A minister-level visit, EU funding, and active use of the Norwegian Science and Technology Counsellor in Tokyo are some of the measures being taken to increase research cooperation with Japan.
"There is significant potential for increasing our joint activities," says Special Adviser Thomas Hansteen, who is the Research Council's contact person for research cooperation between Norway and Japan as well as Norway and China.
Japan, one of the world's leading research nations, is among Norway's highly prioritised research partners. Since 2003 the two countries have had a productive state-to-state agreement on research cooperation.
Research Minister to visit Japan
Tora Aasland, Minister of Research and Higher Education, will be travelling to Tokyo in February to strengthen ties with the Japanese authorities and research stakeholders. In preparation, the Research Council will be holding a seminar for Norwegian research groups and companies in Oslo on 24 January. Here, the research community will be able to provide input on how the authorities can best facilitate cooperation with Japan. State Secretary Kyrre Lekve will be representing the Ministry of Education and Research.
The Norwegian delegation will be giving priority to research areas such as energy and the environment, safe seafood and materials technology.
New opportunities through the EU
"The EU and Japan recently signed a cooperation agreement on research and technology development," explains Mr Hansteen. "As a participant in the EU Seventh Framework Programme on Research and Technology, Norway has access to an entirely new channel of funding for research activities with Japanese players."
New Science and Technology Counsellor to Tokyo
The Norwegian Science and Technology Counsellor in Tokyo works to promote cooperation between Norway and Japan on these fronts. The hiring process for a new counsellor is underway; the position has been announced, with an application deadline of 31 January.
The Research Council funds 50 per cent of this position, which is administered by Innovation Norway.
