Written by: Silje Grytli Tveten

NTNU will plan a future-oriented, unified campus that can become a pioneer for other public developments in Norway. At NTNU, we have good conditions because knowledge from our outstanding research environments in relevant areas can be applied to the development of campuses. 

This is best done through user involvement, innovative planning processes and systematic acquisition of knowledge from experimentation, pilots and follow-up research. Such research and development work shall contribute to making new areas appropriate for NTNU's employees and students.

Pilot projects will provide new knowledge, through small-scale testing. This depend on getting the knowledge and experience of the pilots into the major construction and development projects. Therefore, thorough documentation and evaluation is central in the implementation of pilot projects.

Fleksilab - pilot project in the co-use of laboratories

At the Department of Psychology, a pilot has been initiated on the co-use and sharing of a laboratory for research and teaching. Through close user involvement with future users, the lab has been developed and built. Now the Department will use the lab to investigate opportunities for conducting various experiments in the same premises and dividing the area and equipment normally reserved for one or a few users.

Video explaining what Fleksilab is and the goal of pilots (in Norwegian).

In addition to providing important knowledge to NTNU's campus development, experiences from the pilot will be used to ensure good conditions for research and teaching in the future Centre for Mental Health on Øya in Trondheim.

Pilot project on learning area at Tungasletta

At the Department of Social Work (ISA) at Tungasletta, another pilot project has been carried out on the topic of learning space. The pilot project tests how teaching large groups of students, with varied teaching methods, can be carried out in smaller areas using organisational, physical, educational and technical aids.

The department will join Helgasetr, which is under construction on Øya in Trondheim, and the experiences gained from the project will be important in preparation for the move, as well as other campus developments.

Pilot Project Template

Already initiated pilots have, in collaboration with NTNU Campus Development, created a template that shows the processes in a pilot project for NTNU Campus Development. The purpose of the template is to be an indicative tool for academic communities that wish to initiate a pilot project.

Click for larger picture (in Norwegian). 

In short, pilot projects in NTNU's campus development follow the same path as in a larger project, through the phases vision, define, design, build and use. In the light blue boxes, it is briefly described what happens in the different phases.

In the implementation of pilot projects, there is a parallel work on four overarching topics: organizational development, user involvement, evaluation and project management. Within each topic, there are issues that need to be answered.

If the work seems to be able to follow these phases, with the topics and points set up, the work can be characterized as a pilot project. This must be clarified in advance of the work.