Norway

Facts & Figures

Norway

Where

• Norway

Research infrastructure

In 2018, there were 46,600 full-time researchers in Norway (1). Norway has 32 accredited universities and university colleges: 10 public universities, 7 specialised university institutes, 2 private, 8 public university colleges, and 7 private university colleges (there has recently been a merger of universities and university colleges) (2). Norway has 48 research institutes (3), 44 Centres of Excellence, (4), 22 Centres for Research-based Innovation (SFI) (5), and 13 Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (6).  

Organisation	City
Public universities
University of South-Eastern Norway	Bø, Telemark, Porsgrunn, Notodden, Rauland, Drammen, Hønefoss, Kongsberg, Horten
Nord University	Bodø, Levanger
OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University	Oslo, Akershus
University of Agder	Kristiansand, Grimstad
University of Bergen	Bergen
University of Oslo	Oslo
University of Stavanger	Stavanger
UiT The Artic University of Norway	Tromsø
Norwegian University of Life Sciences	Ås
Norwegian University of Science and Technology	Trondheim, Gjøvik, Ålesund

Research funding

In 2018, the gross domestic expenditures on research and development were NOK 72.8 billion (€7.13 billion), which comprises 2.06% of the country’s GDP (1). Most funding was spent in the industrial sector (32.8%), higher education sector (25.2%) and institute sector (14.8%) (1).

Norway had 1.943 signed grants receiving €1.6 billion and 104 ERC grants receiving €183 million (7).

Research strategy

Research and higher education are central to the development of a sustainable society, where knowledge is the key to new, green and profitable jobs and a better and more efficient public sector. Technological development, with digitalisation as a pervasive element, offers great opportunities, but also offers challenges with regard to, among other things, privacy and social security. Inequalities in society are increasing, and contradictions are polarizing. At the same time, we face major challenges in terms of climate and environment, which can only be met in cooperation with other countries. This forms the framework for the government's long-term plan for research and higher education. The overall goals of the plan are to strengthen Norway's competitiveness and ability to innovate, meet major societal challenges and develop professional environments of outstanding quality. The plan has a ten-year perspective, with a specification of goals and focus areas for the coming four-year period. The government presented the first long-term plan for research and higher education in 2014. The long-term plan is revised every 4 years (8).

Research governance, compliance and integrity

The current Norwegian research ethics system is regulated by the Research Ethics Act of 2017, which secures the independence of the ethical committees, promotes the individual researcher’s responsibility to familiarise with and follow ethical standards, and emphasises that research institutions must ensure that all research conducted in their institution is in accordance with ethical standards (9).

The three National Research Ethics Committees – The National Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (NEM), The National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH), and The National Commission for Research Ethics in Science and Technology (NENT) – were established in 1990 to coordinate and support work on research ethics on a national level. The National Commission for the Investigation of Research Misconduct (GRU) was established in 2007 as a separate commission for the investigation of research misconduct, in accordance with the first Research Ethics Act of 2006. Since 2008, there is also The National Committee for Research Ethics on Human Remains (SKJ). In 2013 these bodies were united as the National Research Ethics Committees in Norway (FEK) established as a separate unit under the Ministry of Education and Research (KD) (10, 11).

At the national level, NEM, NESH, and NENT have a proactive approach, aimed at teaching or at approving or advising research projects. GRU is in charge of investigating serious cases of research misconduct, providing guidance to individual researchers and institutions, as well as overseeing their work. Moreover, GRU can investigate cases of research misconduct that happened abroad if they involve researchers employed by a Norwegian institution. (12).

The members of all the national committees are appointed by KD based on input from The Research Council of Norway. GRU is chaired by the person with judicial experience and members are appointed from different scientific fields. Moreover, at least one member should be from abroad (13).

All medical and health research projects involving human subjects require the approval of Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK). The Norwegian Board of Health Supervision has supervisory responsibility for medical and health research. It can intervene if research projects or research biobanks are operated in a harmful manner. It can supervise research regardless of where the research is conducted. Norwegian Medicines Agency has a supervisory role for clinical trials of medicines. All animal experiments are subject to notification and approval before they can start. (13).

There are 7 REKs in Norway situated in 5 different regions. Universities, i.e. medical faculties have ethics committees for medical and health research ethics which are guided by NEM. Moreover, NEM is an appeal body for these ethics committees (14).

Health Trusts have established procedures for handling issues regarding research ethics and some have established ombudsman (13).

Most Norwegian universities emphasize the responsibility of each researcher to adhere to ethical standards and the institutional responsibility to promote ethical standards. Moreover, universities usually have guidelines for research ethics and some universities have action plans for promoting good research practice and preventing research misconduct. Universities should have an ethics committee and/or committee for the investigations of misconduct (13).

The Norwegian Association for Higher Education Institutions (UHR) has also developed guidelines for processing issues of research ethics and promotes them among universities (13).

The Association of Norwegian Research Institutes (FFA) established an ethics committee for 48 institutes to deal with cases of misconduct and provide advice and support regarding ethics and integrity in research (13).

Norway has a number of guidelines and checklists regarding ethics and integrity in the different scientific fields, for example Guidelines for Research Ethics in Science and Technology (NENT), Guidelines for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and Humanities (NESH) and various guidelines (NEM).

Based on the provisions of the Research Ethics Act on, each institution should prevent and handle cases of research misconduct. All research institutions must have an independent commission for investigation of possible cases of scientific misconduct. Moreover, institutions must inform GRU about handled cases and institutions are in charge of sanctions, whether they are proposed by the Commission or brought by the institution (9). Although investigations of alleged cases of research misconduct are done usually by institutions, some cases are handled by the GRU. The Commission can handle cases that are brought by individual researchers, institutions or it can decide to conduct an investigation by itself if it has knowledge about the non-adequate handle of the case at the local level. It also investigates more serious cases of research misconduct. Cases of research misconduct are usually published annually and anonymously by the Commission (11).

According to the Act relating to the working environment, working hours and employment protection, an employee has a right to notify censurable conditions at the employer's undertaking. When supervisory authorities or other public authorities receive notification concerning censurable conditions, any person who performs work or services for the body receiving such notification shall be obliged to prevent other persons from gaining knowledge of employees' names or other information identifying employees (15).

Bodies for RE+RI	Scope
The National Research Ethics Committees in Norway (FEK)	Ensure that all research is conducted in accordance with recognized research ethical norms. The committees do preventive work, counselling, publish general and specific decisions and investigate individual cases concerning possible misconduct.
The National Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (NEM)	Addresses complaints under the Health Research Act on decisions in Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK).
The National Committee for Research Ethics in Science and Technology (NENT)	The committee provides counsels and recommendations concerning ethical questions in concrete research projects in the area of science and technology, including agriculture and fisheries. In addition, it organises seminars and publishes reports and books on research ethics issues.
The National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH)	Gives its opinion concerning ethical questions on specific research projects in the area of social sciences and humanities and evaluates these projects. In addition to giving advice in individual cases, external activities such as the organisation of seminars on research ethical issues are an important part of NESH’s work.
The National Commission for the Investigation of Research Misconduct (GRU)	Guides the research institutions on how to handle cases on research misconduct. The research institutions shall also report to the commission on the handling of all misconduct cases.
The National Committee for Research Ethics on Human Remains (SKJ)	Evaluates the ethical aspects of research where the source material consists of human remains which are in public museums and collections, or which will be found in future archaeological and other surveys.

Laws and regulations

A number of laws regarding RE and RI are officially instated in Norway.

Law	Scope
Personal Data Act	Ensures the protection of natural persons in with regard to the processing of personal data, the free exchange of such information and the repeal of Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation)
Research Ethics Act	Contributes to ensuring that research under public and private auspices is conducted in accordance with recognized research ethics norms.
Research Ethics Regulation	Provides regulations on research ethics committees and commissions.
University and Higher Education Act	Makes possible for universities and university colleges to provide higher education at a high international level, conduct research and academic and artistic development work at a high international level, and disseminate knowledge about their activities and promote an understanding for the principle of academic freedom and the application of scientific and artistic methods and results, both in teaching students, in their other activities and in public administration, cultural life and business and industry.
Health Research Act	Promotes good and ethically sound medical and health research. It applies to medical and health research on humans, human biological material or health information. Such research also includes pilot studies and experimental treatment.
Health Care Act	Contributes to safety for patients and quality in the health and care service as well as trust in health personnel and the health and care service. The law applies to health personnel and companies that provide health care in the country.
Biotechnology Act	Ensures that the medical use of biotechnology is utilized for the benefit of people in a society where there is room for everyone. This shall be done in accordance with the principles of respect for human dignity, human rights and personal integrity and without discrimination on the basis of hereditary systems based on the ethical norms enshrined in our Western cultural heritage. The law applies to human medical use of biotechnology etc. and includes assisted reproduction, research on fertilized eggs and cloning, fetal diagnostics, genetic examinations of births and gene therapy etc.
Regulations of the capture and collection of game for scientific or other special purposes	Ensures that the capture and collection of game for research, teaching, information, farming, etc., must be carried out without inflicting unnecessary suffering of animals and without reducing nature’s productivity.
Regulation on Animal Experimentation	Ensures that animals governed by the Regulation receive correct treatment and are not subjected to unnecessary pain and suffering. Regulates experimentation with animals, and in addition the breeding, rearing and keeping of animals that are to be utilized in experiments.
Gene Technology Act	Ensures that the production and use of genetically modified organisms and the production of cloned animals take place in an ethically justifiable and socially acceptable manner, in accordance with the principle of sustainable development and without adverse effects on health and the environment.
Animal Welfare Act	Promotes good animal welfare and respect for animals. It applies to conditions which affect welfare of or respect for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, decapods, squid, octopi and honey bees. The Act applies equally to the development stages of the animals referred to in cases where the sensory apparatus is equivalent to the developmental level in living animals.

Measures to promote good scientific practices and open science

RI training

The Research Ethics Act of 2017 imposes the responsibility of the research institutions to provide training in research ethics (9).  FEK are not responsible for training as such. However, FEK has established several national initiatives related to training:

-       A Research Ethics library containing articles and cases (including on research integrity)

-       A yearly conference for teachers and people responsible for research integrity at the different institutions

-       The secretariat for the Committees takes part in a wide range of teaching activities at different institutions (11).

RI dialogue and communication

NEM, NENT and NESH cooperate with GRU on the prevention of research misconduct, combining proactive teaching and advise on RE/RI with retroactive investigations of misconduct.

NEK organises an annual two-day meeting for all its members. The aim of the meeting is professional replenishment and discussion (16). It also organises open debate meetings on various research ethics topics (16).

REK organises one national conference per year for all members of all committees for networking purposes and for addressing issues of common interest. It also organises coordination meetings twice a year between the chairs of the committees and respective secretariats (14).  

According to the University and Higher Education Act, all universities and HE-institutions have a “third mission”. In addition to teaching and research – communicating research to the public and society at large (17).

The Research Council of Norway promotes collaboration between research communities (18). It also promotes translation of research findings to society by awarding researchers with the Award for Excellence in Communication of Science. This award is assigned to researchers who demonstrated outstanding communication of their research results and they put the effort into promoting research and research knowledge to society (19).

The Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters usually organises 12 meetings, open for public, with topics covering the various academic fields (20).

The Norwegian public trust in science is high. According to a survey conducted by Response Analysis for the Norwegian Bar Association, about 85% of Norwegians say that they have great confidence in researchers (21).

Research integrity is often discussed in the lay press, usually about cases of research misconduct. There were also some publications regarding a national project named Research Integrity in Norway (RINO), which aimed to map the prevalence or research misconduct and questionable research practices in Norwegian universities, university colleges, and research institutes (22).

In addition to national media, many universities have their own independent press covering research, i.e. Khrono, På høyden, Uniforum and Universitetsavisa.

Another platform is Forskning.no, initiated by the Norwegian Research Council in 2002. It is usually about cases of research misconduct.

RI incentives

The national funding system for research is partly based on performance-based incentives. This influences the research system as a whole.

The Norwegian Research Council conducts national evaluations of disciplines and research fields, emphasizing quality, relevance and impact. This creates an awareness of different modes of communication, participation and impact.

Institutions such as the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters offer awards for research.

There are also various incentives for collaboration of research and industry/business. Norwegian government promotes cooperation between national research and innovation and foreign companies, research institutions and scientists. The Research Council promotes cooperation between research and industry through various programmes and measures.

An Industrial PhD programme was launched for enhancing cooperation and mobility between research and industry, increase research activity in the industry, and equip newly-educated researchers with knowledge of relevance to their company. The company receives a grant of 50% of the rates for doctoral fellowship for a period of three years or 37.5% of the rate for a period of 4 years with 75% research activity (23). 22 Centres for Research-Based Innovation (SFI) are established to enhance cooperation between research enterprises and research groups (5).

Norwegian Innovation Clusters is a programme aimed to support activities in industrial business clusters composed of companies competing internationally (24).

Norway provides R&D tax relief. Since 2020, the headline credit rate has been uniformed to 19% (25).

Guidelines

Norway

A total of 12 guidelines were found. Add a Guideline.

• The Norwegian Act on Ethics and Integrity in Research (The Research Ethics Act) (February 2022)
• The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Consultation paper – Research Ethics in Norway (February 2022)
• The University of Oslo's 10 commandements for ethical practice in research (February 2022)
• The University of Oslo's Guidelines on Handling Conflicts (February 2022)
• Reporting censurable conditions for employees at University of Oslo (whistleblowing) (February 2022)

... further results

Andrijana Perković Paloš, Elsa Amin contributed to this report. Latest contribution was Oct 22, 2021