Together towards the ERA
In July 2012, NordForsk signed an agreement with the European Commission and Stakeholder Organisations in Europe to work together to achieve the ERA (European Research Area). What is the background for NordForsk’s collaboration with the European Commission and the stakeholder organisations? – Strengthening Nordic-European research collaboration is one of the goals set out in the NordForsk strategy for 2011-2014, says Deputy Director Riitta Mustonen. – On this basis, NordForsk participated in the European Research Area (ERA) public consultation in 2011. Our response emphasised the important lessons learnt from the longstanding Nordic cooperation. By working in partnership on the Stakeholder Platform, we have been able to further improve and streamline our own processes and practices. I believe that the actions we are aiming towards will strengthen the general framework of Nordic research cooperation and thus improve the quality of Nordic research. These actions do not extend beyond national legislation, and the Nordic Council of Ministers, to whom we report, has co-signed the agreements.
What are the main results and benefits of Nordic collaboration and NordForsk so far? – I believe that NordForsk’s functions are related to priorities defined in the ERA communication, such as optimal transnational cooperation and competition, an open labour market for researchers, gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research, and optimal circulation, access to, and transfer of, scientific knowledge. These issues are of utmost relevance when developing not only the ERA, but also NORIA, the Nordic Research and Innovation Area. NORIA is a concept that was introduced by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2004. The vision of NORIA is to place Nordic research and innovation at the international forefront through strengthened Nordic regional cooperation. Naturally, NordForsk is strongly committed to the development of NORIA. I see that the main benefit of working in partnership on the Stakeholder Platform is in fact to turn the strategic goals of the ERA into concrete actions – while further developing NORIA at the same time. A few examples may be useful in this context. For instance, NordForsk has updated the Nordic Centre of Excellence (NCoE) grant agreement to ensure that open and transparent recruitment, open access to publications, and gender issues are better taken into account within research teams. The NordForsk Board has approved NordForsk’s gender policy, which addresses both gender balance and a gender perspective with regard to the research activities funded. The Board has also adopted Science Europe’s principles for open access to research publications.
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One result in particular should be mentioned here. This partnership was solidified when we contributed to the first ERA Progress Report 2013.
What progress and results do you expect to see from this collaboration in the future? – Developing the ERA is a process, and I believe that we will identify even more joint activities for future cooperation during this process. Of course there are national responsibilities for developing the ERA, but the stakeholder organisations cover a very broad and diverse landscape of different actors. I am sure that new initiatives will emerge. In addition, the meetings have been very fruitful, as we have engaged in discussion and debate on important topics with the Commission and the other stakeholders. For a small organisation such as NordForsk, it is a marvellous opportunity to network, learn from others, and get inspiration to further improve Nordic research collaboration.
NordForsk Deputy Director Riitta Mustonen. Photo: Terje Heiestad