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RESEARCH
In search of a higher degree of inter-discipli-
nary research cooperation on sustainable de-
velopment, several NTNU faculties are look-
ing to form a new encompassing thematic
institutional focus area (OTIS) on Sustainable
Development of Society. In aiming to be an
internationally renowned research institu-
tion, NTNU, sees it as important to direct its
focus onto sustainable development. The
strong general emphasis on sustainable de-
velopment is also evident in the Parliamen-
tary Proposition no. 21 (2011-2012) which
states that “[…] Sustainable development
should be the founding principle in any de-
velopment in Norway and in the rest of the
world. […]”. The fourth OTIS in NTNU’s focus
on pluridisciplinary research, the sustain-
able societal development OTIS aims to put
greater emphasis on a wide range of different
aspects of sustainable development. 4 differ-
ent OTIS’ have been proposed to the NTNU
board. The Sustainable Development OTIS
is envisioned to include the Faculty of So-
cial Sciences and Technology Management,
the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art, the
Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Natural
Sciences and Technology, the Faculty of En-
gineering Science and Technology and the
University Museum. The Industrial Ecology
Programme in cooperation with the biology
department provided one of the initial pro-
posals for such a focus area, submitted from
two faculties.
The aspiring Sustainable Development OTIS
is first and foremost initiated to enhance
NTNU’s role as an international societal ac-
tor which contributes with research based
knowledge on sustainable development, and
to coordinate NTNU’s research with the goals
and ambitions of Horisont 2020 and the Nor-
wegian Research Council. It is also seen as an
important contributor to NTNU’s strategic
goals of contributing research based knowl-
edge to important societal debates, using
this to increase knowledge and know-how in
developing countries. It is also seen as a way
to take part in the effort to resolve global en-
vironmental challenges and participating in
a dialogue enhancing society which empha-
sizes human rights and intercultural coopera-
tion. When asked why this field of research
is particularly important, Professor Erling
Holden, who assisted the deans in putting
together the final proposal, emphasizes the
width of the term“sustainable development”,
which was launched with the Brundtland
Commission’s “Our Common Future” in 1987.
In spite of the width and breadth of this often
referred to term, Holden also argues that it is
a phenomenon which is not likely to ever dis-
appear and that the aforementioned width
was necessary in order to reach a somewhat
global agreement in 1987.
The Sustainable Development OTIS’ em-
phasis on environmental management and
impact assessment of production and con-
sumer behaviour in relation to sustainable
development explains why the Industrial
Ecology Programme constitutes an impor-
tant part of this OTIS. Despite the participa-
tion of five different faculties, Industrial Ecol-
ogy makes an essential contribution. Erling
Holden points to how Industrial Ecology
early on was seen, by both the NTNU Board
as well as by other Departments, as “the
methodological glue that could hold this
project together”. Holden furthermore ex-
plains this by showing how Industrial Ecol-
ogy would provide the necessary analytical
tools for in-depth and thorough research on
topics concerning sustainable development.
Industrial Ecology’s role in a Sustainable De-
velopment OTIS becomes clear as it would
serve as one of four pillars within this OTIS.
Holden points to how the first pillar, the po-
litical and institutional framework for a sus-
tainable development policy, together with
Industrial Ecology’s pillar, environment and
sustainability analyses, would make out the
overarching structure of analysis. Moreover
he argues that the two other more practically
oriented research fields, “Sustainable Urban
Development and Transport” and “Biological
Diversity”, would consequently be held to-
gether by the abovementioned societal and
methodological research fields. According to
Erling Holden, it is thus impossible to study
sustainable development without including
the political or analytical context in which it
is located.
For IndEcol, NTNU’s institutional focus pro-
vides a welcome opportunity to partner with
strong research players, such as the newly
formed Centre of Excellence in Conservation
Biology. “There is a renewed interest to un-
derstand the biodiversity impacts of technol-
ogies and human actions. For that, you have
to understand both the drivers of pressures
on biodiversity and the reaction of ecosys-
tems,” says IndEcol research coordinator Ot-
tar Michelsen. “The DESIRE and EcoManage
projects give us a head start, but this is an
area with a large potential for fundamental
research contributions of high relevance to
society.
IndEcol is also looking to strengthen its con-
tribution to urban sustainable development
and transport. Professor Daniel Müller covers
urban sustainability in his contribution to the
IPCC 5th assessment report. “This is a new
topic for the IPCC, and it is interesting to see
how the different mitigation approaches in-
teract and to see the IPCC discover that there
are substantial holes in its sectoral approach,”
says Müller. Professor Helge Brattebø has
made a number of contributions to the ques-
tion of sustainable transport infrastructure,
especially roads and railroads, while Profes-
sor Anders Strømman has worked on cars and
shipping. “The sustainability focus should al-
lowNTNU to better target its research activity
to where it has the potential to make a differ-
ence” says Helge Brattebø, who has also con-
tributed to the formulation of the proposal.
Contact Information:
Programme coordinator, Ottar Michelsen,
ottar.michelsen@ntnu.no
Cooperation across departments and schools of thought - Sustainable
societal development
INTERDEPARTMENTAL COOPERATION