In 2018, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Trondheim municipality entered into a partnership agreement to jointly develop a University City. A national pilot based on five thematic focus areas; Education and Early development, Health and Welfare, Urban development, Innovation and Smart City (From 2022: Unikom).

The pilot, referred to as UniversityCity TRD3.0, is project-organized, with a duration of a total of eight years. It builds on a long-term collaboration between Trondheim municipality and NTNU, aiming at moving the collaboration "one step up" towards a more holistic approach to education, research and innovation.

Accordingly, the University City's ambition is to develop a model for innovation and restructuring in the public sector through research, innovation, education and participation in development projects of strategic importance to the public sector.

Mutual commitment

NTNU and Trondheim municipality have agreed to:

• Over a period of at least four years establish a national pilot for "university-city" through a joint university city project, and document the model through research-based evaluation.
• Before concluding the university city TRD3.0 project, propose a future, permanent model for the continuation of the University City TRD3.0 collaboration as a permanent partnership between the municipality and NTNU.
• Prepare the ground for a national regulation on the use of the designation "university city", including funding mechanisms that enable more municipalities and universities to comply with the requirements and opportunities inherent in the status as a "university city".

Responsibility for own learning and development

The TRD3.0 ambition is to have a leading national role in the development of models for innovation and sustainable development in the public sector. New approaches to collaboration between municipality and university are tested, and assumptions and results are documented. Technology and digitalization are integral parts of all development initiatives. Through open standards and data, service areas and research fields are linked together and create the conditions for sharing and mutual learning.

The experiences from the project are shared with other municipalities, universities and national authorities, aiming at creating the basis for a sustainable public sector, through joint standards, innovative collaborative models and new services.

From municipality 1.0 to 3.0

Trondheim has since long been the host city for NTNU (1.0). Over time, comprehensive collaboration has developed between engaged professionals within individual areas, such as school and health (2.0). With the establishment of the University City TRD3.0, a holistic and including approach is the objective (3.0). Together, the partners prioritize joint efforts when it comes to knowledge and competence development in areas of great societal importance.

The purpose of the University city TRD3.0

Based on a model from regulations on the use of the designation "university hospital", NTNU and Trondheim municipality have defined the following main objectives for the University City TRD3.0:

• Ensure access to relevant and updated knowledge and competence demanded by municipalities.
• Establish arenas for research based education, continuing education and training, relevant placement for students, doctoral programmes and research and innovation within areas of strategic importance for the sector.
• Establish a new model for continuous mutual competence and knowledge transferral between academia and municipality.