Vitenparken

Vitenparken is one of Norway's 13 science centers.

We are a non-profit foundation. Our mission statement was renewed in 2023 and is as follows:

§ 1

• Vitenparken Campus Ås is a non-profit foundation with a social mission to operate a knowledge and experience center, as well as other knowledge dissemination related to food, the environment and sustainability.
• The foundation is a knowledge-based organization that will communicate the basis for sustainable transformation and will be an industry leader in creative research communication and knowledge dissemination. Vitenparken will also conduct research related to the foundation's purpose.
• Vitenparken will facilitate the development of action skills and faith in the future in an inclusive manner, in the face of society's challenges.
• The foundation will do this with academic roots in the goals and knowledge production of the research institutions on Campus Ås, and in their long history.

All our income goes back into creating activities and knowledge experiences. We had 118,000 guests visiting in 2023, of which about 6,000 were schoolchildren who came to visit during school hours. In 2023, we had just under 30 million in turnover and employed 33 full-time equivalents. Vitenparken has a complex financing. Approximately 30% of our income comes from the state through the state budget. These are funds from the Ministry of Education and Research through the science center scheme. We also have an annual grant to the Talent Center Sustainability. An offer you can read more about here . Because we work specifically with dissemination related to food and agriculture-related topics, we also have an annual grant from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Another 30% of our income comes from our own operations. This includes café operations, conference services, events, tickets, store sales, etc.

The remaining part of the Science Park's income comes from a number of small and large projects. These are financed by funds we apply for from a number of public and private schemes, as well as from good collaborations with business partners. Part of the income comes from the purchase of services related to dissemination. Read more about our dissemination projects and assignments here.

The public support we receive from the state budget is therefore very important so that we can have continuous operations and permanent staff with high expertise, but does not allow us to carry out major development projects for the benefit of a large audience.

At the end of 2023, we were lucky enough to receive funding from the DNB Savings Bank Foundation for a major upgrade of our exhibition. In 7 new theme sections, we will create exciting knowledge experiences related to biodiversity. The working title for the exhibition is Bevares!. We are well underway with the work and the public can experience the first results in early 2025.

Annual Report 2023

Click here to read Vitenparken its Annual Report for 2023.

Organization:

In 2023, we had a total of 121 employees. 38 permanent employees and 83 auxiliary and science hosts.

Vitenparken has the following departments: Administration, operations, marketing and communication, dissemination and bioart department.

General e-mail address: booking@vitenparken.no .

Management:

Solveig Arnesen, CEO: solveig@vitenparken.no

Aiyana Hudgins, educational leader: aiyana@vitenparken.no

Vemund Vindedal, Chief Financial Officer: vemund@vitenparken.no

Willy-Jann Alegria-Johnsen, Head Chef and Food and Beverage Manager: willy@vitenparken.no

Find all contact information here: Contact

Science Park Board

• Hilde Charlotte Solheim – leader
• Ragnar Våga Pedersen – deputy chairman (appointed by LMD)
• Kari Kolstad, NMBU
• Trond Borresen
• Erik Trømborg, NMBU
• Olai Onen
• Astri Liland
• Aiyana Hudgins ( Vitenparken )

What we do:

Vitenparken is an arena that highlights green value creation, helps to release green knowledge and understanding, creates interest in science, and highlights research that benefits society. We achieve this through creative and innovative research communication, art, culture, and expertise in science center didactics. Find the full project overview here: Projects

School offers

In the Vitenparken school department, we welcome students from grade 1 to VG3, as well as kindergarten children. Our school offerings cover everything from science, genetics and food production to sustainability, coding and programming. Contact us at skole@vitenparken.no for more information. Read more about the offer here: School visits We also arrange large events for school students such as Ungforsk and Jenter og Teknologi, in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), as well as U-Eat with Ås and Frogn upper secondary schools. All school offerings are free for upper secondary schools.

Talent Center Sustainability

Talent Center Sustainability is an academic and social meeting place for students with great learning potential and an interest in science. Here, students are given academic challenges and learn about science, technology and sustainable development through exploration and immersion in real-world issues. The offer is for students in middle school and the first two years of upper secondary school. The offer is free. Contact us at talentsenter@vitenparken.no for more information. Read more here: Talent Center Sustainability

School and kitchen garden VitenEnga

The Science Park's school gardens are perfect arenas for practical sustainability education. In the school garden, we work on various projects within folk research and urban agriculture, and we offer school visits and teacher courses. We also grow vegetables that are used at Andedammen café and restaurant. On our website you will find resources for the Science Park's school gardens, courses for teachers, and teaching programs based on school gardens or smaller cultivation-related projects in the classroom. Find more information here: School garden . Vitenparken has developed this platform in collaboration with Brønnerud School, with support from Ås Municipality and Sparebankstiftelsen DNB. Book a course or school visit via email to skole@vitenparken.no.

Makerspace evenings

Makerspace evenings are a free leisure activity for young people aged 12 and up. Here, young people have the opportunity to develop practical skills such as 3D printing, soldering, coding, embroidery, laser cutting and vinyl cutting. Most importantly, they can work on their own projects. The evenings are led by Science Park educators and are part of Science Park's Talent Center for Sustainability. Find dates and more information here: Science Park's Makerspace

Leisure facilities for children and young people

Children and young people can participate in the Science Park's leisure activities. We arrange science weekends once a month, where each event has its own theme related to sustainability and the environment. In addition, we offer activities during the school holidays, including summer, autumn, winter and Easter holidays. Every year we also arrange Husdyra Våre, a free event for children in collaboration with Ås Landbrukslag. Here the children can meet animals and learn about agriculture. In the autumn semester we collaborate with Ås Municipality on SmakÅs Family Day, also a free event. Find the overview here: For children and young people

Events and courses for adults

At our events you can experience everything from seminars and workshops to courses, book baths and bio art exhibitions. Find our program here: Events

Bioart: Norwegian BioArt Arena – NOBA

Norwegian BioArt Arena (NOBA) is the first art department at Vitenparken and the first bioart arena in Norway. BioArt combines art and science, and many artists have a scientific background. NOBA focuses on themes such as the environment and social challenges, and has previously exhibited works such as HAV by Elin T. Sørensen and The Food Phreaks by the Center for Genomic Gastronomy. NOBA also organizes workshops, artist residencies and the annual BioArt symposium. Follow NOBA on social media or find the program on NOBA's website.

Tours

Welcome to Norway's most beautiful university park! Explore our campus and the scenic park through our guided tours. The tours focus on the park's history, architecture and landscape, led by experienced guides. We offer both private tours for groups and public tours in the spring and summer. Book private tours by sending an email to booking@vitenparken.no. Visit our website for more information: Tours

Exhibitions

The exhibition is temporarily closed due to the development of a new exhibition.

More information about the new exhibition on biodiversity, Bevares! , will be coming soon. Do you have any questions? Contact us at post@vitenparken.no. Please note that the exhibition Food for Less and the previous installation are no longer available.

Thanks to funding from Sparebankstiftelsen DNB, our exhibition is being upgraded with seven new thematic sections on biodiversity, with the working title “Preserve!”. The public can experience the first results in early 2025. In addition, we are organizing bioart exhibitions and tours. Read more about Bevares!

Andedammen cafe and restaurant

Our kitchen offers naturally prepared food with seasonal ingredients, and we actively work with sustainability. Our menu is based on what can be harvested in our own kitchen garden, “VitenEnga”, and we collaborate with local farms for raw materials. The head chef at Andedammen café and restaurant is Willy-Jann Alegria-Johnsen. Find the menu here: Andedammen café and restaurant

Vision and mission

Our vision is to be a nationally leading knowledge and experience center that accelerates the green shift and stimulates the development of a sustainable green economy. Our mission is to be an attractive tourism destination that is the best in the country for green knowledge experiences. Here the public can meet new research and together experience and explore green transition.

Do you have an idea? Contact us !

Please contact us if you would like to rent our premises, or have an idea for an event we can create together.

Address

Høgskoleveien 1, 1433 Ås