As part of the deliberations on whether Norway should host the European Football Championship in 2016, we analyzed whether such an event would be economically profitable for the country. The conclusion was that the national celebrations and other beneficial effects that cannot be defined in monetary terms will need to have a value of at least NOK 5.6 to NOK 7.2 billion to make EURO 2016 profitable for Norway. Seen that the concept for the event as it has been presented is still relatively immature, it is uncertain whether it will generate a national celebration of this size. NOK 6.4 billion, i.e. NOK 1300 per citizen, seems a relatively ambitious target in the light of what Norwegians themselves have stated in relation to their willingness to pay for sports events.

Norwegian Continental Shelf Quarterly is a retainer service focusing on the development of the oil and gas activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The service started in 2004 and the client base includes oil and gas companies, service and supply companies, and Norwegian authorities. The service has covered a long list of issues ranging from Arctic scenarios, market analyses, cost development on the NCS, concession policy, exploration and production, various questions related to climate change policy, including its impact on future energy markets.

This study shows that during the last 5-10 years there has been a process of change and development within the cities' role as hosts for institutions of higher education and research, and in the way they cooperate with the institutions they are hosting. Our main impression is that there is great variation in the way host cities choose to fulfill that role - some concentrate on creating favorable framework conditions for the institutions they are hosting (i.e., act as facilitators), some are real driving forces for close cooperation, and others limit themselves to a passive role within the four specific areas we have analyzed in this study: 1) Student welfare, 2) Innovation and industrial and commercial development, 3) Workforce and competence development, and 4) Community, cultural and local development. The most notable development has happened within the areas of student welfare and innovation and industrial and commercial development. In general, the host cities have been more interested in developing their connections with the educational institutions than the other way around. The differences between the individual cities can be explained by different starting conditions, traditions and identities, the commitment of individuals and enthusiasts, and the fact that the various cities are at different development stages with regards to visions and strategies, and in regard to the degree to which those have been anchored. The cities need to develop a greater awareness of which role they want to play within the areas described above and at the same time they ought to challenge the Norwegian government to become a real partner to them in their role as hosts.