The prize they have received is called the ICDE Institutional Prize of Excellence for 2025, and it was presented during a formal ceremony at a conference in New Zealand in front of 600 participants on Thursday.
“I feel pride, joy and great recognition for what SELL has worked on for 35 years. In recent years, we have been working systematically with an international focus, and it is particularly gratifying to receive such an award,” says Mette Villand, Head of the Centre for Lifelong Learning.
ICDE is an international network of leaders and driving forces for open and accessible education that has existed since 1938. Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of 340 institutions from a total of 90 countries that are members of ICDE.
Great recognition
The Centre for Lifelong Learning is a development unit for continuing and further education at the Inland School of Business and Social Sciences – Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, and works to facilitate and develop flexible educational programmes for various target groups and needs.
SELL was among a number of nominees for this award, a prestigious prize for ICDE’s members.
– What does receiving this award mean for you?
“It means a lot! The award demonstrates the value of international collaboration, and above all it allows us to highlight the work we do. We see that international work also strengthens our region, as educational programmes we develop in international projects are also offered to the labour market in Innlandet,” says a proud Villand.
The jury’s statement reads, among other things:
“A unanimous, independent jury has made the decision. It is a major recognition of the work you have done in putting lifelong learning on the international agenda.”
Villand would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone at SELL for their outstanding work over the years, and highlights in particular Associate Professor Brit Svoen, who chairs the conference programme committee and has been the coordinator of four EU projects.
Read the full reasoning from the jury here:
The University of Inland Norway (INN) has been an active member of ICDE since the 1990s and has for many years demonstrated leadership in open, flexible and online learning. This has taken place through initiatives that extend beyond the institution’s own boundaries.
Since 2019, the Centre for Lifelong Learning (SELL) has organised the ICDE Lillehammer Lifelong Learning Conference, which has developed into an important international meeting place for hundreds of participants from more than 80 countries.
INN’s commitment to quality is clearly expressed through international cooperation and active participation in the governing bodies of ICDE and other organisations in the field.
As a partner in the EMERGE European University Alliance in 2023, INN has led innovative projects related to educational equity and social inclusion. The institution leads Work Package 5: Flexible Lifelong Learning for Adults, which develops new learning pathways for marginalised groups.
Over the past decade, SELL has participated in five EU projects aimed at strengthening social inclusion and employment for vulnerable groups, including refugees and people living in poverty.
Recently, SELL received funding to lead the Erasmus+ project Learning to Learn Through Micro-Credentials in a Regional Setting (L2L MicroCred), which addresses how micro-credentials can be made more accessible to those who need them most.
Through targeted efforts, academic leadership and concrete contributions, INN has established itself as a role model in the development of open, flexible and online learning internationally – and has helped create space for collaboration and initiatives that offer real societal value, both nationally and globally.
Lifting us further
The head of SELL believes the prize will have significance both for the centre and for the university.
“For INN’s international work, this is very important. Such a prize may help us expand our international network, allowing for further cooperation in more international projects.”
Secondly, the prize may help fill the seats at SELL’s major international conference in 2027, which will be held for the fifth time.
“The award makes us highly visible among ICDE’s many hundreds of member institutions worldwide. It will be a mark of quality that I hope will increase interest in the ‘Lillehammer Lifelong Learning, ICDE conference’ in just over a year,” Villand says.
The last time the conference was held in Lillehammer, more than 400 participants from 80 different countries attended.
– Why is SELL’s work important for the University of Inland Norway?
“As a university, INN has a social mission and a responsibility to contribute to competence development throughout society. Lifelong learning ensures that employees have up-to-date and relevant skills throughout their lives, and that this knowledge benefits individuals, the labour market and society as a whole – throughout life,” concludes Mette Villand.
Contact information:
- mette.villand@inn.no
- Phone
- +47 99 57 79 26