Founded in the spring of 2019 by students Paal Arthur S. Thorseth and Kaja Juel Solheim, together with Innovation Manager Jan Onarheim, Njord began as a vision to create a hands-on arena for students passionate about autonomous systems and marine technology. What started as an ambitious idea has since grown into one of NTNU’s most multidisciplinary technical organizations.

Each year, Njord hosts Njord - The Autonomous Ship Challenge in Trondheim — an international student competition where teams design, build, and operate autonomous surface vessels. The competition gives students a unique opportunity to apply theory in practice, collaborate across disciplines, and gain valuable experience in a rapidly developing field.

From 2026, Njord enters a new chapter. In addition to organizing the annual challenge, we are now developing our own Autonomous Surface Vehicle (asv), which will compete in national and international competitions. This marks Njord’s evolution into a twofold organization — both as a host and a competitor — reflecting our mission to not only inspire, but actively push the boundaries of maritime autonomy.

Today, Njord NTNU consists of over 30 students working across various fields, including project management, hardware, perception, control autonomy, marketing, business relations, and competition planning. Together, we share one goal: to shape the future of autonomous maritime technology and to inspire the next generation of world-leading engineers.
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If you are interested in joining Njord NTNU and contributing to the development of autonomous systems, maritime innovation, and future engineering talent, we’d love to hear from you. Check out our available positions here.