Elena Sæther from the High North Center with Bertrand Le Gallic from Université de Bretagne Occidentale in Brest, France, who joined this year’s course as a guest lecturer and mentor. Photo: Markus Thonhaugen / High North Center.
Sustainable Blue Growth in the High North was the most popular course at Nord Summer School this summer.
The week combined lectures on fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and ocean policy with visits to Saltstraumen and a working salmon farm in Gildeskål.
Elena Sæther, associate professor at the High North Center at Nord University, holds the main responsibility for course development.
– We saw strong interest among the students. To continue the course, we needed a good model, says Sæther.
New European partners for the course
For 2027, the course will be developed in cooperation with the University of Split in Croatia and Université de Bretagne Occidentale in Brest, France.
Both universities are part of SEA-EU (European University of the Seas), an alliance of universities across Europe.
– Nord University is the only University from the High North in the alliance and, as such, brings important Arctic perspectives to the universities from the South, says Sæther.
Interest in the Arctic is rising across Europe
Elena Sæther
The students will still spend five days in Bodø. They will also meet online. Students from the partner universities can apply for support to help cover the cost of travel and accommodation.
– Very few international students can afford flights, accommodation and the other costs of travelling to Norway, says Sæther.
The funding comes through Erasmus+, an EU programme that supports students studying in other European countries.
The partner universities will also help plan and teach the course.
– It will strengthen the course content and make it more relevant for students from other European universities.
Came from Brest to Bodø
Bertrand Le Gallic came from Brest to teach during this summer’s course.
He is an associate professor at Université de Bretagne Occidentale and works with fisheries and aquaculture. In Bodø, he served as a guest lecturer and mentor for students.
Le Gallic says Norway gives students useful first-hand experiences.
– In both fisheries and aquaculture, Norway is one of the best examples to follow.
A permanent course
This was the third time the course was held.
The first two years were supported through projects funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the University of the Arctic. Sæther hopes the new model will make it easier to run the course each summer.
I hope it can become a permanent part of Nord Summer School
She also hopes the week brings some of them back to Bodø for a longer educational program.
– According to the survey we made this year, 100 percent of the students are open to returning to Bodø for another program.
– This is a great effect of Nord summer school and the course, so it’s important to continue, Sæther concludes.
