International cooperation
HighEFF has been an international research centre rooted in multinational collaboration across multiple dimensions.
Collaboration with leading universities and R&D institutes
HighEFF partnered with world-renowned academic and research institutions, including the Massachusetts institute of technology (MIT), the University of Manchester, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Carnegie Mellon University, Doshisha University, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT).
Global talent recruitment and education
The Centre actively recruited PhD candidates from around the globe, enriching the research environment with diverse perspective and contributing to a net “brain gain” for Norwegian research and industry.
Supporting international user partners
HighEFF developed knowledge, technology and solutions for industry partners with global reach, such as Equinor, Elkem, Alcoa, Hydro, Rema 1000, Orkla, and Tine. These solutions have enhanced energy efficiency across borders, extending the impact of HighEFF’s work to international operations.
EU engagement and strategic contributions
As part of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), HighEFF played a role in shaping the EU Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan). Within this partnership, the Centre contributed to the production of white papers on high-temperature heat pumps, thermal energy storage, and energy efficiency’s role in decarbonising European industry.
Horizon Europe projects
HighEFF’s work led to several spin-off projects financed under the Horizon Europe initiative. These projects such as R3VOLUTION and H2Glass develop and implement energy-efficient and decarbonisation technologies with international applications.
Researcher exchanges and collaborative PhD supervision
The Centre facilitated numerous exchanges of researchers, and enabled the joint supervision of PhD students between NTNU and international partner universities. This collaboration has resulted in 29 joint publications.
A focus on knowledge sharing
HighEFF’s dedication to energy efficiency extended beyond Norway. The Centre’s conferences, workshops, webinars and participation in global initiatives ensured the dissemination of its findings to an international audience. A highlight of this work was the 15th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants, which took place in Trondheim in June of 2022. This scientific conference hosted over 350 participants from 30 countries around the world, who attended around 170 scientific presentations. Around 50 presentations or publications submitted to the Conference were from people involved in the Centre.
