New innovative media studies in Norway

Media City Bergen, a cluster for business, education and research, will open in 2017. Its ambition: to be in the international vanguard in its fields with regards to innovation and knowledge generation.

Around 1,200 people from different media and education institutions will be working together in the cluster in Lars Hilles gate 30. In addition, 220 students will be attending its elite bachelor and master programmes.

"These will be brand new study programmes designed to help the students navigate the media landscape of tomorrow," says Ole J. Mjøs, professor at the Department of Information Science and Media Studies. Mjøs is responsible for the University of Bergen's (UiB) research and education activities in Media City Bergen.

Education in the media vanguard

The new study programmes will make the most of the different media and technology environments present in Media City Bergen. The media hub will also provide unique opportunities for internships and cooperation.

"It is important for us to have good relations with the other partners in the cluster before we move in. We have had a dialogue about what kind of skills will be needed in a media sector that is rapidly changing," Mjøs says.

At the same time, NCE Media is working on a concept for a Media Lab tailor made for the research and education goals of Media City Bergen. NCE Media is a cluster development project and a Norwegian Centre of Expertise (NCE) working to create joint arenas for stakeholders in education, research and business. UiB is one of the partner institutions in NCE Media.

Generating insights across disciplines

The students at Media City Bergen will be well aware that they are part of an environment at the forefront of the media business. The carefully designed spaces will contain both technological facilities, editing suites, editorial offices and recording studios. Teaching is to be carried out by both media professionals and academic staff.

"There will be a dedicated space for education, in very close proximity to the different media and technology businesses," says Mjøs.

He emphasises that the education will be cross-disciplinary.

"The students in journalism will be working with the students in interaction design. Participants in the master programme in investigative journalism will have close contact with the screenplay students. This will open up new possibilities, and our goal is to nurture the natural links that develop. Every semester there will be workshops and teaching across the disciplines," Mjøs says.

Collaboration with DigUiB

DigUiB is UiB's effort to develop new digital solutions for education and dissemination. Professor Mjøs sees them as a natural collaborative partner, seeing as they will also be located in Media City Bergen.

"Their mission to develop new technology for learning, teaching and dissemination will obviously be important also for us. Our students will be able to access DigUiB technology. We see it as important to keep an eye out for opportunities like this," Mjøs says.

Through Media City Bergen, UiB will also seek collaborations with the thriving environments for music and game development in Bergen.

Joint research interests

When Media City Bergen opens its doors in 2017, parts of the Department of Information Science and Media Studies will move in. This will lead to a strengthening of the research focus on media technology, journalism, media production and media analysis.

"A lot of our research interests and expertise will be relevant in Media City Bergen. This will enable us to create projects with other partners where there are joint research interests," says Mjøs.

Collaboration with other fields of research at UiB will also be an important part of this.

"To understand what happens in the media sector, which encompasses media, communication, social development, democracy and so on, different disciplines will have to work together," says Mjøs.