Donation for university

NOK 10 million is being given by Statoil to help the Stavanger University College (HiS) in its efforts to achieve full university status.

Due to be spread over three years, this donation was announced by chief executive Olav Fjell in an open lecture at the college today, 22 January.

The gift is being made in connection with this year’s 30th anniversary of Statoil’s foundation and the emergence of Stavanger as an oil city.

Representatives from the group and the college will be discussing how the money can best be applied to support the development of a university in Stavanger.

In his lecture, Mr Fjell referred to the close and good collaboration which has existed between college and group.

“Activities at the college interact with our industrial interests in a number of areas,” he noted.

Specialist teams in reservoir analysis and drilling and well technology built up at the college and its affiliated Rogaland Research institute have given solid support to Statoil’s work off Norway.

Mr Fjell also noted that the college has been an important source of well-educated staff. Over time, roughly 10 per cent of recruits to the Statoil parent company have taken their main studies there.

A university in Stavanger could serve the group’s long-term need for expertise in an even better way than at present, said Mr Fjell.

“It would create a stronger teaching and research community in our immediate vicinity, which is particularly interesting for us because much of our expertise will be at head office in Stavanger.”