NTNU and SINTEF open new Brussels office

  • Published 23.09.15

The Norwegian research community is now permanently represented in Brussels. The goal is to increase the number of international research projects and to find new research partners.

With the opening of a new office in Brussels, Norwegian researchers are now permanently represented in the heart of the EU.

NTNU and SINTEF officially opened their shared Brussels office on September 22. The office is located in Brussels House, centrally located in the European Union part of the city, and co-located with the University of Bergen’s office.

“The goal is to allow for even more exciting research projects with industries in Norway and Europe, and to win more research funding,” said Inge Gran, President of SINTEF Energy Research.

“We’ve anticipated this for a long time: A base and workplace in Brussels, in the heart of the EU. From here we will work actively to find new alliances and projects that will help both us and the world move forward,” said NTNU Rector Gunnar Bovim.

Brussels office is a long-term commitment

“We’ll see a long-term effect and be involved in decision-making processes. Norway must be more involved in networks, alliances and committees and in evaluating other research mileux. The important thing is not the funding, but to create good research networks that will improve the quality of our research,” Bovim said.

The EU’s research funding programme Horizon 2020 (H2020) is the world’s largest of its kind, with a budget of 70 billion euros to be awarded over seven years.

Even though Norway is not a member of the EU, Norwegian businesses and researchers can compete for these funds on an equal footing with applicants from EU countries. The Norwegian Government would like Norwegian researchers to bring back at least 2 per cent of the funds that are available.

SINTEF has been most successful research group in Norway to date in winning funding from the EU.

Photos from the event are available on NTNU’s Flickr page.