Basic research played a key role in expanding the total area of Norway by nearly 250,000 square kilometres in 2009. Knowledge acquired from a ten-year-old basic research project on geologic conditions of the oceanic crust proved invaluable in ultimately successful negotiations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. While the previous boundary was set at 200 nautical miles, the new boundary is based on specific geologic conditions. The basic geological research carried out proved to be invaluable for establishing the size of the Norwegian continental shelf and helped to clarify who has the rights and responsibilities in the various maritime areas....