Canada and Norway issued a joint research cooperation statement Tuesday in Ottawa, expanding a bilateral partnership that spans Arctic science, quantum technology, and marine research.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Norwegian Research and Higher Education Minister Sigrun Aasland met today to issue the agreement, which builds on a broader strategic cooperation declaration signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on March 14.
The statement identifies six priority areas for accelerated cooperation: quantum technologies, research security, Arctic and circumpolar research, international researcher mobility, collaboration through Horizon Europe and the Eureka program, and marine science.
The quantum component directs both countries to leverage existing funding mechanisms, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Alliance International Quantum Calls and Catalyst grants, alongside Norway’s forthcoming national quantum strategy and NATO’s Trans Atlantic Quantum Community events.
On Arctic research, the two countries committed to expanding joint science initiatives while explicitly incorporating Indigenous Knowledge and building relationships with Indigenous Peoples and northern communities. Both Canada and Norway are founding members of the Arctic Council, and the agreement frames the Arctic simultaneously as a geopolitical flashpoint and a critical research environment for addressing climate change.
Research security received dedicated attention in the statement, with both governments pledging sustained dialogue on protecting innovation in the Arctic, a region the document describes as an emerging theatre for geopolitical competition.
The marine science component extends what both sides characterized as already strong bilateral cooperation in oceanography, aquatic species, water science, and hydrography.
Under Horizon Europe, Canada and Norway have been collaborating since at least late 2025 on climate science and critical raw materials. In 2026, both countries began coordinating ocean science initiatives to position researchers for funding under the 2026-27 Horizon work program.
The statement also notes Canada’s existing partnership in Norway’s Panorama Strategy and the established Nordic-Canadian research funding relationship as foundations on which the new agreement builds.
Both ministers framed the cooperation as aligned with a shared ambition to drive innovation and contribute to solutions for global challenges, echoing the language of the earlier Carney-Støre declaration.
For Canada, agreements like this one are an important step in strengthening allied relationships in a way that can compound over decades, reducing our reliance on any one country, and anchoring our national strength in science, sovereignty, and a recognition of shared interests.
Spencer Fernando
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