A common trend in whole Western world is an increasing difficulty to recruit new students for programs at universities within natural sciences and technology. On the other hand, we can identify a large need for technically skilled staff to be hired by companies within the region of mid Sweden and mid Norway.

Access to skilled staff is crucial for the survival and development of business in our region. Industries such as energy, forest, pulp and paper are in constant need for improvements of processes related to flow of natural resources.

At Sør-Trøndelag, Jämtland and Västernorrland, there have been two separate clusters of academia and industry that cooperates on R&D as well as on engineering programs at university: NCEI - Norwegian Centre of Expertise and STC Research Center. This project will link these two clusters into one common transnational environment for innovation, research and education. The general goal for this transnational environment is to cooperate on education and research as well as to promote innovations and startup companies in both mid Sweden and mid Norway.

Goals

One of the goals with the project Transnational Environment for Innovation, Research and Education is to further develop a common masters program for electronic design, electrical and optical measurement technology that will be offered at both Högskolan I Sør-Trøndelag (HIST) and Mid Sweden University (Miun). Both research centers NCEI and STC do novel research on technology and applications related to measurement technology. A large common network of partner companies within oil- process- and wind power industry have indicated a clear need for new engineers trained within electronics and measurement technology. Measurement technology is often the key that enables improvements of processes related to flow of natural resources and energy. This gives the masters program a green and strong environmental profile.

Innovation

Innovations within the area of electrical- and optical measurement technology will be promoted within the project. Well-tried methods for processing of ideas will be applied within work groups. These groups should constitute people with complementary competences relevant for an idea and for a common problem area.

Networking

The European framework programs will be important sources for financing of future research within STC and NCEI. This project will therefore do networking activities in order to establish contacts with other similar clusters within the European Union and its associated countries.

 This project ends at June 2014.