperation responsibly and in compliance with applicable regulations and legislation. Our financial framework conditions are changing due to new priorities and major societal challenges such as geopolitical developments, the consequences of the pandemic, demographic change, and increasing climate change. At the same time, we are expected to take on new and additional responsibilities for society with fewer resources. The Faculty must therefore make strategic priorities to secure the necessary framework conditions to maintain, and preferably strengthen, our ability to attract external research funding, both from excellence-based funding schemes and thematic programmes. We will contribute to preserving the University of Oslo as a research-intensive university with a high degree of openness, in which the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is among the leading faculties in Europe.
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences shall continue to build its activities on fundamental knowledge development within the disciplines. The Faculty’s activities can be grouped into four thematic areas that will receive particular attention across units and in collaboration with partners:
- Life Sciences
- Earth and Space
- Deep, Enabling and Emerging Technologies
- Energy and Materials
PART I The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
A Proud History
Since the establishment of the University of Oslo in 1811, mathematics and the natural sciences formed part of the Faculty of Philosophy. Fifty years later, in 1861, the Faculty of Philosophy was divided into the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and the Faculty of History and Philosophy.
In the early years of the Faculty, during the 1860s, Peter Waage and Cato M. Guldberg discovered the Law of Mass Action, the only law of nature formulated by Norwegian researchers. When the office of Rector was established in 1907, the world-renowned geologist Waldemar Christopher Brøgger became the University’s first Rector.
Kristian Birkeland’s achievements, both in establishing Norsk Hydro (now Yara) in 1905 and in explaining the phenomenon of the Northern Lights, are recognized worldwide. Fridtjof Nansen, the internationally acclaimed polar explorer and scientist who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his humanitarian and peace-building efforts, carried out his work in zoology and oceanography at the Faculty during the first half of the twentieth century.
During the same period, Kristine Bonnevie, Norway’s first female professor, was a driving force in the development of biology in Norway. Ellen Gleditsch, Norway’s second female professor, was a pioneer in radiochemistry and worked with Marie Curie. Odd Hassel was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1969, while Kristen Nygaard and Ole-Johan Dahl received the Turing Award in 2001, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of Computer Science.
These are only a few examples of the Faculty’s researchers and educators who, throughout its history, have contributed to the advancement of knowledge nationally and internationally.
A Comprehensive Faculty
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences comprises nine departments and the Norwegian Centre for Science Education. The departments cover the full breadth of the natural sciences, mathematics, informatics, technology systems, and pharmacy.
The Norwegian Centre for Science Education, which became part of the Faculty in 2018, focuses its activities on early childhood education and schools. At the Observatory, the first building constructed specifically for research purposes at the University of Oslo, the Faculty maintains an educational partnership with the Oslo Education Agency.
Breakthrough technologies constitute a significant part of the Faculty’s activities, both within individual disciplines and across disciplinary boundaries. The Faculty offers study programmes at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels across the full spectrum of science and technology, a five-year professional degree in pharmacy, and programmes for educating science teachers.
The Faculty also hosts the national Norwegian School of Entrepreneurship and offers education in entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the Faculty provides a broad portfolio of lifelong learning opportunities for individuals and groups in collaboration with public-sector organizations and private industry.
A Strong Research Faculty
The Faculty’s research environments perform exceptionally well in the competition for funding for basic research, both nationally through the Research Council of Norway’s FRIPRO programme and Centres of Excellence (SFF), and internationally through the European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
The Faculty’s strong profile in fundamental research contributes significantly to the University of Oslo’s high standing among research-intensive universities worldwide. At the same time, the University performs strongly among Europe’s leading universities in innovation. The combination of excellence in both fundamental research and innovation is unique in Norway.
Education for the Future
The Faculty educates graduates with strong expertise in natural sciences, technology, mathematics, and pharmacy, knowledge that is essential for addressing the major challenges facing society. Our students become researchers, pharmacists, teachers, innovators, and specialists who contribute to sustainability, health, digital transformation, and the green transition in Norway and internationally.
A comprehensive educational initiative and the introduction of a new and integrated programme portfolio have established the Faculty as a leading national actor in education and educational development. For many years, the Faculty has distinguished itself internationally, particularly through its pioneering efforts to integrate computing into science education.
In this area, the Faculty hosts a Centre for Excellence in Education, the Centre for Computing in Science Education (CCSE), which together with the Centre for Teaching and Learning in Science and Technology (KURT), actively develops the use of artificial intelligence in education.
The Faculty’s ambition is to remain a leader in this field and to make effective use of technologies that enhance student learning.
Many of the challenges facing society require interdisciplinary expertise and, consequently, interdisciplinary education. The Faculty hosts another Centre for Excellence in Education, INTED – Centre for Interdisciplinary Education, which strengthens the ability of students and staff to lead, facilitate, and participate in interdisciplinary processes.
The Faculty has established itself as an influential contributor to the national development of education. This is reflected in national policy documents on higher education and has resulted in several national awards for educational excellence.
A Collaborative Faculty
The Faculty is a major contributor to the University of Oslo’s strategic initiatives in Life Sciences and Energy and Environment.
The Faculty is responsible for the operation and development of national research infrastructures, and many of its researchers play active roles in the development and use of major international research infrastructures. These infrastructures are located across all continents, from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south.
The Faculty maintains extensive collaboration with industrial clusters, companies, and public-sector organizations, including schools and specialist healthcare services, and is a key contributor to Norway’s innovation ecosystem. Faculty staff actively participate in public debate and policy development, while the Faculty’s contribution to public engagement and science communication is substantial.
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences collaborates in research and education with all other faculties at the University of Oslo, as well as with the University’s two museums, the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Cultural History.
Collaboration with medical and health sciences environments outside the Faculty is extensive, while cooperation with researchers in the humanities and social sciences continues to expand.
Europe is the Faculty’s home arena, but its research partnerships extend across the globe.
PART II Ambition and Direction
Research as the Foundation of Excellence
The Faculty shall address future challenges through research of the highest international standard
International Excellence
Curiosity-driven basic research is the cornerstone of the Faculty’s activities. Research at the Faculty shall maintain a high international standard and actively advance the frontiers of knowledge.
A Key Contributor to Society
The Faculty maintains extensive research collaboration with research institutes, industry, and the public sector. We will increase the number of research projects addressing societal challenges, with a particular emphasis on convergence and sustainability.
Academic Renewal and Convergence
Time and opportunity to develop innovative ideas and strong research proposals are valuable resources that the Faculty will protect and support. The Faculty shall promote interdisciplinary research and convergence based on disciplinary excellence, particularly in areas of major scientific and societal importance.
Doctoral Education
The Faculty’s doctoral education shall be grounded in research of the highest quality. Strengthening transferable skills and providing guidance towards diverse career paths will be prioritised. Our doctoral candidates shall be strategic and reflective professionals, capable of collaboration and guided by strong ethical principles.
Early Career Researchers
The Faculty is home to many talented early career researchers who are central to its future and to the development of society and industry. The Faculty shall actively support young researchers and research leaders in their career development through assistance with grant applications, networking, scientific publishing, pedagogical competence, supervision, and research leadership.
Research Infrastructure
A large share of the Faculty’s research activities depends on advanced scientific equipment and infrastructure. The Faculty shall pursue a strategic approach to infrastructure for long-term fundamental research at the national level and actively contribute to the development of selected international research infrastructures in Norway and abroad. Ensuring sustainable operation of these infrastructures will be a key priority.
Artificial Intelligence in Research
Managing increasingly large data volumes and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into research and education will be central aspects of future infrastructure development, while maintaining our strengths in experimental and field-based disciplines. The Faculty shall facilitate the secure sharing and reuse of research data and promote evidence-based use of AI in research and education. Significant opportunities lie at the intersection of AI and the Faculty’s disciplinary research areas.
The Faculty shall:
- Support outstanding research environments through strategic incentives.
- Prioritise access to infrastructure that enables frontier research in selected areas.
- Maintain strong disciplinary environments and facilitate collaboration across fields.
- Strengthen research in deep, emerging, and enabling technologies in collaboration with research institutes, industry, and the public sector.
A Culture for Learning
Our graduates shall succeed academically and professionally
Research Excellence as the Basis for Academic Depth
The Faculty’s educational programmes shall be closely linked to research at the highest international level, both in academic content and pedagogical practice. Programmes shall provide in-depth expertise within relevant disciplines, while disciplinary depth serves as the foundation for interdisciplinary breadth.
Societal relevance shall be ensured through collaboration with employers and professional communities. Teaching methods shall continuously evolve, informed by current educational research and designed to strengthen students’ transferable skills. Sustainability shall be embedded across all degree programmes.
An Outstanding Learning Environment
The Faculty shall be characterised by a safe and inclusive learning environment that enables deep academic engagement and personal development.
The Faculty shall be internationally recognised for developing innovative learning formats and academic content that harness the opportunities offered by digital technologies. This includes programming and computational methods in all bachelor’s programmes from the first semester, as well as the critical and responsible use of artificial intelligence to support learning.
The Faculty shall continue to develop expertise in educational research through collaboration with academic partners locally, nationally, and internationally. It shall foster a student culture in which collaboration, discussion, and practical application of knowledge are natural parts of the learning experience.
Students shall experience their education as relevant to future careers through close engagement with employers and professional communities.
Professional Education
The Faculty has a particular responsibility for educating highly qualified teachers in science and mathematics for schools and higher education. It shall continue its long-standing engagement with educational development, particularly in relation to the opportunities offered by digital technologies.
The Faculty also has a special responsibility for educating highly qualified pharmacists for healthcare services, government agencies, and industry. Through research-based teaching and close interaction with the profession, graduates shall be equipped to contribute to drug development, patient safety, and sustainable healthcare services.
Lifelong Learning
The Faculty shall be a leading provider of lifelong learning. It shall offer continuing and further education in strategically important areas where it holds strong academic advantages, in close partnership with the public and private sectors.
The Faculty will work to ensure that the University of Oslo develops administrative systems adapted to the specific characteristics of lifelong learning.
Student Recruitment
The Faculty’s programmes shall attract academically motivated students at all levels. Educational offerings shall address society’s needs and provide graduates with strong career opportunities.
The Faculty shall promote participation from a diverse student population while offering distinctive opportunities for students with exceptional academic potential. It shall actively work to strengthen interest in science and technology among students in upper secondary schools, lower secondary schools, primary schools, and early childhood education.
Highly Sought-After Graduates
The Faculty shall educate graduates with deep disciplinary knowledge and competencies valued by employers over both the short and long term. Our graduates shall contribute to shaping societal development and future research and possess the ability to ask the questions that will help solve challenges not yet recognised.
Education shall provide students with a fundamental understanding of the historical significance of knowledge development and its role in shaping a sustainable future.
Science and Technology Across Disciplines
Society increasingly requires graduates with competencies in science and technology to address challenges related to healthcare, sustainability, and digital transformation. These challenges demand interdisciplinary collaboration and expertise.
The Faculty shall make science and technology education accessible to students from other disciplines while enabling its own students to gain insight into other academic fields.
International Educational Collaboration
The Faculty shall collaborate with selected research-intensive universities to ensure attractive degree programmes and international mobility opportunities for students.
The Faculty shall contribute to the University of Oslo’s ambition of building stronger European university partnerships and educational cooperation across Europe.
The Faculty shall:
- Educate graduates with deep disciplinary expertise and professional competence.
- Promote a diverse, inclusive, and safe learning environment.
- Be internationally leading in educational innovation and digital learning.
- Strengthen student recruitment to meet society’s need for expertise in science and technology.
- Contribute scientific and technological competence to educational programmes in other disciplines.
- Develop educational opportunities for international students.
Knowledge in Use
Our academic communities shall be sought-after partners for industry, research institutes, and the public sector
Innovation and Knowledge Transfer
There is increasing emphasis on ensuring that research results are translated more rapidly into societal and economic value. Knowledge development in science and technology has been, and continues to be, essential for the cultural, social, and economic development of modern society.
Expectations for shorter pathways from fundamental research to innovation are likely to increase. The Faculty therefore has a special responsibility to communicate relevant knowledge and make it available for use by society.
The Faculty shall maintain its strong foundation in basic research while responding more actively to society’s need for knowledge-based solutions. To achieve this, we will strengthen collaboration with research institutes and societal stakeholders and support our academic communities in engaging more extensively in these activities.
Sustainability shall remain at the centre of the Faculty’s innovation efforts.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education
The Faculty’s most important contribution to innovation is the education of highly qualified graduates. It shall cultivate a student culture in which knowledge application, innovation, and entrepreneurship are natural and encouraged.
Strategic Partnerships
The Faculty maintains extensive partnerships nationally and internationally with industry, research institutes, public authorities, schools, and healthcare services.
These collaborations shall be developed into long-term strategic partnerships integrating both education and research. Particular emphasis will be placed on research collaboration, student entrepreneurship, partner programmes, and continuing education.
A Leading Societal Actor
The Faculty’s extensive expertise in mathematics, natural sciences, health, and technology makes the University of Oslo a key contributor to major national initiatives.
Through professional engagement and strategic communication, we shall strengthen the visibility and impact of our activities, foster pride within the Faculty, and build a strong reputation.
The Faculty shall develop diverse and targeted communication approaches adapted to different audiences and evolving societal needs.
The Faculty shall:
• Strengthen engagement with society and industry and promote the application of knowledge generated through research and education.
• Contribute actively to evidence-based policy development and public advisory bodies and participate in public debate.
• Support sustainable value creation and innovation through knowledge development in deep, emerging, and enabling technologies.
People at the Centre
The Faculty shall be an attractive and inclusive place to work and study
Working and Learning Environment
People are the Faculty’s most important resource. A positive working and learning environment shall be a defining reason for choosing the Faculty as a place to work or study.
Staff and students shall work together with commitment and dedication towards shared goals. The Faculty shall foster a supportive and inclusive culture.
Holistic Academic Development
The Faculty shall promote the professional development of staff and students and create space for creativity and innovation.
It shall encourage collaboration within and across disciplines and units and develop tools and practices that facilitate cooperation throughout the Faculty in response to future challenges and resource constraints.
Organisation and Leadership
Together with the Dean’s leadership team, the Heads of Department constitute the Faculty’s collective leadership. Important issues shall be discussed jointly to support strategic decision-making and prioritisation.
Leadership at all levels shall reflect and support the Faculty’s values and ambitions. Section heads, research group leaders, and supervisors play key roles in ensuring that staff experience strong leadership, professional support, and opportunities for development.
Administrative and technical functions shall work in close partnership with the Faculty’s core activities of education, research, innovation, and outreach. Competence shall be coordinated and utilised across organisational levels and units.
Equality, Gender Balance, and Diversity
Equality and inclusion are fundamental values at the University of Oslo and within the Faculty. We shall work systematically and strategically to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion among staff and students.
Recruitment
The Faculty shall build the outstanding academic environments of the future by identifying, attracting, and supporting talented individuals.
Recruitment shall, whenever possible, take place through open competition while incorporating necessary security considerations.
The Faculty shall:
- Further develop the Heads of Department group as a unified leadership body for the Faculty and ensure active people management at all levels.
- Strengthen support mechanisms for early career researchers and their pathways towards academic and non-academic careers.
- Continue efforts to improve gender balance, equality, and diversity among staff and students.
- Ensure financial sustainability through active leadership and stronger financial competence across leadership roles.
PART III Thematic Areas
Life Sciences
Life Sciences focuses on understanding the structure, function, and interactions of living organisms and their relationships with their environments.
The field is central to addressing major societal challenges related to health, food security, biodiversity, climate change, and sustainability.
The co-location of researchers within the Life Science Building will create new opportunities for collaboration and strengthen the life sciences across the Faculty.
The University has identified eight thematic areas with the potential to develop world-leading research environments:
- Microbiology and Antimicrobial Resistance
- One Health (Life Course and Sustainability)
- Neuroscience
- Personalised Medicine
- Innovative Health Technology and Drug Development
- Digital Life Science
- The Machinery of Life (Molecular Mechanisms and Organismal Biology)
- Open Life Science
The Faculty’s activities in Life Sciences form a major component of the University of Oslo’s interdisciplinary initiative to strengthen quality, collaboration, education, research, and innovation across the life sciences.
Earth and Space
Earth and Space encompasses studies of our planet and the universe of which it is a part.
Research spans the Earth’s interior, surface processes, atmosphere, the Solar System, the Sun, stars, galaxies, and the Universe as a whole.
The field contributes knowledge about mineral formation, hydrological cycles, weather forecasting, climate change, sea-level rise, ocean circulation, water-resource management, and natural hazards.
Particular attention is devoted to rapid environmental changes in the Arctic, including sea-ice loss and shifts in weather and ocean systems.
Research also addresses some of humanity’s oldest questions: How are the Sun and Earth connected? Is there potential for life elsewhere in the Solar System? How did the Universe originate, what is it made of, and how will it evolve?
In a world characterised by uncertainty, Earth and Space research provides essential knowledge for addressing climate challenges, resource management, and sustainable development. Through advances in space systems and sensor technologies, it helps both to understand our place in the universe and to build a better future.
Deep, Enabling and Emerging Technologies
A secure and sustainable society requires both the development of critical technologies and the creation of new environmentally sustainable technological solutions.
The Faculty conducts research across all technology areas identified as strategically important in Norway and Europe. It hosts a dedicated Department of Technology Systems and strong research environments in advanced technologies across all departments.
The new Life Science Building provides unique opportunities for research in pharmaceutical technology, biotechnology, and strategic industry collaboration within Oslo Science City.
The Faculty is also strongly positioned within the nuclear sciences through participation in the Norwegian Nuclear Research Centre and associated educational programmes.
Data science, computational science, and artificial intelligence are strategic areas for both research and education, supported by strong interdisciplinary environments.
Digitalisation acts as a driver of convergence between disciplines, enabling responses to complex challenges requiring transformative interdisciplinary approaches.
Sensors are fundamental to digitalisation and artificial intelligence, while the development of quantum sensors and other quantum technologies will be critical to a sustainable digital transition.
Quantum technology is an area in which the Faculty seeks to assume a leading role and where it possesses strong foundations for future growth.
Energy and Materials
A sustainable society requires a fundamental transition towards renewable energy systems, environmentally responsible material production, and low-emission chemical process industries.
Energy and Materials encompasses research on materials for energy conversion and storage, as well as technologies for future energy systems.
Fundamental studies of the physical and chemical properties of materials are essential for developing more efficient and sustainable solar cells, batteries, fuel cells, and catalysts.
The Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN) brings together leading research groups in these fields and promotes knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Energy systems research addresses the interaction of system components, the integration of renewable energy sources, and how smart systems can improve energy distribution and consumption.
The Faculty shall contribute knowledge and solutions that enable the transition to sustainable energy systems and support universal access to energy that is clean, affordable, secure, and socially equitable.
The Faculty’s activities in Energy and Materials form a central component of the University of Oslo’s interdisciplinary initiative to strengthen research, education, and innovation in renewable energy across organisational boundaries.