The NTNU Globalization Programme was formally recognized as a specialised research programme at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in March 2004. The Programme is based on NTNU’s long-standing tradition of globalization research and combines academic excellence, interdisciplinarity and social relevance.

The Programme is based on a solid foundation of extensive globalization research activities at NTNU, and is comprised of researchers and research fellows from 25 departments throughout the university.

The Programme sponsors international conferences, workshops and lectures, and supports research projects and PhD candidates involved in a wide variety of research, with a key goal to disseminate research findings through international publications, conferences and projects. Project support comes from The Research Council of Norway, EU, international networks, cooperation with industry and NTNU.

The Programme is highly interdisciplinary and includes researchers from the humanities, social sciences, architecture and technology. This approach makes the most of NTNU’s interdisciplinary nature and its focus on science and technology, along with its strong research groups in the humanities, social sciences and architecture.

Globalization affects most scientific disciplines in fundamental ways, and an interdisciplinary approach is critical in understanding the multiple impacts of globalization. This poses new challenges for individual disciplines, including theoretical and methodological challenges, as well as challenges related to content. Such challenges also encourage academic originality and innovation.

NTNU’s globalization research is centred on three focus areas:

• Global Production and Communication
• War, Conflict and Migration
• Intercultural Dynamics: Communication, Responsibility and Development

NTNU’s Globalization Programme is one of six strategic research areas identified by the university as of special importance for the 21st century. The other research areas are

• Energy and Petroleum - Resources and Environment
• Information and Communication Technology
• Marine and Maritime Technology
• Materials Technology
• Medical Technology.

A hallmark of the university’s strategic research areas is that they are interdisciplinary, with research topics cutting across formal research boundaries, and with researchers drawn from all relevant fields.