The goal of the report is to gain an increased understanding of how international researchers experience their every-day working lives at NTNU, as well as how the support-network in the shape of both leadership and central and local administration meet international researchers. The report also gives an overview of existing research concerning international diversity at Norwegian universities.

The report focuses on identifying what works and what can be improved regarding the work of including and fair treatment of researchers with different national backgrounds at NTNU.
The main section of the report is based on a qualitative interviews-study among employees at two departments and one center of excellence (CoE) at NTNU. We have interviewed scientific staff with an international background at these three units, administrative- and scientific staff in charge of receiving international researchers, as well as employees at the central support-network at NTNU International Researcher Support (NIRS).
The general picture drawn up by the report is that there is a high level of awareness about the different aspects of international mobility among administrative employees and that many international researchers are pleased by the reception they received at NTNU and inclusion at their departments. Where they tell of potential for improvement, this is connected to practical challenges concerning the Onboarding-process to NTNU and Norway, difficulties regarding Norwegian working-culture, social integration into society and at their place of work, and tension regarding the use of English or Norwegian at work.

 

 

In March 2019, NTNUs Committee for Equality and Diversity called for a study to gain more knowledge about the situation of international staff at NTNU, based on NTNUs ambitions to increase internationalization and improve diversity-policies. The calling was anchored within NTNUS Policy for Equality and Diversity for the same time period (2018-2021) where one of the measures is formulated to “conduct a study on inclusion and diversity at the university, with the aim of increasing knowledge and skill on this topic. The aim of the study is to improve understanding of the situation and identify challenges”

 

 

Based on the empirical study we have the following recommendations:

 

• Strengthen NIRS and make it more visible
• Measures for better integration in the local environment at the department level
• Measures for better language policy
• More knowledge about international diversity in academia