La Desnaturalización y el Principio de Primacía de la Realidad

class research vessel for use in

the High North.

The research ves- sel G.O.Sars. The Government will consider the need for a new ice-class vessel for use in the High North.

32 the islands. The Government will

initiate a review of the basis for a continued Norwegian presence on the islands and will consider what types of activity and infrastructure should be maintained on them in the future.

International-cooperation-on- education-and-research

The other Arctic Council Member States – the Nordic countries, Rus- sia, the US and Canada – and key EU countries are some of our most important cooperation partners. The Government also wishes to establish closer cooperation with other countries, including Japan, India and China. Exchanges of pupils, students and researchers will play a central part in the coop- eration with all these countries. However, Russia is in a special position as cooperation partner in the High North. A broad coopera- tion with Russia has developed over the years on education and

research, particularly in the field of health, with the participation of a number of institutions in both countries. The Government will take the initiative vis-à-vis the Rus- sian authorities for schemes that can ensure better coordination of our joint efforts. This will make it possible to take a more integrated approach to bilateral cooperation on knowledge generation and com- petence building.

The Government will examine the possibility of establishing joint Norwegian-Russian doctors and masters degree programmes. The cooperation between Bodø Uni- versity College and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) could serve as a model.

The Government will consider increasing the number of Russian students in the quota programme, which provides opportunities to study at Norwegian institutions,

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and will consider establishing a new grant scheme for Russian stu- dents, based on the same pattern as the quota programme, through the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. This will promote edu- cational cooperation between Nor- wegian and Russian institutions. Targeting these efforts towards masters and doctors degree stu- dents will also be considered.

The Government will establish a special grant scheme for studies at educational institutions in North Norway, to be financed via Barents 2020. NOK 3 million a year will be allocated for the period 2007-2009. The scheme will focus on studies in the fields of tourism, fisheries, petroleum, indigenous peoples and business economics.

The Government will renew and strengthen its cooperation programme with Russia on educa- tion and research.

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33 The Government considers it

important to continue and further develop the cooperation that has been established between schools in Northwestern Russia and Finnmark county. Troms county will now be included in this coop- eration, and the number of schools taking part will be increased. The cooperation includes exchanges of pupils and teachers. It fosters cross-border friendship and under- standing, and mutual learning. Learning about each other’s lan- guages and learning the languages themselves has also been an important part of this cooperation, and these efforts will be strength- ened in the years to come. The use of IT facilitates contact over the border, and joint websites and teaching aids are being devel- oped. The school system in Russia has valuable expertise in science teaching and the use of art and cul- ture in schools, which Norway can learn from. Norwegian schools, on the other hand, have a stronger tradition of adapting teaching for pupils with special needs, and we can also provide expertise in pupil participation and democracy. It is important that pupils on both sides of the border gain knowledge and understanding of environmen- tal problems both in their region and at global level. The cooperation gives high priority to this area. Cooperation in the health sec- tor and efforts to improve pub- lic health in the High North are based on exchange of information and transfer of expertise. Impor- tant areas for future efforts are

n strengthening knowledge about

public health, preventive medicine, epidemiology and the development of telemedicine.

Expertise in public health is to be strengthened in Russia through Norwegian and Nordic support for a masters degree programme. Knowledge about the effects of environmentally hazardous sub- stances on the health of mothers and children in the High North is also to be improved.

The Government will promote efforts to strengthen research in the fields of social sciences and the humanities in the High North. The objective is to increase knowl- edge about macroeconomic and political relations and living condi- tions in the region. Key topics will be differences in welfare stand- ards between Norway and North- western Russia, migration, the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and features of the climate and natural conditions that are specific to the region. Basic research on the history, society and culture will be necessary for studies of these issues. The gender perspec- tive should be in focus in this con- nection. Increased efforts within this area will require further

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development of the relevant edu- cational and research networks in the High North and increased cooperation with institutions in the rest of the country.

Cooperation between Norwegian research institutions that are studying the High North from the perspective of sociology, law and natural sciences should be strengthened in order to ensure national coordination and knowl- edge development. It is also impor- tant to strengthen expertise on key foreign policy aspects of develop- ments in the High North. The possibility is being considered of establishing a special High North programme under the Research Council of Norway, with particular focus on the links between geopoli- tics and the energy sector. The University of the Arctic The University of the Arctic is a network of higher education insti- tutions around the North Pole. Its activities include coordinating the mobility programme north2north, running the Bachelor of Circumpo- lar Studies course and various field courses. Within this network, the Sami University College runs a project on reindeer husbandry tar- geted towards Russian indigenous peoples.

The Government will support efforts to strengthen cooperation between knowledge institutions in the circumpolar region through

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The Government will enco-