What is NIR?
Network on Impact Research (NIR) was established in 2006. This network was one of 11 (out of 85 applicants) which got financial support by NordForsk (Norden). NIR consists of the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries and Northwest Russia. The network will run for three years with a possible continuation for another two years.
Goals
- train new students and researchers through workshops and research training courses, and with practical work at a variety of impact phenomena sites;
- get excellent, international experts in as lecturers for our courses and as participants in the conferences/workshops and excursions;
- integration of new researchers into ongoing impact studies;
- initiation of new cooperation and innovative projects including multi- and interdisciplinary studies within earth, physical and natural sciences.
The network activities also include public outreach on impact craters and impact hazards. Through this work we hope to provide educational material for universities and schools to increase the knowledge of the meteorite impact phenomena.
Who participates in the network?
The network is for the Nordic and Baltic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Lituania, Latvia and NW Russia).
Fennoscandia and Baltic - Northwestern Russia have the highest density of confirmed impact craters and the countries are among the worlds leading centers of impact studies. The existing cooperation has already resulted in several new scientific discoveries. Continuation and improvement of this cooperation requires further involvement of researchers and new skilled students. The different scientific groups within the various countries are relatively small and have limited resources. Therefore the NordForsk network will make us larger and powerful and consequently able to launch a variety of new scientific and educational opportunities.
Presentations of each countrys research groups and ongoing research can be found on this page: National research Groups
More about NIR (Presentation given at meeting in Oulu, January 2006. Contents may be subject to changes.)