Life at CAS

The academic year

The academic year at CAS runs from 15 August to 30 June.

The Centre is closed during the month of July and the two first weeks of August. The administration will be on holiday during the week between Christmas and New Year’s and the week of Easter. However, fellows can still work at the Centre during these breaks if they wish to.

The Centre’s facilities

CAS is housed by The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters at Drammensveien 78, 0271 Oslo, in the Frogner district.

Each fellow will get their own office space, which will be equipped with an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If the fellow wishes, CAS can provide a desktop computer (Windows or Mac) for use while in residence.

Wi-Fi (eduroam) is available throughout the premises, but we can also provide cabled internet access upon request.

Each floor of the Centre has a printing room with a multi-functioning copier and a selection of office supplies.

The Centre has a main seminar room, the Turret room, which can accommodate up to 30 people. Additionally, we have two meeting rooms on the ground floor that can seat up to 8 people each.

The administrative staff usually attends the Centre from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9.00 and 15.00. Fellows have around-the-clock access to their own offices.

Housing

The Centre provides accommodation to those who do not reside in the Oslo area. Fellows will be offered flats that we usually rent through Frogner House Apartments (FHA), while affiliated researchers and guests staying for less than 10 days will be booked into hotels unless otherwise specified.

Housing will be available while the researcher is at CAS and works on the project. For fellows the duration is specified in the research agreement.

We make every effort to meet all the needs of our researchers with regards to their accommodation. All fellows will have access to our intranet, where they can state their needs and wishes on our intranet.

All flats are fully furnished, including tableware, cooking utensils, beddings, sheets, and towels. Cable-TV and Wi-Fi are both included. However, cleaning services are not provided by the Centre, but FHA will do an ‘end of tenancy cleaning’ after departure. Smoking is strictly prohibited indoors.

All flats are located within a 30-minute walking distance to CAS, with an option for public transportation. For fellows bringing children who will attend kindergartens or schools, we consider their day-to-day travel and logistics when arranging accommodations.

Lunches

At CAS, all fellows, affiliated researchers, and administrative staff have lunch together in the Turret room on the third floor at 12 noon, Monday through Friday.

Fellows in residence receive a weekly email asking for their lunch orders for the coming week. The lunches are heavily subsidized and guests of the project are welcome to participate. The fellows must pay for their own subsidized lunches, and will be charged once a semester or at the end of a their stay. The PIs must order lunch on behalf of the projects’ guests, and their lunches will be charged to the group´s budget.

Coffee, tea and fruit are free of charge and always available.

CAS Events

CAS hosts three main events during the academic year: the Opening of the Academic Year, the Christmas Celebration, and the Summer Party. These events are a combination of academic presentations and social interaction.

Additionally, there is one lunch seminar per project per semester, allowing the fellows to share their research and insights with fellows on other projects. The seminar can be held by any member of the project (not only the PIs), and all fellows and affiliated researchers at the Centre are expected to take part.

CAS also organises one excursion per semester, which usually includes lunch away from the office.

In in addition to these events, the projects will run a number of seminars, workshops, and conferences.

Library services

CAS provides access to the Norwegian university library database Oria, which allows fellows to access books and articles from all Norwegian research libraries. Digital publications can also be accessed through the same client. The Centre also has a small collection of reference books and publications resulting from past projects.

IT services

The Centre partners with the University Center for Information Technology (USIT), which provides access to a wide range of software and services used in the research sector.

The head of IT at CAS, Dag Christian Bjørnsen, is employed by USIT and is available at CAS two days a week to address any IT-related issues and questions.