Millions in Funding for Christmas

The Mohn Center for Innovation and Regional Development and the nautical education have been awarded almost 9 mill. NOK in funding from DIKU.

This article is written and translated based on article from HVL.

Right before christmas, the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) received considerable funding for projects from DIKU.

The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research states in a press release that 45 mill. NOK will go to collaborative projects between educational institutions, business and the public sector. Two out of ten awards go to the professional environment at HVL.

Will Develop Pilot on Practice in Nautical Education

Among the projects that receive funding is the nautical education in Haugesund, which will develop a completely new pilot where practice will become an integral part of the education, in close collaborate with businesses.

Johanne Marie Trovåg is Head of Department at the Department of Maritime Studies, and has received almost five million NOK for the development of the new education model for nautical education.

– We are very happy that Diku believes that we have a good project. A new teaching model where practice is part of the education will provide better quality in the candidates we educate, and thus strengthen Norway as a maritime nation, says Trovåg.

Better Connection between Theory and Practice

Today, there is no link between the bachelor's degree and the practice they receive from the shipping companies through cadet training today.

– The law require both theory and practice, and they must have the certificate to get a job as a deck officer. With this pilot, which HVL will now lead, the institution will be responsible for the practice, of course in close collaboration with the business community. The degree is therefore extended to a four-year degree, says Trovåg.

The goal of the pilot is that integrated practice in the long term, will become part of the nautical education throughout the country. Mainly at HVL, NTNU, USN and UiT, which are the educational institutions at UH-level that offer the education.

Increased focus on interdisciplinary teams for engineering students - the role of technologists is crucial in the green shift

Project manager Inger Beate Pettersen at the Mohn Center is happy with the allocation of almost 4 mill. NOK. She states that much of the funds will go to a strengthening of engineering students' competence in working in interdisciplinary teams.

– We know that engineers and their technology competence play a crucial role in the green shift, and therefore it is absolutely central to all our engineering educations that students strengthen their interdisciplinary competence through internships in teams in business-oriented projects. We will now develop that, says Pettersen.

The course will be compulsory for all engineering students at HVL and includes students in Førde, Bergen and Haugesund. This means that between 300-500 students will participate in the new teaching program.

The course will be developed in close dialogue with students and external partners such as the clusters GCE Ocean Technology, NCE Media, VIS and Connect Vest.

International Entrepreneurial Competence

The award also includes the development of two courses for the master's program in innovation and entrepreneurship. One course deals with innovation in interdisciplinary teams with real projects.

The second is an internship where students work in real entrepreneurial teams. Here, the main goal is to develop student exchange programmes between Norwegian educational institutions and partner institutions in South Africa.

Master's students from both countries must have internships in start-up companies.

Norwegian partners are NMBU, Nord University, UiB, Stellenbosch University and Pretoria University.

Read the full story at HVL (in Norwegian only).