ERA-LEARN reports on Finland and Norway coming up soon

Based on the analysis, Finnish researchers appreciate the low administrative burden in projects supported by European Partnerships and the multidisciplinary approach promoted, while they also value the smaller scale of the projects that enables true collaboration and trust building.

Not being an EU Member State does not discourage Norway from performing quite well in European R&I Partnerships. Enjoying a higher return rate (i.e. share of funds going to Norwegian organisations in the overall funding of projects) in European Partnerships than in H2020, Norway invests high amounts per researcher as compared to its peers.

Accordingly, Finnish Ministries and Funding Agencies mark the high value for Finish researchers and businesses in terms of the opportunities partnerships offer for international collaboration as well as the benefits for policy learning and policy design. Yet, Finland does not fully exploit these opportunities. The complicated landscape and the administrative diversity across the partnerships are serious impediments that need to be remedied. The efforts of the European Commission in streamlining the implementation processes and clearing up the landscape are much appreciated in this regard. The commitment of the Finnish government to increase the public R&D funds is also encouraging in view of increasing investment in international collaboration.

Norwegian researchers appreciate the opportunities offered by partnerships for European as well as international collaboration and highly appreciate simple application and evaluation procedures. They consider that partnerships are valuable instruments in filling existing gaps in many respects and should be retained and further supported in the future. The new approach to partnerships in Horizon Europe is welcomed by Norwegian officials especially in relation to streamlining the administration and management efforts and clearing up the populated landscape.