1. NordForsk Board, former chair Biocenter Finland, director
Nordic Health Cooperation
Facilitated by NordForsk
Marja Makarow
NordForsk Board, former chair
Biocenter Finland, director
NORDIC COOPERATION REGARDING HIGHLY SPECIALIZED TREATMENT AND CLINICAL TRIALS
Hämeenkylän kartano, Vantaa
26 Augst 2016

2. Nordic region and cooperation
Five countries and three autonomous areas
Eight time zones, 26 million people, many languages,
10-12th largest economy globally
Nordic political cooperation
Nordic Council (1952)
Cooperation platform for parliamentarians
Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) (1971)
Official governmental co-operation body
Nordic research cooperation
NordForsk founded by NCM (2005)
To enhance quality, impact and cost-efficiency of Nordic research and research infrastructure collaboration
Five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and three autonomous areas: Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.
Basics: 8 time zones, 26 million people, 12th largest economy globally.
Individually the Nordic countries are small in a global setting, but together the countries constitute a substantial knowledge society and economic force
26 Million inhabitants
Long tradition of Nordic political cooperation. The Nordic Council (1952) is the cooperation between parliamentarians. The Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) (1971) is the official governmental co-operation.
NordForsk was founded by the NCM in 2005

3. Why Nordic research collaboration?
Contribute to managing grand societal challenges
Build on national efforts, pool resources
Assemble excellent researchers/communities, build critical mass
Deliver Nordic added value
Mobilise/qualify Nordic research communities for participation in EU programmes

4. About NordForsk
Provides funding for Nordic cross-border research collaboration
Annual budget
From NCM: 120 MDKK/year
From national research funding organisations: 320 MNOK (2015)
varies according to which programs each country participates
Funding concept
At lease 3 Nordic countries
Fundig collaboration between ntl research councils, NordForsk and NCM
Common pot
Joint international evaluation of proposal, the best are funded
The organisation is a political instrument for the Nordic Council of Ministers with the aim of achieving Nordic added value through research cooperation. NordForsk’s role is to function as a platform facilitating cross-border research cooperation where the national funding agencies and the university sector contribute with funding to joint Nordic research and research infrastructure programmes.
NordForsk’s unique feature is that it facilitates Nordic cooperation using a common pot. All of NordForsk’s initiatives are based on national priorities, and must be of high scientific quality.
NordForsk is a platform for joint Nordic research and research infrastructure cooperation. The organisation was established in by the Nordic Council of Ministers in order to strengthen the Nordic research and Innovation Area.
NordForsk´s mandate is to facilitate, i.e. identify and respond to strategic priorities for Nordic research cooperation, and thereby create Nordic added value.
NordForsk´s role as a facilitator involves consultations with Nordic funding agencies and the Nordic University Association regarding priorities for joint Nordic actions and possibilities for co-funding of research and research infrastructure.
NordForsk has its headquarters in Oslo. Nordic Innovation and Nordic Energy Research, located at the same site as NordForsk, also contribute to strengthening the Nordic Research and Innovation
Area in cooperation with NordForsk.
Funding: 120 MDKK/Year + 2/3 principle – more on funding later. Total yearly funding of projects in 2015: 323 MNOK. Has risen from 135 MNOK in 2007.
NordForsk provides funding for cooperation within all fields of research. Normally projects involve cooperation between at least three Nordic countries or autonomous areas. Grants are awarded on the basis of open calls for proposals and peer review procedures. Basic funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers and additional funding by stakeholders, especially the Research Councils in the different countries.
Main partners: Nordic national research financing bodies who co- fund the activities

5. Cross-border research collaboration
Ongoing research programmes
Nordic Programme on Health and Welfare
Education for Tomorrow
Green Growth Research and Innovation Programme
Joint Nordic Neutron Science Programme
Nordic Bioeconomy Programme
Nordic Societal Security Programme
Responsible Development of the Arctic
Gender in the Nordic Research and Innovation Area
NordForsk funds research within all fields and encourages cross-sectoral research
Programme funding:
Education for Tomorrow
76 MNOK NordForsk, Nordic Council of Ministers, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland
Gender in the Nordic Research and Innovation Area
42 MNOK NordForsk, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
Green Growth Research and Innovation Programme
73 MNOK TRI, NordForsk, Nordic Innovation, Nordic Energy Research
Joint Nordic Neutron Science Programme
65 MNOK. NordForsk, Denmark, Norway, Sweden
Nordic Bioeconomy Programme
93 MNOK. NordForsk, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland
Nordic Programme on Health and Welfare
146 MNOK NordForsk, NCM, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
Nordic Societal Security Programme
115 MNOK NordForsk, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom
Responsible Development of the Arctic
112 MNOK. NordForsk, NCM, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
Top-level Research Initiative (TRI)
Ca. 400 MNOK Total, ca. 200 MNOK for NordForsk managed programmes.

6. All Nordic countries participate
Nordic Programme
on Health and Welfare
All Nordic countries participate
Funding
12 M NOK from NCM
127 M NOK from NF
130 M NOK national funds

7. Aims of the Programme
Creating new knowledge about the underlying causes of uneven distribution of health and welfare;
Exploring user-driven and open innovation opportunities in the health and welfare sector;
Enhancing use of Nordic population-based registries and biobanks and large data sets;

8. Research themes for 2014-2016 Calls concluded, research initiated
Distribution of health and welfare
Budget 140 MNOK, 5 projects each MNOK
User-driven innovation within health and welfare
Budget 11 MNOK, 2 projects each 5-6 MNOK
Nordic research infrastructure pilots in health and welfare by combining socioeconomic- and health-related registers
Budget 40 MNOK, 4 projects each 10 MNOK
Call ongoing
Register-based research projects
CALL OPEN NOW - deadline 5 October
Budget 67 MNOK, projects max 10 MNOK

9. Funded projects on distribution of health and welfare
Coming of Age in Exile (CAGE) - Health and Socio-Economic Inequities in Young Refugees in the Nordic Welfare Societies, Project leader: Allan Krasnik, Denmark
Working hours, health, well-being and participation in working life, Project leader: Mikko Härmä, Finland
Understanding the Link between Air Pollution and Distribution of Related Health Impacts and Welfare in the Nordic Countries (NordicWelfAir), Project leader: Jørgen Brandt, Denmark
Psychosocial work environment and healthy ageing, Project leader: Mika Kivimäki, Finland
Social Inequalities in Ageing (SIA); Health, Care and Institutional Reforms in the Nordic Welfare Model, Project leader: Johan Fritzell, Sweden

10. Funded projects on user-driven innovation within health and welfare
ActivABLES: Tangible Interaction to Support Effective and Usable Stroke Rehabilitation at Home Project leader: Associate Professor Charlotte Magnusson, Lund University, Sweden Symptom monitoring after hospitalisation in patients with advanced heart failure - a Nordic-Baltic study Project leader: Professor Anna Strömberg, Linköping University, Sweden

11. Funded Nordic Register Pilots
A Nordic Rheumatology Register Pilot to facilitate collaborative studies based on linkages of clinical data with national health. Project leader: Professor Johan Askling, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Adult Life after Childhood Cancer in Scandinavia (ALiCCS): Socioeconomic consequences of long-term survival. Project leader: Jeanette Falck, The Danish Cancer Society, Denmark
Contingent Life Courses (C-LIFE). Project leader: Professor Espen Dahl, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway
Nordic Occupational Register – a tool for estimation of the potential of workplace and population level interventions. Project leader: Svetlana Solovieva, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Finland

12. Themes based on Recommendations from the NORIA- net fpr Registers and Biobanks (1)
NordForsk should provide a cooperation platform for the Nordic bureaus of statistics, national health register institutes and other register-hosting bodies. This platform should facilitate research support operations in order to increase joint Nordic research. Discussion platforms for different stakeholders should also be supported, when relevant.
NordForsk should investigate possibilities for developing procedures for mutual recognition of ethical review permissions between the Nordic countries, including models for informed consent. This will require political consideration and should be carried out in dialogue with the Nordic Council of Ministers.
NordForsk should actively follow, and, if necessary, influence the ongoing revision of European legislation targeting data protection, clinical trials and copyright legislation, in particular in relation to data sharing and with a view to drawing the full benefit of new research technologies, such as text and data mining. This may require political consideration and follow-up by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

13. Recommendations from the NORIA-net(2)
NordForsk should establish a small strategic expert group responsible for these processes, initially for the 2014–2016 period. The group should possess the relevant expertise and have the support of relevant Nordic stakeholder groups. It should report to the NordForsk Board.
As a follow-up to recommendations one to three, NordForsk should establish a research programme to pilot the joint Nordic use of registers. The programme should fund Nordic pilot projects using joint Nordic register data sources within the field of health and wellbeing.
The full set of recommendations are documented in
the report by the Noria-net.
Several of the recommendations have ben implemented

14. Recent developent initiated by NCM
NCM asked in 2016 NordForsk to promote Nordic collaboration in biobanking, register-based research, clinical multicenter trials, eScience and OA to data
Prof Juni Palmgren (KI) asked by NF to compile an analysis ad recommendations, which she captured in her report:
“Nordic Biobanks and Registers - a Basis for Innovative Research on Health and Welfare”
The report highlights immediate needs for further cross-border activities to make use of the Nordic registers, biobanks and clinical studies to their full potential.
Serves as knowledge base for the NCM and stakeholder

15. Nordic Trial Alliance NTA Creating a Nordic clinical research infrastructure
Aim To strengthen clinical research Objective To contribute to sustainable Nordic welfare
Facts
An initiative from the Nordic Council of Ministries
Part of
Funded by Nordic Council of Ministries and NordForsk
Hosted by NordForsk
Three year pilot project – 2016
1.5 MNOK from NordForsk and 6.5 MDKK from NMR over three years

16. Conflift of Interest statement of Marja Makarow
No Conflicts of Interest

17. Thank you for your attention!