From left, NTNU Rector Gunnar Bovim, Climate-KIC Nordic Director Susanne Pedersen, and Climate-KIC CEO Bertrand van Ee celebrate NTNU's participation in the Climate-KIC programme. Photo: Nancy Bazilchuk

NTNU joins the EU’s Climate-KIC programme

  • Published 24.09.15

NTNU launched its partnership on 24 September with the EU’s premier programme to address climate change.

NTNU was welcomed Thursday 24 September as the first Norwegian institution in the EU’s Climate-KIC programme.

Climate-KIC is Europe’s largest public-private partnership to develop innovative approaches to address climate change, with an EU budget of 91 million euro. The programme includes private companies and academic institutions at the highest level and is an important part of the EU’s efforts to contribute to a sustainable future.

“Participation in this partnership is of great significance for NTNU. We are working very diligently to produce knowledge that will provide a platform for the change towards a sustainable society,” said NTNU Rector Gunnar Bovim. “And there is no time to lose, which is why it is so important that industry and academia work together to limit the time that it takes to bring technologies out of the laboratory and onto the marketplace. Climate-KIC’s partnership paves the way for this at the top level in Europe, and we look forward to actively participating in this important collaboration.”

The CEO of Climate-KIC Bertrand van Ee welcomed NTNU as a natural fit with the programme.

“It’s all about being where the best minds are,” he said. “We need to be big in this game and it’s fantastic that you are joining us.”

Climate-KIC Nordic Director Susanne Pedersen said she looked forward to expanding Climate-KIC with NTNU’s participant and with recruiting partner cities such and Trondheim and Bergen. The launch included the announcement of a new Climate-KIC collaborative project between NTNU and Trondheim City called “Carbon Track and Trace” under the LoCal programme.

The Research Council of Norway’s Director for Energy, Resources and Environment Fridtjof Unander said that while climate change posed huge challenges, it also had the potential to offer new opportunities in green growth. “Engaging the business community is very important,” he said.

The programme also included a presentation of the Norwegian finalists from Climate-KIC’s ClimateLaunchpad, including Desert Control, which took first prize in a European competition out of 750 contributions from 28 European countries.

Desert Control’s NanoClay turns desert sand into arable land. A second Norwegian finalist, One Earth Designs, has provided families in 58 countries with its solar grill since 2013. But the group’s ultimate goal is to develop mini power plants using clean solar energy for use in any backyard. The third finalist, Chemfree, presented its solution for separating oil from water to make the cleanup of oil spills much easier.