Stanisław Leszczycki Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences (IGSO PAS) was founded in 1953. The Institute is an important research center in Poland in the fields of physical and socio-economic geography. Institute is actively involved in international scientific collaboration that resulted in participation in more than 50 projects. The main tasks are carrying out research studies in the fields of physical and socio-economic geography, training of research workers in geographical sciences, sharing the findings of studies with governmental institutions and local authorities, promoting international scientific cooperation by means of conducting research projects jointly with foreign partners as well as participating in scientific consortia, dissemination of the knowledge acquired through the research works carried out in the Institute.

The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) is Norway’s leading institution for applied ecological research and a key research institute in Europe. NINA performs short and long-term research and commissioned applied research to facilitate the implementation of international conventions, decision-support systems, and management regulations. We also perform consultancies for industry and management authorities, and we work to enhance public awareness and to promote conflict resolution. NINA has well equipped laboratories and research facilities at nine locations in Norway. The institute offers broad-based ecological expertise covering the genetic, population, species, ecosystem and landscape level, in terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal marine environments. NINA's activities are focused on environmental research emphasizing the interaction between human society, natural resources and biodiversity. NINA was established in 1988 with main office in Trondheim (Norway). NINA has 212 employees. Number of EU-projects in 2011 was 12. Number of scientific publications in 2011 was 181.