Mission:
The Research Council of Norway acts as a government adviser, identifying present and future needs for knowledge and research. The Council is also a funding agency for research programmes and independent projects, strategic programmes at research institutes and Norwegian participation in international research programmes. In addition, the Research Council has a role as a co-ordinator, initiating networks and promoting co-operation between R&D institutions, ministries, business and industry, public agencies and enterprises, other sources of funding, and users of research.

Budget:
Approximately one third of Norway's public sector research investment is channelled through the Research Council. The remainder is transferred directly from the ministries to the relevant research institutions. In 2005, Norway spent a total of NOK 29.6 billion on R&D, of which public sector allocations accounted for roughly NOK 12.9 billion.

In 2007 the Research Council of Norway has a budget of NOK 5.6 billion
(654 million Euro)

Activities:

• Basic research
• Thematic R&D areas:
  • marine research
  • information and communication technology
  • health research
  • energy and climate research
  • biotechnology
  • petroleum research
  • material science
• 21 Centres of Excellence (examples):
  • Aquaculture Protein Centre
  • Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
  • Center of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
  • Centre for Cancer Biomedicine
  • Centre for Integrated Petroleum Research
  • Centre for Molecular Biology
  • Centre for Quant. Quality of Service
  • Centre for Software Components for Biomedical Flows
  • Economics, Institutions, and Social Forces: Confronting Theory with Nordic Lessons
  • Int. Centre for Geohazards
  • Mathematics for Applications
  • Physiscs of Geological Processes
  • Ships and Ocean Structures

 Research divisions

• Division for Science
• Division for Innovation
• Division for Strategic Priorities

Staff:
Total 350, of which 100 within the Council's Division for Innovation  

Contact:

Stine Madland Kaasa
The Research Council of Norway
Stenberggata 26
P.O. Box 2700 St Hanshaugen
N-0131 Oslo