NordForsk celebrated its 20th anniversary in Malmö in June this year,
where we were presented with a selection of examples of the excellent work
carried out in the projects we have funded. It was with pride that I could
see the impact these projects have contributed to, both within the research
communities and for society at large. This is further documented in this
year’s Impact report.
We live in a world marked by increasing competition between countries
and regions, and by declining trust between states and peoples. In recent
years, we have seen how research cooperation with China has come
under pressure, and, to both shock and sorrow for many of us, research
cooperation with the United States can no longer continue as before.
When the world around us feels more threatening and uncertain, it is
good to have good neighbours. The Nordic countries are geographically
located far to the north, we share values, we have fairly similar institutions,
and we have long traditions of cooperation. There is growing interest in
strengthening Nordic collaboration in many areas, and I sense a renaissance
in Nordic research cooperation.
Contributing to create Nordic Added Value is NordForsk’s “reason to be.” In
recent years, we have therefore placed great emphasis on clarifying what
is meant by Nordic Added Value in research cooperation. We have made
the concept clearer for applicants seeking funding from NordForsk, and
we place strong emphasis on researchers reporting on this dimension of
their collaboration. We know that this is information many read with great
interest, and it helps maintain the support and trust of Nordic politicians
and partners in NordForsk’s work.
This year’s report follows the same format as last year’s, with only minor
adjustments in reporting.
Finally, I would like to thank all grant holders who have conscientiously
reported from their projects and thereby helped ensure that the report
provides a good picture of the research NordForsk has funded in recent
years.
Arne Flåøyen, Director of NordForsk