"Globalisation is here to stay," said Gard Titlestad, Head of Department of Education, Research and Labour Affairs at the Nordplus launch conference in Copenhagen 8-9 November 2007.
The theme of the two-day long conference was to present The Nordplus Framework Programme as a programme which supports, develops and spreads innovative products and processes in education through the exchange of experiences and best practice. The new programme is a result of collaboration between the five Nordic countries, and the three Baltic countries.
"Intensified Nordic and Nordic-Baltic cooperation will strengthen our home base," Titlestad pointed out.
Best practices
The best practice examples presented showed a wide range of possibilities that Nordplus offers to institutions already involved in the programme.
"The aim of the project is to develop knowledge of and reflection about culture in general, and children’s culture in the Nordic countries in particular," said Eva Maagerø, one of the coordinators in the children’s cultural expression project at Vestfold University College in Norway.
Online application and reporting system
To ensure transparency and dissemination of information a new website, nordplusonline.org, has been developed. Also, a new application- and reporting system (ARS) is developed for the new programme.
"ARS will go live the first week of 2008 and all application and reporting procedures will be done through the system," said Søren Langgaard of Peytz & Co., the company responsible for the development of the system.
A new era for Nordic-Baltic cooperation
Involving thousands of people from the Nordic and Baltic region is the aim of the Nordplus Framework Programme for 2008-2011, making it the largest education and research programme of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
"Happy new Nordplus to us all," concluded Thórir Ólafsson, Consultant at the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in Iceland.
Granted Nordplus-projects
The results of the 2009 application round are now ready, and the applicants will be contacted by the chief administators of their respective Nordplus-programmes.
Information about reporting
Time for reporting? Some of the project that started in 2008 have received an e-mail saying that it is time to submit a report. The reports should be submitted through the ARS. In the revised user guide for ARS, eac...
Nordic Climate Day
The Nordic Ministers of Education have decided to establish a Nordic Climate Day 2009. The Nordic Climate Day will be launched on 11 November and will create greater awareness and knowledge about the climate, as well...
Preparatory visit application deadline
The deadline to apply for funding for preparatory visits this autumn for the Nordplus Junior Programme has been cancelled. This is due to the online application and reporting system ARS currently not being fully ope...
Results of the application round
All applications submitted by the deadline 21 April are now being processed by the Nordplus administrators and will be put to the various Nordplus Programme Committees for decision. Due to unfortunate technical probl...
