The Twin Transformation, where the green and the digital shift are connected, will shape the world going forward. If we are to succeed in green transition at the level that the planet requires, digitization must become a central part of the solution. The challenge going forward will be to connect these changes in a targeted, systematic way and on a realistic scale. The contributions from academia will be decisive. This will challenge what we research, how we research, who we collaborate with, what education we offer and how we develop it. How do we meet these challenges at our own faculty, and at the University of Oslo?
The position paper “The Twin Transition Century. The role of digital research for a successful green transition of society?” illuminates the need for and the challenges of connecting the beneficial and digital shift. The university alliance, The Guild, is behind it. UiO is a member of The Guild, and it is led by our former rector Ole Petter Ottersen. The paper was written by Morten D?hlen, center manager at the faculty's Center for Data and Computational Science - dScience. The work culminates in recommendations for the higher education sector, decision-makers and funders.
The challenges that are addressed directly to our own sector are to:
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Strengthen efforts to develop digital solutions that improve institutional sustainability and environmental data management;
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Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and team science approaches, including via appropriate career recognition systems;
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Integrate content into educational programs that give students the opportunity to understand and engage with the complexities of both the digital and the green transition.
We had the pleasure of witnessing the launch of this important document at Norway House in Brussels on the 21st of September, with broad participation from Norwegian and European business, universities, the European Commission, research councils, embassies and interest associations.