- We have been invited as an associated partner to Nord University, together with several actors connected to the marine and maritime sector in the region, says Iselin Marstrander, CEO of Nordland Research Institute.

- Expanding our regional networks to broader European collaboration is incredibly exciting and offers new opportunities.

Same field of interest

SEA-EU is a significant player. Together, the partners in the alliance have more than 150,000 students and 18,000 employees who will benefit from the goals the coalition has set, writes Khrono on its website.

In the first three years, six partners formed the university alliance: University of Cadiz (Spain), University of Western Brittany (Brest, France), Kiel University (Germany), University of Gdansk (Poland), University of Split (Croatia) and University of Malta (Malta). In the fall of 2022, three new partners joined the SEA-EU alliance: Parthenope University of Naples (Italy), University of Algarve (Portugal) and Nord University (Norway)​.

The alliance aims to offer outstanding education and research to build an inclusive, sustainable and adaptable future for humanity and the planet, focusing on the sea that unites the alliance partners. The collaboration focuses on internationalisation, sustainability, digital transformation, transparency and democracy. Another aim is to become an international role model for interaction within the EU.

Nordland Research Institute can agree with such a vision.

- We have a lot of expertise and research collaboration in areas related to the sea and coast, primarily focusing on the northern and Arctic regions. We have projects at regional, national and international levels, says Marstrander.

- We will be able to make an excellent professional contribution to this alliance while at the same time gaining access to research environments, companies, public actors and non-profit organisations that operate in the same field of interest.

We are taking advantage of opportunities.

The alliance has established four-year financing that takes the venture from project sketch to realisation. Marstrander and Nordland Research Institute are ready to roll up their sleeves.

- We are looking forward to meeting our partners and seeing how we can concretely utilise these opportunities together with Nord University, she says.