Inauguration of Norwegian research centre at UC Berkeley

(Photo: Bjørn Tore Kjellemo) The inauguration was combined with the annual Peder Sather Symposium at UC Berkeley, with a large audience present.

A lot of people took the opportunity to wish the new centre all the best. Amongst the celebrities was Vise Chancellor George Breslau. The Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg conveyed greetings from the Government of Norway on video, underlining the importance of enhanced science cooperation between US and Norwegian institutions. The Swedish Minister for Gender Equality Nyamko Sabuni spoke on the occation. She is also the Vice Minister for Higher Education and emphasized the importance of recruiting women in the highest academic positions.

Two of UC Berkeley's latest Nobel Laureates , both in physics, Saul Perlmutter (2011) and Georg Smoot (2006), took part in a debate at the symposium. They underlined that internatiuonal science cooperation is of paramount importance in moving the frontiers of science forward.

I addition to the RCN eight other Norwegian institutions are participating in the consortium: the Universities of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Tromsø and Agder as well as the Norwegian Business School and the Norwegian School of Economics.

The parties to the agreement, at the signing event in Oslo in may 2012. Photo: Martin Toft, Uniforum The agreement between UC Berkeley and the Norwegian partners was signed in Oslo on 25 May. Dr Carla Hesse, Peder Sather Professor of the Department of History and Dean of Social Sciences, was among those representing UC Berkeley who participated in the event.

An incubator for cooperation

The PSCAS will be an incubator for research and teaching cooperation between the Norwegian and US partners. The centre will assist academic personnel, Master and Ph.D. students and post-doctoral fellows by creating a flexible framework for exchange and collaboration. As an administrative hub the PSCAS will be able to help with issues such as obtaining the necessary residence and work permits.

Monuments attesting to the legacy of Peder Sæther can be found all over UC Berkeley: Sather Tower (above) and Sather Gate are campus landmarks. Photo: Kristen Ulstein The centre will also have its own academic programme and serve as an important meeting place. All parties agree that participants in PSCAS activities will not pay extra fees to UC Berkeley or to the Norwegian institutions for their activities. Funding will be available for individuals, groups and special activities.

The financial pledges made by the parties to the agreement are substantial enough to ensure that the centre can continue to operate for seven to ten years. In due time, private sponsors will also be sought to help support the activities.

Strong ties

“This agreement is a manifestation of the strong ties existing between UC Berkeley and Norway. The centre bears the name of Peder Sæther (Sather) who donated land which later became part of the UC Berkeley campus. This is truly a slice of Norway in the USA,” says Arvid Hallén, Director General of the Research Council of Norway.

Peder Sæther (Sather) The Director General is very pleased with the agreement with UC Berkely, pointing out that this and other top-calibre US universities are highly sought-after partners in knowledge exchange, research collaboration and co-publishing.

An important factor behind the establishment of the new centre has been the longstanding, close cooperation between Professor Trond Petersen at UC Berkeley and a number of Norwegian universities and university colleges. Professor Liv Duesund at the University of Oslo has played a key role on the Norwegian side of things.

Discussions about formalising cooperation by means of a centre on the Berkeley campus began in earnest in 2011. The idea was launched in connection with Transatlantic Science Week last year.
 

From the Berkely campus (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)