New departments in the Research Council
Reorganisation of research on energy, climate and the environment
Two new departments will ensure better organisation of energy, climate and environmental research at the Research Council. On 1 November, the Department for Energy and Petroleum and the Department for Climate and the Environment were established under the Division for Strategic Priorities.
Anne Kjersti Fahlvik
"The reorganisation is a strategic move to strengthen research in the fields of energy and petroleum, and climate and the environment," says Anne Kjersti Fahlvik, Executive Director of the Division for Strategic Priorities. The new structure is designed to enhance the thematic coordination and follow-up of two of Norway's most crucial research fields, both of which have received even greater attention following the cross-political agreement on climate policy achieved in the Storting earlier this year.
Climate and the environment
Kirsten Broch Mathisen
Kirsten Broch Mathisen is director of the new Department for Climate and the Environment, which is responsible for the NORKLIMA programme under the Large-scale Programme initiative, as well as for polar research and activities under International Polar Year, and for the MILJØ2015 programme.
"Climate research involves more than just energy issues, and in many ways environmental research has been somewhat overshadowed by climate challenges. The new organisational structure will also allow us to concentrate on crucial topics such as environmentally hazardous substances, long-range pollutants and the long-term impacts of these," says Ms Broch Mathisen.
The department is participating in efforts to establish the Klima21 national strategic forum, which will work to gain greater political support for climate research.
Energy and petroleum
Fridtjof Unander
It is important strategically speaking that research on environment-friendly energy and new forms of energy is viewed in the same context as petroleum-related research.
"There is no inherent contradiction in focusing on environment-friendly energy while at the same time maintaining a high level of Norwegian petroleum research," explains Ms Fahlvik. "Petroleum activity will continue to be essential to the Norwegian economy in coming years, and the knowledge gained within that field will have great translational value in relation to new forms of energy," she adds.
The Department for Energy and Petroleum Research consolidates research on new forms of energy from the RENERGI programme, petroleum research from the PETROMAKS programme, and research on the capture and storage of CO2 emissions from the CLIMIT programme. A key task of the department is to follow up the efforts of the strategic initiatives Energi21 and OG21. The department is headed by Fridtjof Unander, who comes from a leadership position in Enova, a state-owned enterprise for environment-friendly energy use and energy production.
"As a leading energy nation, Norway has a special responsibility to promote the development of technologies that can meet challenges related to the environment, energy security and access to energy services by a larger portion of the world's population," says Mr Unander.
- Published:
- 14.11.2008
- Last updated:
- 14.11.2008
More about the new departments
Contact
- Kirsten Broch Mathisen Special Adviser +47 22 03 72 25 kbm@forskningsradet.no
- Fridtjof Fossum Unander Executive Director 22 03 70 19 fu@forskningsradet.no
