Dr. Hiwa Målen is a molecular biologist whose career spans research, industry, and research management. Starting December 1st, he is the Research and Innovation Manager at AI LEARN (AI Centre for the Empowerment of Human Learning), and the co-leader of “maximizing impact” for the cluster.

AI LEARN is a new interdisciplinary and intersectoral research and innovation centre, led by the University of Bergen (UiB) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Directors are Professor Barbara Wasson (also Director of SLATE, UiB) and Professor Michalis Giannakos (NTNU).

AI LEARN has its official opening event on December 3rd.

The centre’s purpose is understanding and shaping the human aspects of interaction with and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The aim is to ensure a sustainable, inclusive and responsible integration of AI across both public and private sectors and for all citizens.

Hiwa Målen is one of the people who have contributed to formulating AI LEARN, a project representing the largest single grant ever awarded to a research centre at UiB. As part of the national initiative on artificial intelligence, AI LEARN received 200 million kroner in support from the Research Council of Norway in June of 2025. Today, AI LEARN has 35 national and international partners from academia and the public and private sectors. With contributions from the partners, the budget has currently reached 360 million.

Current Activities

Certified as a research manager by the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), and actively engaged in national and international initiatives, Hiwa Målen is well-suited to his new roles at AI LEARN. He serves as an expert in ERA Action 17 on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Research and Education, is the founder and core team member of the AI and Digital Tools for Research Managers thematic group in EARMA. He also acts as the Norwegian Ambassador for the Research Management Roadmap project funded by Horizon Europe.

He is a board member of NARMA, and he coordinates its national capacity-building programme funded by the RCN and is an active advocate for capacity building around AI in research management. He regularly hosts courses and workshops for researchers and technical staff, with an estimated 2,500 participants across Norway and abroad as of November 2025.

Dr. Målen is currently engaged by the European Commission as an expert evaluator for Horizon Europe proposals.

Background

Hiwa Målen obtained his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Bergen in 2007. His dissertation, “Secreted Proteins and Surface Markers on Tubercle Bacilli,” focused on identifying new antigens for developing sero-diagnostic test prototypes for tuberculosis detection. In his subsequent postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Bergen, he expanded this work by identifying over 160 new proteins, including 20 potential candidates for sero-diagnostic tests.

In addition to his academic achievements, Målen has held key roles in industry. At Aker Solutions AS he worked as Senior Engineer and Project Manager for maintenance and modification projects at the Gullfaks field, managing resources across planning, finance, and engineering. He also served as Improvement Coordinator at the corporate level, using his experience from project completions to educate the next generation of project managers and streamline corporate processes for increased efficiency, cost savings, and value creation.

Returning to academia in 2016, Målen contributed as Project Manager to the establishment of the Digital Social Science Core Facility (DIGSSCORE) at the University of Bergen, a research infrastructure for advanced social science data collection and multidisciplinary research. DIGSSCORE has since been elevated to the status of a national research infrastructure with dedicated funding.

From 2021 and until recently he was a Senior Research Advisor at the University of Bergen, collaborating with researchers across all faculties and departments to support national and international research programs, such as those funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and Horizon Europe. He assists researchers with securing external funding and coordinates application processes. Målen has contributed to several successful proposals under RCN and Horizon Europe funding instruments, helping to secure around half a billion NOK.