Synergy and added value Experiences from the Nordic Council of Ministers by Tryggvi Felixson Head of Department The Secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers [e-mail]

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Synergy and added valueExperiences from the
Nordic Council of Ministersby Tryggvi
FelixsonHead of Department The Secretariat of
the Nordic Council of Ministerstfe_at_norden.org
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Overview

• The Nordic Council of Ministers
• The food sector of the Nordic Council of
  Ministers
• Basic principles for Nordic Cooperation
• Examples that illustrate how cooperation can
  yield added value
• The Forest Research Cooperation Committee
• NordForsk
• NICe
• Nordic Chemicals Group
• Preconditions for successful cooperation

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Nordic Council of Ministers

• Governments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway
  and Sweden
• Together with Greenland, Faroe Islands and Åland
  Islands
• Common values small countries joining forces
• 11 ministerial councils for different areas
• Secretariat based in Copenhagen
• Nordic Council operated by the popularly
  elected assemblies of the Nordic Countries

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Basis

• Legal basis
• The Helsinki treaty is the legal basis
• All decisions unanimous/ by consensus
• Decisions are binding, unless national
  constitutions require parliamentary approval
• Other
• Respect for each countries special
  needs/interests
• Activities only initiated if it can be foreseen
  that they yield added value to carry them out
  jointly
• Trust
• Apply the best expertise available

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Three perspectives

• Nordic - Baltic
  sea region /Northwest Russia
• Nordic
• Nordic - European
• Global

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Food sector

• Food and Health
• The overall goal is a wide range of healthy and
  safe foods of high quality, making it
• possible to choose a healthy diet
• Goals (examples)
• Relations between food, eating habits and health.
  
• Nordic Plan of Action for a better life through
  Diet and Physical Activity.
• Develop Nordic co-operation on animal health,
  focusing on reducing the level of zoonoses and
• develop emergency plans for epizooties and
  zoonoses. Improve animal welfare
• Enforce and refine co-operation to evaluate and
  deal with chemical and microbiological food
• risks. Closer monitoring and more regular
  collection of relevant data for risk assessments.
  
• Developing of risk-evaluation models. Draw up
  holistic risk/use models for food.
• Research and development, education and training
• The overall goals are to reinforce and refine
  co-operation on research
• and education, to improve the quality of existing
  co-operation, and to
• help develop new areas of research and education
  
• Goals (examples)
• Strengthen Nordic cooperation in food safety,
  diet and health
• Strengthen cooperation with Nordforsk and NICe

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Nordic Food R D
MR-U
MR-NER
MR-FJLS
Council of Ministers for Trade, Energy and
Regional Policies (MR-NER)
Council of Ministers for Education and Research
(MR-U)
Council of Ministers for Fisheries and
Aquaculture,Agriculture, Food and Forestry
(MR-FJLS)
Executive Committee Fisheries Agriculture
Foodstuffs Forestry
NordForsk
NICe
The Nordic Innovation Centre
NAF
NKJ
SNS
Ad hoc cooperationwith Nordforsk, NICe
Safefoodera
Nordic Working Group on Fishery Research
Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural Research
Nordic Forest Research Co-operation Committee
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SNS Nordic Forest Research Co-operation
Committee

• Aim
• Create Nordic synergy within forestry research by
  granting support to networks, research meetings,
  projects, joint utilisation of unique research
  facilities, etc.
• Promote the development of new research areas
  through initiating networks and task forces
• Promote research co-operation with the Adjacent
  areas
• Strengthen the role of Nordic forestry research
  in European collaboration and encourage Nordic
  forest researchers to take part in international
  projects
• Work to ensure that research results are
  communicated to the relevant parties within the
  Nordic cooperation framework

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SNS organization

• The SNS executive committee has
• two members from each country, and
• one observer from the independent
• area of Åland
• Members represent research institutes,
• research funding bodies, forest
• administration agencies and forest
• owners and industrial interests
• There are 10 networks linked to SNS
• includning
• Group on Urban Forestry, Landscape and Recreation
• Group on Forest Fertilization
• Nordic Forestry Technology Council

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SNS supports
Research projects Preparatory studies for larger
projects (pilot projects) Networking
activities Preparation of applications to the EU
framework programme
Research collaboration should involving at least
three Nordic countries. Countries in the
so-called Adjacent Areas (mainly Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania and northwestern Russia) may also be
included, as long as at least three Nordic
countries participate. Grants will be allocated
in order to create "Nordic synergy". To gain
support from SNS, the research collaboration
should lead to an added value, compared to
unilateral research. laboratories.)
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SNS and CAR
A center of advanced research (CAR) is a joint
Nordic forest research program within a specified
scope with duration of 4-5 yr. It is a network,
approved by SNS, with a specified core in terms
of scientific subject matter and leadership, in
which research is carried out in a decentralised
manner as agreed on in regular planning processes
by the CAR partners themselves and as funded by
the participants. The aim of a CAR is to obtain
synergies and avoid overlapping, minimise
administrative work and to use the total Nordic
RD resources in the most efficient /optimal way. 
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NordForsk

• Responsible for Nordic cooperation within
  research and research training
• Institution established 1 January 2005 under
  the Nordic Council of Ministers for Research and
  Education
• Central players National research councils,
  other research-funding agencies and the
  universities
• Nordforsk Board with 1 member per
  country (high level)

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Food, nutrition and health

• A collaborative programme Nordic Centres of
  Excellence within the issue of Food, Nutrition
  and Health.
• Main objective
• To create Nordic strength by promoting scientific
  excellence and enhancing intra-Nordic research
  collaboration, co-operation and mobility of
  researchers.
• Instruments Nordic centres of Excellence (NCoE).
  Virtual centres of joint objectives
• The co-Nordic support may be allocated to
• extra management and co-ordination costs
• researcher and key staff training
• full fellowships for visiting professors
• full fellowship for post docs from Nordic or
  other countries those running costs that will
  provide added Nordic strength to the NCoE
  results support for Nordic doctoral courses
  arranged by the NCoE and coordinated with regular
  NordForsk courses
• Financing
• All Nordic countries participate paying 2/3 of
  the programme common pot.The Nordic budget
  (Nordforsk) top up and pay 1/3 of the
  programme.
• The budget is 2,3 M Euro per year in 5 years - in
  total 11.5 M Euro

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The creation process

• Theme initiated at political/administrative
  level (CSO-Food). Seminar on Food, nutrition
  and genes with scientists and research councils
  defined the topic. Proposal to Nordforsk.
• Nordforsk Board decision on NCoE for Food,
  Nutrition and Health
• Programme description and procedures developed
  by Steering Committee 1 representative per
  country from national research councils
  observers
• Status Applications just received. Selection
  will be in a 2 stage process. Decision by
  Nordforsk Board medio February 2007
• Major expectations of added value

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NICe

• NICe, Nordic Innovation CentreInstitution under
  the Nordic Council of Minister for Industry/Trade
  
• Operating instrument for promoting an innovative
  and knowledge-intensive Nordic business sector.
  Key words Innovation and a borderless region
• Several Nordic programmes on food safety. They
  have been a model for creation of SafeFoodEra

Development in Foods
Functional Food (2005-2008)
NordFood II (1998 2002)
Processing for food safety (2004-2006)
NordFood I (1993 1997)
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Functional Food

• NICe programmeNordic programme on Functional
  Foods in 2006
• Main objectiveTo make Nordic functional food
  competitive and a healthy choice
• InstrumentNordic cooperation projects.3 focus
  areas (in short legislation, networking,
  innovation and lifestyle)Research institutions,
  authorities and industry from all Nordic
  countries participate in the projects.5
  projects selected
• FinancingFinanced by NICe with 50 (on
  average). The rest of the financing comes from
  national sources, from the partners in a project.
  The NICe budget is 1 M EURO (Over 3 years)

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Creation process

• Theme initiated by NICe
• Think TankMainly participants from or with
  strong relations to the industry. Consumer
  perspective also included. The Think thank should
  come up with proposal of a call for expression of
  interests.
• Reference group1 member from each Nordic country
  representing national research programmes and
  institutions. CSO-Food represented. Appointed by
  NICe. Discussed the industrial input and
  influenced the programme text. A project
  evaluation group evaluated and prioritized
  project applications and gave recommendations
• to NICe.
• NICe Board decided on grants to projects.

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The Chemicals Group
Working group under the Nordic Council of
Ministers (environment) The aim To reduce use
and exposure to dangerous chemicals To increase
the know how about Chemical processes and
chemicals in goods
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The Chemicals Group
National Instrument Regulation of
chemicals Information about use and
risk Development of methods to evaluate
risk International Instruments EU (currently
Reach) Global Convention on Chemicals
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Criteria's for success

• Common values (history, culture, social
  structure, democratic, language)
• Flexible organisation and none-bureaucratic
  adopt cooperative structure that is best for the
  task
• The ability to reorganise/experiment
• Solid experience over in over 40 years proves
  that cooperation yields added value/synergy
• Nordic Budget

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Criteria's for success

• Consensus seeking process
• but always searching the
• highest common
• denominator
• No pressure on individual
• countries voluntary
• participation
• Personal ties
• Mutual trust

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Thank you!