SIG is a forum for all NTNU employees (including PhD students) with expertise in Sami culture. Its main goal is to facilitate experience sharing and knowledge development.

There is a significant need for knowledge and methods to incorporate Sami culture in teaching, projects, and research across all faculties at NTNU. The network aims to highlight this need.

Norsk versjon: Samisk interessegruppe - SIG

About the network

Sami Interest Group (SIG) is an interest forum for all employees at NTNU who have expertise in Sami matters. An overarching goal is to be a forum for sharing experiences and developing knowledge. All activities within SIG are voluntary. No one in SIG is released from their regular duties or holds a position specifically to work on Sami issues at NTNU.

The format is informal, and SIG is intended to be an arena for dialogue and participation. The members themselves set the agenda and create relevant conversations and discussions. The network meets once a month and often invites external speakers to talk about what is happening in Sami contexts in other parts of society. This contributes to exciting professional content for the members.

Would you like to join the network? Contact Thomas Kintel at thomas.kintel@ntnu.no.

The Sami Interest Group (SIG) was established following the Norwegian Parliament's commissioning and receipt of the Truth and Reconciliation Report, as well as Trøndelag County now being a Sami administrative area and Trondheim Municipality actively working to promote Sami language and culture. The network emphasizes the need for NTNU to also actively support the development of Sami language, society, and culture.

Competence and knowledge about Sami language, culture, and society can become fragmented at NTNU. There is a lot of knowledge within the organization, with employees working on Sami issues in projects, research, and teaching, and we need to find each other across academic communities, faculties, and departments. The invisibility of Sami matters has long been a status quo after many years of Norwegianization policies. We believe that the Sami Interest Group (SIG) can be both a community and an interest network at NTNU, contributing to making Sami matters more visible. Now that we have such a meeting place, we can help NTNU achieve its goals of diversity and inclusion, laying the foundation for belonging while gathering expertise on Sami matters.

As a Sami Network at NTNU aims to:

• Gather people and Sami expertise from various academic communities within the organization
• Provide a space for sharing experiences, developing new ideas, and projects
• Make Sami matters more visible at NTNU, both internally and externally
• Contribute to a sense of belonging and security for Sami people at NTNU

About Sami February Month at NTNU - and Sami national day February 6th

Sami Month at NTNU was in 2025 an extended celebration of the Sami National Day on February 6th across NTNU's campuses and areas. We carried out a series of activities throughout February, where Sami matters was highlighted through lectures, debates, workshops, music, art, film, flags, and digital content.

The Sami Interest Group and Sami February Month receive support from the "Rector's Funds," allocated by the Committee for Equality and Diversity at NTNU.

Sami February 2025 became the largest and most important event of its kind at NTNU and reached a wide audience of both employees and students. We succeeded in reaching our goals: creating interest, convey knowledge, and showcase Sami matters to everyone at NTNU, and on the other hand, building safe spaces (in a broad sense) for students and employees with Sami affiliation at NTNU.

SIG and NTNU February month is in 2025 funded by NTNU's Committee for Gender Equality and Diversity.