The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, known by its Norwegian acronym NTNU (from Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet), is located in Trondheim. NTNU is the second largest of the seven universities in Norway, and, as its name suggests, has the main national responsibility for higher education in engineering and technology. In addition to engineering and the natural and physical sciences, the university offers advanced degrees in other academic disciplines ranging from the social sciences, the arts, medicine, architecture and fine art.

NTNU has several campuses in Trondheim [[2]], with Gløshaugen, for engineering and sciences, and Dragvoll, for humanities and social sciences as the main two. Other campuses include Tyholt for marine technology, Øya for medicine, Kalvskinnet for archaeology, Midtbyen for the music conservatory and Nedre Elvehavn for the art academy.

NTNU consists of seven faculties with a total of 53 departments. The university has approximately 20,000 students. Academic and administrative staff contribute 4,300 man-labour years of which 2,500 are in education and research. NTNU has more than 100 laboratories and is at any time running some 2,000 research projects.

NTNU welcomes students from all over the world, and has roughly 300 research agreements or exchange programs with 58 institutions worldwide [[3]]. More than 30 of the master’s programmes are taught in English. [[4]]PhD programs are open to qualified applicants, and are paid staff positions that give candidates specific workplace rights and benefits under Norwegian law. [[5]]

NTNU cooperates closely with SINTEF, the largest independent research institution in Scandinavia and one of the largest in Europe, and with St. Olavs University Hospital.

NTNU was formed in 1996 by the merger of the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) (1910), the College of Arts and Sciences (AVH), the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology (VM), the Faculty of Medicine (DMF), and the Trondheim Conservatory of Music (MiT). Prior to the 1996 merger, NTH, AVH, DMF, and VM together constituted the University of Trondheim (UNiT), which was a much looser organization. However, the university's roots go back to 1760, with the foundation of the Trondheim Society, which in 1767 became the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. A group of Trondheim-based institutions including NTNU will celebrate a 250th Jubilee in 2010 to commemorate this history. [[6]]