NordForsk organised a scientific session, Nordic Registers and Biobanks: A Goldmine for Precision Medicine Research at this year’s AAAS meeting, which was held in Washington D.C. The session addressed how the Nordic registries are used in research, and shed light on how Nordic research councils and policymakers work together to promote cross-border cooperation. Speaking at the session were Camilla Stoltenberg, Director General of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Paul Franks of Lund University and NordForsk's Maria Nilsson.
NordForsk with partners are issuing a call for proposals for research projects under the Joint Nordic-UK Research Programme on Migration and Integration. The call has a budget of NOK 65 million.
For several centuries, the Nordic countries have collected information on each of their citizens. There are registries in the region dating to the 1700s, with information on birthplaces, marriages and deaths, among other particulars. Today there are even more registries and linking their data together can provide a detailed record of each individual’s journey through life. This treasure trove of information could be a unique source of insight for Nordic researchers. On 17 February, during the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in Washington D.C, Dr. Maria Nilsson, talks about how NordForsk has invested heavily in efforts to promote Nordic research cooperation based on registry data.
NordForsk, the Norwegian Cancer Society and the Research Council of Norway have pooled their resources for an historic initiative on paediatric cancer research and will be allocating a total of NOK 30 million for three Nordic projects on personalised cancer treatment for children. With their focus on Nordic cooperation on clinical studies, these projects will help to give children diagnosed with cancer access to the very latest treatment methods. “I’m excited to follow the progress of these projects, ” says Bent Høie, Norwegian Minister of Health and Care Services, “not only because they are strong projects on their own but also because they can help expand Nordic cooperation on clinical research.”
The Nordic Committee on Bioethics and NordForsk is launching the fifth edition of Legislation on biotechnology in the Nordic countries. The report provides an up-to-date overview of legislation in a variety of areas, including assisted reproduction, human biobanks, cloning and embryo research.
NordForsk received 218 applications in response to the call for proposals under the Joint Nordic-UK Research Initiative on Migration and Integration with a deadline of 15 November 2018. The UK is represented in a large share of the projects, demonstrating that researchers in the Nordic countries and the UK see great value in working together, says NordForsk Director Arne Flåøyen.
In connection with the Session of the Nordic Council 2018, NordForsk organised the lunch seminar “Opportunities and challenges for Nordic health data research for Nordic members of parliament. The purpose of the seminar was to demonstrate the untapped potential for Nordic use of cooperation on health data, and to highlight existing barriers and bottlenecks that pose obstacles to Nordic research based on registry data. The 2018 session was held at the Storting in Oslo.
The study of migration is instrumental in providing a better knowledge base for decision-makers – and promoting a more informed population at large. A new NordForsk policy paper maps the current Nordic integration and migration landscape, and suggests measures that can improve the policy relevance of research activities.
