It gives me great pleasure to present NORA’s annual report for 2023. My first year as director has been exciting and eventful, and we made significant progress in our efforts to strengthen co-operation and sustainability in the North Atlantic. As always, NORA’s focus has been on supporting innovative projects, promoting innovation and economic development and strengthening relationships throughout the region..
One of the highlights of the year was our hugely successful Unesco conference. Held in Sisimiut, Greenland, the conference brought together experts, decision-makers and stakeholders from across the NORA area, as well as the wider Nordic region and its neighbours to the west, to discuss and promote sustainable and place-based solutions. The conference focused on using Unesco designations to catalyse sustainable development in the Arctic, and it resulted in specific recommendations and partnerships that we are convinced will have a long-lasting impact on the region.
In 2023, we also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Orkney Island Council. The agreement is an important milestone in our efforts to strengthen ties between the NORA area and the Orkney Islands, and to promote the exchange of knowledge and resources and the development of joint projects. We are looking forward to seeing this collaboration bear fruit, and we will continue to prioritise our relationship with our friends in Scotland and the United Kingdom’s North Atlantic islands.
Our presence at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík provided us with a window to promote ourselves, and the exhibition we produced in 2021 to highlight NORA’s success stories again showed its value. The exhibition was an important platform for presenting our work and the results NORA-funded projects have achieved, as well as for creating new partnerships. The exhibition itself received a lot of praise for the good impression it made on the more than 2,000 conference attendees.
In 2023, NORA provided funding to a wide range of projects, all of which contribute to our overarching goal of creating a dynamic and sustainable North Atlantic region, in line with the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Vision 2030. The 22 projects we funded in 2023 covered a wide range of topics. Most, however, fell within our focus areas: maritime resources, tourism, digital innovation and youth development, In all, we made 5.271 million Danish kroner in grants.
We firmly believe that our collective efforts will continue to have an impact. We remain committed to working closely with our partners to tackle the common challenges we face and create a future that is both sustainable and dynamic for the people of the North Atlantic.
In 2021, NORA celebrated its 25th anniversary with an exhibition at the North Atlantic House in Copenhagen. The exhibition showcased examples of many of the projects that NORA had supported over the years. In the 2023 edition of the Annual Report, we highlight two of these projects. A more sustainable shrimp fishery was the goal of the project "Efficient Shrimp Sorting" which NORA supported in 2006. VR, or virtual reality, was the focus of the project "GeoVirtual Reality" which NORA supported from 2016 to 2018. The focus was to communicate the geology of the NORA countries, where one could explore the differences and similarities between the countries. With VR technology, one could travel across the region and, most notably, back in time to experience how it all began.
One of NORA’s core activities is to make grants to cooperation projects that seek to further socio-economic development in the North Atlantic region. NORA supports organisations and firms that contribute to innovation, concept development and increased activity in the region.
All of the projects that receive NORA funding make a contribution to addressing the issues facing the region and are relevant to NORA’s main objective: to create a strong and dynamic North Atlantic that is notable for its healthy and sustainable economies. As the North Atlantic connects NORA’s constituents, many of the projects receiving funding naturally deal with maritime resources. Other NORA-funded projects contribute to creating and developing new directions and opportunities. In 2023, NORA-funded projects dealt with maritime activities, sustainable tourism, IT, transport, youth and agriculture.
NORA funded 22 projects in 2023.
NORA’s project portfolio currently includes 36 projects. Some projects recently received funding; others are close to completion.
Projektet skal bruge ekspertise fra Norge og Island til at udvikle og opskalere brug af mikroalger i foderproduktion i hav og på land, samt som del af menneskeføde og medicin. Samarbejdet vil i fællesskab udvikle produktionsmetoder samt undersøge markedspotentialet yderligere, herunder i form af videre forædling. Projektet vil skabe grobund for algeproduktion, som kan bruges som fødevare og næring til en voksende verdensbefolkning. Produktion af mikroalger skal reducere importen af foder til opdrætsindustrien, som igen er positivt i klimapolitisk sammenhæng.
NORA-støtte 2023 DKK 500.000
The spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) has traditionally been fished commercially in the North Atlantic, but stocks have been on the decline in recent years, while efforts to raise the species in aquaculture have got off to a shaky start. The goal of the project is to breed a species that is more amenable to producing roe, milt and fry in captivity. The new species is to be bred from fish caught in the wild, but efforts to do so are hindered by the spotted wolffish’s Red List status in many locations
NORA funding in 2023: DKK 300,000
Stenbider (NO: Rognkjeks lat: Cyclopterus lumpus) og berggylte (lat: Labrus bergylta) er to af de viktigieste marine opdrætsartner Norden. Efterspørgselen efter disse to arter er tæt tilknyttet lakseindindustrien, der efterpørger fiskene til lusebekæmpelse. Videnen om produktionen af disse arter komme primært fra anden marin yngelproduktionl, som f.eks. torsk, helelflynder og pighvar. Projektet skal samle interessenet fra industri og forskning, med henblik på at etablere et netværk
NORA-støtte 2023 DKK 60.000
The project will increase farmers’ awareness of local and regional food. Using animal fodder as an example, the project seeks to document that local food production is not contingent on imported feed, and that it can instead be replaced by sustainable, local products. This will be done by identifying the grass species that are best suited to local conditions and by introducing alternative local sources of feed and fertiliser, including waste from fish farms. Converting to local grazing and locally produced fodder will contribute to the sustainable development of the region.
NORA funding in 2023: DKK 250,000
The goal of the project is to begin production of location-specific wildflower mixes. It has become common to sow wildflowers in marginal landscapes such as roadsides as a way to contribute to biodiversity. Location-specific seed mixes can prevent the loss of plant and animal species, and potentially lead to their spread.
NORA funding in 2023 60,000
First held in 2012, ArktiskMat is today one of the largest food festivals in the NORA area. The event focuses on sustainable food from the Arctic region and has sought to promote food exports. By pairing young chefs from the region, the project seeks to help them learn from each other and encourage them to develop new dishes. The project will culminate in a showcase event during ArktiskMat that will feature the chefs presenting their creations to attendees and members of the press. In addition to learning more about food traditions from throughout the region, the chefs will also help to profile food producers from their home regions.
NORA funding in 2023: DKK 208,000
The Nordic Council of Ministers is obliged to live up to the Nordic prime ministers’ vision for the Nordic region by 2030. Investments in three strategic areas will contribute to the Nordic region becoming the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030.
To achieve the vision, the Nordic Council of Ministers is investing in:
As part of the efforts to achieve Vision 2030, NORA has been included in the regional policy initiatives and is focusing on five of the 12 objectives that the ministers for Nordic co-operation have identified.
NORA’s tasks primarily consist of the following:
No decisions may be made prior to reviews and negotiations. The principle of consensus should be applied in negotiations whenever possible. For decisions of principle to be approved, none of the delegations may oppose the decision.
Niklas Bak Hansen
Committee Member and Member of the Working Group
Karin Pedersen Thorsen
Committee Member
Sarah Woodall
Committee Member
Stig Olsen
Committee Leader 2024 and Member of the Working Group
Lena Merete Søderholm
Committee Member
Lisbeth Nylund
Committee Member
Kristján Þ. Halldórsson
Committee Leader 2023 and Member of the Working Group,
Ásborg Ósk Arnþórsdóttir
Committee Member
Frosti Gíslason
Committee Member
Jákup Mørkøre
Committee Member and Member of the Working Group
Alex N. Vilhelm
Committee Member
Súsanna E. Sørensen
Committee Member
