The idea of Nordic added value with its varying terms and translations emerged as a guiding principle of official Nordic co-operation after the end of the Cold War and in the face of accelerating European integration. In the present day, it continues to underpin the core principles of Nordic co-operation as a means of articulating the political legitimacy and significance of Nordic co-operation and of guiding funding decisions. However, concepts of Nordic co-operation are not fixed or static. They have evolved alongside the practical development of Nordic co-operation. Furthermore, it is evident that the meanings of key concepts associated with Nordic co-operation vary depending on who uses and interprets them, making these concepts contested, ambiguous and sometimes even a bit enigmatic. Nordic added value, in particular, seems to function both as a political vision guiding formal co-operation as a whole on the one hand, and as a practical instrument guiding co-operation in various specialised sectors, on the other.
Based on the literature review in Chapter 2, the idea of Nordic added value can today be defined at policy level as the positive effects of a joint Nordic effort that take place through:
- Nordic solutions: activities that could otherwise be undertaken at the national level, but where concretely positive effects are generated through common Nordic solutions;
- Nordic solidarity: activities that manifest and develop a sense of Nordic community;
- Nordic capabilities: activities that increase Nordic competence and competitiveness;
- Nordic influence: activities that strengthen the Nordic international influence; and
- Nordic sustainability: activities that foster equal and balanced social, economic and environmental interactions in the Nordic region.
Although there has been a tendency to give these different dimensions varying importance over time and depending on the prevailing context, the concepts of Nordic co-operation have been enduringly linked with both socio-cultural and economic values. Drawing together the way in which the principles of Nordic co-operation have evolved over time, this means that today the idea of Nordic added value contributes to Nordic region-building by strengthening the Nordic region as a cultural and historical community, and as a locally and globally competitive and sustainable welfare society. Furthermore, the principle of Nordic added value is based on target-oriented management, where the mere act of operating at a Nordic level is not seen as yielding sufficient added value, but where the success of joint effort is evaluated according to predetermined goals. Drawing insights from the discussions on the use of nordisk nytta as a criterion for cutting expenditure in the 1990s, a key question that remains is whether the funding or success of any activity at the Nordic level should be assessed by its ability to reach all the predetermined goals or whether some of them carry more weight than others. This is a debate that should take place within the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.
In Nordic research co-operation, the English-language concept of Nordic added value has been prominently established as the key justification and evaluation criteria in recent years. It is used at various stages of research programme cycles, from the planning of programmes to the evaluation of project applications and the assessment of research impact. NordForsk currently provides the most detailed and comprehensive definition of Nordic added value in the context of Nordic co-operation. The concept has been operationalised by extending its meaning to specify activities that are typically perceived as creating Nordic added value in this policy area, while simultaneously recognising that Nordic added value can be defined and described in various ways depending on the sector in question and the focus of co-operation. Although NordForsk has devised its own definition of Nordic added value, several challenges related to attempts to define and operationalise the concept of Nordic added value or similar concepts were identified in Chapter 2.3. These were:
- the simultaneous presence of several concepts and translations;
- ambiguities related to value-based concepts;
- limited available strategies to navigate the conceptual framework; and
- the different interpretations of concepts by various stakeholders.
The analysis of the definition and use of Nordic added value in practice in Chapters 3 and 4 demonstrated that both science experts and researchers perceive Nordic added value mainly as a clear concept and had not experienced any particular challenges when operationalising it. However, upon looking more closely, there were significant differences in the ways in which the concept was understood. The variety of ways in which the concept was discussed in the material are determined by the following factors:
- Nordic added value is a relative concept: The perceived added value of Nordic research co-operation depends on individual and disciplinary differences, and on whether the added value is expected to be generated for the academic or societal level. Activities generating Nordic added value can also be understood as both concrete/material (e.g., pooling of resources and knowledge, expanding the number of high-quality scientific publications) and abstract/immaterial (e.g., similar social structures, shared values, shared cultural and linguistic heritage and similar climate/geography). As the concept can mean many different things to different people, a key challenge is how the Nordic added value principle should be communicated to different stakeholders.
- Nordic added value is a multidimensional concept: Nordic added value is both a set of characteristics or preconditions that contribute to research (e.g., similarity of societies) and an added value that research generates for the Nordic societies and the scientific community. This simultaneous presence of these two dimensions may complicate the evaluation or assessment of Nordic added value when making funding decisions and evaluating the impact of research. Networks, for example, which were highlighted as a particularly important added value in the data, may be perceived both as a precondition and an outcome of research collaboration. Furthermore, networks may contribute to the strengthening of both the academic community and the sense of Nordic community. The definition of Nordic added value as both a precondition and as an outcome draws attention to linguistic differences, as the Scandinavian terms nordisk nytta and nordiskt mervärde are able to convey this multidimensionality more effectively than their commonly used English counterpart “Nordic added value”.
- Nordic added value is a relational concept: The benefit of joint Nordic effort has been traditionally discussed in relation to providing something added to the national level, but in research co-operation, Nordic added value is also prominently defined in relation to the European and global level. In the material, the benefit of co-operating at a Nordic level to the national level was defined in terms of efficiency and resources, whereas the justification for co-operating at the European level rather than the Nordic level was articulated in terms of achieving higher research quality and research renewal. However, these different levels are not mutually exclusive, but complementary. For example, research contributions made by the Nordic countries in the European context may also yield Nordic added value by contributing to region-building and increasing the Nordic influence in the European landscape.
- Nordic added value is a contested concept: While there are undeniably many benefits of collaborating at the Nordic level, the idea of Nordic added value may also convey essentialising and prescriptive connotations of Nordic similarities, uniqueness and exceptionalism. In specific disciplines, limiting co-operation to the Nordic region is not always justified and does not advance science. Sometimes acknowledging differences between the Nordic countries may be just as fruitful. Furthermore, similarities between Nordic societies or their assumed shared cultural and linguistic heritage should not be taken for granted as a factor underpinning successful research co-operation as these are not given for the increasingly diverse Nordic research community.
Attitudes, experiences and support for NordForsk as a facilitator and funder of Nordic research co-operation were very positive as discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. Members of the programme committees perceived NordForsk as the best instrument for co-ordinating Nordic research co-operation and also in itself providing added value to national funding organisations and science advisors. The added value that NordForsk generated for the research communities was also highlighted by the researchers. A particular challenge for NordForsk that emerged from the material was how to increase the visibility and awareness of Nordic research funding.
Conceptual and practical investigation into the idea of Nordic added value in Nordic research co-operation shows that it is crucial to acknowledge the flexible, changing and adaptive nature of the concept, rather than enshrine static and normative definitions. The concept of Nordic added value cannot be used uniformly throughout different sectors of Nordic co-operation nor within Nordic research co-operation. On the basis of the findings presented in this report, the following points are recommended to be considered in the future use of Nordic added value as the guiding principle in Nordic research co-operation:
1. STRATEGIC NORDIC NEEDS AND HIGH SCIENTIFIC QUALITY
Nordic research co-operation must aim at funding and facilitating high-quality research. Combined with the need to create Nordic added value, it is essential to identify particular Nordic needs and strategic areas of expertise when designing research programmes. It is vital to recognise the dual role of research co-operation as facilitating high-quality research and as strengthening the Nordic community. Collaboration with non-Nordic partners remains relevant as it constitutes an important element for ensuring research excellence, although it needs to be viewed in a more multidimensional manner, acknowledging the added value that the participating countries contribute to and receive from the collaboration.
2. BALANCE BETWEEN STRICT CRITERIA AND FLEXIBILITY
The concept of Nordic added value is not static. Its definition changes over time and depending on the context in which it is used and the actors who use it. The operationalisation of the concept must therefore strike a balance between clear guidelines and criteria, and a certain degree of flexibility, leaving room for the development and continuous renewal of Nordic research co-operation. Concepts fail to serve their purpose when taken for granted and as a means of policing boundaries. Consequently, flexibility in their operationalisation is crucial. Rather than enshrining predefined meanings, it is particularly important to leave room for researchers to reflect on Nordic added value to ensure the renewal of Nordic research co-operation.
3. SYMMETRIC COMMUNICATION
In defining and communicating Nordic added value among different stakeholders and across different research programmes, efforts to promote a holistic understanding of the concept and its various interpretations are required. Rather than creating new definitions or attempting new categorisations, this objective could be served by a careful preparation of programme-specific descriptions of Nordic added value and a more informed discussion of the principle in the programme committees. In addition, a broader discussion of the objectives of Nordic co-operation as well as a comparative discussion of the operationalisation of Nordic added value in different joint institutions would be beneficial.
4. REVIEW OF EVALUATION METHODS
Since Nordic added value is primarily a qualitative concept, a key challenge is to enhance the qualitative monitoring of research impact alongside existing quantitative practices to gain a thorough understanding of Nordic added value. Moreover, the conceptualisation of Nordic added value would benefit from being seen more clearly as part of the academic and societal impact of research, rather than as a separate indicator. In the different stages of project evaluation and assessment, it is crucial to consider the relative and multidimensional character of Nordic added value.
Together, these recommendations aim at contributing to the continuation and renewal of high-quality Nordic research co-operation in the future.