Committed to what we do best

Thor O. Olsen Emil Spjøtvoll
President, SINTEF Rector, NTH
Foto: Jens Søraa

NTH and SINTEF have established joint "strong-point centres" within fields of research in which we can already point to first-rate research competence, or in areas where we expect to develop such competence.

This magazine will show you some examples of research results from all of these areas, but we also wish to show you some results of a wide range of our research projects.

The financial support that we give to each of the "strong-point" or "priority" areas is limited, but the signal effect of selecting these areas is great. This is true not only within NTH and SINTEF, but also via-vis the outside world. The money given to the research groups is put into basic research. We have put an upper limit of ten on the number of areas; eight are already chosen, the final two will probably be selected in the course of 1994.

Polymer chemistry (strong-point area): this area has been selected as a result of the international recognition accorded to the research group around Professor John Ugelstad. The monodisperse particles for which this group is particularly well known have formed the basis of important new industries (Dyno Particles, Dynal and Dynochrom), and their latent industrial potential, e.g. in medicine, is great. The polymer group is currently working on the further development of the fundamental principles on which the monodisperse particles are based.

Light metals (strong-point area): the light-metal industry (especially aluminium) is a keyNorwegian industry of the cluster format. This strong-point area is run by groups that can boast of high scientific quality, good international contacts and a large number of doctoral students from industry. The light-metal groups are currently particularly involved in research on understanding materials and on electrolysis, with particular emphasis on reducing energy consumption and prolonging the useful life of electrolysis cells.

Vessel control systems (strong-point area): the Division of Engineering Cybernetics at NTH and SINTEF Automatic Control have a great deal of competence in the areas of research concerning control of surface vessels and underwater vehicles. Advanced maritime control systems constitute an industrial sector with great protential for economic growth in Norway; this country is already at an advantage through its shipping and offshores inustries. One example of successful industrialization of research results in this area is "SIMRAD ALBATROSS", a control system for dynamic positioning of ships and oil platforms.

Safety (priority area): this area has been selected because of the growing importance of safety, reliability and quality for industrial competitivity and the effficiency of the public sector. In particular, groups working on safety research, wish to strengthen their activities in "system safety", i.e. analyses of technical and human reliability that also encompass organizational and other factors.

Hydroelasticity (priority area): this is an area that has put Norway into a leading position in such areas as the design of high-speed vessels and offshore structures. It has been selected as a priority area on the basis of the qualifications of members of the hydrodynamics and ship design groups at NTH and SINTEF, for their good international contacts, and the importance of these groups for Norwegian industry.

Combustion technology (priority area): the combustion of hydrocarbons, ranging from coal to natural gas is a major source of pollution, greenhouse gases and probably the loss of species that may eventually lead to the destabilization of the biosphere. As a major supplier of hydrocarbon fuels to the world market, Norway has a special responsibility to help improve efficiency of use. The NTH/ SINTEF Division of Thermodynamics will establish a national Centre of Excellence in Advanced Combustion Technology and Thermofluid Dynamics. With the aid of advanced computational and laser technology, the Division will try to reduce the environmental impact of energy conversion of hydrocarbon fuels and ensure the safe operation of process and similar equipment.

CFC-free refrigeration and heat-pump technology (priority area): the Norwegian Government´s decision to ban all use of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by 1995, to be subsequently followed by a ban on HCFCs, demands both immediate and long-term action. Refrigeration and heat-pumps are important strategic technologies for Norway, not least because of our annual NOK 17 billion exports of chilled and frozen seafood. Furthermore, a recent International Energy Agency (IEA) report concluded that Norway is the country with the greatest potential for achieving positive environmental effects by replacing oil burners with heat pumps. Our aim is to advance the state of the art and introduce new technology that will enable the international community to preserve the global environment.

Molecular biology and protein structure (priority area): UNIGEN Centre for Molecular Biology and the Magnetic Resonance Centres are units of NTH/SINTEF and the University of Trondheim that are active in R & D and teaching in molecular biology and protein structural chemistry. Both of these areas have grown rapidly in terms of academic progress and the establishment of industrial companies in the course of the past two decades. A wide range of products can now be manufactured using these new technologies, which have become vital tools for many areas of biological research, from forensic medicine to the production of amino acids by fermentation processes.