The government asks the Metropolitan University of Oslo to plan for the Romerike campus to have at least 3900 full-time students in Lillestrøm.
That's what Research and Higher Education Minister Sigrun Aasland (AP) said when she visited the metropolitan university OsloMet at Kjeller this morning, together with Ap's parliamentary leader Tonje Brenna, the rector of OsloMet, Christen Krogh and Lillestrøm's mayor Kjartan Berland, the Labour Party's group leader at the county council in Akershus, Hoda Imad and the former mayor of Lillestrøm, Jørgen Vik.
Aasland pointed out that the investment in Lillestrøm is important to remedy the shortage of labour, especially in health and technology.
“OsloMet is good at recruiting more broadly and from more segments of the population into higher education. Therefore, the government will build a new OsloMet campus in Lillestrøm,” Sigrun Aasland said.
The initiative corresponds to almost 5000 registered students, as students are counted in the university and college sector. The subject profile of the new campus will be based on health, organization and technology.
We give Romerike a big boost
“The government has listened to the recommendations of the region and OsloMet. Our ambition is to build a powerful campus with 4500—5000 students. Together with the strong campus in central Oslo, the new campus in central Lillestrøm will give both Romerike and Norway a boost,” says Christen Krogh, rector.
This also means a significant boost for the business sector at Romerike, points out the general manager of Kunnskapsbyen, Inger-Lise M. Nöstvik.
This is a milestone for Romerike. I'm incredibly happy. A stream of young students and new skills is exactly what we need. The investment in Campus Lillestrøm will also give a boost to our work to develop the region's innovation district. OsloMet is a cornerstone of this venture,” she says.
Campus at NOK 3.1 billion
OsloMet's planned academic profile for the new campus will include teacher education, health and welfare, engineering, organization and management, and technology. OsloMet will also consider whether more academic environments should be relocated to Romerike. OsloMet wants broad involvement from the region's residents, businesses, municipalities and the county council.
When the new campus is ready in Lillestrøm will depend on further investigation. The current lease for the Kjeller campus expires in 2030, and the ambition is for the move to Lillestrøm to take place before then.
The venture is estimated to cost NOK 3.1 billion, but this will depend on the final scope.
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