1) Palaeoecology
Pollen analysis and vegetational history in Norway, Sweden, Finland, UK, Sicily, and northern Russia (Aage Paus, Anne Bjune, Kari Hjelle, John Birks). Diatom analysis and palaeolimnology in Norway, (Jorunnn Larsen, Annette Furnes). Plant macrofossil analysis and floristic and vegetational history in Norway, Greenland, UK, and North Africa (Hilary Birks, Wenche Eide, Anne Bjune). Further information on the CASSARINA project, North Africa Chironomid analysis and palaeoclimatic reconstructions in Norway, and UK (Steve Brooks (London), Gaute Velle, John Birks, Richard Telford). Quantitative palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from fossil assemblages in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, UK, and Svalbard (Jorunn Larsen, Anne Bjune, John Birks, Richard Telford). Development of new numerical methods for the analysis of stratigraphical palaeoecological data (John Birks, Richard Telford, Steve Juggins (Newcastle)). Pollen analysis and plant macrofossil analysis as tools in environmental archaeology in Norway, Sicily, and Greece (Kari Hjelle, Anne Bjune, Peter Emil Kaland).Oribatid analysis and palaeoecological reconstructions in Norway (Torstein Solhøy, Marianne Presthus Heggen, Arguitxu de la Riva Cabellero).

2) Modern ecology
Diversity patterns along environmental gradients at a range of spatial scales in Norway, Nepal, and Svalbard (John-Arvid Grytnes, Ole Reidar Vetaas, Anne Bjune, John Birks, Vigdis Vandvik, Arvid Odland (Bø)). Species-environment regression modelling in Norway, Nepal, Finland, and Sweden (Einar Heegard, John-Arvid Grytnes, Ole Reidar Vetaas). Ecology, vegetational dynamics, conservation and restoration of cultural landscapes (Mary Losvik, Vigdis Vandvik, Åse Myklestad, Peter Emil Kaland, Inger Måren). The Summer Farms project.Seed regeneration ecology, including studies of germination responses along climate gradients, seed regeneration of clonal plants, and consequences of seed mass variation. (Vigdis Vandvik, Matt Daws and Hugh Pritchard (West Sussex), Vibekke Vange (Tromsø), Ivar Heuch (Bergen)). The seeds and climate project, The summer farms project Ecology and growth of bryophytes and lichens in extreme habitats in Norway (Einar Heegaard, Torbjørg Bjelland). Further info on the Vingen Project Development of new numerical methods for the analysis of spatially auto-correlated ecological data and for species-environment modelling (Einar Heegaard). Numerical analysis of plant geographical data at a range of spatial scales ( John-Arvid Grytnes, John Birks). Predictive modelling of biotic responses to environmental change in Norway, North Africa, and UK (Einar Heegaard). Field manipulative experiments to study plant responses to warming and CO2 changes (Wenche Eide, Ørjan Totland (Ås), Hilary Birks) Ecology and vegetation dynamics of glacial forelands in Norway and Nepal (Ole Reidar Vetaas, John Birks). Alpine plant geography, ecology, and floristics in Scandinavia, European Alps, Patagonia, North America, New Zealand, Southern Africa, China and Bhutan (John Birks, Hilary Birks).

3) Quantitative methodology
Development and application of new quantitative and statistical techniques and simulation modelling in ecology and palaeoecology (Richard Telford, Einar Heegaard, John-Arvid Grytnes, John Birks). EECRG was involved with the EC Marie Curie Training Stites QPALCLIM, QPALEN, and CULTLAND, and we co-ordinated the Norwegian Research Council (NFR) Strategic University Programme NORPEC (Norwegian palaeoenvironments and climates as reconstructed from lake sediments) involving colleagues in the departments of Geology, Geography, Solid Earth Physics, and Zoology at the University of Bergen. We are also involved in the NFR NORPAST (Past climates of the Norwegian Region) project with colleagues in Tromsø, Trondheim, Ås, and London. We currently have five additional research grants for doctoral students or post-doctoral researchers from the Norwegian Research Council. We are actively participating in the Nordic Network for Palaeoclimatology (NEPAL) co-ordinated by Heikki Seppä (Helsinki) and Anne Bjune.

4) Ecology and remote sensing