Funding pot proposed for Nordic collaboration

Orkney Islands Council looks set to establish a funding pot to support Orkney-based organisations to collaborate with projects and partners that are funded by  the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation.

Elected members at this week’s Policy and Resources Committee agreed recommendations that a £20,000 funding pot should be established with a maximum funding award of £5000.

That Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA) is an intergovernmental organisation under the regional co-operation programme involving Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and coastal Norway.

Its focus is on making the North Atlantic a strong and dynamic part of the Nordic region, sustainable economic development and cross-border collaboration between the private sector and research and development bodies, extending to Canada and Scotland.

NORA provides funding of up to £60,000 a year to support regional co-operation on projects relevant to their own communities, with funding rounds in March and October each year.

Previous NORA projects have included work around youth migration, the storage of electronic data, sustainable energy and tourism.

The funding from the Council will provide an opportunity for projects in Orkney to bring funding to the table to collaborate with NORA projects, as well as providing a test process for aligning funding with similar organisations internationally to achieve greater value and impact.

In the long-term NORA and the Council will then seek to present jointly on the outcomes of wider Orkney community participation in international projects at the Arctic Circle Assemblies and/or related events.

The recommendation will now go to a meeting of the Full Council on December 6.

A full copy of the report is available here - https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Committees-and-Agendas/Policy-and-Resources/PR2022/PR22-11-2022/Item%2020%20Nordic%20Atlantic%20Cooperation.pdf

James Stockan is Leader of Orkney Islands Council and Chair of the Policy Resources Committee. He said: “This Council is committed to developing and enhancing relationships with Arctic and Nordic countries to maximise the ongoing promotion of potential economic and cultural opportunities for Orkney – particularly as we face the economic uncertainties of today’s post-Brexit UK.

“This collaboration follows highly constructive and successful meetings with NORA during the Arctic Circle Assembly in October 2022, where an agreement in principle was made to explore ways to bring the various communities closer by aligning funding opportunities that will create impact within the respective communities.

“I am pleased to see Members support the proposals today.”