NordForsk: Innovation in Nordic collaboration
The Nordic countries as a region for research are to be given greater focus. Three years after the Nordic research board operating under the Nordic Council of Ministers for Education and Research - NordForsk - was created it has become even more apparent that globalisation presents a big challenge to small countries.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
According to Finnish Liisa Hakamies-Blomqvist and Norwegian Kari Kveseth, respectively the director and board chair of NordForsk, the political decision to set up NordForsk was an act of prescience.
Although the Nordic countries score highly on several innovation indicators, within research each is too small to make a big impact internationally. The establishment of NordForsk has helped in several ways to draw attention to the Nordic countries as a region for research.
Liisa Hakamies-Blomqvist is extremely pleased to note how eagerly Nordic researchers have sought one another out since the joint Nordic arenas were launched. Clearly, researchers recognise the benefits of cooperating at the Nordic level. They understand that by collaborating on joint Nordic projects they have a greater chance of success within EU research.
Not an end, but a means
Kari Kveseth, board chair of NordForsk.
"Nordic cooperation is not an end in itself, but a means by which we can deal with the ongoing internationalisation of research," says Ms Kveseth, who is also International Director at the Research Council. "There is a longstanding tradition of Nordic research cooperation, but it needed to be strengthened and developed more strategically."
2006 was NordForsk's first year of real operation. "That was when the strategy was formulated and the organisation set up. By 2007 the organisation was up and running. Now it is focusing its efforts on furthering those initiatives that have already produced measurable results, as well as introducing a variety of new measures. The launching of the Nordic Centres of Excellence (NCoE) scheme belongs to the first category, while NORIA-Net (see fact box) is a completely new instrument initiated in 2008.
Two new centres
Liisa Hakamies-Blomquist, Director at NordForsk (Photo: Sverre Chr. Jarild)
Over the past few years a total of 17 Nordic Centres of Excellence have been set up within the fields of natural science, medicine, the humanities and social science. The first were created in 2003. In 2007 NordForsk further reinforced the scheme by setting up two new centre programmes: one for food, nutrition and health and one for research into the welfare state. Here NordForsk has hit upon two topical research areas, where top-notch Nordic research groups already exist.
"The establishment of the first Centres of Excellence has been evaluated and must be regarded as a major success. We therefore plan to invest further in such high-competence centres in the years to come," states Ms Kveseth.
In her opinion just saying that "cooperation is good thing in itself" is not enough. There also has to be a scientific goal that is really worth working towards. The NCoE scheme is based on substantial national investments and has provided the impetus for more and better research through task-sharing and cooperation.
"The researchers see that the status of a Nordic Centre of Excellence makes them more visible and attractive internationally. That is why they are more than willing to take on the vital role of coordinators for Nordic networks," she explains.
But the NCoE scheme also presents NordForsk with a number of challenges. These lie primarily in the fact that two thirds of the funding has to come from the national level. "It has proven difficult to bring in money from national funders for joint Nordic projects when the area of research has not yet been decided," the chair of the board continues.
Nordic added value
The aim of NORIA-Net programme is to create added value for those participating in the networks. Both national research councils and other funding bodies take part, and several of the projects could lead to joint Nordic research programmes in the years to come.
"Other projects under the NORIA-Net programme are aimed at identifying best practice in the national research councils as regards referees/peer review systems, assessment methods, cooperation with the EU, cooperation in Asia etc. There is much to suggest that we waste resources and overlook opportunities when each of our countries approaches these issues separately. There is no doubt that we can learn from and use each other to develop better organisations," asserts Ms Kveseth.
"The potential benefits of Nordic research collaboration have quite clearly not been fully exploited. Institutions in the various Nordic countries function in very similar ways, we know each other well and our work is often governed by the same principles. All of these factors enhance the possibility of increased collaboration in the future," she concludes.
NordForskNordForsk was established by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2005. The organisation is responsible for Nordic collaboration in research and researcher training. NordForsk seeks to promote research of a high international calibre. NordForsk has three functions: coordination, financing and policy input, providing the Nordic Council of Ministers with advice and input in the field of research. NORIA-NetOver the past few years the EU has been developing the concept of a European Research Area (ERA). The aim is to achieve better coordination of European research capacity through collaboration. The ERA-Net is a network between those who design and administer national research activities in the European countries, primarily research councils, directorates and government ministries. In 2007 NordForsk launched NORIA-Net, a coordination programme similar to the EU's ERA-net, aimed at enhancing coordination and collaboration between national research and innovation administrators and funding bodies in the Nordic countries. In total seven projects with broad Nordic participation have been selected. NORIA-Net is an important initiative for identifying areas of national priority, that can be strengthened through joint Nordic collaboration. |
- Published:
- 18.09.2008
- Last updated:
- 08.03.2011
