Long-term plan should shift focus, says council

Norway’s plan to direct public research spending should prioritise “cultural and global changes”, the Research Council of Norway has suggested.

Social development and challenges have changed since the long-term plan was adopted in 2014, the council said in a statement on 12 January. To reflect the changes, the plan should be revised to include a seventh priority theme on cultural and global challenges, it said. This would entail more research on culture, integration, inequality and conflict. 

The plan’s existing six priority themes are: oceans, climate change, public-sector renewal, enabling technologies, world-class research groups and an innovative industry.