Balkans

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) entered into a 5-year agreement in 2010 with five Norwegian institutions for the administration of the Programme in Higher Education, Research and Development (HERD.) The overall aim of HERD was to contribute to economic growth and social development through co-operation in higher education and research in the Western Balkans. HERD consisted of five sector programmes, including HERD/Agriculture which has been coordinated at Noragric.

The objective of HERD/ Agriculture was to contribute to educating a national work force that has adequate innovative qualifications and to stimulate innovation, product and process development through support to applied research and development in the Western Balkans.

An external review of the HERD programme was carried out upon request by the MFA in mid-2015. The findings were very positive. The final report can be downloaded here. However, the MFA has terminated its West Balkan section and there are no funds for continued collaboration between Norway and the West Balkan countries. Possible alternative funding through MFA is being investigated. The HERD website of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

HERD Sector Programmes 

HERD consisted of five Sector Programmes: 
1: Maritime Sector Programme
2: Agricultural Sector Programme
3: Energy Sector Programme
4: Development Studies.
5. ICT Programme

The scope and objectives of HERD are outlined in the HERD Programme Document dated 1 March 2010 and revised in May 2011.

HERD Agriculture

This sector programme had 13 projects , all ended in December 2015. Some remaining PhD students are finalizing their studies in 2016/2017.

The objectives of HERD/Agriculture were
 
1) Institutional Development: To contribute to educating a national work force that has adequate innovative qualifications by building, in the longer term perspective, sustainable capacity of higher education institutions in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo; and
2) Applied Research and Development: To stimulate innovation, product and process development through support to applied research and development in the Western Balkans.

The members of the HERD/ Agriculture Sector Board were:
Professor Sissel Rogne (Chair), Director, Institute of Marine Research
Anne Kathrine Fossum, Acting County Governor in Hedmark (acting chair in 2016)
Ola Chr. Rygh, Scientific Director, Norwegian Agricultural Authority
Kari Dagny Redse Håskjold, Volda

Deputy Board members were:
Professor Bo Öhlmér, Department of Economics, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
Agnar Hegrenes, researcher, the Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute

The secretariat for HERD/Agriculture has been at the Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric) at NMBU, campus Ås. The secretariat consists of Sector Manager: Dr. Thor S. Larsen, telephone +47 67231314/ +47 90929282, e-mail: thor.s.larsen@nmbu.no and Senior Advisor Joanna Boddens-Hosang, telephone +47 67230155, e-mail: joanna.boddens-hosang@nmbu.no. The secretariat will close down its activities at the end of December 2016.

Noragric has had collaboration in the Western Balkans since 1993. Details are described in this article (published 9 January, 2015).

Project documents and other information:


Other Norwegian-West Balkan activities

- 96 Norwegian cows exported to Bosnia (NRK article 16.12.2013)

Published 26. April 2010 - 14:00 - Updated 27. January 2017 - 13:50

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