I was recommended for a post doc in Norway. I was wondering how is the research typical atmosphere in Norway. Here in the UK you spend more time writing proposals or trying to do research that can be published quickly and get funding rather than anything that contributes in my experience. Should I expect the same in Norway? It's fine if the answer is yes, the subject in question is interesting enough and the pay seems decent and I need a job. Thanks
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2Why not ask the person offering the job what your duties will be? This is far more likely to be important than a general UK/Norway difference. (And your description of UK research is far from universal).– user24098Apr 29, 2016 at 11:47
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"you spend more time writing proposals or trying to do research that can be published quickly". This is essentially what a postdoc should do. Learn how to attract funding and publish. What else do you want to do?– AlexandrosApr 29, 2016 at 12:03
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1What I want to do is contribute to science, something that may not make money in the next 10 or 20 years but has real application as technology progresses rather than something the government or companies are interested in today and can get votes or money. I have lots of ideas in the field, what I'm asking is if I will alienate people by suggesting such things as it is the case in the UK, hence the question about research culture.– Saeid AlamiApr 29, 2016 at 12:14
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3Here in the UK you spend more time writing proposals, that's not always the case. I work on a EU H2020 project that has been funded for 4 years, and I spend my time essentially doing research.– gerritApr 29, 2016 at 13:10
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2@gerrit That's because you (or someone else) spent a lot of time writing that proposal in the past.– Federico PoloniMay 2, 2016 at 7:20
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1 Answer
From my limited experience of having worked both in Norway and the UK, I get the impression that there is less pressure in Norway than in the UK. Given the vast difference in population, it is however only natural to expect more competition in the UK than that in Norway. Also Norwegian policies seem to be more welcoming to third-country nationals.
I would however disagree that spending more time writing proposals or trying to do research that can be published quickly and get funding are necessarily opposed to anything that contributes to experience. In fact, your productivity tends to increase when you have less external pressure to dictate what you need to do.
So a place where one can thrive is not necessarily country-specific, although for some, it may be.
