Norwegian Roadmap for Research Infrastructure 2023

Background to the assignment 

The Research Council will follow up the recommendations in the policy instrument evaluation of the National Financing Initiative for Research Infrastructure (INFRASTRUKTUR) to develop a more prioritizing roadmap that takes into account international trends, the need for new investments and upgrades of existing research infrastructures in a 15-year perspective.   

According  to Tools for Research – National Strategy for Research Infrastructure (2018-2025) (in Norwegian), the main purpose of the national roadmap is to highlight Norway's need for updating research infrastructure in the time ahead, within a realistic budget framework. The roadmap describes the strategic basis for the Research Council's thinking and priorities regarding research infrastructure and plays a key role in the selection of projects awarded funding.  

The Research Council will update the roadmap prior to each call for proposals for funding from INFRASTRUKTUR. This edition will be the seventh in a row. There are still major unidentified needs for research infrastructure nationally. A more long-term and prioritizing roadmap will contribute to the process of achieving a good balance between investing in upgrading existing infrastructures that are still important for future research, and at the same time having room to invest in new ones.  

Mission 

An external committee will prepare an overall draft of the new Norwegian roadmap for research infrastructure. The composition of the committee shall ensure that the roadmap has a broad national foundation, and that professional breadth, geographical spread and gender balance are safeguarded. The main tasks of the committee will be to: 

• describe the national and international infrastructure landscape and needs from a national point of view in a 15-year perspective. 
• make recommendations on which of the existing infrastructures are of great value to maintain and further develop in all relevant areas. 
• make recommendations on areas where it is particularly important to establish new infrastructures nationally or cooperate at international level. 

The Research Council will act as secretariat for the committee, convene meetings and ensure good stakeholder involvement. The secretariat shall facilitate an open process with opportunities for input so that all relevant stakeholders can make suggestions and present their views. This should be achieved by the following involvement: 

• Stakeholder input meetings: The secretariat will involve the institutions through both written and digital rounds of input on the future needs of research for research infrastructure. Input will be requested on which existing national research infrastructure they consider to be of great value to maintain and further develop, and in which areas it will be particularly important to establish new national research infrastructures or collaborate on international research infrastructures. The input will serve as supporting material for discussions in subsequent workshops.  
• Workshops: Proposed candidates that the Research Council does not include in the committee will be invited to participate in thematic workshops together with representatives from relevant portfolio boards, business and industry and public administration. The division into workshops is proposed to be related to the landscape analyses in the ESFRI Roadmap 2021. The proposed structure for the new roadmap will be part of the committee's process. This classification must be related to the Research Council's strategy and the Government's long-term plan for research. The workshops will have a common agenda with the purpose of describing: 
  • the need for research infrastructure to solve challenges within a strategic priority area; 
  • which existing national research infrastructure they consider to be of great value to maintain and further develop 
  • which thematic areas it will be particularly important to establish new national research infrastructures and/or cooperation on international research infrastructures 
  • what gaps can be covered through the development of existing national and/or collaboration on/access to international research infrastructures 

The summaries from the workshops will be included as a knowledge base for the committee. 

The committee shall make recommendations on the following: 

• In which areas do we need infrastructure to help solve challenges within the strategic priority areas 
• Much of it has already been established 
• In which areas there is a need for completely new research infrastructures 
• Which gaps may be covered through the development of existing national research infrastructures and/or cooperation on/access to international research infrastructures  
• The need for research infrastructure that applies to groundbreaking research and radical innovation is addressed, but which does not fall within priority areas 
• How to achieve good interaction with business, public administration and strategic initiatives to promote innovation and regional development 
• The roadmap can provide clear priorities for future allocations, and we can ensure that this does not prevent us from investing in new infrastructure that we currently do not know will be needed 
• A suitable structure for the new roadmap  

The Research Council will prepare the committee's draft and propose the design and content of the new roadmap. The final roadmap is decided by the Research Council's board. 

Committee members 

• Per Morten Sandset, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, UiO (committee chair) 
• Camilla Brekke, Pro-Rector for Research and Development, UiT 
• Trond Martin Dokken, EVP Climate and Environment, NORCE 
• Øyvind Fylling-Jensen, CEO, Nofima AS 
• Ole Hjortland, Vice President for Research and Dissemination, UiB 
• Kristiane Marie Fjær Lindland, Vice President for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Social Sciences, UiS  
• Sveinung Løset, Vice Dean for Research, NTNU 
• Eli Aamot, Executive Vice President, SINTEF 
• Knut K. Bjørgaas, former Deputy Director General of the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency and new Director of the land division at the Norwegian Mapping Authority 
• Katrine Vinnes, Technical Director, Federation of Norwegian Industries  

Knowledge foundation for new roadmap: 

• National strategy for research infrastructure (2018-2025) 
• Norwegian Roadmap for Research Infrastructure 2020 
• ESFRI Roadmap 2021 incl. the landscape analyses 
• The Government's long-term plan for research and higher education 2023-2032 
• The Research Council's strategy 
• The Research Council's strategy for open science 
• The portfolio plans 
• Report with recommendations from the Data Infrastructure Committee: Investment in data infrastructures for FAIR research data and particularly relevant management data for research. Organization and financing of data infrastructure for best utilization, May 20 22 
• Report from Sikt: Infrastructure and services for FAIR research data - Status and proposals for further work Input from the institutions  
• The evaluation report: Evaluation of the INFRASTRUKTUR initiative as a funding instrument 
• Horizon Europe 
• European research area (ERA)