With reduced travel activity due to the coronavirus, the budget of the outgoing government estimates it will be possible to reduce university and college travel expenses by five percent annually, or NOK 74 million, from next year. The budget will soon be up for consideration in parliament.
‘I hope we can make it to a 50% reduction,’ says the University of Bergen’s climate researcher Tor Eldevik. ‘People may become less restrictive now the practical challenges are gradually disappearing. But based on the overview I have, I expect a significant reduction. We’ve had almost two years to think about this. Many are saying: We cannot continue to travel like we used to.’
At the University of Oslo, Kristian Gundersen is of a different opinion. ‘Some travel can be replaced with digital meetings. But I think the reduction will be limited. Travelling is both expensive and time consuming, so I don’t think there has been so much unnecessary travel,’ he says.
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