This text is translated from Norwegian using UiO GPT.
In addition to being Secretary General at the Academy, Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund has been a professor at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at UiO since the late 1990s. She will become a professor emeritus in the new year.
The Secretary General welcomes us in the magnificent building of Det Norske Vitenskaps-Akademi in the embassy district of venerable Skarpsno in Oslo. The Academy, as it is called, is a membership organization founded in 1857. Its purpose is to recruit the country's leading researchers, and it also has several foreign members.
Birkelund summarizes her four years as Secretary General as follows:
– We have opened the Academy more to society and significantly increased activity.
– We have made ourselves more accessible and relevant to today's society. It feels good to leave knowing this work continues, says Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund.
Important to work for the advancement of science
The first article of the Academy's purpose states that one should work for the advancement of science. According to Birkelund, this is needed.
– We live in times where entertainment and distractions dominate much of daily life for both adults and children. Society is increasingly characterized by speed and short-term thinking. Science and intellectual work require slow time and opportunities for deep concentration, she points out.
The Academy's task is to emphasize the importance of academic work – and the value of interdisciplinary dialogue. Academic freedom of expression is the foundation.
– Knowledge is, and must be, interdisciplinary and internationally oriented. Complex societal-related topics are best understood when perspectives from different fields are drawn in, according to Birkelund.
She mentions the climate crisis as one example.
– The Academy has a dedicated climate committee, where people from various fields, both natural sciences and social sciences, collaborate to create meetings that illuminate different aspects of the climate issue.
Must defend science
– Our role is to defend science, both nationally and internationally. To achieve this, we need a platform where researchers can meet. The Academy's house is such a meeting place, says the outgoing Secretary General.
The manor house was built in 1887 as a residence for Minister and Liberal Party member Hans Rasmus Astrup. At the time, the house was an important cultural and political meeting place for politicians, artists, and others who mattered in Norwegian society. The house was protected by Riksantikvaren last year.
– So this is an important legacy to preserve, says Gunn Birkelund. She emphasizes that the small conversations – over a cup of coffee or dinner in the dining room – are just as important as all the lectures and panel debates.
– Here, thoughts and ideas are exchanged that can contribute to new academic projects – and possibly new collaborative relationships, says Birkelund. The Academy's meetings are usually open to anyone interested.
– After the pandemic, we saw that both members and others coming to the Academy greatly appreciate meeting physically again. It provides a completely different dynamic and energy than digital meetings.
Support for Ukraine
The nearest neighbor to the Academy is the Russian Embassy. When Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, the Academy showed its solidarity with the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian researchers. Above the entrance, the Ukrainian flag waves – as a daily protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
– It will continue to do so until the war in Ukraine is over, says Birkelund.
Long been male-dominated
The portrait gallery of presiders and Secretary Generals on the walls reveals that the Academy has historically been a male-dominated bastion. Birkelund is the second female Secretary General in the Academy's history. So far, there have only been three female presiders.
In recent years, the organization has systematically worked to increase the proportion of women among the members of the Academy's leadership, board, committees, and councils.
– The Academy should reflect reality. This means that we primarily recruit from the top professors in the country. Previously, the proportion of women in this group was low, but in recent years the proportion of women among professors has been increasing, says Birkelund. She states that this is reflected in the proportion of women among the newly elected members.
– On average, around 40 percent of the members elected each year are women, which is actually a slightly higher proportion than among female professors at Norwegian universities and scientific colleges, she emphasizes.
Great interest in series – recently about democracy
Birkelund is particularly proud of the Academy's strategic initiatives. In the current period, it has focused on the prerequisites, challenges, and consequences of democracy, as well as science's contribution to sustainable development.
– We have had four series of meetings on these topics, all of which have been well attended, whether it was on Zoom in 2021 or more physical settings, says The Secretary General.
The Academy's new strategy has just been adopted, and it points out that in the next four-year period, particular emphasis will be placed on artificial intelligence and security in a changing world.
Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund says that it is more important than ever that the voice of research is heard.
– Universities are struggling financially, the government is tightening, and research is lagging internationally. We cannot afford to continue like this. Building robust and high-quality research environments takes a long time, but it can quickly go downhill, warns the outgoing Secretary General of Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi.
Prizes for outstanding research
– One of the most visible expressions that we are working for the advancement of science is our prizes. The prizes are intended to reward and promote outstanding research. The Academy is responsible for two of the Government's three science prizes (the third is the Holberg Prize, managed by UiB), says Gunn Birkelund.
The Abel Prize is an international award for outstanding work in mathematics. The prize was established in 2002 on the initiative of mathematicians at the University of Oslo. The prize is awarded annually in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
The Kavli Prize is awarded every other year to outstanding researchers in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. The prize was established on the initiative of the Norwegian-American Fred Kavli, who wanted a prize for groundbreaking research on the very smallest (nano), the very largest (the universe), and the most complex (humankind). The Kavli Prize was first awarded in 2000 and is based on collaboration between the Academy, the American research foundation The Kavli Foundation, and the Ministry of Education.
In addition, the Academy has established the HumSam Prize for outstanding research in the humanities and social sciences, which is awarded every other year to Norwegian researchers or foreign researchers residing in Norway. In 2025, the prize will go to Tore Rem, professor of English at UiO, and leader of UiO:Democracy.
The Academy also awards a teacher prize for Norway's best primary school teacher. It is also jointly responsible for the Fritjof Nansen Award for outstanding research.
– The scientific awards highlight the importance of outstanding research. The prizes set a standard that gives the scientific community something to strive for. In the long run, it also benefits society as a whole that we hold the academic banner high, says Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund firmly.