Energiforskningskonferansen 2020 partially attended

Today I have attended the first couple of hours of Energiforskningskonferansen 2020 (the energy research conference 2020), held by Research Council of Norway - this year in virtual edition. Some 300 people attended.

Further info on Estonian-Norwegian research project application

As promised in the post Contribution to Estonian-Norwegian research project application, here's further info about that application (titled "Animals in Changing Environments: Cultural Mediation and Semiotic Analysis". The application was submitted in mid-March. The duration of the prospective project is September 2013 - April 2016, and the expected total cost 202,686 Euro, of which about half would go to the Norwegian donor project partner, headed by me. While the Norwegian research team as mentioned involves three researchers (me, Paul Thibault and Kristin Armstrong Oma), and would be hosted by the University of Stavanger, the Estonian team based at University of Tartu's Department of Semiotics would include:

• Timo Maran (PI)
• Riin Magnus
• Silver Rattasepp
• Nelly Mäekivi
• Kadri Tüür
• two unnamed master students

A total of 10 researchers would thus be involved. In other contexts I have collaborated with all the five Estonian researchers named above.

The project would include the following four case studies:

1. animal agency in nature writing as a medium of communication
2. representations (both problematic and romanticizing) of large mammals, especially wolves, and especially with regard to conflicts with a) sheep, b) reindeer and c) hunting dogs
3. agencies and conflicts of interest in zoological gardens as an environment for mediated communication (in cooperation with Tallinn Zoological garden)
4. adaptation of guide dogs to changing environments

I would be involved in 2) and 3).

According to the Norwegian Research Council, 170 applications have been submitted (in Norwegian - for English text, see the Estonian Research Council) in response to the call of the Norwegian-Estonian Research Cooperation Programme. Some 3 million Euro is available for funding selected projects. This means the success rate will be only 6-7 %. Results will be announced in mid-August.

SAMKUL decision on PERLAR etc. delayed

The research program SAMKUL (Samfunnsutviklingens kulturelle forutsetninger - the cultural preconditions of societal development) was supposed to give notice about what research projects get funding at some point in October. However, the process is delayed and decisions will only be taken November 22nd-23rd.

The prospective research project "Perceptions of Animal Agency: Large Predators and other Cultured Animals" (PERLAR), with Paul Thibault as Project Manager and myself as Assistant Project Manager, is one of 138 applications. 12-14 projects are expected to get funding.