Collaborative Project to meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges

Along with climate change, how we use and manage our land and natural diversity is one of the biggest challenges we need to solve in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The loss and degradation of habitats and natural environments due to increased human activities poses a threat to species and natural diversity, as well as ecosystem functions and natural assets, both globally and nationally. Climate-smart land use, conservation and restoration of natural environments and ecosystems on land, and in coastal areas and oceans are essential to meet Norway’s environmental targets and address the climate crisis.

Society requires land for different purposes including transport, industry, energy, agriculture, leisure and housing. At the same time, we have an obligation and need to conserve, manage and restore nature. This entails challenges and conflicts in land-use policy, but also the potential for innovation and development of knowledge-based solutions as the basis for ecosystem-based management.

The causes behind loss and degradation of land are complex, and the challenges must be resolved across sectors and disciplines. More interdisciplinary collaboration between research groups and greater involvement from relevant user groups are essential in this work.

Funding is available for projects that generate knowledge for sustainable land-use management in Norway, including in polar areas, where environment and climate considerations are prioritised. The knowledge will form the basis for innovative solutions for sustainable use, protection and development, both now and going forward. We are seeking research projects targeting terrestrial, limnic and marine areas and/or a combination of these.

Land-use challenges touch on many thematic areas and the intersection between them:

• Loss of natural diversity
• Measures to stimulate ecosystem-based management and sustainable societal and business development
• Interaction between conserving nature and climate benefits on land, in the coastal zone and offshore
• Change processes in polar areas that challenge the geopolitical stability
• Striking a balance between different societal considerations and the grounds for knowledge-based decision-making in the transition to a low-emission society
• Innovative solutions that promote the green transition and reduce the negative impacts of energy plants and infrastructure
• Development of sustainable and bio-based food production
• The business and public sectors’ use of land, natural diversity and resources within the planet’s tolerance limits
• Sufficient knowledge basis for managing natural diversity and cultural environments

Projects relevant for funding must answer at least one of the following priority research challenges related to ‘Land under pressure’:

• Consequences of land use
• Weighing of interests, conflicts and decision-making processes in society and in the population
• Innovative solutions that address climate and natural diversity for sustainable social development, infrastructure and industry

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will prioritise applications that:

• Satisfy the research challenges set out in the call
• Fall within the thematic areas with an emphasis on the intersection between them
• Include cross-sector research questions and collaboration
• Have clear user participation (cf. ‘Requirements relating to partners’ in the joint call for proposals)

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

We allow some variation in the scope and duration of the project. Priority will be given to projects that cover the breadth of disciplines that fall under this call while also supplementing existing/ongoing projects in order to achieve a balanced portfolio within the area ‘Land under pressure’.

A total of NOK 150 million is available for Researcher Projects or Collaborative and Knowledge-building Projects within this topic.

To halt global warming, greenhouse gases must be reduced and food production must be better geared to the changing climate as well as to reducing the loss of biodiversity. Food systems contribute considerable to greenhouse gas emissions and have a direct impact on the loss of biodiversity on a global scale.

Our food systems give us access to healthy and nutritious food, but Norway nonetheless has the highest occurrence of obesity and overweight in the Nordics. By transforming our food systems, we can help to ensure an economic, social and public health, climate-related and environmental foundation for future proof. 

Funding is available for projects that will contribute to long-term sustainable food systems, promote competitive Norwegian industry and play a role in transforming food systems to operate within the planet's level of tolerance.

The goal of the topic is to generate knowledge about how the different parts of food systems work together, and which parts can and should be transformed. The projects can cover marine and/or land-based food production. 

To be eligible for funding, the application must:

• Address the interaction between different parts of one food system and/or between different food systems
• Take a future-oriented approach to finding a sustainable solution that encompasses the bigger picture rather than one type of production 
• See food systems in conjunction with biodiversity and environmental assets, climate and public health
• Discuss how knowledge-based solutions can provide more sustainable and innovative production methods
• Be based on system thinking

System thinking is a holistic approach to the analysis of how a system’s constituent parts interrelate, and how they work over time and within the context of larger systems.

Scaling up new knowledge is also essential in order to address the barriers that exist in today’s systems. System thinking is often related to responsible research and innovation (RRI). Co-creation and learning that involves the population and users is also a key aspect.

System thinking and RRI require new approaches to knowledge production. It is therefore necessary to integrate aspects such as public health, nature, climate and societal perspectives. This requires cooperation across sectors and stakeholders. For example, hunger, obesity, pollution, loss of biodiversity, antibiotics use, pesticides, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, land-use conflicts, animal welfare etc. are always interrelated.

Priority will be given to projects based on system thinking that include life-cycle analyses, as well as projects that adopt a national role and involve a broad scope of actors in the relevant food systems.

In the assessment of the relevance criterion, we will also place emphasis on:

• The description of sub-goals under the UN Sustainable Development Goals the project addresses
• Interdisciplinarity across all disciplines and technologies
• RRI
• Life-cycle analyses
• Recruitment positions
• International cooperation

We seek to achieve a wide range of topics and approaches/application types among the projects recommended for funding based on the guidelines set out in the call for proposals.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects: 

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

The recommended budget framework per project is NOK 10-30 million.

Funding is available for research on the circular economy that targets one or more of the four areas; plastic, circular bioeconomy, consumption and framework conditions. A total of NOK 100 million is available, distributed between two calls for proposals: the one you are currently reading and Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal. Applicants are to select a call based on whether it is necessary or useful to have partners from outside academia. The calls are co-funded by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, and NOK 20 million is earmarked for projects concerning plastic.

The vast majority of the resources used in the world today are only used once. In addition to the negative impact this has on natural diversity and the environment, our current resource extraction and processing generates major greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of a circular economy is to keep resources in circulation for as long as possible. The transition to a circular economy will require extensive reorganisation, including in resource extraction, business models, production patterns and consumer habits.

To be relevant for funding, projects must target one or more of the four areas detailed below and contribute to knowledge building for Norwegian conditions.

Plastic
To resolve the environmental and climate challenges plastic consumption creates, we need knowledge and innovation on several fronts. More knowledge is needed about consumer patterns and policy instruments that can lead to changed behaviour. Products must be designed that tolerate prolonged utilisation and reuse, and which can subsequently be broken down into their components in order to be repaired, re-utilised and eventually, go to material recovery. At the same time, we must develop technology that allows for a greater degree of material recovery of plastics than is currently the case. It is also necessary to gain an overview of harmful substances in plastic and to find methods of removing them. To increase the use of recycled plastic, more technical insight is required into its properties, as well as a better understanding of what requirements industry actors make of the material.

Circular bioeconomy
More knowledge is needed about renewable and circular alternatives that can advance the transition from fossil to renewable carbon for all organic chemicals and materials, including plastic. Bioeconomy encompasses all sustainable, efficient and profitable production, utilisation and refinement of renewable biological resources for food, feed, ingredients, health products, energy, materials, chemicals, fibre and other products. Cross-sector knowledge is also required to enable industrial symbiosis by using residual raw materials from one industry as a resource in another. All use of biological resources leaves environmental footprints. More knowledge is therefore required to develop bio-based industries within sustainable frameworks, with minimal negative impact on the environment, climate and ecosystems.

Consumption
Our current high level of consumption makes it challenging to achieve a circular economy. We need to know more about which factors influence consumer attitudes and choices, and what can contribute to lower and more responsible consumption. Knowledge is also required about how the design of products, services and systems can facilitate sustainable behaviour, for example the establishment of rental and sharing services. We also need to know more about how we can encourage recycling and reuse, including by facilitating product repairs and by changes in consumer behaviour. It is important to base assessments of environmental and climate impact on a life-cycle perspective, and to investigate the roles and responsibilities of different actors in this life-cycle, such as politicians, producers, consumers etc.

Framework conditions
Knowledge is required on how framework conditions in the form of laws, regulations and other policy instruments (e.g. taxation, fees, subsidies and producer liability) can facilitate circular resource utilisation and more use of recycled/secondary raw materials, and make circular business models more competitive. Little dialogue within and between value chains and disciplines has been identified as a challenge in this respect. We therefore seek more knowledge about these cross-sector challenges within all of the three areas described above.

On the basis of the descriptions above, the application is to address one or more of the following research challenges:

• How can new technology lead to increased material recovery of plastic?
• How can recycled plastic replace virgin plastic to a greater extent?
• How can the bioeconomy contribute to an environmental- and climate-friendly circular economy?
• How can the consumption of resources (including plastic) be reduced by e.g. new circular business models, sharing services, greener product design and/or changes in consumer behaviour?
• How can framework conditions be adapted to pave the way for a circular economy?

When a mark is awarded for the application’s relevance, we will assess how well it addresses the thematic areas and research challenges described above.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research environments and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

The call for proposals is co-financed with the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, which thereby has an advisory role in the recommendation of applications concerning plastic, and will be given access to the applications that qualify for funding within this topic. The Research Council assumes that all project participants read the call and are aware of the potential disclosure of confidential information to the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund. On submission of the application, the project administrator guarantees that all project participants consent to any confidential information in the application being shared with the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund. The Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund is subject to a duty of confidentiality in relation to information it receives.

Funding will go to research that elucidates and increases our understanding of innovation work in municipalities and county authorities. The projects should focus on specific challenges and needs relating to the municipalities’ innovation work, and clearly reflect the municipal partners’ experiences and challenges.

The research should contribute to knowledge that can be used by the municipalities themselves in their innovation work, as well as by politicians, the government administration and other social actors. The research should also contribute to building strong research groups.

We welcome projects in the three areas described below:

Innovation processes in municipalities
The Research Council is seeking to develop knowledge and research competence related to municipal innovation processes, from the first innovation phase through the utilisation of results with the ensuing benefits, as well as all elements underlying the process. Relevant research questions include

• implementation of the innovation process;
• which stakeholders are involved and how;
• leadership competence;
• project management competence;
• innovation competence;
• which barriers and drivers determine whether a municipality succeeds with its innovation processes.

Realisation of innovations and benefits
The Research Council is seeking to develop knowledge and research competence related to how municipalities can reap the benefits of innovation efforts by employing new knowledge and solutions. A number of effective tools for project implementation and realisation of benefits in municipalities are available, but few of these are adapted for use with innovation projects. Relevant research questions include

• steps municipalities take to realise benefits;
• how they use relevant project and innovation tools;
• how they include various stakeholders;
• roles and leadership at the municipal level;
• and the strategic basis for, and ownership of, innovation activity and new solutions.

Sharing of innovations
The Research Council is seeking to develop knowledge and research competence regarding how innovations can be scaled and shared effectively among municipalities. It can be difficult for the municipalities carrying out an innovation project to deploy additional resources to ensure that other municipalities will be able to draw on the results. It is also challenging for those municipalities seeking to adopt innovations developed elsewhere to identify these and get help in generating comparable benefits locally. There is a large potential for communicating and sharing new solutions that remains untapped. Relevant research questions include

• which communication methods are the most effective;
• how the municipality’s expertise and learning capacity can be used to expand sharing;
• the barriers and drivers related to sharing;
• the roles of the sharing entity and the recipient;
• the part that digital solutions may have to play within this framework.

As a minimum, projects should include issues relating to one of the three thematic areas. It will be relevant to consider actors, roles, competence challenges, and barriers and drivers relating to all three thematic areas.

Priority will be given to:

• projects that incorporate multiple research organisations as partners;
• projects involving partnerships between more than one municipality/county;
• projects with activities related to communicating and sharing results with municipalities .

The points above will be included in the assessment of the application’s relevance.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

Funding will go to research in the field of planning. Research activities must help to expand the knowledge base needed for planning under the Planning and Building Act with the aim of promoting sustainable societal development. Projects that shed light on the importance of the legislative instruments in the planning part of the Act are of particular interest. Projects are to illuminate and enhance understanding of how different societal interests, sector-based legislation and market mechanisms work together and in conflict with one another, and the impacts of this on physical planning. Efficiency and implementation capacity in planning activities are essential. Research is to help to generate knowledge that can be used by politicians, government administrators and other stakeholders in society.

Research activities are to promote the building of strong scientific communities and add high-quality, long-term, broad-based competence to researcher training. Research activities are to further develop the knowledge obtained under the EVAPLAN project funded under the DEMOS programme, as well as from other relevant planning research. One objective of the research is to strengthen educational programmes and institutions in the field of planning, and to incorporate relevant educational institutions into the research activities.

Funding is available for projects within four main thematic areas. Applicants also have the opportunity to propose additional sub-areas of relevance within the scope of the field of planning. There is no order of priority between these thematic areas or the bullet points under them.

The Planning and Building Act: development and use of the Act’s legislative room to manoeuvre and need for new instruments

• Legislative instruments relating to the planning levels, land-use purposes, zones requiring special consideration, planning provisions and guidelines;
• The interaction between instruments at the national, regional and municipal levels;
• Prerequisites for transformation and high-quality urban densification; Interaction between and development of instruments;
• The Planning and Building Act as coordinating legislation and how it relates to relevant sectoral legislation;
• Effects of digitalisation on important considerations in the Planning and Building Act and the act’s impact on the potential for digitalisation of planning activities;

Planning and markets: efficiency and implementation capacity in planning

• Interaction between the municipality and markets, the business sector, ownership interests and various societal interests;
• The relationship between social planning, physical planning and financial planning – short- and long-term impacts;
• Interaction between municipalities and different stakeholders – the role of negotiation- and agreement-based processes;
• The role of geodata, ownership information and digital tools in planning.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals: the role of planning in following up relevant goals

• How environmental, climate-related, economic and social considerations may be emphasised and unified;
• Innovative ways to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals through planning activities;
• Importance of the knowledge base for the design of indicators and performance achievement.

The competency base for planning: factors that affect social and land-use planning and competency requirements among different stakeholders.

• Current status of competence and capacity in the public and private sectors within planning, maps and geodata;
• Development of relevant public-sector competence in planning through innovation, external stakeholders or collaborative schemes;
• The role of digitalisation and automation for competence development in the field of planning and geodata.

Projects are expected to include relevant national, Nordic and/or other international partners from the research sector.

Priority will be given to:

• projects that strengthen educational programmes and institutions in the field of planning and incorporate relevant educational institutions into the research activities;
• projects involving doctoral fellowship positions.

The points above will be included in the assessment of the application’s relevance.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

Projects can apply for a maximum of NOK 10 million in support from the Research Council of Norway.

Funding will go to projects that contribute to environmentally friendly, safe and efficient transport and mobility. We also welcome projects that will contribute to more cost efficient planning, building and maintenance of infrastructure and transport services. The projects should also contribute to increased research collaboration, nationally and internationally.

Relevant projects
Projects that are eligible for funding within this topic must fall under at least one of the following three thematic areas:

• an innovative transport system that makes use of new technology or business models
• a sustainable transport system that contributes to lower greenhouse gas emissions and less pollution of the local environment
• a transport system for forward-looking development of cities and regions.

The areas are described in more detail in the portfolio plan / work programme for Transport 2025.

The call is targeted towards transportation of goods and passenger traffic in all four modes of transport: road, rail, sea and air.

The call does not apply to offshore operations, fisheries and technology development relating to the maritime sector that are not directly linked to transportation of goods and/or passenger traffic.

Projects relating to the development of environmentally friendly energy in transport such as batteries, hydrogen and biofuels will not be eligible for funding under this call.

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will place special consideration on:

• projects designed to promote environmentally friendly, safe and efficient transport and mobility as well as projects that will contribute to more efficient use or resources in the planning, building and maintenance of infrastructure and transport services;
• relates to at least one of the three thematic areas. It must be clear which (s) of the areas the application is aimed at.
• has international and national research collaboration. The collaboration must be described in the application and appear in the project's budgets 

We will prioritise projects that have a high quality of research, and in order to contribute to building capacity in the area of transport and mobility, we will, with equal quality of applications, prioritise projects that include PhD or postdoctoral positions.

Projects can apply for a maximum of NOK 12 million in support from the Research Council of Norway.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10% of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

Funding is available for projects that generate knowledge in the field of CO2 capture and storage (CCS). A total of NOK 45 million is available for this topic, distributed between two calls for proposals. The quality of the applications submitted will determine how the funding will be distributed between the two application types.

The applications must be within the topics described in the CLIMIT Programme plan.

Applications for projects that address the following topics are particularly encouraged:

• Hydrogen combined with CO₂ capture and storage
• Biomass combined with CO₂ capture and storage, often referred to as BECCS (Bio Energy with CO₂Capture and Storage)
• Projects that contribute results that are directly applicable to benefit realisation in the full-scale Longship project(link opens in a new window)

We will emphasise applications that include

• Recruitment positions
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Use of ECCSEL’s research infrastructure

The points above will be taken into account in the assessment of the application’s relevance.

Applications for Knowledge-building Projects for Industry will be prioritised above applications for Collaborative Project to meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges if the quality of the applications is otherwise equal.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

Funding is available for research on taxation and illicit financial flows with the purpose of contributing to international development,   reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development. The projects must generate knowledge and understanding of the topic, be relevant to Norwegian development policy and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Project applications must target the topic ‘Taxation’ and the geographic focus areas described in the NORGLOBAL2 work programme.

Project applications must include international partners. At least one partner must be from a developing country.

We will prioritise applications that include:

• A high degree of international collaboration and several partners from developing countries, in line with the guidelines in the NORGLOBAL2 work programme.
• Focus on one or more of the 16 partner countries for Norwegian development cooperation
• A description of how research results will be communicated to key decision-makers, the public administration and the general public, both in Norway and abroad
• An interdisciplinarity or multidisciplinarity approach

The points above will be taken into account in the assessment of the application’s relevance.

The funding has been allocated to the Research Council from the development cooperation budget and grant applications must therefore satisfy the requirements regarding use of Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding. Only research directly and primarily relevant to the problems of developing countries may be counted as ODA. The costs may still be counted as ODA if the research is carried out in a developed country. Read more about ODA funding here.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

The recommended maximum budget per project is NOK 6–10 million.

Relevant projects

The areas are described in more detail in the portfolio plan for Oceans and the work programme for MAROFF (Maritime Activities and Offshore Operations).

We will emphasise applications that include

• issues of importance to major parts of the industry and that require several companies and research groups to work together
• doctoral research fellows.

The points above will be included in the assessment of the application’s relevance.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research environments and project partners. The overall contribution in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs from partners that are Norwegian maritime companies are to constitute at least 10 percent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Partners who are Norwegian companies can receive funding from the Research Council to cover up to 50 percent of the costs relating to project participation. For cooperating companies, the degree of financing will also be limited by the state aid regulations.
• For partners who are not companies or approved R&D communities, the costs relating to project participation will not be covered by funding from the Research Council, nor will it be included in the calculation of a minimum of 10 per cent effort from partners.

A total of NOK 80 million is available for this topic, distributed between three priority areas and three calls for proposals (application types). Applications for each priority area will compete across the calls. Applicants must select a call based on whether it is necessary or useful to have partners from outside academia.

Fish health and fish welfare – thematic open call
Projects within this research area can encompass all aquaculture species, and all research that contributes to increased knowledge about and understanding of aquaculture organisms’ health and welfare are relevant. The research area is described in more detail in the HAVBRUK Work Programme.

Are we feeding our salmon to deficiencies?
Much of the knowledge about the nutritional requirements of salmon comes from studies conducted under close to optimal conditions, with mainly marine feed ingredients and using fish that have since been bred for several generations. Today, salmon feed is predominantly plant-based and new forms of land-based and marine production mean that an increasing share of the fish live large parts of their life in a completely different environment than before. Increased mortality at sea appears to be related to increased handling of the salmon and exposure to a different infection pressure. Does the feed meet the nutritional requirement of today’s farmed salmon, making them sufficiently robust to handle these new challenges?

Funding is available for projects that contribute basic knowledge on the composition of future feeds. To be eligible for funding, the research must target the nutritional needs of salmon in light of new feed ingredients, new forms of production, new processing methods, more handling and/or interaction with improved genetic material, for good welfare, health and growth.

Applications for projects that will investigate nutritional requirements of salmon for fat, protein, vitamins and minerals will be more relevant than research on functional feed ingredients. The call is coordinated with planned measures in the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF).

The value chain of sludge from closed and semi-enclosed facilities
The production of bigger smolts and other land-based production will result in more sludge production, which entails challenges for disposal and use. The development of closed and semi-enclosed production concepts makes it easier to collect and use waste and side streams of production, thereby contributing to sustainability in the industry. The sludge must be separated from the production environment, collected, stored, treated and transported. All parts of this value and logistics chain require technological solutions to be developed that are suited for the utilisation of the sludge. This applies to feed technology, feeding technology, sludge collection technology and technology for accumulation and processing. Developing an optimal value chain for use of sludge from fish production has both technological and regulatory limitations. The latter is generally related to components of the sludge that can limit its application.

Funding is available for projects that look at technological solutions in order to utilise sludge from fish production. The projects may be transdisciplinary and involve users and the authorities, in addition to technology development.

Relevance
When we determine the application's score for relevance to the call, we will assess how well the application addresses one or several of the priority areas above. It must be clearly stated which of the priority areas the application targets.

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place special consideration on:

• relevant international collaboration;
• recruitment positions (PhD or post-doctoral fellows).

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.  
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

Projects can apply for a maximum of NOK 12 million in funding from the Research Council.

A total of NOK 85 million is available for this topic, distributed between three priority areas and three calls for proposals. Applications for each priority area will compete across the calls. Applicants are to select a call based on whether it is necessary or useful to have partners from outside academia.

Marine ecosystems – thematic open calls
The research area Marine ecosystems aims to increase understanding of ecosystems' structure, function, variation and change in order to achieve sustainable and long-term management of Norwegian coastal and marine areas. The research area is described in more detail in the MARINFORSK Work Programme.

Pollution and other effects on ecosystems – Mineral extraction on the sea floor and onshore
Onshore and offshore mineral extraction leads to occupation of areas and deposition of minerals processing waste and various chemicals into the marine environment. More knowledge is needed about the spread of minerals processing waste and associated chemicals, and their impact on marine ecosystems as a whole and on individual species, populations and societies.

To be relevant, the project must be related to at least one of the following areas:

• development of empirical data and reliable models for calculating chemical, physical and biological processes in and around marine waste deposits from onshore mining and the impact of these processes on the marine environments. Focus should be placed on both the operational and restitution phase of extraction.
• more knowledge on how mineral extraction on the sea floor and any associated minerals processing waste deposits in coastal areas and at sea affect the marine ecosystem.

Management and societal perspectives – Knowledge-based management of marine resources, ecosystems and ecosystem services
Achieving sustainable utilisation of marine resources requires knowledge-based and ecosystem-based management with an integrated approach. Within this thematic priority area, we seek more knowledge about which factors serve to facilitate or impede the management of‏ marine ecosystems and marine ecosystem services. This may encompass studies of policy, economics, national and international legislation, strategies, policy instruments, agreements, barriers and opportunities, attitudes and behaviour, gender perspectives and the capacity of society to design and implement change. These are all multi- and interdisciplinary challenges that require insight from the natural sciences and social sciences, as well as the humanities.

Applications related to research needs in the following focus areas are relevant:

1. Marine ecosystem services
2. Management of marine and coastal waters
3. Management challenges in light of climate and environmental change

Research needs are described in more detail in the MARINFORSK Work Programme.

Relevance
It must be clear which of the three focus areas above, the application is aimed at.

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place special consideration on:

• relevant international collaboration;
• recruitment positions (PhD or post-doctoral).

The points above will be included in the assessment of the application’s relevance. 

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.  
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

A total of NOK 20 million is available for this topic, distributed between two calls for proposals (application types). Applicants must select a call based on whether it is necessary or useful to have partners from outside academia.

As an export industry, Norwegian seafood is exposed to changes in the international market. The COVID-19 pandemic brings uncertainty into world trade due to changes in consumer behaviour and transport patterns, the importance of the local market, desire to protect one’s own (protectionism) etc. The pandemic also provides a unique opportunity to study how such a situation affects the Norwegian seafood sector.

Funding is available for market research that helps to identify, understand and deal with causes and ripple effects related to the pandemic and similar situations in the short and long term, in order to understand the opportunities and challenges that can arise in relation to transitions and innovation. The research can encompass both national and international markets and different types of seafood products. We particularly welcome projects that take the form of comparative studies on different fisheries and aquaculture products that can help to ensure an economically sustainable seafood industry.

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place special consideration on:

• relevant international collaboration;
• recruitment positions (PhD or post-doctoral).

The points above will be included in the assessment of the application’s relevance. 

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.  
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

The recommended project framework is NOK 4-10 million in funding from the Research Council.

Funding is available for research on the implementation and consequences of eHealth for service provision, treatment services and public health measures. The research must take as its point of departure the needs of the population, and contribute to uniform, equitable and sustainable health, care and welfare services.

eHealth is defined here as the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to improve efficiency, quality and safety in the health and care sector, and includes solutions related to the welfare sector. Digital services are intended to simplify contact between users and health personnel and contribute to the public perception of the services as comprehensive and available. 

Relevant projects
Projects that are eligible for funding must fall under at least one of the following three areas:

1. Quality, competence and efficiency in the health, care and welfare services
2. Health-promoting and preventive public health measures
3. Diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of illnesses

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place special consideration on projects that:

• Are interdisciplinary and include the humanities and social sciences
• Include societal and health economics perspectives
• Include Nordic and/or other international research collaboration
• Include partners that are not research organisations that, to the greatest extent possible, finance their own participation

Around half of the budgeted funding is to be allocated to research area 1, which will be taken into account in the project portfolio assessment.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.
• In addition to the formal partners described above (most often a municipality, other public actor and/or business), the project must also involve the end users of the research. The application must describe how formal partners and representatives of the end users (most often inhabitants, next of kin, patients and non-profit organisations) are involved in the planning and implementation of the project and utilisation of the results.

The recommended amount sought from the Research Council is NOK 8–16 million.

Funding is available for research on health promoting and preventive measures at the national and/or municipal level with the aim of improving public health and quality of life and reducing social inequality in relation to health and risk of illness. The research may encompass development, implementation and/or evaluation of measures, as well as natural experiments. The overarching objective of the projects must be to reinforce knowledge about measures that can contribute to the population living healthy lives in a health-promoting environment.

Relevant projects
Priority will be given to projects that generate new knowledge on measures that:

• Promote public health and reduce the risk of illness that leads to a major disease burden
• Contribute to elucidating and counteracting the negative health consequences of social inequality
• Prevent more severe illness and reduce the likelihood of new conditions occurring
• Target children and adolescents, and promote good physical and mental health, forming the basis for good health later in life
• Target the oldest age groups and help to maintain good health and functional ability in old age
• Contribute to knowledge-building at the municipal level and to research-based policy development that leads to a good public health service in the municipalities

Health is affected by many factors including from outside the health sector. As a basis for the measures, knowledge is therefore required about how health is affected by social, cultural and environmental factors during childhood, schooling, education and in working life and leisure time.

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place special consideration on projects that:

• Are interdisciplinary and include the humanities and social sciences
• Include collaboration with other sectors of society, such as those related to childhood, education, living environment, sports, culture, working life, the voluntary sector and primary industry
• Include Nordic and/or other international research collaboration
• Use existing health data and personal data where relevant
• Include partners that are not research organisations that, to the greatest extent possible, finance their own participation

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.
• In addition to the formal partners described above (most often a municipality, other public actor and/or business), the project must also involve the end users of the research. The application must describe how formal partners and representatives of the end users (most often inhabitants, next of kin, patients and/or non-profit organisations) are involved in the planning and implementation of the project and utilisation of the results.

The recommended amount sought from the Research Council is NOK 8–16 million.

Funding is available for projects that promote increased value creation, profitability and sustainability throughout the agricultural value chain. According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, sustainable food production covers economic and social conditions, as well as environmental and climate considerations. 

The research should help Norway to achieve its agricultural policy objectives, and the applications should be connected to one or more of the four overriding agricultural policy goals, cf. Report No 11 to the Storting (2016–2017) and Proposition No 1 to the Storting (Resolution) (2020–2021). Grant applications must refer to existing challenges, research questions and knowledge gaps, and explain specifically how the project will address these and help to realise agricultural policy objectives.

The earliest possible start of projects funded by FFL/JA is 1 January 2022. Applications under this topic must include an attachment of maximum one page containing the project's title, goals and summary in Norwegian.

Regarding start date:

There is a technical limitation in the application form, which means that the system does not accept entering 1.01.2022 as the start date. Please do as follows:

• Enter 1.12.2021 as the startup date. In all budgets, 2021 will be the first project year:
• Enter 0 in all budget tables for 2021.

Food security and preparedness
The main objectives are to ensure that consumers have safe food and to strengthen food preparedness. These topics have become particularly relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The utilisation of bioresources is to be increased through selective research and education, breeding and processing. Good plant and animal health, good animal welfare and high quality processing provide the foundation for producing sufficient quantities of safe food. 

The following areas are particularly relevant: 

• Norwegian agricultural supply capacity in times of crisis;
• increased production and utilisation of Norwegian feed resources;
• factors that affect the production capacity of arable soil (soil health);
• anti-resistance strategies against plant pests in agriculture and horticulture and against pathogens in livestock;
• sustainable materials and packaging technology for a correct shelf life and reduced food waste;
• transfer of compounds that are hazardous to health to food and fodder crops through soil, air and water;
• the risk of international trade to Norwegian plant and animal health. 

Agricultural production throughout the entire country
Agricultural production throughout the entire country can be achieved by facilitating diversified agriculture with varied farm structure and geographic production sharing that provide opportunities for jobs and settlement throughout the entire country. Measures to increase the use of soil resources and grazing resources and measures that ensure recruitment to agriculture and the food and beverage industry throughout the entire country will help to promote this. 

The following areas are of particular relevance: 

• increased use of grazing resources in uncultivated areas;
• knowledge to enhance educational programmes and increase recruitment to agriculture and the food industry;
• sustainability in Norwegian agriculture and food production in relation to labour/human resources;
• knowledge about the ability to achieve the agricultural policy objectives through effective design of market schemes and agricultural policy instruments targeted towards the agricultural value chain, including production, market, the environment and climate.

Increasing value creation
Agricultural policy is to lay the foundation for profitable and sustainable value chains in agriculture and the food industry, including the income opportunities and ability of farmers to invest in their farms, and to promote the efficient, profitable use of a farm’s combined resources. Market-based production opportunities must be employed and the value chain for food must be cost-effective and competitive. Norway must be further developed as a food-producing nation.

The following areas are of particular relevance: 

• developing knowledge and methods to better utilise residual raw materials in the value chain for food and beverages to develop new and profitable products;
• mapping the opportunities to increase Norwegian food production and competitiveness for the agriculture-based food and beverage industries in a changing market;
• mapping of innovation potential in and across value chains;
• developing new technology and new methods to improve efficiency in every segment of the value chain, e.g. automation, robotics, information technology and sensor technology;
• further developing methods and collaborative solutions for the collection, analysis and utilisation of large amounts of data;
• increased knowledge of consumer trends, diet, health and nutrition. 

Sustainable agriculture with reduced greenhouse gas emissions 
Sustainable agriculture entails sustainable use and strong protection of agricultural areas and resource bases The cultural landscape and biodiversity must be safeguarded, and pollution and greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced. CO2 uptake must be increased and good climate adaptation measures must be implemented. 

The following areas are of particular relevance: 

• new knowledge and methods that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration in agricultural value chains from the primary sector to the consumer;
• generating new knowledge on climate-adapted production and adaptation strategies;
• creating a knowledge base on the climate impacts of different production methods;
• mapping and finding solutions to environmental challenges resulting from the impacts of agriculture on ecosystems, aquatic environments and biodiversity;
• organic production. 

Priority will be given to applications that include 

• research adapted to Norwegian conditions
• interdisciplinary collaboration
• economic and societal perspectives where relevant
• research with results that can quickly benefit the industry
• specific and user-oriented dissemination measures
• significant involvement of stakeholders from the agricultural and food industries to ensure its relevance to the industry and society at large
• when relevant, collaboration between actors in the aquaculture and agricultural sectors will count as positive, as long as industry actors from the agriculture-based value chain are still significantly involved in the project.

The projects will be financed by the agricultural industry itself through the payment of research duties on agricultural products and transfers through the Agricultural Agreement Research Fund.

The project portfolio assessment will place emphasis on the industry’s knowledge needs, achieving a balance between the four stated target areas, ongoing research activities and distribution among the industry branches.

Emphasis will be placed on achieving a balanced project portfolio that addresses the breadth of the topics announced in this call. 

The points above will be included in the assessment of the application’s relevance.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects: 

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. Partners from the business sector (companies, industry organisations, etc.) must in total contribute a minimum of 20 per cent of the overall costs of the project.  
• The participation of public entities will not be included as part of the requirement to contribute minimum 20 per cent of the overall costs, but will count as positive where this is of relevance.
• Partners that are not research organisations must finance their own project costs. 
• The requirement for contributions from industry may be modified under special circumstances. This applies to projects that address important collective knowledge needs for the industry as a whole, particularly in areas relating to the environment, climate and animal welfare, where it is not possible to expect participation from individual actors. Projects must still be firmly based on the needs and involvement of the users. If the 20 per cent requirement is not met, the reason for this must be explained in the application.

Funding is available for large-scale transdisciplinary collaborative projects that develop new forms of interaction where users and other stakeholders, together with universities and research institutes, develop and apply biotechnological knowledge and methods. Biotechnology encompasses a broad range of technologies that can provide solutions to societal challenges in the health, agriculture, marine and industry sectors.

Through cooperation with other disciplines and technologies, biotechnology contributes to new and innovative health services in diagnostics and the development of pharmaceuticals, and plays a key role in the development of personalised medicine. Biotechnology is important to the development of a competitive health industry.

Biotechnology is also an important technology in the emerging bioeconomy, which includes sustainable production and processing of biomass to create various products. Among other things, this includes enzyme technology and fermentation technologies.

We would like one of the projects that we fund to be the establishment of a national node under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP). EBP is a global initiative to sequence all eukaryotic biodiversity. Applications to establish a national node of the EBP must describe the implementation of activities described in the strategy document ‘Establishing a national initiative for Earth BioGenome Norway (EBP-Nor)’ and be coordinated by the Centre for Digital Life Norway (DLN).

Relevant projects
Projects eligible for funding within this topic must meet the following criteria:

• develops biotechnological knowledge and methods that are essential to achieving the project’s objectives.
• addresses challenges in the health, agriculture, marine or industrial sectors
• promotes Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Measures to ensure this are to be presented in the project description (see A Framework for Responsible Innovation).

Projects that are granted funding and that are relevant to DLN are encouraged to become affiliated to the centre.

The areas are described in more detail in the portfolio plan for Enabling Technologies.

Funding available per project under this call is NOK 15–30 million. 

We aim to achieve a balanced portfolio of projects that address problems related to health and the other described thematic areas. If several projects are awarded the same overall mark, we will give priority to establishing a Norwegian node under the ‘Earth BioGenome Project’.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 per cent of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.  
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

Funding will go to projects that strengthen research in teacher education for early childhood education and care (ECEC) and the primary and lower secondary level. Universities and university colleges that educate ECEC teachers and primary and lower secondary teachers (GLU 1–10) are eligible to apply. Up to NOK 12 million may be sought.

We seek projects that strengthen strategically important research areas for ECEC teacher education and primary and lower secondary teacher education and meet actual and future competence needs. One important goal is to strengthen research and cooperation between teacher education programmes, research groups and the field of practice.

For projects from ECEC teacher education programmes, all priority areas in the Education and Competence portfolio plan are relevant. Projects that are eligible for funding must fall under at least one of the priority areas. The priority areas may also be seen in conjunction with one another. The priority areas are:

• A: Learning processes, assessment forms and learning outcomes;
• B: Praxis, professional practice and competence-development;
• C: Governance, management, organisation and achievement of results
• D: Education, society and working life.

For projects from primary and lower secondary teacher education programmes, we welcome projects on teaching and learning in all school subjects, and are interested in research in subject didactics. The projects can also be interdisciplinary and elucidate issues across and between school subjects.

Projects that are eligible for funding must fall under at least one of the following priority areas:

• A: Learning processes, assessment forms and learning outcomes;
• B: Praxis, professional practice and competence-development.

Projects addressing priority area B in the portfolio plan must be viewed in the context of priority area A.

Descriptions of the priority areas can be found in the Education and Competence portfolio plan in chapter 2.2.

Projects that include collaboration between ECEC teacher education programmes and primary and secondary teacher education programmes may be of interest, as are projects that examine issues that are relevant for both ECEC and primary and secondary teacher education, such as the transition between ECEC and school.

When awarding marks for the relevance criterion, we will also take into consideration whether the project includes the following:

• Collaboration with at least two relevant partners, of which at least one must be a Norwegian ECEC institution owner or school owner.
• Collaboration with other relevant national and international research groups.
• ECEC teacher students/primary and lower secondary teacher students.
• Recruitment positions.
• Intent to cooperate with relevant doctoral research fellows funded under the Public Sector Ph.D. Project scheme.

All partners must actively contribute in the planning and implementation of the project. They must also contribute to the dissemination of results from the project and to ensuring that new knowledge is being put used.

When prioritising between the projects, we will strive for an equal distribution of projects between the ECEC teacher education programmes and the primary and lower secondary teacher education programmes.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects:

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10 % of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.

Funding will be awarded to labour and welfare research that address societal challenges in the following areas:

• outcomes of preventive work, measures and comprehensive services targeting vulnerable population groups, especially children, young people and families
• housing in a welfare perspective
• outcomes and measures relating to reducing inequality and increasing the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour market or in society at large. The thematic areas are described in more detail in HELSEVEL's and VAM's  attachments  to the portfolio plan for Welfare, Culture and Society.

We will emphasise applications that include

• concrete plans for international collaboration, for example co-publication or mobility
• interdisciplinarity or multidisciplinarity
• clear user participation based on users' needs, and where users are involved in the project

The points above will be included in the assessment of the application’s relevance. 

The portfolio board will prioritise 1–2 service-oriented projects relating to the labour and welfare service and/or child and family welfare services (see HELSEVEL’s attachment to the portfolio plan for Welfare, Culture and Society).Applications that concern transitions and   coordination between different services can include relevant health services, but cannot apply to health services alone.

Requirements for effective collaboration in the projects: 

• Effective collaboration entails real and practical collaboration between the involved research groups and project partners. The partners’ overall contributions in the form of personnel and, if relevant, other project costs are to constitute at least 10% of the project’s total costs. These contributions cannot be replaced by cash contributions from the same partners.  
• Research Council funding can be used to cover the partners’ costs relating to project participation. For partner companies, the amount of funding that can be allocated will be limited by the state aid rules.