NHO Sogn og Fjordane has expressed their interest in studying the way in which the higher education sector in the Shannon Region of Ireland co-operates, primarily with the private but also with the public sector in the regions; in order to identify future skill needs and provide courses which are suitable for the marketplace and how they attract students to participate in these courses. 

NHO is interested in establishing what the critical success factors are and whether these can be replicated in Norway. The overall objective of this preproject is to prepare the ground for a national-level project for NHO with a corresponding focus. Relevant questions which could be addressed are: How did courses offered at institutions of higher education turn out to be so well-adapted to the needs of the private sector? What systems are in place to achieve this? How are Irish students encouraged to study with the main objective being to achieve employment? How are private enterprises encouraged to give up valuable time to cooperate with the regional innovation system?