The report shows that research and innovation cooperation is an important aspect of the more than 4 000 projects that have been contracted so far. A total of €317 million is being invested within this sector. Currently 232 research organisations and 1 500 researchers are involved in joint research projects with counterparts in Iceland and Norway. Almost 900 students, educational staff and researchers took part in exchanges between Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and a number of the partner countries.
Some examples of research projects include:
- new technology which will enable solar cells to collect both sunlight and light coming from artificial sources more efficiently and convert it to electricity – National Institute of Materials Physics (Romania) with several other national organisations in partnership with the University of Reykjavik (Iceland) and the University of Oslo (Norway)
- new cancer therapies with reduced side effects - University of Wrocław (Poland) and Oslo University Hospital (Norway)
The report also highlights support to civil society, and for European cooperation in the justice sector and migration measures.
Over €160 million of designated funding goes to civil society programmes established in all 16 partner countries. To date, 178 non-govermental organisations (NGOs) working on human rights have received support and over 140 NGO coalitions or networks have been developed.
€145 million has been allocated to programmes in ten countries to strengthen the judicial systems, to improve access to the courts and the efficiency of the justice systems, to improve prison conditions in line with European standards and to strengthen the administration of asylum cases and the reception of migrants in Greece. So far, more than 4 300 legal professionals have received training to make the judicial systems more efficient and to reduce case-processing times.
More results and projects are described in the annual report, which is available electronically. Printed copies are available on request from the Financial Mechanism Office.
Our programmes and their projects are set to run until 2017. As most of the projects are still in the implementation phase, measurable results are expected in 2016 and 2017.
For the current period, €1.8 billion has been set aside under the EEA and Norway Grants. Funding is channelled through 150 programmes in 16 partner countries. The objectives of the EEA and Norway Grants are to reduce economic and social disparities in Europe and to strengthen relations between the three donor and 16 partner countries.
