The Norwegian Washington Embassys Research and Technology Forum Review

1
The Norwegian Washington Embassys Research and
Technology ForumReview Assessment of First
Three Years

• Norway-U.S. Science Higher Education Week
  Washington, D.C.
• October 4-6, 2004

2
Background

• Launched in Washington in December 2001 as
  integral part of the Norwegian Governments then
  newly adopted overall USA Strategy
• General recognition of the need to strengthen
  Norways RD relations with the U.S. (implicitly,
  not only with the European Union) also,
  against the background of a dramatic reduction of
  Norwegian students in the U.S.
• The Embassy in Washington mandated to establish a
  targeted Forum -- quickly expanded to include
  Canada, anchored in Norways Embassy in Ottawa

3
Organization
4
Overall Objectives

• Strategically re-energize and broaden
  co-operation and contact between Norwegian and
  North-American RD-institutions, companies,
  research labs and higher educational
  institutions.
• The initiatives to be targeted, spanning basic as
  well as applied research and technology , espec.
  in areas where Norway is strong and becomes an
  attractive partner
• Contribute to the enhancement of collaborative
  transatlantic research based innovation,
  commercialization and stimulate creative/dynamic
  institutional networks.

5
Past Forum Events

• Launching of the Forum Thematic focus
  Presenting Norway Front-Line Energy
  Information Technology Partner, Washington,
  December 4-5, 2001, with Prime Minister Kjell
  Magne Bondevik, Minister of Petroleum and Energy
  Einar Steensnaes, and Deputy Minister of Trade
  and Industry, Oluf Ulseth
• Presenting Norway Front-Line Medical Health
  Research and Technology Partner, Washington, May
  15-16, 2002, with Norwegian Minister of Health,
  Dagfinn Hoeybraaten
• First Annual Meeting and Conference, Washington,
  September 17-18, 2002, with focus on
  collaborative research in energy, climate,
  medicine, sustainable marine management, coupled
  with a Special Transatlantic Dialogue on
  Educational Exchange, with Norwegian Minister of
  Education and Research, Kristin Clemet
• Norway U.S. Cooperation on Space Research
  Satellite Communications Technology in Northern
  Regions, at Carnegie Institution in Washington,
  December 9-11, 2002, coupled with World Pemiere
  Showing of the Film Documentary about Norwegian
  Scientist Vilhelm Bjerknes, The Father of Modern
  Meteorology

6
Past Forum Events cont.

• Forum Conference on Marine Fisheries Research,
  Management, Technology and Trade, February 3-4,
  2003, with Norwegian Minister of Fisheries, Svein
  Ludvigsen, organized as a two-track conference,
  first Washington, then Ottawa
• The Embassys First Forum Workshop Dialogue
  between Norway and the World Bank Group,
  Washington, May 12-13, 2003
• A Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Genetics and Health
  - Research Frontiers and Ethical, Social, Legal,
  and Economic Issues, Washington May 16, 2003, a
  Forum Symposium in cooperation with CSIS, with
  Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik and Dr Rita
  Colwell, NSF, among the Keynote Speakers
• The Environmental Impact of Agriculture and
  Energy Use How New Technologies, including
  Biotechnology, can Provide Sustainable
  Solutions, Minneapolis, June 29-July 1, 2003,
  with Norwegian Minister of Agriculture Lars
  Sponheim, co-organized with the University of
  Minnesota and the Norwegian Consulate General in
  Minneapolis

7
Past Forum Events cont.

• Second Annual Forum Meeting, A
  TransatlanticUniversity Summit, Washington,
  October 6, 2003, with Norwegian Minister of
  Education and Research, Kristin Clemet. (with a
  total of 28 universities and colleges represented
  (8 Norwegian, 3 Canadian, 17 U.S.)
• Second Annual Conference, Climate Change and New
  Energy Technologies, Washington, October 7,
  2003, with Norwegian Deputy Minister of Education
  and Research Bjoern Haugstad and Nobel Laureate
  Sherwood Rowland, co-organized with National
  Academy of Sciences, and University of Maryland
• Norway-Canada Seminar on Research, Technology,
  and Innovation, Ottawa, November 7, 2003, with
  the Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa as principal
  organizer through the Forum
• The Forums First Transatlantic Networking
  Conference on Research, Innovation, Technology
  Transfer, and Commercialization, Washington D.C.,
  December 3, 2003, in co-operation with Georgetown
  University
• Forum Seminar on Science and Security The
  Transatlantic Dimension, with CSIS, Washington
  D.C., December 12, 2003

8
Past Forum Events cont.

• Forum-initated Collaborative Medical Research
  Workshop between the University of Johns Hopkins
  Medical School and University of Oslo,
  Baltimore, March 29, 2004, with Nobel Laureate
  Peter Agre
• Forum-initiated Collaborative Medical Research
  Workshop between University of Harvard Medical
  School and University of Oslo, March 30, 2004,
  Boston
• Norway U.S. Forum Seminar on Defence-related
  RD, Norwegian Embassy, April 30, 2004
• The Second Workshop Dialogue between Norway and
  the World Bank Group, Washington, May 10-11,
  2004, with Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister
  Torhild Widvey
• Collaborative U.S.-Norway Medical Research
  Seminar, Minneapolis, June 23, 2004, in
  co-operation with the University of Minnesota and
  the Norwegian Consulate General in Minneapolis
• The Enviromental Impact of Agriculture and Energy
  Use, -- a follow-up of the Minneapolis Seminar in
  2003, at Staur Gaard, Norway, August 16, 2004,
  hosted by Norwegian Minister of Agriculture, Lars
  Sponheim (included 15 U.S.participants)

9
Past Forum Events cont.

• Third Annual Meeting of the Forums Advisory
  Board, Washington, October 4, 2004, the principal
  topic being Transatlantic Co-operation in
  Research and Higher Education
• Third Annual Forum Research Conference, Meeting
  the Climate-Energy Challenge, Washington,
  October 5, 2004, in co-operation with the
  Carnegie Institution
• Forum Workshop on International Health,
  Washington, October 5, 2004, in co-operation with
  National Institutes of Health, NIH, through Dr
  Reidar Lie.
• Forum Workshop on U.S.-Norway Petroleum RD
  Coperation, Washington, October 6, 2004,
  co-organized by Norwegian Research Council
• Forum Workshop on U.S. Norway RD Cooperation on
  New Energy Environment Technologies,
  Washington, October 6, 2004 , co-organized ny
  Norwegian Research Council

10
Remaining Event in 2004

• The Second Transatlantic Conference on Research
  Based Innovation, Technology Transfer,
  Commercialization -- to include focus on the
  establisment of a Transatlantic Accelerator
• In Washington, D.C., December 2, 2004, in
  co-operation with Innovation Norway, Georgetown
  University, and Virginia Tech
• Plans underway for a series of events in 2005
• Special Opportunity Work futher with the Kavli
  Institute / Kavli Foundation, including their
  plans for the Kavli Prize being given in Oslo
  more on this later today from President David
  Auston.

11
Preliminary Assessment

• Transparent results/effects
• The Forum is still around after 3 years, in
  good health
• New institutional research agreements facilitated
• Strengthened / broadened networks of persons and
  institutions
• A principal effect Official Norwegian
  commitment, by now launching a special long-term
  RD strategy for North America, with funding
• Forum Budget means increased Started with
  practically zero seed money in 2002, up to US
  200.000 in 2004, anticipating significantly
  more from 2005 onwards (the real costs
  /investments over the last 3 years substantially
  higher, close to USD 3 million, including the
  participants self-financed travels, time spent,
  etc)

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Preliminary Assessment cont.

• Less concrete/measurable results/effects
• Whether in effect increased interest, knowledge,
  motivation and commitment for transatlantic
  cooperation in RD and higher education?
• Long-term strategic value?
• Whether the assumed new, re-energized process
  will have lasting effects indeed make a
  difference (including the potential for a New
  Fulbright Generation)?

13
Some Measurable Results / Effects

• Forum-facilitated RD Agreements / MOUs
• University of Oslo with Johns Hopkins University
  Medical School
• MOU NOAA Fisheries/ Norwegian Institute of Marine
  Research
• MOU Aquaculture - Norway/Canada
• University of Oslo with University of North
  Carolina, University of Oregon and University of
  Washington
• University of Bergen with Millennium Institute,
  Washington D.C.
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
  NTNU, with University of Maryland
• University of Stavanger with MIT
• University of Oslo with Harvard Medical School
• University of Stavanger with University of
  Michigan and St. Olaf College, Minnesota
• University of Minnesota and Norwegian University
  of Agriculture

14
Number of Agreements, Norwegian and
North-American educational institutions, 2001
2004
15
Some Process-related Effects

• New procurement related contracts and also
  additional contractual employment for Norwegians
  in the wake of the two Norway-Word Bank Dialogues
• New and expanded personal and institutional
  contacts, visits, and networks
• Several spin-off joint publications and
  workshops
• Follow-up Seminars (Brussels and Oslo)
• Media coverage, including at educational
  institutions in the U.S., Canada and Norway.

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Commitment from Norwegian Minister of
Education and Research, Kristin Clemet

• The Second Annual Meeting in the Norwegian
  Research and Technology Forum proved to be of
  significant interest both from a U.S. and
  Norwegian perspective, to further develop
  co-operation. I will assure you that we will do
  our best to pursue the forum achievements so far.
  I also appreciated that I could witness the
  signing of the many agreements between Norwegian
  and American Universities during the Forum
  meeting. My impression is that Norwegian
  Universities actively work to realize these
  agreements.
• Letter from Clemet to Ambassador Vollebæk, Oct.
  15, 2003

17
Preliminary Milestones

• The Forum has contributed to the formulation and
  recent adoption of a long-term Norwegian RD
  strategy for N.America
• The accumulated attitudinal effect of 3 years
  of activities, involving 25 meetings,
  conferences, workshops and seminars, both in
  Norway, the U.S. and Canada, involving a total of
  2600 participants, including 800 speakers
• Continuous focus on inter-university partnerships
  Norway-North America, following a special Forum
  survey in 2003.A Partnership Inventory has been
  established with contact information about key
  Norwegian and North American international
  educators
• The likely prospect of a Bilateral U.S-Norway
  Agreement in Science and Technology being signed
  later this year

18
Where the Forum has not made much progress

• In promoting stronger contact cooperation
  between RD oriented industry and businesses in
  Norway and North America.
• In helping to reverse or slow down the sharp
  numerical decline of Norwegian students in the
  U.S. (on the positive side, an increase in
  Canada)
• To stimulate the increase in the number of U.S.
  students and researchers going to Norway

19
Some other Significants

• Transatlantic research and higher education a bit
  more clearly on the Transatlantic radar screen
• Research and higher education events also serving
  as Norway-U.S. public diplomacy initiatives,
  including the Annual Forum Meetings Conferences
  in Washington -- the visibility factor
• Research and higher education higher on the
  agendas of Norways Embassies in Washington and
  Ottawa, with the respective Ambassadors as
  committed Champions. Also involving our Consulate
  Generals, and hopefully offering needed
  inspiration to traditionally Norway-oriented
  North American Colleges and Universities

20
Some other Significants cont.

• The Norwegian Governments newly adopted Strategy
  will hopefully send good and the right signals to
  the research and higher education institutions on
  both sides of the Atlantic the next years.
• In total, our Forum activities much inspired by
  sequence of events and resultant processes -- The
  Road Ahead to be staked out with new energy, and
  some real budgets