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- NOVA University Network
NOVA University Network
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.
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.
Immunonutrition in Aquaculture - From novel feeds to overall health
Organised by: Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Course level: Postgraduate level / Doctoral or equivalent third cycle
(EQF level 8)
ECTS: 3 Venue: Ås, Norway
Course term: 08 - 19 June 2026
Maximum number of participants: 10
A PhD course to deepen and update the theoretical and practical knowledge on fish nutrition and health. This course will allow students to gain the foundations to develop useful skills and tools for their career based on immunonutrition.
Application period: 01 November 2025 - 15 February 2026;
Environmental Communication and the Politics of Disagreement
Organised by: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Course level: Postgraduate level / Doctoral or equivalent third cycle
(EQF level 8)
ECTS: 3 Uppsala, Sweden (Wik Castle)
Course term: 01.06.2026 to 18.09.2026
Form of teaching: Blended (in person + online component)
A PhD course, run in the form of a summer school, that explores environmental communication from three key social science perspectives, focusing on social, symbolic interaction, discourses and information infrastructures. Communication is here understood as the joint construction of meaning, and the course will engage with such meaning-making where it concerns environmental, agricultural, forestry and related issues, with special emphasis on conflict and political struggles.
Please apply by email, including:
(a) a short summary of your PhD project (or of those elements of the project that are of particular relevance to the course)
(b) a short motivation statement that explains why you are interested in this course.
Together, these two parts should be approx 1 page long.
Please send your application to [email protected]
Closing date: 30 April 2026. Spaces will be allocated on a rolling basis (i.e., it might be advantageous to apply early) and accepted participants will be notified as soon as possible.
Application period from 20.01.2026 to 30.04.2026
Introduction to point cloud processing for forest sciences
Organised by: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Course level: Postgraduate level / Doctoral or equivalent third cycle
(EQF level 8)
ECTS: 3 Flämslätt, Remningstorp, Sweden + digital meetings
Course term: 18.05.2026 to 30.09.2026
Form of teaching: Blended (in person + online component)
This course covers the basics of processing of high-resolution point clouds from laser scanning and digital photogrammetry. The applications in forest sciences include identification of individual trees and estimation of their properties, modelling of tree stems, and modelling of forest structure.
Application period from 10.03.2026 to 11.05.2026
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
- 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), [email protected]
- 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.
Member Universities
Agricultural University of Iceland (LBHI)
Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
University of Copenhagen - (PLEN)
University of Eastern Finland - Forest and EnvBio
University of Helsinki - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UH-V)
University of Helsinki - Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (UH-AF)
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
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:
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.