Nominate members to the Research Council's portfolio boards
Until 15 October, anyone can nominate members for ten new portfolio boards. The portfolio managers are appointed by the Research Council's Board of Directors and are due to take office on 1 January 2024. The portfolio boards have a term of office of four years.
The portfolio boards will play an important strategic role in following up the overall objectives of research and innovation policy. Each portfolio board is responsible for a specified portfolio area, but must also maintain cross-cutting perspectives.
You can find all the information you need to familiarize yourself with before submitting suggestions on this page. This includes:
- The mandate of the portfolio boards
- The general criteria for portfolio board members
- The area of responsibility of each portfolio board
- The competence needs of each portfolio board, beyond the general criteria
Here you will find forms for submitting proposals (in Norwegian only). The deadline for submitting proposals is October 15 at 11:59 p.m., and is absolute. We ask for, among other things, the candidate's year of birth, email address, place of work and a reason why the person is suitable for the portfolio board you propose him or her to.
The information you enter may become openly available. To achieve the desired balance sheet and expertise on the portfolio boards, the list of proposals may be supplemented by the Research Council administration after the deadline.
Criteria for portfolio board members
The portfolio boards are appointed as a board of directors whose members represent themselves and not institutions, organisations, companies or similar.
Common criteria
Overall, the members of each portfolio board should satisfy several criteria:
Professional competence
- solid professional and strategic expertise, preferably at an international high level, and a broad overview of national and international developments within the portfolio board's area of responsibility,
- good knowledge of challenges and potential in an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to society's knowledge and competence needs, including humanities and social science perspectives and the opportunities in digitalisation for research and innovation,
- good knowledge of how research can be made available and used.
System expertise
- good knowledge of how the university and university college sector, the institute sector, health trusts, the public sector, business and industry and civil society collectively contribute to research and innovation,
- good insight into the major societal challenges nationally and internationally, the need for restructuring and the role of research and innovation in meeting these,
- strategic holistic approach to national and international research funding.
The portfolio boards will have members from various sectors such as the university and university college and institute sector, the public sector, health trusts, business and industry and organisations. It is also relevant to have one or more international members, but they must master a Scandinavian language. We will also strive for an overall system of governance with geographical spread, diversity, gender balance and where Sami perspectives are represented.
Impartiality
We are dependent on at least half of the members being impartial in the matters to be considered by the portfolio board. We will also take this into account in the composition of the board.
Area of responsibility and competence profile for the individual portfolio boards
Go straight to a description of the various portfolio boards:
No new portfolio board for Sami research is appointed at this time, since the current portfolio board was appointed in 2022 and has a term of office until the end of 2025.
The portfolio board for the research system
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The Board is responsible for research infrastructure, international cooperation, cross-cutting policy areas such as open science (incl. sharing and reuse of research data), gender balance and diversity, researcher recruitment and early careers, and research integrity and ethics.
The Board of the research system shall also advise the Board and administration on policy development and overall strategic assessments that have a system perspective, including the Research Council's strategic role for the development of the university and university college and institute sectors and the development of a well-functioning research system nationally and internationally.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
Board members should have good expertise in the research system as a whole and understand the overall challenges.
The board shall be represented by one member on each of the other portfolio boards.
The portfolio board for groundbreaking research
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board is responsible for promoting long-term, basic research of the highest scientific quality, irrespective of discipline and topic. This research is in itself an important part of society's development and provides a broad knowledge preparedness and an important starting point for meeting societal challenges in the short and long term.
The goal is to advance the research front and build Norwegian academic communities at a high international level. The board has an overall responsibility for professional development, both based on the distinctive nature of the disciplines and for meeting society's needs.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
Board members should have excelled in basic research and have a strong interest in professional development, cutting-edge research and the connection between basic and applied research. Members from industry and the public sector with a background in research are also relevant.
Innovation Portfolio Board
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board has system responsibility and responsibility for promoting sustainable innovation in trade and industry, the public sector and in research, regardless of discipline, topic and application, and for basing its work on the transition to a low-emission society. This includes efforts to promote green value chains in cooperation with other boards and policy instruments.
The aim is to contribute to value creation and restructuring of industry and the public sector throughout the country, to regional development and to innovation from research institutions. The Board of Innovation shall also provide advisory services to the Board and the administration in policy development related to the Research Council's role vis-à-vis the innovation system.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
Board members should have expertise and experience in the entirety of the entire research and innovation system. The board should be broadly composed of members from research, business, the public sector, organisations and commercialisation and capital actors.
Portfolio Board for Democracy and Global Development
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The Board is responsible for addressing major societal challenges nationally and internationally. The portfolio will generate knowledge about how Norway can maintain and further develop a well-functioning, democratic and secure society, with the ability to face crises.
Responsibility also includes research and development on international relations and security challenges, global health and migration and development research.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
Board members should cover a wide range of disciplines, technologies and interdisciplinary research fields, beyond the central social science disciplines. Expertise from the humanities, health sciences and geopolitics and the global south is relevant. The board should have members from the public sector.
The portfolio board for climate and environment
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board is responsible for basic and cross-sectoral efforts vis-à-vis climate, environment, nature and circular economy, and has overall responsibility for research for polar areas. This includes ecosystem effects of human pressures, the effects of climate and nature changes, greenhouse gas reductions, land use and encroachment on nature, and society's adaptation and transition to climate change.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
Board members should have interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral expertise. The board should be familiar with polar areas, including Svalbard.
The Portfolio Board for Enabling Technologies
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board is responsible for ICT, nanotechnology and biotechnology, which have a wide range of application areas and the potential to contribute to major changes for individuals, society and industries.
The technology areas shall be further developed and utilised in a socially responsible manner through convergence between technologies, with different disciplines and with the private and public sectors. Important areas are artificial intelligence and digital security.
The Board shall view the efforts, development and use of the technologies in light of international trends and Norwegian advantages.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
Board members should have a good insight into the research, innovation and technology landscape and understand the potential of the technologies and their significance for societal development.
We also want sectoral expertise beyond the ICT sector, such as materials technology and the health, maritime, teal and energy sectors.
The portfolio board for energy and transport
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board is responsible for efforts to promote environment-friendly energy, low emissions, petroleum, maritime activities and transport. The efforts are largely aimed at society's and businesses' need for the transition to a zero-emission society, green competitiveness and sustainable utilisation of the country's resources.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
The board members should have expertise that covers the entire spectrum of disciplines, technology and management areas, business development, value creation and economic development.
Food and Bioresources Portfolio Board
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board's portfolio includes food and bioresources from both sea and land. The board is responsible for efforts to promote sustainable value creation and management in Norwegian agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture and the food industry, along the entire value chain.
It is important that the portfolio builds knowledge that is also used by industry and the public sector. The social mission of sustainable feed is anchored in this board.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
The board members should have expertise that covers the entire spectrum of disciplines, technology and management areas, business development, value creation and finance.
Health Portfolio Board
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board is responsible for the entire range from health-promoting measures and prevention, via diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation, to the organisation and streamlining of the health and care services. Good public health, safe, high-quality health services and a competitive health industry are the objectives of the Research Council's efforts. The board will further develop the portfolio to contribute to sustainable health, care and welfare services for all.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
The board should have members from all types of research organisations, the public sector, health industries and patient organisations.
Portfolio Board for Welfare and Education
Description of the portfolio board's area of responsibility
The board is responsible for efforts to promote the social and economic sustainability of the welfare society, and shall contribute to a diverse society with high trust and limited exclusion, an adaptable and inclusive working life and a competent population that participates actively in education, work and society.
The responsibility also includes macroeconomic challenges, migration, media, culture and civil society. The social mission of including more children and young people in education, work and society is anchored in this board.
Wishes for a competence profile beyond the general criteria
In addition to relevant research expertise, board members should have experience from cross-sectoral research and collaboration. There is a need for broad academic expertise from different research fields, but particularly relevant is professional competence in the social sciences and humanities. The portfolio board should have members from the public sector.
Messages at time of print 27 April 2024, 07:26 CEST