During the past several years, Norway has been investing heavily in infrastructure in an effort to boost the quality of Norwegian research, distribute tasks efficiently at the national level and strengthen the country's position in the fierce competition for the best and the brightest. The recently published Norwegian Roadmap for Research Infrastructure is now available in English.
The Norwegian Roadmap is a direct follow-up of the Government white paper on research, Climate for Research, and is closely linked to the National Financing Initiative for Research Infrastructure which issued its first call for proposals in 2009.
Constructive overview
This initial version of the roadmap has been drawn up to provide an overview of the Norwegian research infrastructure under development as well as a useful guide for international partners in research collaboration and Norwegian players alike.
The roadmap encompasses infrastructure within all scientific areas and disciplines, divided into large-scale facilities with investment costs of more than NOK 30 million, eInfrastructure, and scientific databases and collections.
National task distribution
"The roadmap applies solely to major national infrastructures that would not be expedient to establish in several locations in the country," said Director General of the Research Council Arvid Hallén when the roadmap was launched this past summer.
Each project on the roadmap involves collaboration between a variety of institutions and research groups. "These players have achieved effective, efficient task-sharing at the national level," asserted Mr Hallén.
A European trend
The Norwegian Roadmap for Research Infrastructure corresponds closely to similar national roadmaps that have been, or are being, drawn up in many other European countries. At the pan-European level, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has established the European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures.
The Norwegian Roadmap seeks to highlight Norwegian participation in international research infrastructures and therefore includes six projects on the ESFRI Roadmap.
Further investments
Seventeen of the projects on the roadmap have their origin in grant proposals submitted in response to the initial funding announcement issued by the National Financing Initiative for Research Infrastructure in 2009.
A second funding announcement for NOK 400 million was issued with an October 2010 deadline. Decisions regarding grant awards under this call are expected to be finalised in August 2011.
The infrastructure financing initiative came out well in the proposed national budget for 2011. Thanks to last year's growth in the yield from the national Fund for Infrastructure, the initiative will be able to maintain its planned budget increase.
