150 million NOK to build new Centre of Excellence

Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion (RITMO) is awarded Centre of Excellence status. – This is an incredible opportunity, rejoice the Centre leaders Anne Danielsen and Alexander Refsum Jensenius.

Anne Danielsen and Alexander Refsum Jensenius will lead RITMO. In addition to the leaders, the Core Group includes Nanette Nielsen and Stan Hawkins from Musicology, Bruno Laeng from Psychology, and Jim Tørresen from Informatics. (Foto: Ellen Evju Jahr)

RITMO is a cross-faculty collaboration between the Department of Musicology, the Department of Informatics, and the Department of Psychology. The basic funding amounts to 15 million NOK per year across a ten year period.

Danielsen and Jensenius are thrilled to have this unique opportunity to delve into complex research problems over time and within the solid framework a Centre of Excellence provides. They also emphasize the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration with colleagues from informatics and psychology.

– We offer our congratulations, and find it particularly delightful to see long term systematic efforts come to fruition, says Arne Bugge Amundsen, Dean at the Faculty of Humanities.

– I am incredibly pleased, and especially happy that we are getting a Centre that truly challenges the borders between academic disciplines and faculties, says Ellen Rees who is Dean of Research.

Rhythm is a basic human trait

Through the Centre of Excellence programme, the Norwegian Research Council seeks to promote quality in Norwegian research, and lift up research communities to a high international level.

In the announcement, the Norwegian Research Council describes RITMO: «Rhythm is a core human experience when we walk, dance and play, tell stories or attempt to predict the future. Rhythm is also at the base of human biology. The Centre will study the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms underlying our ability to experience rhythm and to act rhythmically.»

More about the new Centres of Excellence (Norwegian):

By Ellen Evju Jahr
Published Mar. 15, 2017 4:59 PM - Last modified July 21, 2022 10:40 AM