Stops research and education cooperation with Russia:

The government is blocking research and education cooperation with Russia, they write in one Press release Friday.

– The Minister of Research and Higher Education Ola Borden Moe (SP) says that the Russian government is responsible for the serious situation in Europe and that the attack on Ukraine should have consequences for research and educational cooperation.

He emphasizes that this is the reason why they are now suspending all talks with Russian officials.

As a general rule, all institutional agreements between Norwegian and Russian research and educational institutions should be suspended, the Minister continues.

How to tighten knowledge cooperation with Russia:

• Ministry of Education and grassroots agencies suspend all talks with Russian officials
• The joint announcement of the Research Council with Russia was stopped
• Norwegian-Russian education agreement suspended
• The research agreement negotiated with Russia has been put on hold
• As a general rule, all agreements between Norwegian and Russian companies should be suspended. Companies may choose to maintain contracts, but a thorough evaluation must be made of each individual case. Any agreements and cooperation within nuclear production and fisheries and resource management will continue as before.
• At the same time, it is desirable that researchers be able to maintain contact with each other across national borders (so-called researcher-researcher collaboration).

Norway will consider whether there is a need for further tightening, especially the discussions in Brussels, and we are closely following the implications of this for Russian participation in Erasmus + and Horizon Europe.

– Russian authorities have put the world in a very serious situation, which requires reactions. At the same time, we want the sanctions to be sent to the Russian authorities as much as possible, not to civil society. The academy can also be an important counterweight to the authorities in Russia. That’s why we offer a small opening for Norwegian universities, colleges and research institutes to pursue a professional-based collaboration, ”says Borden Moe.