Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet, www.oslomet.no) is the 3rd largest university in Norway with currently more than 20.000 students and 2150 employees with the majority of its facilities located in the centre of Oslo. OsloMet is home to some of Norway’s largest and best-known programmes of professional study, including degrees in nursing, teacher education, pre-kindergarten education, social work, engineering, journalism, design studies and business administration. OsloMet is forward-thinking and committed to adopting new technologies and innovative solutions that improve the way the university is run. With special focus on application, most of OsloMet’s study programmes include at least one period of supervised professional training. OsloMet prides itself in being an international workspace with employees from currently 63 different nations as well as having a gender diversity percentage at 51% of full professors which is currently the highest in Norway. The research in OsloMet is mainly focused on applied research, sustainability, and improvement of the welfare state. Hence, the results have a direct and visible impact on society.
Before 2018, OsloMet was known as Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. Being partner in 18 Horizon 2020 projects, OsloMet is an active participant in the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme. The University currently has 101 different research groups, participates in 166 projects in collaboration with the Research Council of Norway. The department of Mechanical, Electronic and Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, is home to the Automation, Robotics and Intelligent Systems (ARIS) group, one of the most active research groups in OsloMet. The team members in ARIS are expert in marine robotics, ocean structures, and intelligent systems.