Centres of Excellence in Global Change

The objective of the Nordic Centre of Excellence (NCoE) programme, which focuses on research in the field of global change, was to raise the quality and visibility of Nordic research internationally, to increase cooperation and to promote researcher training between Nordic scientists in the field.

The programme also aimed to support an appropriate specialisation in research as well as a suitable division of work between the Nordic countries. The centres complemented each other and thus helped to guarantee the efficient and flexible use of Nordic resources and infrastructures.

The programme was funded during a 5-year period (2003-2007) by the Joint Committee of the Nordic Natural Science Research Councils (NOS-N), the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Plannin (Formas), the Nordic Council of Ministers, and the Nordic Research Board (NordForsk). The annual funding was around 1.58 million euros.

There were four centres of excellence in this programme. The programme was a pilot, aiming at testing the suitability of a centre of excellence concept in the Nordic research cooperation. Three of the centres were networks of research teams working in the Nordic countries, and one provided facilities and infrastructure support to Nordic researchers. The centres received basic funding from their national sources. The funding provided by the Nordic Centre of Excellence programme was intended to cover grants and salaries for visiting researchers and PhD students, as well as additional expenses caused by administration and coordination. The Secretariat of the programme operated in the Academy of Finland.

Nordic Centre of Excellence Programme on Global Change evaluated in Oslo

All parties that have been involved in the Nordic Centre of Excellence (NCoE) Programme on Global Change (2003–2007) met for a summarising seminar in Oslo on 22 January 2009.

The participants at the seminar were unanimous that the Centre of Excellence Programme had been a success. During the five-year programme period, the four NCoEs within the programme have all produced valuable results in global change research and created a model for Nordic cooperation that works extremely well.

The end of the programme is not the end of successful cooperation, however. It is hoped that the research units and the excellent researchers who took part in the programme will continue their successful inter-Nordic research cooperation even after the end of the programme period.
 
More information:
http://www.nordforsk.org/news.cfm?path=3&id=840

Harry Zilliacus
Senior Adviser
tel. +47 94 83 86 81
harry.zilliacus(at)nordforsk.org

Pasi Sihvonen
Science Adviser
tel. +358(0)9 774 88 434
pasi.sihvonen(at)aka.fi