Clearer priorities set for bilateral research cooperation
The Research Council of Norway has drawn up roadmaps for research cooperation with each of the eight priority partner countries outside the EU/EEA: Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa and the USA.
"The purpose of the roadmaps is to boost our activities vis-à-vis these priority partner countries," explains Kristin Danielsen, International Director at the Research Council. "We are looking to promote more targeted cooperation."
The roadmaps provide a brief overview of Norwegian research cooperation with each of the eight countries, describing their respective research systems and detailing their strengths and weaknesses as research nations. The roadmaps also identify which thematic areas and funding instruments are particularly relevant as a basis for research cooperation in the years ahead.
World-class knowledge and innovation communities
"The roadmaps are a direct follow-up to key points in the 2012 evaluation of the Research Council and the most recent government white paper on research. Cooperation with the world's foremost knowledge and innovation communities is essential to the development of Norwegian trade and industry," emphasises Ms Danielsen.
"The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have rapidly growing economies, which makes them important new markets for products and services. These countries are also emerging as knowledge-producing nations which Norway must actively relate to."
Vast potential
Research cooperation may also support Norway's foreign policy, development policy and industrial policy objectives.
"This opens up many opportunities for research," says Bjørn Tore Kjellemo, Director of the Research Council's Department for Cooperation and Development Research. "At the same time it also requires that we who organise research take steps to ensure that the research is of high quality and that the results are properly applied."
