Hallgrímur Jónasson, General Director of Rannis, the Icelandic Centre for Research, pointed out that Nordic research cooperation has primarily been driven by a desire to contribute to joint well-being and big goals. Increasing the closeness of cooperation with Baltic countries has been discussed by the Nordic Council of Ministers many times in recent years. "This conference is the logical follow-up to the conference about Nordic cooperation in the area of research infrastructure, which arrived at the conclusion that all topics should be discussed together with the Baltic countries," Jónasson said.
Potential for cooperation in the coordination and joint use of research infrastructure was seen at the conference. The possibilities of infrastructure could also be used to teach post-graduate students and young researchers as well as to support mobility in the region on a broader scale. An important topic raised at the conference was e-research infrastructure and access to research data, where joint regulations need to be developed.
The conference was organised by the Estonian Research Council and the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research with the Nordic Council of Ministers, NordForsk, the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science, the Latvian Council of Science, the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science and the Research Council of Lithuania. The organisation of the conference was supported by the EU Social Fund and the Internationalisation of Research Programme of the European Union Regional Development Fund.
The press release issued after the conference was prepared by Liina Raju, Communications Manager for the Estonian Research Council (mobile: +372 5349 9250).