Lansering av det polsk-norske forskningsfondet

Kunnskapsminister Øystein Djupedals tale ved lansering av det polsk-norske forskningsfondet, Warszawa, 26. september 2007

Dear Minister Sewerynski, your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very glad indeed to be back in Poland for this important event. In fact, Michal, you are the European research minister I have met the most in my period as a Minister, and it is the second time I visit you in Warsaw in less than a year. This time, I think the occasion is a particular pleasant one. The launching of the bilateral research fund today marks our long history of academic cooperation, and the importance our countries attach to research and international research cooperation. I am convinced, that the research fund will further strengthen the relationship between our two countries.

For Norway, Poland is a friend and an ally. Even if Poland and Norway are different in many ways, such as geographical positions, history, culture and the size of our populations, the relations between our two countries have always been excellent.

Also when it comes to research and education, there are strong ties between our countries. The establishment of the bilateral research fund builds on long traditions of cooperation between researchers, universities and other academic institutions.

Even if our country is not a member of the European Union, we have been full members of EU’s Framework Programmes for research and technological development since 1994. In the 6th Framework Programme , Poland and Norway participated in almost 250 projects together. Mostly in the fields of ICT, environment and agriculture. We are also partners in 14 so-called ERA-net’s, which is, as many of you know, a cooperation between research funding agencies at European level. This makes Poland one of Norway’s top twelve partners in the Framework Programme. In fact, our researchers cooperate as much with researchers from Poland as they do with researchers from Denmark and Finland. I think that the bilateral research fund will contribute to strengthening our position within the seventh framework programme, and be a positive contribution to the European Research Area.

I am confident that the Polish-Norwegian Research fund will be a success, and strengthen the relations between our countries even further.  As ministers, our role here today is to launch the first call for proposals. Proposals can be submitted from today until the 28th of December. More than 15 million Euros are available to projects within the fields of environment and health. Priority will be given to large projects, the upper limit being 2 million Euros. I think the fund can make a difference, and I would like to see lasting results from this mechanism.

Issues related to the environment and to health, such as how to tackle the consequences of climate change and to provide health care services to an ageing European population, are of course among the main challenges facing the European societies. Consequently, they are important priorities in the research policies both in our own countries and in Europe as a whole. I trust that the results from projects financed by the fund will give important input to policy-making and further development of these important research-fields.

Both topics are broadly defined. “Environment” will allow for projects within topics such as polar research, energy, including alternative energy sources, forest research and water. “Health” will cover fields such as health systems, health care services and telemedicine.

I think that the presentations from the researchers later today will show that the fund can build on fruitful bilateral research cooperation already established.

Let me mention Polar research as an example. An important arena for Norwegian Polar research is Svalbard, the an archipelago of islands situated between Northern-Norway and the North pole, at almost 80 degrees northern latitude.  As you know, Poland has had its own research station in Hornsund, run by the Polish Academy of Sciences since the 1930’ies. I have not yet been there, but when I visited Svalbard together with the European Commissioner for research Mr. Janez Potocnik in July this year, we had the pleasure of meeting Polish researchers on board at the research vessel Oceania. The ship is financed by the Institute of Oceanology at the Polish Academy of Science, and is measuring the water quality in the Artic region. The project is a part of a larger project called Damocles, which is financed by EUs sixth framework programme for research, and also includes Norwegian researchers. Both the Commissioner and I enjoyed the ship and were  impressed by the insight we got from the Polish  researchers which clearly illustrated the high quality of Polish Polar research.

Svalbard is also an important arena for research carried out during the International Polar Year (IPY). The IPY provides many possibilities to strengthen our bilateral cooperation, especially at Svalbard.  Many of the IPY projects with Norwegian funding include Polish partners.

In conclusion, our long tradition and strong involvement in Polar research is a natural and good platform for research cooperation in a number of areas that I think will benefit the projects in the environment field.

In the area of health research, cooperation already exists between Poland and Norway in many areas, also within the fields that the fund focuses on. Later today, Kai Håkon Carlsen will give a presentation of an ongoing research project between, Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Medical Centre in Oslo, and their cooperating partner at Jagellonian University. There is also interest for cooperation within the field of telemedicine. I am sure there is a great potential for extended cooperation within these and other important health areas that the fund can support.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Norway is firmly committed to contributing to social and economic development in the enlarged European Economic Area. For this purpose, EEA Financial Mechanisms have been established, with Poland as the main beneficiary country. Their objective is also to strengthen our bilateral relations.

The bilateral research fund  is to a large extent financed through the EEA-grants and it is topped up with 3 million Euros from the Polish government. As many of you know, the Polish priorities for the the EEA-grants in general include the environment, sustainable development, cultural heritage, human resources, health and childcare, Schengen acquis –and notably – research within these topics. In fact, the results from both the first and the second call for proposals, showed that most of the applications were from the research institutions, and many of these included Norwegian partners. To me, the fact that the Polish government has made research a main priority within the EEA-grants, is a clear indication that Poland, like Norway, has understood that the future of the modern society must build on knowledge and research.

Today, travelling between Norway and Poland is easy, with several direct flights every day. This is an indication that there is much mobility of people between our countries. Many thousand Poles are working in Norway, and more than  seven hundred Norwegian students attend Polish universities. There is also an increasing interest from Polish students to study in Norway. I had the pleasure of meeting Norwegian students at the Jagelonian university in Krakow in October last year. It was impressive to visit this institution with such a long academic history. The fact that so many Norwegian students go there to study, in particular medicine, should be a proof that polish science and institutions are of top quality. Later today, I will even meet lecturers  teaching Norwegian at Polish universities. Altogether, there are many indications of growing mutual interest between our countries. Another example which will broaden our  cooperation even further would be if we can make the Polish-Norwegian Scholarship fund a reality shortly. This would stimulate even more mobility of students and stronger cooperation between our institutions. The scholarship fund will also be financed through the EEA-grants, and I am sure that my colleague has pushed for this to be realized.

The minister and I share a strong commitment to research. By establishing the fund, we have seized an opportunity to provide funding for excellent research projects on important topics for both our countries. I am very pleased that the board has been established and has started its work. I would also like to thank the Information Processing Centre (OPI) for organising this conference. Both OPI and the Research Council of Norway have done important work in the preparing the fund, and I think  they will both profit from continued cooperation. The fund has become a reality because of political will, based on long traditions of research cooperation.

But in the end, research policy is nothing without researchers with good ideas, partners and projects. Now it’s up to you.

Thank you!