Hydro is providing up to NOK 10 million for a five-year post to acquire new knowledge and strengthen Norway's leading position in aluminium.

With the new professorship, the university is moving to become the world's leading research institution on the application of aluminium.

"With this grant from Hydro behind us, we will take the lead in research to create new industrial development in both Norway and the world. If we are to succeed we must be constantly better, more effective and more innovative today than we were yesterday," says the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Ingvald Strømmen.

The professor will lead a new interdisciplinary research collaboration between several disciplines at NTNU (NTNU Aluminium Product Innovation Center – NAPIC), which will look at new aluminium applications by linking architecture, product design, materials technology and product development.

A global battle for knowledge

Hans Erik Vatne, Head of Technology in Hydro, emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between the knowledge society and industry.

"In Norway we are a world leader in metallurgy and aluminium, thanks to the strong research communities at NTNU, SINTEF (Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research) and IFE (Institute for Energy Technology). This was only possible because we had production in Norway in these areas decade after decade and because research and production happened side by side," says Vatne.

"Aluminium is a global industry. This is why we in Hydro are so focused on being a leader in knowledge, innovation and product development – it gives us global competitiveness even with our base in a high-cost country like Norway, while hydroelectric power makes us the best in the world on climate change issues. Hydro's technology pilot has been described as the start of the green shift, and there is a constant hunt for technological improvements, innovations and product development that will keep the Norwegian processing industry ahead of the rest of the world.”