The idea of “Nordic added value” (Nordisk nytta/nytte, nordiskt mervärde/merverdi) is at the very core of all Nordic cooperation facilitated and funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. It is rooted on the idea of Nordic level collective effort and partnership providing a critical mass for success and expertize. Instead of acting individually on national level, Nordic countries gain benefits and advantages when resources, infrastructures, networks and knowledge are brought together. This facilitates both the development and the influence of the region in a global context as well as the daily lives of the regions 27 million inhabitants.
In Nordic research cooperation facilitated by NordForsk, Nordic added value is a key concept and an assessment criterion. While joint by the idea of Nordic level research cooperation adding value to national initiatives, within research cooperation “Nordic added value” emerges as a multifaceted concept shaped by the various sectors of research and diverse focuses of cooperation.
In the field of research, NordForsk currently defines Nordic added value through two main categories:
- 1) added value generated because the research collaboration is taking place in the Nordic region, and
- 2) added value generated because the research can only be carried out in the Nordic region. Under these two main categories, Nordic added value is produced through various research activities defined by the project owners (NordForsk 2021).
The aim of this project has been to provide a comprehensive examination on the idea of Nordic Added Value in both concept and practice. Investigating what constitutes the concept within broader framework of Nordic cooperation but especially in Nordic research cooperation, a study realised within this project provides an in-depth analysis on how Nordic added value is conceptualized within different sectors of research and on different national levels exploring their similarities and differences.
Report on Nordic added value
So, what is “Nordic added value” and how is the concept used in Nordic research? A report on the findings in the project concludes that there are major differences in how Nordic added value is understood, and lays out four recommendations for future use of the concept.
This as well as other results of the project are published in the report Nordic added value in Nordic research co-operation written by Tuire Liimatainen from the Centre for Nordic Studies (CENS University of Helsinki) and part of the activities of the university hub ReNEW (Reimagining Norden in an Evolving World).
Please note: This is a sub-project under the Nordic Added Value and Vision 2030 project, led by Peter Stadius.
