At the request of the Ministry of Education and Research, the Research Council is establishing a Knowledge Centre in the field of educational research, expected to be up and running in the course of autumn 2011. The centre's primary task will be to summarise and present findings from Norwegian and international educational research.
The Knowledge Centre for Education will cooperate closely with other key stakeholders in the field such as the Ministry of Education and Research, the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, and the country's universities and university colleges.
Professor Petter Aasen has been appointed Director of the new centre. He is currently Rector of Vestfold University College, and will assume his new position as director upon completion of the merger of Vestfold, Buskerud and Østfold University Colleges at the end of 2011/beginning of 2012. Until that time, Senior Adviser Jan-Arne Eilertsen of the Research Council will be acting as interim director.
Knowledge needs and state-of-the-art
Petter Aasen has worked in various roles in the education sector for many years, as an educator, researcher and leader.
He sees his coming position as an exciting challenge.
"A vital task of the centre will be to identify and provide the knowledge needed by the education sector, politicians and the public administration," explains Professor Aasen. "We will also play an active role in summarising findings from current research."
Strengthens the field of education
The Knowledge Centre for Education will have administrative status as a department under the Research Council's Division for Society and Health. Director General of the Research Council Arvid Hallén is extremely pleased with the Council's new role as host for such a centre.
"In general, the Research Council is expected to focus greater attention on the utilisation of research findings," he says, "and this will be a key task of the Knowledge Centre."
"The field of education is of particular interest to us, and we are now enhancing our general competence and expanding the programme portfolio. Over the years we have gained a lot of useful experience in this field with research activities that are closely linked to relevant professions. There's no doubt that the new Knowledge Centre will benefit from close cooperation with the other education-related research activities at the Research Council."
Finding a Norwegian solution
Professor Aasen stresses the importance of selecting a model that is adapted to conditions in Norway.
"There are many such centres in other countries," he points out, "but it is vital that we find our own configuration, preferably on the basis of dialogue with similar initiatives in the other Nordic countries."
"From the very beginning we've been conscious of developing the Knowledge Centre in broad interaction with users," adds Dr Hallén, emphasising that the new centre's scope will comprise all education-related knowledge. He also stresses the importance of following up the centre's task of systematically presenting research results and information.
Contact:
Jan-Arne Eilertsen
Acting Director (department)
The Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Education
Phone: 22 03 72 02
Fax: 22 03 73 07
Mail: jae(at)forskningsradet.no
