Taught in Tálknafjörður/Westfjords, hub of Icelandic Aquaculture

The “Blue Economy” is no longer just about fishing and fish processing. In the Westfjords, for example, aquaculture has made a sizeable niche for itself, and the increasing uses for seaweeds, kelp and other resources are revealing new opportunities for the marine economy of the future. There are also often ways of increasing value by connecting the Blue Economy with the Green Economy.

This course in the southern Westfjords on innovations in marine aquaculture benefits from having agencies working in the field right on their doorstep. Company visits are an essential course component.

Students are versed in the opportunities and challenges of cold water marine aquaculture.

Course description

This course focuses on marine innovation in the Westfjords and in close co-operation with work life in the area. Students will work during this course with their own innovation project, based on the business canvas model or a comparable method. Apart from that, they will receive input from their teacher through teaching, supervision and discussion, as well as visits to relevant companies. After the end of the course students will have to hand in their innovative project in a written form. Teaching, visits to companies and work with the innovation project amounts to roughly 45 hours, while work for the written form is estimated to take 5 hours.

Learning outcomes

The participant has acquired knowledge that enables her/him to understand the most important challenges and problems of the respective branch, and enables her/him to identify realistic inno­vative projects.

The participant can produce a realistic business plan.

By the end of the course the participants have acquired a sense of their own strengths and limits, as well as how to overcome them. Participants have actively shown creativity by proposing their own innovation-based business idea and can evaluate ad­vantages and disadvantages of projects; both their own and peers'.

Evaluation

Active participation in all parts. Final score: Passed/Failed. Course evaluation contains the following items:

• participation
• active participation in discussions
• substantiated selection and elaboration of the innovation project
• project presentation and consideration of critique
• participation in the practical presentation of the grant-system
• active verification that participants have considered scientific and practical advice
• writing of a realistic business-plan together with the tutor

Schedule

Please take a look at the preliminary schedule. Class teaching, group teaching, group work and individual work, as well as individual guidance will take place all day and also in the evenings.

Teaching facilities

Teaching facilities of this course are in an old schoolhouse, Dunhaga, just at the Tálknafjörðurs large open air swimming pool and in a walking distance of ca. 900 m from the village centre. In Dunhaga is a large classroom, as well as facilities for individual work and group work. The building, with internet connection, will be accessible all day. Part of the course is visits to companies in Tálknafjörður and neighbouring villages.

Overnight stay

The course will be held in Tálknafjörður, the capital of aquaculture in Iceland. Tálknafjörður is a little fishing village of roughly 250 inhabitants. UW has reserved double rooms with shared bathrooms at guesthose Bjarmaland for students in the Coastal and Marine Management programme but capacity is limited and might be in 15 km distance (Bíldudalur or Patreksfjörður). Feel free to contact us for information.

Meals

There is only one little shop in Tálknafjörður and only one Restaurant, open part of the day. This is why breakfast, lunch, supper, as well as coffee/cakes are included in the fee. We make sure that there is a vegetarian option available.

Travel to Tálknafjörður

Reykjavík – Tálknafjörður: 230 km + ferry Baldur   www.seatours.is

Reykjavík – Tálknafjörður: 420 km (via Búðardal/Reykhólar)

Ísafjörður-Tálknafjörður: ca. 460 km (via Hólmavík)

Flights to/from Bíldudalur: www.ernir.is

Travel days

Sunday, 19.03.2017 is travel day to Tálknafjörður. The course starts on Sunday afternoon at 17:00 in Dunhaga schoolhouse next to Tálknafjörður swimming pool. The course ends on Friday, 24.03.2017 at noon with a common lunch. Nota bene there is full teaching on Friday morning.

Duration, Location, Fees

Length: 1 week (2 ECTS) – 19.03.2017-24.03.2017

Location: Tálknafjörður

Language: English (business plan can be in Icelandic)

Participation fee:      ISK 20.000 for participants from work life or other universities

                              ISK 0  for participants from Icelandic state-run universities and Erasmus/Nordplus/n2n

Meals/Coffee            ISK 15.000,-

 

Registration:

http://www.uw.is/opin_namskeid/

Limited capacity, please register timely.

 

Further information

For further information, feel free to contact Peter Weiss, director of UW.  weiss@uw.is   00354 450 3045