Written by: Hanna Maria Jones

– We are very happy to receive pre-project funding. This gives us better predictability and the opportunity to go on with our plans to develop these two very important national projects, says Anne Borg, Acting Rector ad NTNU.

– First and foremost, this is an important signal from the government and Norwegian politicians that the unified campus is of national significance, and that it is beneficial to see this in the context of the country’s commitment to ocean space, she says.

Unifying NTNU’s campus in Trondheim is a main grip to increase the interaction between technology, humanities and social sciences.

A unified campus facing the climate challenges

– More than ever, interaction between people, technology and society is required to meet climate challenges in an increasingly digitalized and globalized world. Proximity between technology, humanities and the social sciences is very important. Interdisciplinary collaboration generates knowledge that can help solve our society’s complex challenges. A unified campus will facilitate this, Anne Borg says.

The Ocean Space Centre is the future national center for education, research and technology development for the marine space industry.

– We are very pleased that funds will be allocated to the Ocean Space Centre. This is a national project, important for several sectors of the business community and for NTNU. We’ve got a world leading education environment within ocean space. It is unique to have students and researchers working so closely together in the same laboratories. Therefore, it is very important contribution to Norway as a sea nation to put these facilities to place. We look forward to developing this together with Sintef, the Rector says.

Funding provides an important predictability

With the predictability that this grant provides, NTNU can move forward with planning the project work.

– It is important to us on an overall level to keep the project in a steady pace. We have received less funding than requested, so we must prioritize between activities. And see if we can contribute with something from our ordinary grants, says the Rector.

It is Statsbygg who is the builder. They are responsible for project development, regulation and execution of the construction project on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Research. NTNU has and will continue to work closely with Statsbygg.

– Now we will team up with Statsbygg to plan in more detail what we will start with first. What we are absolutely sure of is that we have an important job to do to plan good participation and ensure that the unified campus meets the academic environments needs, says Project Director Merete Kvidal.