Tale som fremført

Dear research administrators, scholars and friends of higher education and research.

I am very happy being here today at a conference addressing matters of great importance for our universities, our societies and our future.

Universities are more than institutions for education and research – they are pillars of our democracy. As the world becomes more unsettled, we need knowledge communities that understand complexity and can help society make sense of it.

We are living in a time marked by geopolitical conflict, information warfare, and global power competition. Disinformation and influence operations make knowledge a strategic target, and academic freedom is under pressure globaly.

When trust in research erodes, society loses its basis for decision‑making – which is why your work is critical for society as a whole.

Fortunately, academic freedom stands strong in Norway, as in most of Europe. We have legal protection for the academic freedom of both institutions and researchers, and international assessments show that Norway scores high on academic freedom.

Our institutions must continue to be free spaces for reasoned disagreement, critical thinking, and methodological transparency. A strong democracy is fundamental for a high level of academic freedom and independent research – and robust academic communities are essential to strong democracies.

Therefore, we must work tirelessly, every single day, to safeguard academic freedom and our democracy.

Your work as research administrators is crucial for the quality and resilience of the entire research system.

What you do in proposal support, project management, quality assurance, and data stewardship is a part of Norway’s knowledge preparedness.

Your work plays a key role in developing strong research environments, establishing new partnerships, and securing research funding in international competition. Norway performs very well in these areas, and I know that you are an important reason for that success.

As a small nation, we are dependent on strong international research collaboration. We must be able to recruit international talent and establish academic networks that extend across borders.

At the same time, in an increasingly polarized world international collaboration can be challenging. Our openness to the world can become a vulnerability.

You work with this dilemma every day. Dealing with requirements related to security, export control, ethics, and international partnerships. Handling job applications from researchers from all over the world, also from countries that pose challenges to us. We rely on you to keep our research as open as possible and as secure as it must be. You help Norway navigate international cooperation without compromising our security.

It is important that you have a platform where you can meet, exchange valuable experiences, learn from one another, build expertise, and continue to develop research administration as a professional field.

I am also pleased that research administration is now addressed as part of the European research cooperation, and that NARMA and UHR participate in international efforts to strengthen good research administration in an unsettled world.

I wish you all an insightful and productive conference, and I look forward to hearing the speakers and taking part in the panel discussion.