We live in a time of unprecedented global challenges with shifting and tense geopolitical situations, climate crises, economic uncertainty, accelerating technological change, and an increasing spread of mis- and disinformation.
The Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council have societal security and preparedness high on the political agenda. In the upcoming Finnish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2025, preparedness and resilience is highlighted as an increasingly important area of co-operation spanning several of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ administrative sectors.
Therefore, the importance of research into preparedness and resilience cannot be overstated.
NordForsk's grants to research networks will help strengthen resilience and preparedness in the Nordic region.
Special Advisor at NordForsk Bodil Aurstad is responsible for the call:
"Naturally, many of the networks we support through this call are looking at what we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic when we next face a pandemic. But the networks aren't just about that. They will also help demonstrate the value of evidence-based decision-making in a crisis situation and how we can strengthen future crisis preparedness in several areas," she says, adding:
"Ultimately, a large part of a society's resilience is about how we deal with challenges such as disinformation and how crisis situations can challenge the Nordic model of society and, not least, shared values such as trust in each other and the authorities."
These six networks receive funding:
- Nordic Pandemic Resilience and Preparedness Network
Project leader: Atle Fretheim, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Partners: Statens Serum Institut, The Public Health Agency of Sweden, The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, The Directorate of Health of Iceland
- Nordic Pandemic Preparedness Modelling Network
Project leader: Birgitte Freiesleben de Blasio, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Partners: Stockholm University, Roskilde University
- Uniting Families across Nordic countries for resilience
Project leader: Katja Upadyaya, University of Helsinki
Partners: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Stockholm University, University of Southern Denmark, University of Iceland
- Nordic Health Crises University Network
Project leader: Johan Von Schreeb, Karolinska Institutet
Partners: University of Stavanger, Roskilde University, Hanken Unversity, University of Copenhagen, University of Iceland - Fair and Resilient Societies - The Nordic Model into the future?
Project leader: Annette Alstadsæter, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Partners: Tampere University, Uppsala University, Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research, Follo Regionen
- The Nordic Disinformation Resilience Network
Project leader: Elzbieta Drazkiewicz, Lund University
Partners: Bifröst University, University of Iceland, University of Southern Denmark, Swedish Defence University, Oslo Metropolitan University, University of Helsinki
