Sino-Norwegian Interdisciplinary Centre onEnvironmental Research

(NICER)• Bilateral agreement between

CAS/RCEES and CIENS/UiO

• Initiation funded through CAS, UiOand the BILAT program of the Research council of Norway

Proposed during the meeting between CAS and UiO, lead by their university president, in Beijing, September 2005.

OUTLINE

• Scientific challenges• CIENS

+ UiO

= NICER

Sustainability – Requires Integrated scientific approach

Production is economically efficient in the blue circle;Social equity is emphasized in the red circle; Environment is preserved for the future in the green circle.

Needs for environmental protection are balanced against limitation posed by economic production and social equity

Ideally, sustainability implies positive solutions for all components.

ENVIRON-MENTALPROTECTION

ECONOMICPRODUCTION

SOCIALEQUITY

SUS-TAIN-

ABILITY

The DPSIR-philosophy for transition to Sustainability

State: the conditions of an environmental system changes due to the pressures

Impacts: immediate consequences for ecosystems, life, and values

Nature’s Response: long-term ecosystem adaptation to impacts, with feed-backs

Sustainability requires sound societal mechanisms for environmental protection to obtain long-term social equity

Drivers: actions for economic productionto reach short-term social goals

Pressures: side-effects of the drivers

Society’s Response: long-term human adaptation and mitigation to impacts and nature’s response, with feed-backs.

• Co-operation between autonomous research institutes and the UiO

– Linking applied and basic research

• From October 2006• CIENS can act as a legal

entity, a foundation in collaborations and coordinated projects

• Proximity – on campus!• UiO member of all

common research themes

Goals and Objectives

• CIENS aims to be an internationally highly valued centre for interdisciplinary environmental and social research.

• CIENS shall produce knowledge, education and innovation as a basis for decisions for sustainable development

• CIENS shall stimulate and develop joint activities between natural and social sciences, and between applied research institutes and the University of Oslo

NICER

Vision:

To act as a catalyst, coordinator and mediator for research cooperation between China and Norway within the field of environmental science

- Facilitate interdisciplinary and policy relevant research and serve as a node for a broad network of associated institutions

Purpose• For the Chinese partners:

– Constitute a formalised forum for cooperation with Norwegian environmental researchers, with potential to increase access to international research funding

• For the Norwegian partners:– Integrate research networks

• Further development of well established interdisciplinary research networks

– Access to information on emerging issues• policy initiatives• ongoing activities in the Chinese research communities• potential cooperation possibilities

• Policy relevant research– Arrange workshops to convey research findings

to policy advisors and policy makers

Innhold… - Fasiliteter

• Kontor på RCEES (under CAS og SEPA)– Assistent– Kontor fasiliteter– Kjemisk laboratorium

• Koordinator– Liaison offiser– Workshops

• Formidling– Web side– Newsletters

Participants (to be completed) NICER

CAS/RCEES CIENS

UiO NIVARCEES NILU

Geo

Chemistry

Biology

RCEES UiOCAS +3 openseats

GYIG

+3 openseats

Other?

CICERO

CAS CIENS

UiONSFC UD/MDRCEESSEPA RCN

NIVA

CAF

SFA

PRCEE CRAES

SEPA

Wuhan

Nanjing

PKU

Renmin

Tsing Hua

MoENIBR

Steering committee

Science board

Participants

Exceedence of Acid Rain (meq/m2/yr)

Impetus

Harmonious and sustainable growth

Integrated environmental research on side effects of economic growth

– > 30 years of lessons learned – successful results

Holistic approach– Multieffect studies– Modelling– From science to policy

(effect based emission reduction strategy)

Last 16 years also in China– Opportunity of doing it right

the first time around

What does China seek - that Norwegians are especially good at?

Air pollution and its impacts - Emission, transport and deposition of pollutants - Impact on natural and managed eco-systems- Human health effects

Water quality- Cause - effect - Surface water- Soil water and ground water- Irrigation and drinking water

Environmental change- Landscape ecology and biodiversity - Climate change- Issues of vulnerability and adaptative capacity

Science to Policy- DPSIR - Sustainable resource management- Economic cost and welfare losses- Policy instruments

Cost-benefit analysis- Synergies and trade-offs - Local and regional air pollution, and climate change mitigation- Linkages between economic and social development and environment

Themes – Holistic perspective

Fremdriftsplan

• Opprette senteret– Representant i Styringsgruppa fra Ambassaden?– Er det noen relevante ministere som kommer til Kina i høst?

• Oppstart ~ 3 år– Basis drift av senteret koster ca. kkr. 100 per år

+ utgifter til Workshops etc– Mulig å få bidragsmidler gjennom neec eller fra Ambassaden?

Vil også søke Institutter, UiO og Forskningsrådet

• Normal drift– Overhead av pågående prosjekter

欢迎指导欢迎指导!!

Thank YouThank You谢谢谢谢！！

University of Oslo

Norway’s Leading University• Located in the capital• Oldest university in Norway (1811)• Largest research and teaching institution

in the country• 8 Faculties

–Over 70 academic units:• 44 departments• 16 Interdisciplinary research centres and 3 centres of

excellence (CoE)• 2 museums

–30 000 students–5400 employees of which

• 3000 are academic staff– 20 % are externally financed. – Student/academic staff ratio of 10

• Rated 20th best in Europe, 69th in the World (Shanghai Jiaotong Rating 2005)

Number of Staff per Faculty

Science

Medicine

Humanities

Social Sciences

EducationDentistry Law

UKM UNM

CentresTheol.

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

• 4000 students• Multi/interdiciplinary science

– Atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere/geosphere, and biosphere

• Local, regional and global scale• 2 Nobel prizes

– Odd Hassel in chemistry (1969) and Ivar Giæver in physics (1973)

9 Departments:Department of Theoretical AstrophysicsDepartment of Molecular BiosciencesDepartment of BiologySchool of PharmacyDepartment of PhysicsDepartment of GeosciencesDepartment of InformaticsDepartment of ChemistryDepartment of Mathematics

“Water and the environment”

University CentresCentres under the UiO Board• The Biotechnology Centre of Oslo• Centre for Womens’ Studies and

Gender Research• Centre for Development and

the Environment

Science faculty centres• National

–Centres of Excellence• Molecular Biology and Neuroscience• Mathematics for Applications• Physics of Geological Processes

–Other• Norwegian Centre for Science Education• Centre for Entrepreneurship • Centre for Accelerator based Research and Energy Physics• Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology

• Nordic–Centres of Excellence

• Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis–Other

• Research in Water Imbalance Related Disorders• International

–Centre for Geohazards

National Centres• The Norwegian Centre for Human Rights • The Centre for Studies of Holocaust and Religious

MinoritiesNordic Centres • Nordic Institute for Women’s and Gender

Research • Nordic Institute for Maritime Law

International Cooperation General Principles

1. Strength through collaboration 2. Equal Partnerships 3. Long Term Institutional Cooperation 4. Global Solidarity 5. Excellence as goal6. Holistic approach

Areas of ongoing research btw UiO and Chinese institutions, examples:

Natural Sciences Environmental Chemistry; Geosciences; Biology; Physics; Astrophysics; Materials & Nanotechnology; Molecular Biology & Neuroscience; Pharmacy

Social Sciences:Environmental Economics; Environmental Politics; Economics; Sociology; Anthropology

Humanities:Chinese Philology & Literature; Ibsen Studies; World Religions; Minority Studies; Anthropology & Cultural studies; Ethnicity; Tibetan studies; Women & Gender studies

Law: Human Rights; Minority Studies; Maritime Law

Medicine:Several aspects within Basic & Clinical Research (incl. Cancer Research); Medical Rehabilitation

Formal Cooperation agreements with Chinese institutions

• General:Peking University, Fudan University,Nanjing University, Wuhan University,Chinese Academy of Social Science

• Network: Nordic Centre in Fudan (www.nordiccentre.org/)Tibet-Norway

• Incl. Bilateral agreements with Tibet University and Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences

Nanjing University & Zhejiang University (WUN)

• Faculty or Departmental:Taiyuan University of Sci. and Tech. (Dept. of Chemistry)Zhengzhou University,1st Clinical Med. College (Medicine)

21st century: Research for sustainability

ChallengesChallengesEnvironmental problem-solving involving qualitative variables

Culture, political, ideas, religion, etc.Incorporation of scientific results with other sources of knowledge

Traditions, local empirical knowledge, ethicsScience-policy interactionsStakeholder involvementUncertainties and understanding of limited applicability

Transition to sustainability is a perpetual process - knowledge and understanding is constantly improved and renewed

More than 500 persons in the Oslo Research Park on the Univ. of Oslo Campus:

• Relevant groups at UiO: hydrologists, chemists, biologists, political scientists, economists, and geographers.

• Center for Int. Climate and Environmental Research

• The Norwegian Institute for Water Research• Institute of Transport Economics• Norwegian Meteorological Institute - R&D• Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional

Research • Dep. of Geosciences, Meteorology and

Oceanography• Norwegian Institute for Nature Research• Norwegian Institute for Air Research• The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy

Directorate, Division for Hydrology, is an associated member.