New Colleagues and Trainee at NorCore

This autumn, we are pleased to welcome three new colleagues to our team. Anette Stevnebø, from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), and Lasse Gullvåg Sætre, from the Research Council of Norway (RCN), will join NorCore on secondments of three and two months, respectively. Olav Åmund Mannsåker will join us as this autumn’s trainee.

From left: Olav Åmund Mannsåker, Anette Stevnebø, and Lasse Gullvåg Sætre

Anette works with Erasmus+ mobility in higher education at HK-dir. During her secondment, she will follow the developments of the Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, with a particular focus on the draft regulation for Erasmus+. Her aim is to gain deeper insight into the political processes shaping the future of the programme, to explore how mobility can be used strategically to support skills development, and to strengthen the link between policy and practice. “I’m excited to join the NorCore office and to be in Brussels at such a significant time for European education policy. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the EU’s political priorities and to bring back valuable insights to HK-dir and the Norwegian higher education sector.”

Lasse is a senior adviser in the Department of Enabling Technologies at the Research Council of Norway. He serves as National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Cluster 3 (Civil Security) and for the Digital Europe Programme. During his secondment, he looks forward to being in Brussels and understanding not only what is written in the work programmes, but also the broader context behind them. “Working with the European Union in Brussels, right at the cusp of a new framework programme and budgetary period, is uniquely exciting. But what really makes the difference as an NCP is being here physically. You can’t replace face-to-face meetings, the informal conversations over coffee, or just bumping into the right person in the corridor.”

Our new trainee, Olav, holds a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Politics from the University of Bergen. He has a strong interest in internationalisation and Norway’s role in the world, particularly its relationship with the EU. As part of his studies, Olav spent a semester abroad at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, and he recently completed an internship at the University of Bergen’s Brussels Office in the spring of 2025. “Being a trainee at NorCore gives me a unique chance to build on previously acquired knowledge and gain an understanding of new fields and EU programmes. It is an exciting time to be in Brussels, and to follow the developments of the increasingly important areas of research, education and innovation.”

We welcome Anette, Lasse and Olav to NorCore and Brussels, and look forward to working closely with them!