Obama's emphasis on research:
New opportunities for Norwegian-American research collaboration
President Obama supports record-high funding for American research. Currently the US is investing heavily in research on energy and health-related issues. This increased focus on research is also creating new opportunities for Norwegian-American collaboration.
Berit Johne
"The US authorities are genuinely focused on basing this research initiative on international collaboration. There are many opportunities for Norwegian researchers and research institutions to explore," said Dr Berit Johne, Counselor for Science at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington, in her opening remarks at a seminar at the Research Council on 14 April 2009.
Opportunities abound for health researchers
Nearly half of the research funding in the US stimulus package is earmarked for health-related research under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Research Council of Norway has taken the initiative to draw up a letter of intent with the NIH that would promote collaboration between Norwegian and US specialist communities in medicine. NIH is seeking more international collaboration, and the Research Council is strongly encouraging research groups in Norway to take advantage of the ensuing opportunities.
The Research Council, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Norway's university medical faculties will hold information meetings at the Norwegian universities to exchange ideas about Norway's collaborative role, says Mari Nes, Director of the Department for Clinical Medicine and Public Health at the Research Council.
Exchange of doctoral candidates
Kari Kveseth
While many Norwegians have completed their doctoral degrees in the US, far fewer US citizens have done so in Norway. Now a new measure is underway to turn this around. Thirteen American doctoral students, all among the top 3,000 doctoral students in the US, will spend two to twelve months at Norway's most outstanding institutions.
"The purpose is to forge contacts at the highest level between Norwegian and American researchers. This measure may seem small, but it can make a beneficial impact in the long term," says Kari Kveseth, Executive Director of International Affairs at the Research Council. The exchange is a pilot scheme to be carried out in three phases.
The scheme, entitled "Nordic Research Opportunity", is being financed jointly by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Research Council of Norway.
Joint research on future gas technology
One exciting Norwegian-US joint research project is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) on gas technologies of the future.
The collaboration was proposed by the MIT researchers after they learned of the volume of innovative energy research being conducted at NTNU. The institutions are planning to share laboratories and exchange research fellows, and they have entered into three-party collaborations with universities in Beijing and Kyoto.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
"We must be clear about what we excel at in Norway," advises Dr Kveseth. "Norway conducts a great deal of innovative energy research with vast potential for international research collaboration. The considerable efforts in energy-related research we are now seeing in the US open up new opportunities that we must capitalise on - to generate new findings as well as utilise them for innovations in trade and industry and government administration."
Dr Kveseth reiterates that the Research Council will be a strategic partner in these internationalisation efforts, and she emphasises the significance of the Research Council's funding instruments in creating a better framework for Norwegian institutions and companies to enhance their international collaboration.
Challenges to Norwegian-US research collaboration
Norway has a longstanding tradition of research collaboration with the US. A considerable number of Norwegian researchers have had research stays there and many have carried out projects in collaboration with US colleagues.
"The climate of collaboration with the US is still good, but to a certain extent this is being challenged by the EU's rising importance as an international player and the emergence of large research groups in Asia," explains Dr Johne. These developments could lead to an increased focus on three-party collaborations in international research activities.
In 2004 the Norwegian Government adopted a strategy for Norwegian research and technology collaboration with North America which stressed that increased R&D collaboration with North America should serve to supplement and reinforce - but not come at the expense of - collaboration with the EU or other international research collaboration.
- Published:
- 24.04.2009
- Last updated:
- 08.03.2011
