What is a Centre of Excellence?
In 1998-99, the report entitled the White Paper on Research was submitted to the Norwegian Government. One of the major conclusions in the report concerned the need to raise the quality of Norwegian research. The report stated that high-quality research should be established and rewarded. High quality research was further defined in terms of its scope and international calibre. The report summarised its recommendations by proposing that Norway establishes Centres of Excellence (CoE).
The Norwegian government voted to support the report’s recommendation, in the hopes of bringing more researchers and research groups up to a high international standard. Additional funding was voted to the Research Fund to support the initiative. The Norwegian Research Council was delegated to oversee the establishment of a CoE Scheme. The Norwegian government further specified that the funding be used to support long-term, basic research in four main target areas, including: marine research, medicine and health, information and communications technology (ICT) and research in the interface between energy and the environment.
The Norwegian Centres of Excellence Scheme
The Norwegian Research Council has developed a CoE scheme and announced a two-round application process. Both rounds of the application process were to be judged by well-established international experts. The applications should be submitted by the administration of the proposed CoE’s host institution, and need to include a signed letter of confirmation, outlining the host institution’s intent to support the establishment of the centre.
The application deadline for the first round was 4 April, 2001. A total of 129 groups submitted applications to the first round. Forty applicants were invited to continue to the second round. The deadline for this second round is 11 January 2002.
CoE selection criteria
The main selection criterion is a high level of scientific quality (as judged by international standards). This applies to both the researchers and to the research. The scientific quality will be judged by a panel of international experts. Additional criteria include the potential industrial or social utility value. The potential industrial or social value will be judged by the Research Council (the executive board).
Applicants were asked to include the following in their application (to the first round): an outline of their vision, research plan, researcher education, sources of funding (new and from host institution), and a brief, general description of the proposed centre’s organisation. The application was to focus on the scientific contribution the centre hoped to make, and the potential industrial or social utility value of the research. The names of any key researchers, including the potential head of the centre, were also to be included in the application.
Funding
Funding from the Norwegian Research and Innovation Fund will cover the basic financing of the proposed CoEs, including payroll, operations, necessary equipment and administrative services. The host institution is also expected to contribute to the financing of the centres. This may include providing necessary infrastructure, and also mobilisation of the host institutions internal or external funds. The Research Council expected that the proposed CoEs will have budgetary frameworks in the neighbourhood of 10-20 million NOK per year, depending on their size. Based on this estimate, the Research council expects to established 5-10 CoEs initially, with more to be established over the next few years.
Funding support for a CoE will be granted for a maximum of 10 years. Centres will be evaluated 3.5 years after they begin. If this evaluation is negative, funding will be discontinued after only five years.
UiB’s 9 round-two applicants
Of 129 original applications, 40 were selected to submit a more detailed application to round two of the selection process. Nine groups from UiB were among those selected. The fact that nine different groups from UiB have been recognised by a panel of international experts, underlines the high level of research going on at UiB today. These include, together with their proposed director:
Professor Sverre Bagge «Receiving, Importing or Producing Culture? Periphery and Centre in Medieval Europe»
Professor Daniel Chourrout «The SARS International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology»,
Professor Erling Hammer «Centre of Excellence in Multiphase Systems»
Professor Tor Helleseth «Centre of Excellence in Coding Theory and Cryptology»
Professor Kenneth Hugdahl «The University of Bergen Mental Health Research Centre: Exploring the Psychobiology of Serious Mental Disorders»
Professor Eystein Jansen «The Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research»
Professor Arne Skauge «A Centre of Excellence for Integrated Petroleum Research»
Professor Tron Frede Thingstad «Marine Pelagic Food Web Centre»
Professor Einar Thomassen «Centre of Excellence for the Study of Religious and Cultural Encounters in Christian Antiquity»