All activities in the Nordic Council of Ministers must contribute to fulfilling Our Vision 2030, that the Nordic region becomes the world’s most sustainable and integrated region in 2030, with the three strategic priority areas: a green Nordic region, a competitive Nordic region and a socially sustainable Nordic region. An action plan has been prepared for the vision, which prescribes how the Nordic Council of Ministers will work to achieve the vision’s goals through a series of initiatives in connection with the vision’s three strategic priorities. Twelve goals are linked to the strategic priorities. The action plan also entails a strengthening of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ work with sustainable development, equality and the child rights and youth perspective.

Link: http://Our vision 2030 | Nordic Cooperation (norden.org)

All activities in the Nordic Council of Ministers must contribute to fulfilling Our Vision 2030, that the Nordic region becomes the world’s most sustainable and integrated region in 2030, with the three strategic priority areas: a green Nordic region, a competitive Nordic region and a socially sustainable Nordic region. 

An action plan has been prepared for the vision, which prescribes how the Nordic Council of Ministers will work to achieve the vision’s goals through a series of initiatives in connection with the vision’s three strategic priorities. 

Twelve goals are linked to the strategic priorities. 

The action plan also entails a strengthening of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ work with sustainable development, equality and the child rights and youth perspective.

Link: http://Our vision 2030 | Nordic Cooperation (norden.org)

The FJLS Co-operation Programme describes how the Nordic countries collaborate to find good solutions in fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, food and forestry’s bio-based industrial goals.

The sectors which fall under the MR-FJLS have been put under pressure by global events such as climate change, the COVID pandemic, supply-chain disruptions and, most recently, geo-political challenges resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The Nordic countries need to co-operate in order to find future solutions for the green transition of agriculture, forestry, fishing, aquaculture and the food sectors, and for the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 

They also need jointly to find their way towards a balanced co-existence between our use of resources, the preservation of nature and other interests both on land and at sea. There is a need for regional co-operation that involves both the world of research and industry.

For the period 2025-2030, three goals must guide the Nordic co-operation:

1) Further the green transition, 

2) Boost competitiveness and 

3) Bolster our resilience.

Link: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2024-746/index.html

The Nordic Council of Ministers places importance on contributing to the fulfillment of the UN’s 17 goals for sustainable development, and the fisheries cooperation’s project portfolio reflects this.

Link:https://sdgs.un.org/goals

The fisheries cooperation works with issues related to marine resources, aquaculture and fisheries. 

There is a particular focus on sustainable and ecosystem based management, competitiveness, the contribution of fish products to sustainable food systems and the sustainable development of aquaculture.

We invite applications within several different themes under our general framework in Vision2030 and the FJLS Cooperation Programme.

In the period 2025-207, the focus is on:

o Preparedness and resilience in the fisheries and aquaculture sector
o Co-existence and marine spatial planning
o Ecosystem based marine management and stock recovery
o Aquatic food as part of sustainable food systems
o Green transition  of fisheries and aquaculture and gentle methods

Please note that  Nordic fisheries and marine administrations, companies, marine research institutions and other Nordic organizations have the opportunity to apply for funds through several calls in the Nordic Council of Ministers. 

Funds can be applied for individually from these calls or in a combination of calls between both professional sectors and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Pilot projects and consortium formations aimed at Nordic participation in EU fisheries and marine programmes.

The fisheries cooperation sees opportunities in the participation of Nordic projects in major EU-supported international programs to promote the Nordic ocean agenda.

The fisheries cooperation has limited funds, but can finance pilot projects and the formation of consortia based on Nordic research environments, which can apply for participation in relevant EU fisheries and marine programmes, where funds are considerably larger.

Consortium formations for joint larger applications can be particularly useful to contribute to creating critical mass, where the research environments in the Nordic countries are individually small, or in an early phase of establishing new research areas.

The fisheries cooperation has the opportunity to contribute funds to workshops, pilot projects, consortium formations etc. that can create co-operation with a Nordic footprint, including Nordic consortia preparing for ocean related EU funding, for example:

• Calls under the EU’s Green Deal Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030, including, but not limited to, calls aimed at Nordic seas 
• Calls on maritime-related Horizon Europe partnerships
• Other sea-related calls under Horizon Europe
• Provision of maritime area related Interreg programs (e.g. Interreg North Sea and Interreg Baltic Sea)
• Investments within the framework of the Integrated Maritime Policy and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)

The co-Nordic institutions such as Nordforsk, Nordregio and Nordic Innovation, may also participate in a research consortium.

Requirements for applications for support for consortium formations:

Consortia must include members from at least three Nordic countries
Consortia must have an expansion plan to include partners from other parts of Europe (which is often necessary for a successful application).

The fisheries cooperation distributes funds twice a year. There are application deadlines around March and October.

The following applies to support:

Projects must:

• be in line with the strategy and framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers, as described above
• contribute to Nordic utility by fulfilling one or more of the following criteria:
• include activities that would otherwise be carried out under national auspices, but where clear positive effects can be achieved via joint Nordic solutions
• manifest and develop Nordic cohesion
• increase Nordic competence and competitiveness
• strengthen the Nordic influence internationally
• have the participation of at least three Nordic countries (Finland, Åland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland) in order to achieve synergy effects and Nordic added value
• be rooted in the Nordic institution(s) participating in the project
• have a clear and ambitious communication strategy

Practical:

Support is provided for a maximum of three years.

When prioritizing, projects that are cross-sectoral/interdisciplinary and involve several Nordic working groups or programs will be given high weight.

Basic conditions

Projects financed with Nordic funds must be anchored in the Council of Ministers’ vision. Three basic principles must be met:

Vision 2030

For Nordic cooperation, Vision 2030 applies that the Nordic region must become the world’s most sustainable and integrated region.

This means that we work for:

A competitive Nordic region: Together we will promote green growth in the Nordic region on the basis of knowledge, innovation, mobility and digital integration.

A green Nordic region: Together we will promote a green transformation of our society and work for CO2 neutrality and a sustainable, circular and bio-based economy.

A socially sustainable Nordic region: Together we will promote an inclusive, equal and coherent region with shared values as well as strengthened cultural life and welfare.

At least three Nordic countries

All projects must involve a minimum of three of the following countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland or Åland. Instead of one of the Nordic countries, at least one country outside the Nordics can be included.

Involvement means participation in the management or implementation of the project. When a co-Nordic institution implements the project, this rule can be deviated from.

The main emphasis is on benefits for the Nordic countries. Partner institutions and names must be stated in the application.

Nordic added value

Projects must contribute to Nordic added value. A project contributes with Nordic added value when:

it implies an added value that the effort is carried out in cooperation between the Nordic countries, and
the result of the project benefits the Nordic countries.

Project content

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Fisheries Cooperation supports projects that contribute to achieving Vision 2030 and the strategy in force at all times.

Projects that contribute to knowledge building, knowledge dissemination or network creation are given special priority.
Thematically, the projects must be on fisheries and aquaculture in the Nordic region, including management, ecology and international relations, among other things.

Cross-sectoral projects are well regarded, and the Fisheries Cooperation is happy to contribute to co-financed projects with other sectors in the Nordic Council of Ministers.

There is nothing in principle to prevent us from providing support to projects which are primarily concerned with research. For research projects, the political and administrative relevance will always be assessed.

While the Fisheries Cooperation can support innovation projects, projects that focus on commercial product development will typically not fall within the framework.

The Fisheries cooperation can support cooperation between Nordic (and possibly other international) authorities.

Participants
There are no specific requirements for who can be a project participant or project manager. It can, for example, be co-Nordic institutions, authorities in the Nordic countries, researchers, business persons/companies, clusters, EU partners, West Nordic partners, NGOs, etc. However, the rule of three Nordic countries (alternatively two Nordic countries and one non-Nordic country)  always applies.

Financing
Typically, the size of the projects is in the order of 200,000 – 800,000 DKK. There is nothing in principle to prevent either larger or smaller financing.

In principle, there is nothing to prevent the project support from covering operations and wages. As a starting point, no distinction is made between e.g. researcher hours or other salary costs. However, the central point will be to assess the project’s results, the political relevance and how these can contribute to the basic conditions.

It is not a requirement that projects have a share of self-financing or co-financing from another side, but it may be desirable.

For projects involving cooperation between authorities, the Fisheries Cooperation can provide support for costs in connection with participants’ travel to meetings under the auspices of the project. This does not apply in the event of a re-application for the same project; therefore, this type of project should consider allowing it to be included as part of the project, that the authorities themselves prioritise cooperation after the end of the project.

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