Bodø University College has a well proved cooperation with local and international research and educational institutions. At local level, Bodø University College works closely with Bodø Science Park and Nordland Research Institute in order to provide the local community and the country with excellent research and education. Also at the local level, BUC has well established collaboration with institutions such as Nordland County Administration, local municipalities, regional development agencies and other influential organizations.
Nordland Research Institute
Nordland Research Institute is a private non-profit research organisation, founded in 1979. The Nordland Research Institute does research into the economic, public and social issues of contemporary society in addition to aquaculture. The institute is located at Bodø University College. The institute employs a staff of 39 and has a yearly income of approximately NOK 23.8 million. Nordland Research Institute research activity is financed by regional, national and international contractors. Research results are published through research reports, papers, articles and lectures. Nordland Research Institute research is organized in four areas:
- Social Welfare
Major reforms in social policy have implemented during the last decades, and the institute has been assigned an important role in the evaluation of these reforms. The Nordland Research Institute research in this field encompasses all levels of social policy: the design of welfare state programs and reforms; the organisation and "welfare mix" in the delivery and distribution of services, and the adequacy and quality of support seen from the perspective of the individual recipient. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used in their research.
- Regional Development
Viewed from a socio-economic perspective, the focus is upon the evaluation and analysis of economic restructuring in regions that are heavily dependent upon primary resource industries. Of particular importance are the relationship between enterprises, and the impact such decisions have upon the economic development of regions. The Nordland Research Institute also works with assessment and evaluation of policies for regional development and studies of the impact different public policy decisions have on processes of regional development.
- Organizational studies and municipal research
Researchers are carrying out research within organizational change, management of public services, the relation between employers and employees, empowerment and organizational development, changes in local government and local democracy, and how municipal services and local democracy are influenced by local decision-making. In addition the group is carrying out research on school and health reforms. Within these main fields of research The Nordland Research Institute are carrying out theoretical and empirical analyses, evaluation of local decision-making, and organisational development.
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Research on entrepreneurship and innovation is the major part of the research conducted in this department. A special attention is given to small and medium sized enterprises as well as the entrepreneurial process and different expressions of entrepreneurship. The Nordland Research Institute also study preconditions for enterprise growth and work with evaluation of public policies aimed at industry and business development. Also gender issues within economic activity have been highlighted. Additional areas of research have been towards the role of strategy and marketing within small and medium sized enterprises. Particular attention is being paid to the agriculture and aquaculture industries.
Kunnskapsparken Bodø AS – Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ltd. (KPB) is a private limited company established in 2002 as a spin off from Bodø Graduate Business School (HHB) to commercialise knowledge acquired through R&D. 50 % of KPB is owned by public interests and 50 % by regional enterprises. KPB is a science park and has grown to 11 employees. The company serves as a link between HHB and the regional business community through project management and shared competences and resources. The goal of Kunnskapsparken Bodø AS is to advance the economy in the region. Kunnskapsparken act as an agent between businesses and R&D organizations, help establishers who want to start new companies and contribute to the development of existing companies. Kunnskapsparken has its own research staff organised in SIB AS (Centre for Innovation and Economics), which is a centre of expertise for applied research in innovation and economy. SIB AS provides the science park with research based knowledge. Using this knowledge, in conjunction with Kunnskapsparken Bodø AS, new activities are created.
KPB is a non-profit organisation. Any profit the organisation creates will according to the mission statement be re-allocated into innovation-creating actions, and is not allowed to be paid as dividend to the shareholders. Yearly turnover is about 12 MNOK (app. 1,2 MEUR).
The main activities for KPB are:
- Development and execution of strategic projects for the benefit of the regional business cluster,
- Guidance to entrepreneurs in business development (including incubator activities),
- Guidance to governmental bodies on status and means for innovation and entrepreneurial activities, and
- Projects for the industry on product development and commercialisation processes.
KPB is located in Bodø, Northern Norway. The businesses in this region are mainly small and medium sized with limited resources, incapable to undertake their own research projects. |
