His Excellency, Tore Hattrem, Norwegian Ambassador to the United Kingdom visited Durham earlier this week.
A green agenda and enhanced research collaboration
Ambassador Hattrem met with our Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O'Brien, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), Professor Claire O'Malley. The visit focused on energy and the green transition in light of the refreshed Green Industrial Partnership between the UK and Norway.
Plans for strengthening research and education connections were also discussed. This follows a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) cooperation agreement with Research Council Norway (RCN) to open agreed national research funding opportunities to collaborative applications involving researchers from the UK and Norway as co-investigators.
Sharing diplomatic insights
As part of the visit, the Ambassador gave a thought-provoking talk to students and staff from our School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA). Entitled 'Reflections on efforts for conflict resolution in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan', he shared insights from previous diplomatic postings and his role as Deputy Foreign Minister at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Professor Clive Jones, Professor of Regional Security at SGIA, who holds a visiting research chair at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU Trondheim), hosted the talk.
Energetic Future conference
While in North East England, Ambassador Hattrem also attended the recent Team Norway's Energetic Future conference at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Seeking to enhance the existing Norway-UK partnership, the conference provided opportunities to hear about progress in the energy sector, and discuss ongoing challenges.
