News - Page 4

Greenbizz is a big green European Research project with 60 companies and 6 PhD candidates lead by Aarhus University (DK), partnering with Chalmers University (SE) and Høgskolen i Østfold (NO) represented by the IRG and Norwegian project leader Bjørn Gitle Hauge. Greenbizz is funded by INTERREG and is part of the green economy program developing new technology and methods for increased production and use of sustainable energy in SME's.

IRG is part of a consortium applying for research funds at the DIKU student active learning program due June 8. The project proposed will take a distinctive Organization development (OD) approach, anchored in action research, developing sustainable tourism together with Visit Fredrikstad & Hvaler and building new learning arenas enabling student active learning. 

Tuesday 2 June 2020 Lucia Mortensen defended her thesis Industrial Symbiosis Emergence: In the Aalborg East Port Industrial Area. IRG's Gunnar Andersson was part of the assessment committee.  

April 15 we welcome Dr Matthew Lynch. He received his PhD after defending his thesis Entrepreneurial Mindset: Defining the concept, how to measure it, how to teach it and its role in the venture creation process at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. We see this as one step in the ongoing process of strengthening the research capacity in the group for the benefit for our students and our regional partners.

The Research council of Norway has published calls for proposals. Read the note from the R&D Administration Director Trine Eker Christoffersen on the new format for proposals this year. 

Frode Ramstad Johansen, Søren Kerndrup, Gunnar Andersson & Synnøve Rubach (all members of IRG) published the article A view of clustering as emergent and innovative processes in the Journal Industry and Innovation (Impact factor 3.157) January 2020. 

Our own Matthew Lynch has submitted his thesis Entrepreneurial Mindset: Defining the concept, how to measure it, how to teach it and its role in the venture creation process for the Degree of Philosophy Doctor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. We look forward to the defense and strengthening our research capacity on entrepreneurship for the benefit for our students and our regional partners.

At the IRG meeting January 2020 the research group discussed strengthening research on green digital innovations. The initiative represents a continuation of our research agenda strengthening the bonds to the faculty's master program on green energy technology and the Interreg application on GreenBizz with Aarhus University, Chalmers University, Högskolan Vest and private/public partners. Setting up a dedicated research program with one or two PhD candidates is our first action. 

IRG is nominated for the Østfold University College R&D award 2019. We are proud and humble for nomination. 

From 15 to 22 September Dr Gunnar Andersson visited Tokyo, Nagoya, Toyota City and Kyoto meeting people at Nissan, Toyota, Tokai Shinei Electronics and TOTO, studying world class production in both large companies and SME's. 

In a chronicle in the local newspaper Fredrikstad Blad the Symposium Committee celebrates the organizations and individuals making the lighthouse project on environment, tourism and innovation a reality.

The report (hiof only) from the 2019 IRG Symposium is published. The symposium linked stakeholders for a many-faceted exploration of circular economy inviting discussions om circular economy from different perspectives, theoretical positions and practices. 

The IRG Symposium 2019 15-16 October on Circular economy was part of the Lighthouse workshop on environment, innovation and tourism in collaboration with Visit Fredrikstad & Hvaler, the Visiting center of Ytre Hvaler National Park, Friends of the Earth Norway and the Innovation and project management program at Østfold University College.

Innovation and project management students Erik L. Thoresen, Trym Leirvåg, Irmin Ibrahimovic og Anders Klevstrand Tangen publish a chronicle in the newspaper Fredrikstad Blad June 17 discussing results from the bachelor project on Lean construction at Cicignon Park. 

First year students Eskil and Tom are prototyping the future student housing in the Makerspace on campus. "Glomma Park is our vision for future student housing". The project is part of the exam in the course Creativity and entrepreneurship". 

Recently, our Stipendiat Matthew has been in Stromstad holding a workshop for all the teachers from Young enterprise Norway. The workshop was a chance for the 75 teachers from around Norway to meet up and share insights, and gain fresh perspectives on how best to teach entrepreneurship.

Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June was dedicated to the semester academic writing workshop. This semester six scholars went to Ekenäs Hotel at Koster discussing and developing articles and manuscripts for publication. 

How do we build relevant collaboration and alliances between students, researchers, industry, public and other sectors? Minister Iselin Nybø visited HUB 42 - Fredrikstad Living Lab for Tourism and Innovation to learn from our project based learning initiative merging teaching and research.

Sustaining staff and student mobility and introducing Lean mindset for students at Université Paris XII (UPEC) - Faculty of MCI and Faculty of AEI.

Our article Clustering Ambiguities: How Companies and Public Bodies Develop a Cluster is published in the International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning (iJAC) – ISSN: 1867-5565.