The Research Council of Norway name Dr. John-Arne Røttingen as their new Director General

John-Arne Røttingen has officially been appointed as the new Director General of the Research Council of Norway. Dr. Røttingen is currently Executive Director of Infection Control and Environmental Health at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

“The Research Council plays a key role as facilitator for a knowledge-based restructuring of Norway,” says Dr. Røttingen. “I am looking forward to, and have enormous respect for, the opportunity I am being given to contribute to these efforts. There is intrinsic value in new knowledge and research entails a long-term perspective. At the same time research is coming to play an increasingly wider role in the development of society. This is a very dynamic and highly competent organization and I look forward to working on making the research and innovation system more competitive internationally and even more efficient.”

Dr. Røttingen has an M.D. as well as a Ph.D. in medicine along with a M.Sc. in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and MPA. He holds professorships at both the University of Oslo and Harvard University. He headed the work on the Health&Care21 strategy for research and innovation and has extensive research experience.

Dr. Røttingen will take over as Director General on March 1, 2017. He will succeed Arvid Hallén, who has served as Director General since 2004. He will, in the period until then, be working as the interim CEO of the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.