Nord University actively contributes to regional and national development within the university's profile, focus areas, and PhD fields through active collaboration with the community and business sector. This collaboration can range from providing research expertise to development projects to developing larger joint initiatives where researchers, businesses, and the public sector collaborate to strengthen specific academic disciplines or industries.
Furthermore, the university engages in international research collaboration through participation in EU projects and researcher mobility.
Feel free to contact us for more information.
Collaboration Opportunities
Are you passionate about shaping the future of education and driving impactful change in the North? We invite you to be a part of our transformative Business Mentor Program, a dynamic PILOT PROECT co-funded by Nordland county and supported by Nord University. This program is a good opportunity to bridge the gap between academia and industry, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of learning and collaboration.
About the Business Mentor Program:
Business mentorship scheme has been meticulously crafted to create synergistic connections between the academic community, students, and the thriving world of work. We recognize the immense value of direct interaction between these realms and believe that such encounters will shape the future workforce in the North in the profound ways.
Why Become a Business Mentor:
As a Business Mentor, you will play a pivotal role in facilitating invaluable connections and fostering open dialogues between students, academia, and the business world. Your guidance and expertise will provide students with a practical dimension to their theoretical knowledge, equipping them with real-world tools to thrive in their careers.
By immersing students in real business challenges, you offer them a unique opportunity to feel the heartbeat of working life and translate their skills and ideas into tangible projects. It's a win-win situation, enriching both the students' learning experience and your own professional growth.
Program Objectives:
The core objective of our Business Mentor Program is to fortify the relevance of education while nurturing robust relationships between students, professionals, and businesses. We are dedicated to addressing the specific needs of companies in the Nordland, enhancing study programs, fostering networking opportunities, and driving collaborative research and development endeavors.
In alignment with the Nordland's regional plan and strategies, this program aims to achieve the following:
- Enhanced Collaboration: Increase collaboration between the academic community and businesses in Nordland, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of innovation.
- Research Advancement: Encourage greater participation in IPN and KPN projects, elevating the research landscape and expanding its impact.
- Relevance in Education: Elevate the practical relevance of study subjects, empowering students with skills that seamlessly translate into the working world.
- Increased Visibility: Showcase the vibrant businesses of Nordland to our diverse student body, stimulating interest and engagement.
- Talent Recruitment: Contribute to the growth of Nordland companies by attracting top-tier talent directly from our student pool.
Example of Tasks:
- Research: project participation, proposal writing, and advisory
- Guidance and teaching
- Teaching, creative problem-solving, and case studies
- Development of study subjects and programs
- Quality assurance of study programs and relevance
- Strategic development work
- Networking with businesses
- Knowledge sharing: practical business operations
- Seminars, advice, and conferences
- Promotion of continuing education and digital offerings in their networks
- Mentoring for students
- Assignment writing and practical experience in companies
Note: Industry mentors should not be exclusively utilized for teaching, including responsibility for study subjects.
Focus Areas:
The main focus is sustainability and the green transition, but in addition, business mentors will work within the three export-oriented industries:
- Seafood (fishing, fish processing, aquaculture, food, and related industries)
- Tourism and experience industries
- Industry and renewable energy (process industry involving production of metals, minerals, chemicals, metal products, and machinery)
By concentrating our efforts in these vital sectors, our intention is to align with and strengthen the formulation of a new innovation and business strategy for Nordland.
Project period, budget and financing:
This is a one year project which will end by 15 September 2024.
The total budget for one year is 600,000NOK.
This is a 50% funded project by Nordland county. The county is supporting by 300,000NOK while Nord University will add the rest.
Management of the Mentorship Program at Nord:
The Section for Research and Development organizes and administers the program.
Practical information for mentors:
As a requirement from Nordland County Council, the mentors must only be from the industries in Nordland.
For each mentor, the amount of support (salary and travel allowance) shall not exceed 100,000NOK per year.
After agreement with the university, mentors can ask payment through invoice.
How to apply:
The mentors shall contact the relevant faculties if they are interested or vice versa.
Faculties need to apply for a specific individual employed in a company as an industry mentor.
Applications shall be submitted using the online application form (click here for the online form).
The application must be recommended by the faculty leader.
Applications should be submitted on or before the following deadlines:
- October 1, 2023 for mentorship in Autumn 2023 and Spring 2024,
- February 2024 for mentorship in Spring 2024 (if funding is left).
Decision Process:
- After recommendation from the faculty, the team at the University Administration will evaluate and approve the applications.
Join Us Today:
If you are a seasoned professional seeking to make a meaningful impact on the future of our region, we warmly invite you to become a Business Mentor at Nord University. Your dedication will help shape the workforce of tomorrow while fostering a thriving environment for learning, collaboration, and innovation.
By joining our ranks, you will play a pivotal role in strengthening the ties between academia and industry, driving forward the goals outlined in our strategic plans, and contributing to the growth and vitality of Nordland's business landscape.
Together, let's forge pathways of success, inspire innovation, and empower the next generation of professionals through our Business Mentor (Pilot) Program.
The European Union's (EU) research program Horizon Europe (HEU) is the world's largest research and innovation program, with a budget of 95.5 billion euros for the period 2021-2027. Even though Norway is not a member of the EU, we participate as a full member in HEU. Norwegian companies and research institutions can therefore compete for research funding on equal terms with colleagues in other European countries. EU projects bring together Europe's researchers and research communities, and together with the business sector, they address a wide range of societal challenges. Nord University is involved both as coordinators and partners in several HEU projects.
EU Horizon applications encourage and promote university-industry links through various funding schemes and initiatives, such as:
Collaborative Research Projects
Research and Innovation actions (RIA). Consortia comprising both academic and industrial partners
Industry Participation
Incentivize active participation from industry partners through financial contributions, in-kind contributions, or dedicated resources and expertise to support the research activities. The involvement of industry partners ensures that research projects are aligned with industrial needs and have a higher potential for exploitation and commercialization.
Knowledge Transfer and Exchange
Through various mechanisms, such as secondments - fostering a two-way flow of knowledge and promoting collaboration.
SECONDMENT: It is a period of research or training that a researcher spends with a host organization other than their primary beneficiary institution. Secondment aim to enhance the researcher's skills, broaden their experience, and facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration between different sectors and countries. It is a part of the researcher training. Participating organizations can be academic institutions, non-academic organizations (e.g., industry, NGOs, public sector), or a combination of both. Secondment help in the researcher's career development, the research project, and the collaboration between the host and home institutions. This activity play a significant role in demonstrating the added value in the industry by engaging a researcher for fostering innovation and to good new employees with state of the art expertise.
Technology Transfer and Commercialization
This includes protecting intellectual property, exploring market opportunities, and establishing collaborations with industry partners for the development and commercialization of research outcomes. Funding schemes may support activities such as proof-of-concept studies, patent filing, or pilot-scale demonstrations to bridge the gap between research and market deployment.
Innovation Ecosystems
Establishment of innovation hubs, technology parks, or clusters where universities and industry collaborate closely, fostering an environment conducive to research commercialization, entrepreneurship, and knowledge exchange.
Open Innovation
The EU Horizon applications embrace the concept of open innovation, which involves seeking external ideas and expertise to solve complex challenges. This can include involving industry partners in the co-creation of research projects, engaging in open innovation platforms, or organizing innovation competitions that encourage collaboration between academia and industry.
Northern Norway's Europe Office
In addition, Nord University is a co-owner of Northern Norway's Europe Office, which works to promote and strengthen Northern Norway's interests in the EU. Nord is also member of Trøndelag's European office, as well as several international networks and organisations. One of these is the University of the Arctic (UArctic), which is a network of universities and research institutions that work with education and research in and for the Arctic.
Nord University consists of five faculties. Follow these links to find the research infrastructure at each of our faculties.
Nord University is a co-owner of selected research companies and has several centers anchored in various faculties.
- CHNL - Centre for High North Logistics
- Engage - Centre for Engaged Education through Entrepreneurship
- ExcITEd - Centre for Excellent IT Education
- National Competence Centre for Culture, Health and Care
- Norwegian Centre for Arts and Culture in Education
- NORDLAB
- Nordland Research Institute
- High North CenterCentre for Industrial Business Development
- Centre for Care Research Norway (in Norwegian)
- Centre for Saami and Indigenous Studies
- Centre for Welfare Innovation
- Centre for Ecological Economics and Ethics
- SPIR Idélab (in Norwegian)
- Demos - Centre for Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship
Due to the increasing need for technology in the north, Nord University has joined forces with Nordland County Council and Mechatronics Innovation Lab (MIL) to establish a technology service center called TechLab AS in the north. TechLab will offer services in sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, virtual reality (VR), computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), modeling and simulations, and other technologies. The aim is to promote technology in the business sector and connect it with our educational programs and research projects.
Nord University contributes to innovation through its role as a knowledge developer and provider of new research-based solutions. Innovation occurs in collaboration with business and community actors who can apply new knowledge.
Nord Innovation AS is the technology transfer organization (TTO) of Nord University responsible for commercializing research results. The company is owned by Nord University and works on technology transfer and commercialization on behalf of the university.
Nord Innovation AS can assist researchers and scientific staff in assessing, developing, and implementing ideas and projects with public or commercial potential. They can, among other things, help with rights protection (e.g., patents), project funding, and further commercial development.
SEA-EU is a European university alliance for collaboration in education and research across borders in Europe. The alliance's motto is "Living sustainably, by, from and with the sea."
The SEA-EU alliance aims to strengthen the university and college sector, collaboration, and cultural integration in Europe. For Nord University, this also means a unique opportunity to further develop the university and make Nord a more visible and internationally recognized institution.
The universities in the alliance will enhance the coastal research and education field and promote key areas of collaboration such as internationalization, sustainability, digital transformation, openness, and democracy.
Together, the alliance comprises more than 150,000 students and 18,000 staff members.
Like the other university partners, Nord University has engaged key stakeholders who will also benefit from the SEA-EU university alliance. This is part of the effort to better anchor the university in the local community and business sector.
Stakeholders can participate in activities within the SEA-EU alliance and can also collaborate with the university partners in seeking financial resources. They can also host students and become research partners.
The Scandinavian Consortium for Organizational Research (SCANCOR) facilitates inquiry in organizational social science among a transnational network of scholars. Its member institutions in Scandinavia and greater Europe support working visits and residencies at Stanford and Harvard Universities. SCANCOR also sponsors conferences, workshops, and mentoring opportunities worldwide.
