Five New Colleagues Join the NorCore Office
This autumn, we are delighted to welcome five new colleagues to the NorCore office. Frode Dal Fjeldavli, the new Head of Office from the Research Council of Norway (RCN), and Karl Håkon Mandelid, the new Senior Adviser from Innovation Norway, have recently joined the team. We are also pleased to welcome Nina Handing from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) and Martin Didriksen (RCN), both on three-month secondments. In addition, Sondre Røise joins NorCore as this autumn's trainee.
Frode Dal Fjeldavli joins the NorCore office as the new Head of Office from the Research Council of Norway. Driven by a strong commitment to European and international cooperation, he brings more than 20 years of experience working at the crossroads of EU, EEA and Norwegian policies and programmes. Prior to taking up the position, he worked as Special Adviser at the Research Council of Norway, where he coordinated the Research Council's involvement in the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership. Frode has also held several Brussels-based roles, including at JPI Oceans, the EEA and Norway Grants, the European Commission and the Mission of Norway to the EU. In his new role, he looks forward to strengthening Norway's engagement in European research, innovation and education policy, working closely with Norwegian and European stakeholders, and contributing to strong participation in the next programme period.
Karl Håkon Mandelid, who is known to many as Charlie, joins the NorCore office as Innovation Norway’s new Senior Adviser in Brussels. This is his fifth position within Innovation Norway, and he most recently served as adviser to the CEO. Belgium is the sixth country he has lived in, following an international assignment at Innovation Norway’s office in Hanoi in 2023. In Brussels, Karl will work with EU programmes aimed at businesses and innovation, including Horizon Europe, DIGITAL, InvestEU, the Single Market Programme, the European Defence Fund (EDF), and the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund. He looks forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the EU, getting to know Norwegian and international colleagues, exploring Brussels as a cultural and culinary destination, and travelling around Europe on weekends.
Nina Handing is a senior adviser at HK-dir, where she works with Erasmus+ in the Department of International Cooperation in Primary and Secondary Education and Training. Prior to joining HK-dir, she was an international coordinator at the University of Bergen and has nearly 25 years of experience in international educational cooperation. Through her work with Erasmus+, Nina encourages teachers, students, and education professionals to make use of international mobility opportunities. This inspired her to undertake a placement in Brussels. At NorCore, she hopes to contribute perspectives from Erasmus+ cooperation in school education, vocational education and training, adult education and sport. During her stay in Brussels, Nina aims to deepen her understanding of EU policymaking and Norway's role in European education cooperation. She also looks forward to meeting new colleagues and partners, expanding her network, following developments related to the next Erasmus+ programme period, and bringing new knowledge and perspectives back to HK-dir.
Martin Didriksen is a Business Controller at the Research Council of Norway in Oslo, where he works primarily with budgeting and analysis related to grant management. He holds a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). This autumn, Martin joins the NorCore office on a three-month secondment. During his stay in Brussels, he will divide his time between Brussels-related activities and his regular responsibilities at the Research Council of Norway. Through the secondment, he hopes to contribute to financial and budgetary work while gaining greater insight into EU budgetary and financial processes and the Research Council’s role in European cooperation. Martin looks forward to deepening his understanding of the EU system, building new professional networks across Europe, and bringing valuable knowledge and experience back to Norway. He also hopes to take the opportunity to explore both Belgium and other parts of Europe during his stay.
Sondre Røise holds a double bachelor’s degree in Comparative Politics and Economics from the University of Bergen. He has previously worked in Brussels as an intern at the Renewables Norway Brussels Office and completed a traineeship at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka. He has also studied abroad at Sciences Po Paris. With a strong interest in European affairs and Norway's relationship with the EU, Sondre sees his time at NorCore as a unique opportunity to gain firsthand insight into how European cooperation helps shape research, innovation and education policy. He looks forward to building on his previous experience with EU affairs, expanding his professional network and contributing to the work of the NorCore team.
Commentaires