At present, the twelve partners in NORFACE support a diverse range of research topics, research funding mechanisms and strategic objectives. The project aims to recognise and gain advantage from these differences while opening the way to new, creative ways of working together.
NORFACE has a three stage work plan. After an initial period of intensive communication and analysis, the network members will develop common strategies for areas such as project evaluation and the setting of research priorities. The network will also launch two pilot projects and a major research programme, funded and evaluated across national boundaries.
Some of the expected outcomes of this work plan include:
- Improved understanding of best practice
- A 'forward look' exercise, to propose futures for European social science
- Studies of key strategic issues and legal barriers to opening up research funding across national boundaries
- Joint ex ante and ex post evaluation of research activities in the seven countries
- Exchanges of programme managers, and other research council staff
- Clustering of current research activities, whether in programmes or funded by responsive schemes, to enable improved transnational research co-operation and learning
- Support for new cross-national research of high quality
- Increased co-operation between national programmes, and cluster of projects in similar topic areas, and across responsive funding schemes
- Development of new mechanisms for strategic co-operation
- Increased dissemination of social science research and of the stock of social science knowledge
- Improved mobility of PhD students and recent postdoctoral researchers
- A platform of co-operation activity that can be opened to organisations in other countries