Takeaways from traineeship at NorCore
As we welcome our new trainee this semester, we say goodbye to Marthe who finished her traineeship at NorCore right before summer.
We reached out to her for reflections on her stay as a trainee, some of the highlights and how the traineeship at NorCore has been useful for her further career.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at NorCore, where I both learnt a lot and got to know some amazing people. It has been exciting to get to learn about and work with research, innovation, and education policy in Brussels, where I have gained valuable insight into the dynamics between Norway and the EU in this area. I think it is a particular exciting policy area to work on as a Norwegian and Norway is fully associated to many of the EU programmes within this area – like Horizon Europe and Erasmus+. In addition to their work connected to the EU, I have also found it very interesting to see how the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills work together in Brussels and how they work with their home organisations in Norway.
I have also particularly enjoyed being part of the Norwegian network in Brussels, and to see how the Norwegian actors cooperate closely. An example of this is the Norwegian Network meetings which NorCore organise together with the Norwegian Mission to the EU. The Norwegian network has also introduced me to the other trainees in Brussels, and I have gained friendships I know will last a lifetime.”
Photo: Marthe (right) and previous Innovation Norway-trainee Maiken Sørbye Larsen (left) at IGLOs summer gathering
Marthe says organizing the Nordic-Baltic conference on Northern Prospects of Quantum was one of the many highlights, where she got insight into the field of quantum technology. “I enjoyed using my past experiences with organising bigger events on this project, as well as I learnt a lot from my colleagues from the different countries. Through this project, as well as the IGLO-network, I have also gotten to know other trainees from all over Europe, which has created useful connections both professionally and socially.”
As a final remark she emphasizes how her traineeship at NorCore has been useful for her future career and studies;
“I am grateful I got the opportunity to spend 5 exciting months in the capital of Europe. I have particularly enjoyed the varied days, which have consisted of different tasks in the office like writing summaries, newsletters, LinkedIn-posts and more, as well as attending external meetings, seminars, and conferences. I'm left with a lot of knowledge and memories which I will not forget.” After finishing her traineeship, Marthe spent the summer in Brussels working for the UN, before starting her masters degree in International and European Politics at the University of Edingburgh".
We wish you the best of luck for the future!