NTH - Technology for sustainable development

Brief facts 1995:

approx. 7900 students
approx. 1400 staff
about 1250 sivilingeniør degrees a year
over 60 sivilarkitekt degrees a year
129 Dr. Ing. degrees awarded in 1994
Over 22% of students are female
Budget of about NOK 507 million
Additional external funds of almost NOK 300 million
Responsible for over NOK 50 million in funds and legacies
Premises of over 260 000 m2

The Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) in Trondheim is the largest educational institution for sivilingeniør, sivilarkitekter and doktor ingeniører (Dr.Ing.) in Scandinavia. NTH educates over 80% of the country's sivilingeniør, 60% of its sivilarkitekter (both at masters degree level) and 90% of its doktor ingeniører.

NTH puts a lot of weight on its good contact with Norway's industrial "locomotives", companies like Norsk Hydro, Kværner, Aker and Statoil. The most famous invention from NTH is the Ugelstad-beads, named after Professor John Ugelstad, which have led to the formation of Dynal a company in the Dyno Group. In late 1994, Dynal was assessed to have a market value of NOK 2 billion.

In 1993, over 550 of NTH's 1200 research projects were done in cooperation with industry, business or public administration. NTH has over 70 adjunct professorships held by people emplyed in institutions and companies that cooperate closely with the Institute.

Irrespective of whether we consider petroleum, metal production, mining, the maritime or aviation industries, medical technology, computer science, biotechnology or aquaculture - the effort that NTH has exerted in education and R&D have had decisive importance for the building of modern Norway.

Professor John Ugelstad

One of Europe's largest research centres

In 1950, NTH established SINTEF (Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at The Norwegian Institute of Technology) in order to handle contract research at NTH. Today, NTH and SINTEF have almost 3 500 staff. Over 5000 projects are completed each year and the total turnover is over NOK 2 billion a year. The research community on NTH's campus has grown into one of the largest and most influential in Europe.

Specializing where we excel

As it is impossible to be a world champion in every event, NTH/SINTEF have selected ten strategic strong point technologies where we are among the international leaders. These are: Light metals, Vessel control, Polymer chemistry, Molecular biology and protein structure chemistry, Process system technology, Applied signal processing, Safety and reliability, Hydroelasticity, Combustion technology, and non-CFC technologies for refrigeration plants and heat pumps. These strategic areas are given extra funds over a 5-year period in order to further stimulate activities.

International level laboratories

NTH has access to laboratories of international standing in a number of disciplines. Examples of these are the hydrodynamic laboratories (Ocean Basin Laboratory, towing tanks etc.), the hydrotechnical laboratories, the materials and structural engineering laboratories, the Marine Structures Laboratory, the microelectronics and electrophysical laboratories (e.g., the Clean Room Laboratory). Other important laboratories are:

Multiphase Laboratory
Fire Research Laboratory
Machinery and Process Laboratory
Mineral Dressing Laboratory
Pilot Plant Facility (Biotechnology)
Wind Tunnel.

International research cooperation

NTH places a lot of weight on international research cooperation. Together with SINTEF, NTH is involved in research for the European Space Agency, the International Energy Authority, the Eureka programme COST, and EU programmes such as ESPIRIT, EURAM and RACE.

NTH is also engaged in research with CERN in Geneva and at the new European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble.

"Executive factory"

Since its foundation in 1910, over 34 000 engineers and architects have graduated from NTH with masters or doctoral degrees. Half of those who graduated from NTH more than 10 years ago now have executive positions. Among the sivilingeniør graduates from NTH during the last two decades, about 35% work in senior management.

Female influence

More than 22% of NTH's students are female which is a high figure compared to other technological institutions/universities around the world. Since 1972 the percentage of female students has risen 5.7% to 22.5% in 1994.

Sivilingeniør and sivilarkitekt graduates for the next century

New times bring new challenges for sivilingeniør and sivilarkitekt education. NTH requires that its students are environmentally and ethically conscious, and consider safety, financial constraints and design. Greater use of cooperative learning in small groups is used to teach them the skills of group interaction and working in a team.

NTH places priority on providing continuing and further education for sivilingeniør and sivilarkitekt graduates. In 1994, there were about 73 continuing education courses with examinations at NTH and 16 conferences with more than 3600 participants. In addition, the Norwegian Society of Chartered Engineers arranged the annual industrial seminar week that brought more than 1000 NTH graduates back for intensive professional updating in their field. Over 20 Nordic and international conferences are held at NTH each year.

An international institution

There are about 400 foreign students plus 102 NORAD fellows at NTH each year. About 140 NTH students take part of their degrees at foreign universities. NTH is also active in EU education programmes such as the ERASMUS (now Socrates) programme and COMETT (now the Leonardo da Vinci) programme.

NTH has long-standing cooperation agreements with the technological universities in the Nordic countries and is a member of about 30 ICPs in ERASMUS, including the prestigious Leuven Network, that comprises KU Leuven, Louvain la Neuve (Belgium), RWTH Aachen (Germany), the Parisian Grandes Ecoles of Engineering, TU Delft (the Netherlands) and Imperial College, London.

The University in Karlsruhe and TU Darmstad (Germany), Telecom Paris, Sup Aero Toulouse, ENSPM/IFP (petroleum) Paris and INPG, Grenoble (France) are among NTH's main partners in Western Europe.

Cooperation agreements also cover other areas of the world. These include the universities of Seattle and Wisconsin, the universities of Kyoto and Tokyo, the Institute of Energy in Moscow, and the Technical University of Budapest. In Africa, there are agreements with the University of Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania) and University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

Every year there are about 30 NTH professors that take sabbaticals at universities in Europe and the USA.

NTH is the only Nordic member of the Leuven network that includes some of the leading technological universities in Europe. The picture shows the main building of the Faculty of Engineering at KU Leuven.

The way ahead

NTH was the first higher education institution in Norway that adopted a strategic planning tool (1986). The Strategic Plan for 1991-1995 states how NTH and SINTEF are to cooperate as a national centre for excellence and focus attention on identifying and solving the challenges faced by Norwegian business and administration. Stress is to be placed on pure research and basic technological research. NTH is to work to meet overall national objectives and place technology in a social and environmental comprehensive perspective.

The Curriculum Development Committee for the sivilingeniør degree presented its findings in 1994, and concluded that

The degree is to be extended from 4.5 years into a 5-year programme
Basic subjects (like mathematics and physics) are to be strengthened
Engineering subjects are to be introduced earlier in the degree
Expansion of non-technological subjects
More weight on interdisciplinary focus and group work
Work experience to be integrated with the degree programme

Nobel prize winners

NTH is an elite institution that has fostered many eminent scholars. Two of NTH's graduates have been awarded the world's most coveted award in research - the Nobel Prize. These are Lars Onsager who became a Nobel laureate for his work in Chemistry in 1968 and Ivar Giæver who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973.

Professor Lars Onsager was matriculated at NTH's Department of Chemistry at the age of 16 in 1920 and graduated in 1925. He received an honorary doctorate at NTH during its 50th anniversary ceremony in 1960. Professor Onsager died in the USA in 1976. Norsk Hydro has funded a chair for visiting scholars at NTH in his memory.

Professor Ivar Giæver graduated as sivilingeniør from NTH's Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1952. He received an honorary doctorate at NTH during its 75th anniversary ceremony in 1985. Professor Giæver has worked in Canada and the USA for years. He is now an adjunct professor at the University of Oslo.

University with focus on technology

NTH is part of the University of Trondheim (UNIT) which was established in 1968. Apart from NTH, UNIT also includes the College of Arts and Science (AVH), the Faculty of Medicine and the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology.

UNIT has 16 000 students and 2250 members of staff. The total UNIT budget is approximately NOK 1.2 billion. The combination of technology, natural sciences, medicine, social sciences and the humanities make UNIT into Norway's most distinctive university.

Technical University Library of Norway

The Technical University Library of Norway (NTUB) is situated at NTH and is a national resource centre for information about technology and architecture. Apart from the main library in the Main Building at NTH, there are six branch libraries on the campus.

Norway's capital of technology and research

NTH/SINTEF, Statoil's Research Centre and Medical Technology Research Centre have a total staff of 4200 and make up the main core of Norway's "capital of technology". This environment has led to the formation of about 50 spin-off companies in Trondheim that employ almost 1500 staff and have a total annual turnover of about NOK 1.1 billion. Siemens, Autronica and Oceanor are the best known.

NTH/SINTEF and UNIT have now become more directly involved in the commercialization of ideas and inventions and have joined forced forces in the FORNY-programme which is designed to stimulate commercialization. Over 100 ideas are now registered by FORNY.

Other research institutions in Trondheim are UNIT/AVH, the Faculty of Medicine, the Trondheim Regional Hospital, the ALLFORSK research foundation at AVH, the Geological Survey of Norway, NINA (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research) at the Directorate for Nature Management.

Thriving student life

The university city of Trondheim is well known for its student life and has about 25 000 students at UNIT and the other institutions of higher education. The Student Society is a natural focal point for student activities. Students at NTH have a programme of study where they are part of organized groups throughout their degree. This form of organization, membership of student bodies and the sports association NTHI have help to foster a close student community at NTH.