The number of students from China who come to Norway to study is on the rise, but many of them lose touch with Norway once they have finished their degrees and returned home. The Research Council of Norway and Innovation Norway have therefore taken the initiative to establish the NorAlumni China network to make it easier for Chinese students in Norway to stay connected to Norway and their Norwegian contacts after they have completed their studies.
Meeting place and information channel
The network will serve both as a meeting place for former students from China and as an information channel about Norway. The aim is to promote greater insight into Norwegian education, research, trade and industry, political circles and cultural life. The network will also provide Norwegian companies with valuable contacts for their activities in China.
"The NorAlumni China network will play an important role in future cooperation between Norway and China," says Minister of Research and Higher Education Tora Aasland, who formally opens the network in Shanghai on 10 September. "Chinese students take part in Norwegian educational programmes free of charge," she continues. "Keeping in touch means that the knowledge we have helped to provide them with can also be used to the benefit of Norwegian research and commerce."
High recruitment potential
In addition, the network will serve as a recruitment pool for Norwegian trade and industry. Chinese students who have studied in Norway have a good understanding of both cultures and are highly sought-after as potential employees by Norwegian companies with interests in China.
Scandpower, a Norwegian company specialising in risk management services, has firsthand experience of this. When establishing its activities in Beijing, the company hired Haibo Chen, who holds both a Master's degree and a Ph.D from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, to be the president of their new subsidiary.
"It is a tremendous resource for us to have a person like Haibo Chen at our Beijing office. He has done a fabulous job of recruiting and building up our activities in China. We also conduct regular exchanges of personnel from China to our offices in Norway, Sweden and the US," says Bjørn Inge Bakken, CEO of the Scandpower group.
The NorAlumni China network
NorAlumni China is a collaborative project between the Research Council of Norway and Innovation Norway in close cooperation with Abelia (Business Association of Norwegian Knowledge and Technology-based Enterprises), the Federation of Norwegian Industries the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions, the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing and the Royal Consulates General in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Funding for the network has been provided by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
