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Observatory PASCAL
Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions PURE Regional Profile BUSKERUD, NORWAY Appendix 1 Region: Buskerud County, Norway Buskerud University College, Norway Principal PURE contact: Amarjit Singh, Buskerud County Etty Nilsen, Buskerud University College Title: Institutional base with full postal mailing address: Buskerud fylkeskommune Fylkeshuset N – 3020 DRAMMEN NORWAY Contact Details: Email: Tel: Mob: Email: Tel: Mob: [email protected] +47 32 80 87 84 +47 99 40 49 90 [email protected] +47 +47
Name of main collaborating region: Buskerud County Suggested members of your Regional Co-ordinating Group (RCG) (between 3 and 5 Persons): Name, organisation and email: 1. Amarjit Singh, Buskerud County 2. Ingunn Sandaker, Buskerud University College 3. Etty Nilsen, Buskerud University College 4. Sigurd Fjøse, Buskerud County 5. Hilde Ballière, Buskerud County 6. Ingunn Elvekrok, Buskerud University College
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Suggested Peer Reviewer from region: Amarjit Singh Ingunn Sandaker ‘Identity’ of Region (eg. governmental admin. region; special development zone; informal ‘working reality’ region, etc) Centrally situated county in Southern Norway, the lower part is mainly urban. Three towns: one operating on a global scale as high-tech industry centre (Kongsberg), one rising as a modern (rather innovative) town after a period of industrial decline (Drammen), the third still basically striving with the named decline (Hønefoss). The upper part is mountainous and rural, important winter tourist centre and to some extent suffering from depopulation and ageing. Apart from the Kongsberg region the education level is below average for the country. In addition Buskerud has the lowest number of students (is decided by national authorities!) per capita in higher education in the whole of Norway! For the last 5-6 years the County administration and Buskerud University College (HiBu), the town of Drammen e.a. have “grown closer” and now stand together behind several initiatives for strengthening higher education and for developing HiBu’s role in regional development. REGIONAL PORTRAIT (Please list key issues of interest and relevance to PURE) (i) Approx. population and any key features: (e.g. new migrant numbers) Some 254.000 inhabitants. App 60.000 living in the capital, Drammen. The immigrant population counts some 20.855 members. 17 % of the Drammen population are immigrants. Demographic structure: an ageing population especially in periphery. (ii) Other essential geographical features: Geographically Buskerud is very varied: urbanised areas and (partially very innovative) agriculture in Lower Buskerud, together with some coastal tourism (second homes mainly). The valleys and mountain areas in Upper Buskerud are basically agrarian. Buskerud is the next biggest winter tourist region in Norway. (iii) Economy, industries and employment features: Primary sector: Secondary sector: Tertial sector: 3% 15% 82%
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE REGION (i) Economic issues: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Buskerud was an industrial region. It has lost a lot of working places in industry lately. General lack of skilled labour. Low educational level and access to higher education within the region. High score on R&D investments in private sector, but very low public financing of R&D. Depopulation in peripheral areas.
Key websites for more information: Sorry most of our documentation is in Norwegian. 1. www.ssb.no 2. etc. (ii) Social issues including health: 1. Integration. 2. Public health. Key websites for more information: 1. www.ssb.no 2. etc. (iii) Environmental issues: 1. Climate change – discharge. 2. Preservation areas. 3. Bio energy. Key websites for more information: 1. 2. etc. (iv) Cultural issues: 1. A lot of immigrants, especially in the Drammen area. Key websites for more information: 1. 2. etc. (v) Other issues or dimensions: (e.g. political & administrative, civic and participation) 1. New tasks for the counties from 2010: decentralized research funding. Key websites for more information: 1. 2. etc.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions UNIVERSITY AND OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (HEIs) PORTRAIT (Please describe in a few words the HE system operating in the region, in terms of any important matters, the following): (i) Structure, legal and financial status of HE system Regional college, state financed. Governed by a board of eleven representatives – four of them are external to the college. Employees and students are also represented on the board. (ii) Main priorities for the HEIs in the region Establish PhD programs and increase academic activity. Establish alliances with private and public business in the region and other specialist communities and research environments. (iii) Relevant recent changes and developments in policy and/or practice During last years have steadily increased contact with other regional actors, private and public. Also an increasing international activity – teaching and research. (iv) Ways of organising and managing within the HEIs The college has one rector and five deans heading each of the five faculties: Technical, Health, Optometry and Teacher’s training and the Business School. The College is located on three different sites within the region: Drammen, Kongsberg and Hønefoss. Each faculty with research unit is responsible for contact with regional actors; however management works actively to increase this activity.
HEIs in REGION 1. Buskerud University College [email protected] www.hibu.no/english 2. 3. Hønefoss
Drammen Kongsberg
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions PURE Regional Profile BUSKERUD, NORWAY Appendix 2 Regional Aspirations and Agenda
1. What aspects of regional development and the role of higher education in particular do you wish to engage with, focus on and improve, through your involvement in PURE? (a) From the point of view of the region and its priorities, objectives and ways of working? How can the academic research-and educational activities in the university merge with the anticipations and the expectations of the regional commercial and industrial actors towards the HEI as a contributor to regional development and innovation? Which structural properties does the knowledge sharing network(s) between HEIs and stakeholders in the region have? Which implications does the structure(s) have for robustness and vulnerability, and hence development, in the learning region? (b) From the point of view of the higher education institutions and their priorities, objectives and ways of working? As a joint project, see 1 (a). 2. In terms of the wider global, political, administrative, economic and environmental setting it was agreed at the PURE Glasgow working meeting (September 2008) that the following aspects (included in Briefing Paper No. 3) were of wide general significance for the PURE project as a whole: (a) What role are strong national and/or regional policies in favour of third mission playing to overcome barriers for PURE work in the regions? Co-operation between levels of authority and across sectors is to some extent tradition in Norway. The region of Buskerud aims at involving HEIs in developing strategies. Current examples being Life long learning, Research and Innovation strategy, Regional innovation programme, Strategy for tourism. (b) Will strong national and regional policies in favour of sustainable development have an impact on PURE activity on environmental issues? To a certain extent on tourism. (c) Will strong policies on implementing LLL at national and/or regional levels have an impact on PURE activities? (LLL = life long learning?) A regional project on LLL is under preparation. (d) Will strong national and/or regional innovation and research policies have as impact on PURE activities? Programme for Regional R&D and Innovation and Regional Research Funds.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions (e) Will strong national and/or regional policy on administrative and governance issues have an impact on PURE activities? Regional Research Funds. (f) How is the third mission seen and developed, and how central is it to the future especially of nonelite universities? Increased intention is paid to the third mission, and the college is presently participating in a large research program with regional authorities and private actors.
(g) Is the globalisation of the economy changing regions' ecological, social and cultural policies? If so, how will it impact on PURE activities in the region and the university? There is increased activity on international issues from both the college and the regional actors, but there is still a lot of potential in these issues. PURE represents a great possibility in these rapidly changing issues. 3. At this stage, do you have a clear sense which subject(s) of special interest you would like to concentrate on in a PURE regions sub-group; for example – ecotourism, SME development, megaevents like the Olympics, cultural development and creative arts, etc? Tourism, with special focus on:  local food (also an environmental issue)  “exploitation of nature-reserve-border-areas” Health and lighting – potential health and hence economic gains through using lighting to improve lives of elderly, of workers (in general) etc Costumer-Supplier relations and cooperation within High tech industry.
We would be interested in the following sub-group specialism(s):
4. Are there any other points that you wish to mention at this stage?
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