Earlier this year, the University of Bergen continued a cooperation agreement with the energy company Equinor, which has caused several people to react.
On Wednesday 24 April, students from Nature & Youth, Spire Bergen and Stopp Oljeletinga Bergen met in front of the Museum Square, to demonstrate against the agreement that the University of Bergen (UiB) has entered into with the energy company Equinor.
The agreement was signed at the end of February and is the fourth “Academy Agreement” between UiB and Equinor, where the company will grant up to NOK 80 million to UiB over the next five years.
According to UiB, the agreement will “stimulate basic research and education in strategically important subject and competence areas both for the university and for Equinor”. Within this agreement, four investment areas have been agreed: offshore wind, CCUS (carbon capture and storage), generic underground knowledge and artificial intelligence (AI).
Similar agreements have also been entered into between Equinor and NHH, NTNU, the University of Stavanger and UiT Norway’s Arctic University.
It becomes more difficult to criticize
The demonstrators say that they are very critical of the agreement. Magnus Holger Obrestad Stenroos, who sits on the central board of Nature & Youth, says that it would be a mistake for UiB to collaborate with companies such as Equinor.
– I believe that Equinor should not be allowed to legitimize itself by giving money to large universities. It is important that universities are independent institutions.
Furthermore, Stenroos says that the consequences of keeping such an agreement will be that Equinor continues to establish itself in large Norwegian institutions.
– Equinor increases its legitimacy and reduces the opportunity to criticize them. This is problematic and can contribute to weakening academic freedom.
Important collaboration for UiB
Studvest has also been in contact with the rector of UiB, Margareth Hagen, who says that the agreement is important for the university. Hagen also elaborates that the agreement contributes to UiB’s academic environments receiving support for basic research, which will strengthen the academic environments and contribute to a greener future – away from fossil energy.
– All employees and students are free to criticize Equinor, while employees are free to choose whether they wish to enter into cooperation through the agreement. Academic freedom is a basic value for a democratic society and for a knowledge-based society. UiB’s researchers must always work freely, and without guidance, to arrive at a specific result.
Wants a restructuring plan
Hanne Gottwald Nilsen sits on the board of Spire, and says that she is critical of the way Equinor still invests in the oil and gas industry.
– We are demonstrating because UiB still enters into agreements with Equinor. The company provides UiB with funds and recruits students. We believe this is wrong, because Equinor neither has a credible conversion plan, nor invests in the green shift, and rather bets on fossil fuels.
The University of Bergen believes that climate challenges cannot be solved alone, that it requires cooperation and that energy companies are needed to solve the problems.
Must make demands
Nilsen agrees that the problems cannot be solved alone, but says that UiB has to make demands on the companies they choose to work with.
– It is not good that students are recruited by Equinor to work with oil and gas, when they could rather have worked in green industries.
Hagen says that she understands the impatience and goes on to say that even more should be invested in research for a greener future.
– At the same time, this agreement is valuable so that both our professional communities and business will contribute to solving tomorrow’s major challenges and strengthening basic research.
Stenroos also agrees that the challenges require broad cooperation between all sectors in Norway. Nevertheless, he says that there is also a need for other measures.
– UiB should put pressure on companies like Equinor, by saying that “we cannot work with you, unless you come up with a credible restructuring plan”. The university should find money elsewhere, or re-prioritize its resources.
Have you caught up with these cases?
Tags: Demonstrating agreement UiB Equinor
-
