About Us

The Centres for Care Research (SOF) were established by the Ministry of Health and Care Services in response to White Paper No. 25 (2005–2006). They are located at the University in Tromsø, Nord University, the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, the University of Agder along with the University of South-Eastern Norway, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik. These five centres form a national network coordinated from Gjøvik.

Practice-Oriented

SOF aims to strengthen practice-oriented research and development, promote research dissemination to municipalities and the education sector, and contribute to increasing competency within municipal health and care services. The centre has a particular responsibility for collaborating with and providing guidance to the Centre for Development of Institutional and Home Care Services. SOF has a panel of around 50 municipalities, known as care research municipalities, which together represent a cross-section of Norwegian municipalities.

Mandate

The centre's mandate is to gather, produce, and disseminate knowledge about care and caregiving. By "gathering knowledge," we mean that SOF should keep track of relevant knowledge in the field, including knowledge about new work methods and best practices. The centre should collect, summarize, and make this knowledge accessible, including through the Care Library. By "producing knowledge," we mean conducting research, development work, and innovation in the entire field. And by "disseminating knowledge," we mean spreading and making relevant knowledge known through various media so that it benefits our target audiences.

Target Audiences

The target audiences for SOF include, for example: politicians in the health and care sector, project managers working on health and care projects in municipalities, leaders and staff in health and care services, leaders and students at educational institutions with health and care programs, various user organizations, nurses and other welfare professions, as well as other research communities and academia.

Leading Academic Environment

SOF is intended to be the country's leading academic environment in its field, in terms of research, knowledge management, and dissemination. The centre is also meant to be an international player in its area. It should conduct practice-oriented, interdisciplinary, and independent research for the health and care sector.

Activity

The Centre for Care Research is geographically located in Northern, Central, Western, Southern and Eastern Norway. As part of their academic community, the centres collaborate on a national research conference every other year, participate in the Arendaluka, share a common report series, hold annual seminars, maintain the Care Library, and publish the Journal of Care Research.