Annual Report 2005
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NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE FOR URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH Annual Report 2005 – research for good practice ,, NIBR’s vision is to further develop urban and regional research as an inter- and multidisciplinary field of study with a global perspective, thereby strengthening the institute’s position as one of the foremost Norwegian and leading European environments for urban and regional research. Norwegian Institute for • analyses of regional development Urban and Regional and innovation, planning and Research (NIBR) management, and the development is an independent social science of democracy and welfare within research centre whose mission is to and across local communities; develop and publish research-based • territorial analyses of society, insights for the benefit of decision- coupled with studies of sustainable makers in public and private insti- development. tutions as well as for the general public. NIBR is one of the environmental Contents research institutes of Norway. Through NIBR’s vision is to further develop competence in the field of social urban and regional research as an science, the institute strives to contri- inter- and multidisciplinary field of bute to the growing knowledge base Research for good practice 4 study with a global perspective, there- required to better meet environmental by strengthening the institute’s position challenges and the problems entailed The Board looks back on 2005 6 as one of the foremost Norwegian and by social development. leading European environments for urban and regional research. Urban and regional research is an Annual accounts 2005 8 international field of study. NIBR is NIBR offers action-oriented, decision- actively involved in international support research and analyses for research in the institute’s target areas. Highlights of 2005 10 clients in the public and private sectors and competes for research contracts in NIBR – a member of the Environ- Norway and abroad. The institute aims mental Research Alliance of Norway Strategic institute programmes 12 to be a competitive contributor to (ENVIRA) research programmes under the NIBR belongs to the Environmental Research Alliance of Norway International activity 14 auspices of the Research Council of Norway as well as to international (ENVIRA), a strategic collaborative research programmes, e.g. the EU venture linking the seven leading Information and dissemination 16 framework programmes. NIBR is an environmental research institutions in independent foundation. The achieve- Norway. In addition to NIBR they are ment of the institute’s research NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural NIBR publications 18 objectives requires that its operations Heritage Research), NILU (Norwegian are financially profitable. All profits are Institute for Air Research), NINA reinvested into NIBR’s operations and (Norwegian Institute for Nature External publications 20 used in accordance with the institute’s Research), NIVA (Norwegian Institute objectives. for Water Research), Jordforsk (Centre for Soil and Environmental Research) Conferences 22 NIBR’s most important competitive and CICERO (Center for International advantage is the ability to combine Climate and Environmental Research – Projects 28 cutting edge experience across multiple Oslo). Institute of Transport Economics fields of study and expertise. (TØI) and Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) are associate members. NIBR’s core competence is in urban and regional research. This is a wide inter- and multidisciplinary field of social science research, encompassing i.a.: • analyses of social conditions and societal changes in urban and rural areas, and across regions, sectors and levels; 3 Research for good practice longer term. The White Paper mentions in Dedication to scholarship and competence particular the need to increase the annual is vital if NIBR is to fulfil its mission and basic allocations to the environmental deliver research for good practice. Insofar research institutes. This is positive for as the commitments spelled out in the NIBR, and for the first time in more than research White Paper translate into action, ten years the institute saw its annual grant the likelihood of accomplishing these increased. goals looks good. This allowed us to plan two new strategic But research for good practice also means institute programmes, both starting in delivering knowledge relevant for solving 2006. The strategic programme Planning the problems society is up against – re- NIBR has chosen Research for good and Effectuating Better Public Health search has to orient itself towards practice as the title of the institute’s stra- (POPHEALTH) gives NIBR an opportunity problems. NIBR’s problem focus is urban tegic plan because the words encapsulate to develop research competence in the and regional research. While this is not NIBR’s determination to deliver first rate combined areas of planning and public a clearly defined area, it has nonetheless research and research-based knowledge of health. With the second programme, certain unmistakable attributes. It centres relevance to issues of current importance Regional Foresight, NIBR aims at estab- around social research with a territorial to society. lishing the institute nationally and dimension – analyzing social conditions internationally in the field of regional fore- and change in urban and rural areas Delivering Research for good practice sight analyses. The 2006 basic allocation across multiple regions, sectors and levels. entails at least two commitments. also lets us take part in competence build- It also entails analyzing regional develop- NIBR is commited to deliver quality ing measures with the other institutes in ment and value creation, planning and research and research-based knowledge. the Environmental Research Alliance of administration, democracy and welfare This requires expertise combined with an Norway (ENVIRA). NIBR is also pleased within and across local communities. ability and capacity to maintain and with the earmarked funds included in the A fundamental aspect of urban and regi- develop it. The regulatory environment 2006 annual grant for our commitments to onal research in Norway and internatio- in which NIBR operates makes this a the joint research initiative in Oslo Centre nally is the concern for sustainable challenging task. Competition for com- for Interdisciplinary Environmental and development. missions and research funds require scien- Social Research (CIENS). tific staff to spend a significant amount of The production of practical knowledge time drafting applications at the expense We are currently planning together with requires commitment on the part of re- of competence building and professional the Ministry of Local Government and search institutions and researchers. NIBR development. Before 2005, the actual value Regional Development a focused, long- is dedicated to producing research that is of the annual basic allocation – the inten- term commitment to competence building relevant and helps solve problems. It re- tion of which is to give the institute finan- in the fields of regional development, local quires an ability to combine the resources cial elbow-room to engage in scientific government and housing research. The of multiple disciplines and areas of development – has fallen year on year. comprehensive commitment to housing knowledge. One example is the work research derives from an agreement NIBR did in 2005 to turn research on There are, however, positive signals in the between NIBR and SINTEF Building and place making processes into a multi- Government’s 2005 White Paper Commit- Infrastructure to transfer SINTEF’s social disciplinary endeavour. Here, several forms ment to Research. The White Paper states science research team to NIBR. This pre- of knowledge and scientific approaches that the non-university research sector is sents increased potential to establish NIBR related to, for instance, business develop- an essential element of Norway’s research as a national centre in housing research, ment, social and cultural aspects of place, capacity. It also concedes that and we look forward to developing and demographics, physical environment and the sector will not be able to perform strengthening this area of research as an neighbourhood studies came together in optimally without adequate funding integral part of the wider urban and regio- integrated studies which improve our enabling competence-building over the nal research conducted in Norway and understanding of how places differ and 4 abroad. are useful when it comes to designing practical local development initiatives. (NIBR’s research on place making proces- ses is detailed on page 11 below, and at www.stedsforskning.no.) NIBR will be moving to facilitate interdisciplinary research in other areas as well in 2006. Research for good practice also means taking the opinions of and users of our research on board. This is a vital concern to NIBR, and we do what we can to Director general enable an open and constructive dialogue. Jon Naustdalslid Contract research has to deliver “what the customer wants” in the sense of providing answers to the questions raised by the When NIBR installs itself in the new commissioning parties. But for a contract premises at CIENS at Gaustadbekkdalen institute to function optimally, customers close to the University of Oslo in October need to make sure the questions they ask 2006, improved facilities will accelerate are framed in such as way as to be scienti- the creation and expansion of scientific fically