This week UWC Red Cross Nordic has its last Group 4 Project - with our Class of 2024. Our Class of 2025 will instead experience the (largely similar!) Collaborative Science Project.

With Chris taking a backseat after leading this initiative for decades, I had the opportunity to rethink our approach:

• How could we move towards all students getting involved (perhaps even those with Environmental Systems and Societies as their only 'Group 4')?
• What might work in November (a date that coincides with work experience for DP1-aged students across Norway, making it easier to have our DP2 students off-timetable)?
• And how could we involve a wider pool of teachers, without requiring non-scientists to supervise risky experiments?

The answer to all of these questions came about 6 months ago when I met with a local Research & Development organisation called Akvahub.

Akvahub exists to help aquaculture and other agriculture businesses within our region become more sustainable. The Group 4 Project asks students to collaborate in search of solutions. And, of course, we are a Nordic college with students from 80 nationalities. In short: the perfect partnership.

Akvahub's role has been generating a context brief for us: a 'state of the nation' report on the challenges faced by farmers. They have put together six real-world challenges with entry-level information about opportunities and constraints. Our students will provide the brainpower, working together with diverse and creative perspectives to propose responses to the challenge they have been allocated.

Where are we so far? Students and teachers have a rough idea of the logistics. I will brief the cohort on Wednesday afternoon and provide an hour to start thinking. Thursday is when we are providing the bulk of the time (from 8am to 3pm). Next week, students will present their ideas to Akvahub and its challenge providers.

Sometimes international mindedness starts just 45 minutes' drive away.

Watch this space...!