NordForsk has for the past 20 years provided funding for and facilitated Nordic research co-operation.
We are seeing a growing interest for collaboration, and in the past year we have further expanded our co-operation outside the Nordic region, particularly with the Baltic countries and Canada.
This year, we opened eight new calls and made funding decisions within seven initiatives. NordForsk has allocated funds worth NOK 1.15 billion to new research projects on everything from artificial intelligence to sustainable forestry and research infrastructure networks.
A highlight was the allocation of funding to nine Nordic and North American projects that will conduct research on sustainable development in the Arctic. The projects cover topics such as the ocean, freshwater, biodiversity, overtourism and minerals. This transatlantic collaboration is a historically significant call in the Nordic region. In collaboration with research funders in eight countries, NordForsk allocated a total of over NOK 330 million. This is the first time that Canada and Greenland have participated as funders in one of NordForsk's calls.
Much of the research we fund is of great benefit to society. We have learnt that clinical trial gives hopes for better personalised treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and that research shows promising results for the first commercial perennial grain crop in northern Europe. In the field of children and young people we learnt that young people are not very concerned about major world problems, that children with cancer can receive treatment across the Nordic region and that new report shows improved teaching quality in the Nordics.
Societal security has been high on the agenda for the Nordic Council of Ministers and NordForsk this year. At the Nordic democracy festivals Folkemødet, Almedalsveckan and Arendalsuka, we arranged three high-level debates on hybrid threats for the public. Seven new research projects on antagonistic threats have also received funding this year aiming at strengthening resilience and preparedness. There is a need for new knowledge on how to strengthen the resilience since research show that disinformation is now part of mainstream politics and that families with children play a key role in ensuring resilient societies.
During the year, we have published several reports on topics ranging from what we have learned about long-COVID to key findings and the impact of NordForsk’s research area within digitalisation and research into migration and integration. One of the most important report launches of the year was a mapping of research into quantum technology in the Nordic countries.
In June, we celebrated our 20 years anniversary with a big event in Malmö called Bridging Nordic Science. 130 participants from across the Nordic and Baltic regions took part in the celebrations and contributed to put Nordic research co-operation on the agenda. We discussed the key benefits of Nordic research co-operation and how we can work together to strengthen it in the future.
In 2025, impact assessment at NordForsk has served as a learning tool and our annual impact report was published containing data on publications, policy influence, dissemination activities and other impact indicators. Notable events this year include a series of webinars focusing on research impact and evaluation. These include our annual impact webinar and a joint webinar with the Lithuanian Research Council. Alongside these and other events, we share data, analyses, and insights from our impact activities with stakeholders across the Nordic and Baltic countries and at the European level.