NORA - Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium

NORA (Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium), a corsortium of six universities and Simula, will work together on Artificial Intelligence through collaborative projects and the exchange of students and researchers. The board has already started laying the foundations for this collaboration, with the intention of making Norway a prominent contributor within the field.

NORA was first announced by Simula and six universities on October 2, 2018 (full article in Khrono, in Norwegian). Since then, the Board of Directors has been formed and already begun laying the foundations and directions for NORA. Here is their description of NORA - what it is and why it is needed:

"NORA is now up and running. Its main purpose is to strengthen Norway’s research and education in artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics.

What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
AI can briefly be summarized as the collection of methods and technologies that enable machines to learn from experience, adapt to new situations and perform tasks we most often think of as reserved for humans.

What is NORA?
NORA is a consortium established by 7 partners: the University of Agder, University of Tromsø - the Arctic University of Norway, OsloMet, University of Bergen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Simula Research Laboratory and the University of Oslo. NORA was first announced in Khrono on October 2, 2018. A separate Board of Directors has been established for NORA and has had its first meeting. Professor Pinar Heggernes, University of Bergen, was elected as NORA's first chairman and the University of Oslo has been designated as host for NORA’s secretariat. The position for general manager of the NORA Secretariat will be announced as soon as is practically possible and a dedicated website is already under construction. Interest in joining NORA has already been expressed and a mechanism for incorporating new members will be established soon.

Why NORA?
The purpose of NORA is to strengthen Norwegian research and education in AI, machine learning and robotics, as well as other subject areas relevant to the development of applications that fall under the concept of AI. There is a need to display the partners’ research and education in this area, and NORA will host various events, create meeting places for researchers and students, and establish and maintain a website with an overview of the partners' activities in the field.

NORA will further contribute to the development of research projects at and across the consortium's partners, to be an active driver for establishing start-up companies in the area, as well as to strengthen the cooperation between the partners' research communities and the business community. NORA will further contribute to the positioning of Norwegian research in the international arena and to have special responsibility for developing activities aimed at Horizon 2020 (and Horizon Europe).

NORA will work for increased understanding of the possibilities that AI provides, the limitations associated with its use, and last but not least contribute to increased understanding of ethical and social conditions related to the development and use of AI.

Sincerely,
NORAs Board
Pinar Heggernes, UiB (chairman); Anne Cathrine Gjærde, NMBU; Ole-Christoffer Granmo, UiA; Morten Irgens, OsloMet; Kenneth Ruud, UiT; Rachel Thomas, Simula; Morten Dæhlen, UiO"

From the left: Rachel Thomas (Simula), Kenneth Rudd (UiT), Mortel Irgens (OsloMet), Pinar Heggernes (UiB), Ole-Christoffer Granmo (UiA), Anne Cathrine Gjærde, (NMBU), Morten Dæhlen (UiO)