Norway’s government told to keep out of research

Policy experts slam Norway’s lack of scientific freedom, praise Denmark for focus on excellence

A Swedish academic has told off Norway’s government for trying to place too much control on the kind of research undertaken at the country’s universities. 

Gunnar Öquist, professor emeritus at Umeå University and an expert on the Nordic research sector, has said Norway’s funding model for science puts academic freedom at risk. Speaking to Swedish research magazine Curie, Öquist was critical of the way the Research Council of Norway is funded, because the money that is awarded by the ministries comes attached with guidelines on what it should be used for.