Strategic priorities in International cooperation

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Strategic priorities in International
cooperation

• Dr. Karin Refsnes
• Executive Director - Strategic
  Priorities The Research Council of Norway
• Co-chair Joint Committee
• Cape Town, March 14-15, 2005

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The Research Council of Norway is a strategic
governmental agency

• Adviser to the government on research-policy
  issues
• Finance and stimulate public and private RD
• Create arenas for cooperation and knowledge
  distribution

3
RCN financing mechanisms

• Funding from 16 different ministries and the
  Research fund for long term research and
  innovation
• Researcher driven projects 100 financed by RCN
• Large scale and long term projects to
  universities and institutes
• Competence building projects in universities and
  institutes 20 financed by industry, 80 by RCN
• User driven innovation projects 50-70 financed
  by industry
• Centres of excellence (13), new round of CoE (8)
  and Centres of research driven innovation (8)
• Basic funding to research institutes (65)
• Specific funding to young talented researchers
• Different types of seed money for bilateral
  cooperation
• Specific funding to institutes receiving funding
  from EU FP

4
Strategy for the Research Council of Norway

• Enhanced quality in research
• Increased research for innovation
• Expanded dialogue between research and society
• Increased internationalisation of Norwegian
  research
• Do more to foster talent

5
International cooperation

• Enhance participation in international
  organisations
• Increase allocations for bilateral agreements
  with key research countries
• Increase co-financing schemes for EU-projects
• Open research programmes to participation by
  foreign researchers when appropriate
• Work to enhance Norways reputation as an
  attractive host country for foreign researchers
• Expand cooperation between research institutions
  in Norway and other countries by promoting
  network building and participatin actively in
  effort to shape the ERA and EU FP 7

6
Reflections from Norway concerning European
research policy and FP7

• Norway is committed to contribute to a stringer
  and more coherent overall Europaen research and
  innovation effort
• Securing continuity in thematic areas in FP 6 and
  in instruments is of great importance
• Support is given to more emphasis on basic
  research and open competition between individual
  research teams at European level
• FP7 should include more efficient ways of
  including third countries, both developing and
  emerging economies, as well as stimulating
  increased cooperation with USA, Canada, and Japan
  for mutual benefit
• A few new areas
• Oceans
• Sustainable energy systems
• The knowledge society

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The "Oceans" An economic area

• Ocean energy systems
• Marine geology geophysics
• Maritime transport, hazards and safety
• Marine tourism and leisure activities
• Fisheries
• Aquaculture
• Food safety and health
• Biotechnology and bioprospecting

8
Sustainable energy systems

• Increase use of renewable energy
• Activities related to hydrogen and fuel cells
• Increased focus on petroleum research and
  development
• Increased recovery from existing oil and gas
  fields
• Finding and developing new petroleum resources
• Technologies for safe capture, storage and use of
  CO2 - Kyoto perspective

9
The knowledge society

• Renewd attention and broadening of the theme
  Citizens and Governance in a Knowledge based
  society in FP6
• Investing in economic and social sciences and
  humanities, contributes to a better understanding
  of how to create a common knowledge base for
  governance, reforms and re-institutionalisation

10
Bilateral cooperation

• RCN stimulates increased international
  cooperation with USA, Canada, Germany, France,
  Japan and China
• Support to preprojects, 100.000 NOK per project
  (pilot projects, travel, conferences, seminars,
  networking etc.)
• Support to initiating of projects, 500.000 per
  project
• Under special circumstances, preprojects with
  other countries could be supported

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Bilateral agreements administered by NRC

• Egypt (1)
• France (6)
• Germany (3)
• Indonesia (6)
• Italy (2)
• Japan (2)
• China (2)

• Russia (2)
• Singapore (1)
• South Africa (1)
• Taiwan (1)
• Thailand (1)
• USA (1)

Most agreements do not have specific funds
attached to them. South Africa is the major
exception.
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International RD-cooperation

• Between scientists
• Between institutions
• Between research programmes and directed
  internationalisation measures
• Between countries
• Europe the main route
• North-America the strongest RD-region
• Asia the coming economic region

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International cooperation- challenges

• EU increasingly important
• High success rate in FP6
• Bilateral agreements
• Europe, Asia, North-America
• Focus
• Scientific excellence, technological
  opportunities, business relevance

• Norway in 6FP
• High success rate 28
• Part of networks of high quality and position
• 27 national programs in ERA-NET
• Success areas
• Food safety and quality-marine food
• Environment
• Maritime transport
• Energy

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International RD cooperation - Important
trends Norwegian PhD-students abroad

• Reductions in the spending - but more intensified
• International co-writing of articles increases
• The cooperation with USA is most important and
  builds on long traditions
• But the increase is towards Europe
• PhD-students in USA constant, but decrease in
  students - they go to Australia
• International cooperation is less extensive in
  Norway than in the other Nordic countries

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International cooperation- challenges

• EU increasingly important
• High success rate in FP6
• Bilateral agreements
• Europe, Asia, North-America
• Focus
• Scientific excellence, technological
  opportunities, business relevance

• Norway in 6FP
• High success rate 28
• Part of networks of high quality and position
• 16 national programs in ERA-NET
• Success areas
• Food safety and quality-marine food
• Environment
• Maritime transport
• Energy

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Norwegian South African Co-operation in the EU
FRP6
Research area Programme Applications Approved
ICT IST 1 0
Materials NMP 2 0
Food FOOD 2 1
food security FOOD 2 1
Environment GLOBAL 8 1
Social Sciences CITIZENS 1 0
International Co-operation INCO 4 2
INCO 4 2