KITENPI: KOLARCTIC IT Education, Networking, Partnership and Innovation (KO259)
Funded by Kolarctic ENPI 2007-2013

Objective of the project

KITENPI will develop and enhance the region’s competitiveness in the area of ICT on the increasingly growing global market, and promote the emergence of a common ICT job and competence pool. It will integrate academic resources to provide highly trained ICT professionals, who have an understanding of modern technology, the KOLARCTIC challenges, ICT industry and cross-border cooperation.

Main activities

• Student & Staff Exchange • Cross-border Education and Training • Best Practice report • Innovation Events report • Networking Report • Events Report • Kolarctic Infrastructure Pre-Study • Collaboration Tools

Achievements

KITENPI has initiated long-term collaboration between the five participating universities and created “a common Kolarctic pool of ICT jobs and competence”. It has Increased collaboration between academia and ICT industry (especially in Arkhangelsk, Luleå and Kemi-Tornio). The ICT industry has become more involved in the ICT education, e.g. via many Innovation Events where students interact with staff from the local industry. The involved universities have become more internationalized. Some specific results: A sustainable Kolarctic (ICT) Collaboration Event concept has been created, that will continue to be organised in at least Luleå. An 85 member strong cross-border online collaboration group "ICT in the Barents Region" has been created on LinkedIn, and remains active and expanding after the end of the project. A "Barents IT" network collaboration with actors in Norway has been created, intending to be named "Snowball" and to start when more financial resources become available. New viable recruitment networks operate in Luleå (having initiated a cross-sector recruitment portal Soft Landing) and in Arkhangelsk (having developed an international matchmaking service). Collaboration Studios for facilitating frequent electronic meetings and distance education have been installed and are in full use at all five locations as a natural tool for cross-border collaboration. KITENPI has achieved an impressive outreach, involving in total 6726 participants (36% females) in its activities. The universities in KITENPI (LTU, ITMO, NArFU, NST, KTU) have increased their cross-border activities by initiating master programme collaboration areas.