Iceland's minister of education and culture, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, signed on Friday the renewed contract regulating the overall relations between the ministry and the University Centre. This contract replaces an older contract from 2006, which had been limited to a period of five years.

The contract states two main goals, that is optimising Westfjords residents' access to study opportunities as well as aiming for better cooperation and integration of education, research and labour market development.

By this renewed contract, the ministry consolidates the work of some academic centres in the countryside. Depending on respective budget appropriation through the parliament, the contract defines the centres' responsibilities in order to fulfil set quality criteria.

At the same time comparable contracts were signed between the ministry and Háskólafélag Suðurlands as well as Þekkingarsetur Vestmannaeyja. Halldór Halldórsson, head of UW-board of directors, signed on behalf of the University Centre of the Westfjords.

Please find the ministry's press release (in Icelandic) here.