Norwegian South Eastern Europe (SEE) Programme in Agriculture (2005- 2006: "Institutional collaboration between academic institutions in Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine in Norway and Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia & Montenegro", (UMB, UD Project no. 332 953)

Sammendrag

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has been funding an NORWEGIAN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE (SEE) PROGRAMME IN AGRICULTURE; ?Competence transfer and institutional contact and co-operation between faculties of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine in South Eastern Europe?, (2002 ?2005). The main objectives under this programme were: - To improve organising, content and quality of academic education and research in agriculture, veterinary medicine and forestry to meet with needs for qualified people in ongoing rebuilding after wars and to reach the general European level and standards. - Create functional and sustainable networks of regional institutions and professionals to support each other and cooperate for optimal use of limited available resources in the SEE region in a difficult rebuilding situation. The main activities were: - Research and development projects in the areas of animal sciences, crop and fodder production and use of GIS-methods in forestry and agriculture. - Support to development of staff and institutions in form of study stays, study material, covering of costs for laboratory analysis etc. related to M.Sc. and Ph.D. thesis work, guest lecturing and some equipment. - Support to reorientation of academic education in agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine. - Support to regional networks, professional meetings, further development and use of the Programme web site and web-based teaching. The most important strategy in this Programme was to facilitate for institutional cooperation and network building between partners in the SEE area. Therefore a broad approach was chosen with a large number of partners (16) from all actual geographical areas in SEE - West Balkan - (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia & Montenegro) and representing most of the different ethnical groups in the region. In 2004, Norway?s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) invited the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Noragric to present plans for a new, targeted programme on agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine in the SEE/WB region. Noragric is UMB?s Department for International Environment and Development Studies. With its professional staff from several nations, Noragric plays active roles in national and international committees and networks, in advisory roles for NORAD and MFA, and in institutional collaboration with many partners throughout the world. Noragric brings together research, education and development-related assignments with a focus on developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Besides its role as the international gateway for UMB, Noragric also acts on behalf of the Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine (NVH) and Norwegian Agricultural Research International (NARI), which form alliances with UMB. With more than 40 years of collaboration between UMB and academic and professional institutions in developing countries and in Eastern Europe, Noragric has established a broad network of worldwide contacts.