USA - BILATERAL RESEARCH COOPERATION BETWEEN NORWAY AND THE USA - APPLICATION FOR PROJECT ESTABLISHMENT SUPPORT

The Environmental Science and Engineering Research Group within the Faculty of Civil Engineering, U of M and the Water Treatment Research Group at the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (IVM), NTNU wish to take an initiative with the ai m to establish long term research collaboration between the two research groups. Both groups are well established and have received high rankings and recognition for the activities undertaken by the respective research groups. Research related to advanced water and wastewater treatment is a major activity where both have identified the application of membrane technology in environmental engineering as a focus area. The initiative to establish research collaboration between the two groups in this proposal will be based on current activities related to membrane technology in advanced water and wastewater treatment. The aim of this project is to explore possibilities for joint project cooperation, identify potential research programs and sources of funding, and to prepare joint project applications. Initiation of developing research cooperation will be done by reciprocal visits between the two research groups. To follow up the visits workshops will be organized with key persons related to the identified prio rity activities in order to facilitate joint efforts in making project proposals. Activities will include; - establish a Memorandum of Understanding at the departmental level based on the existing MoU for the two universities - plan/complete reciprocal vi sits between the two research groups - organize joint workshops to explore common and define areas of collaboration - identify and outline potential collaboration projects to pursue - identify potential sources for funding and implementation of collaborat ion projects - complete project proposal based of outcome of this collaboration process