Collaborative Project to Meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges

Funding is available for research on sustainable use and management of the Norwegian coastal zone, Norwegian marine areas and the polar areas, which also seeks to promote coexistence between different business and societal interests.

The way in which we use marine and coastal areas is an important driver in the naturel and climate crises we are facing. Area useis also affected by changes in the natural environment, ecosystems and the climate. Business interests, energy, development, infrastructure and other societal interests are  placing increasing pressure on marine and coastal areas and the resources they provide. This gives rise to a need for new knowledge about the critical challenges stated by the Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

The funding will be awarded to projects that generate knowledge to address challenges related to sustainable use and management of marine and coastal areas in Norway and polar regions. International perspectives are to be included where relevant. You should base your application on climate and/or biodiversity and research related to achieving the UN SDGs. 

The projects should in general take a social sciences approach, but you can include a broad range of other disciplines where expedient to address complex challenges. The issues the projects seek to address should extend across multiple sectors. 

Projects eligible for funding within this topic must fall under at least one of the following two areas: 

• knowledge about how the goal of sustainable management of marine, coastal and/or polar areas is affected by one or more factors, such as political and/or geopolitical processes, economic and/or other interests, formal and/or informal power structures, legislation, planning and regulation; 
• knowledge about and solutions aimed at achieving sustainable use and management of marine, polar and coastal areas.

Definitions and delimitations: 

• The term ‘polar areas’ is used here as geographically defined in the Portfolio plan for Climate and polar research. 
• Projects specifically related to pollution and environmental toxins in marine and coastal areas should apply for the topic NOK 128 million for marine research (page opens in a new window) under the call Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal.

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will place emphasis on whether the project: 

• is within the framework of the topic as described above; 
• is relevant to Norway; 
• contributes to achieving the UN SDGs and to seeing the goals in conjunction with one another. 

We will give priority to achieving a balanced overall portfolio of projects that covers the best possible breadth of the areas presented above. 

You can apply for NOK 4–14 million in funding. We aim to grant funding to between eight and ten projects. 

Funding will be awarded to projects that develop knowledge about and solutions that seek to achieve a circular economy in the production and consumption of finished goods. Key aspects include product design, business models and resource efficiency. Relevant issues could be reducing consumption, preventing waste, increasing the lifetime of products, facilitating reuse and repair, ensuring that it is possible to recycle materials from products at their end of life and increasing the use of recycled materials in the production of new products. 

Measures and solutions must reduce climate and environmental impacts. We will support research on finished goods for private or professional use, for example EEE (electrical and electronic equipment), ICT products, building materials, furniture and textiles. Goods that are meant to be consumed immediately or shortly, are not included in this topic.

Projects eligible for funding within this topic must concern finished goods and fall under at least one of the following areas: 

• preventing waste and reducing consumption; 
• resource-efficient ways of covering consumer needs; 
• barriers and solutions to circular business models and value chains; 
• increased product lifetime through e.g. reuse, repair and/or renovation; 
• increased material recycling and/or increased use of recycled materials; 
• knowledge and solutions that enable consumers to choose eco-friendly and climate-friendly products and services. 

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will place emphasis on the project falling under at least one of the areas that are relevant for funding – see the list above. 

The following will be taken into consideration in the portfolio assessment: 

• We will strive to achieve a balanced overall portfolio of projects that covers the breadth of the areas in the call; see the list above. 
• We would like the projects to assess the environmental and climate impacts of the proposed measures and solutions using a life-cycle analysis or other appropriate method. 
• We would like to support at least one project on EEE products and at least one on building materials. 
• We will prioritise cross-disciplinary or interdisciplinary projects where applications are otherwise considered to be on a par.

You can apply for NOK 8–20 million in funding. 

Funding will be awarded to projects that generate knowledge about how the public sector should be renewed and reorganised to address crises and major challenges in society in a sustainable manner. 

Challenges relating to areas such as the climate and environment, demographic change, inequality and polarisation are complex and cross-national in nature. Responsibility is divided between authorities in different sectors and at different levels. This creates mutual dependence and requires new forms of collaboration and coordination. We know a fair bit about the challenges but need more knowledge about solutions and the effect of measures and instruments that seek to address these complex issues. 

Applications must clearly address the thematic priority areas set out in section 2.2 of the portfolio plan for Democracy, administration and renewal, described under the headings Democracy, governance, administration and/or Societal security. 

Applications that seek to address the following issues will be prioritised: 

• collaboration and coordination across sectors and levels; 
• cooperation between the public sector and private and/or voluntary sector; 
• the political and administrative system’s management and implementation capacity; 
• the implementation and impact of different measures and instruments. 

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place emphasis on whether the project includes: 

• cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration; 
• international research collaboration.

We would like projects in the portfolio that supplement, but do not thematically overlap with projects that already receive funding within the same topic. 

You can apply for NOK 4–12 million in funding.

The funding will go to projects that fall under area a) The energy transition and impacts on society, climate and nature, as defined in the Portfolio plan for Energy, transport and low emissions, in the section on priorities/thematic priorities/energy and low emissions (consultation version as of October 2021). 

The call is not open to projects that seek to develop new technology or that, in the long term, seek to enhance the competitiveness and profitability of industry actors. These projects should instead apply for the topic NOK 170 million for research on environmentally friendly energy (the page opens in a new window) under the call Knowledge-building Project for Industry, which includes a requirement for 20 per cent of funding to come from industry. 

Please contact us if you need guidance on which call for proposals you should apply for. 

Funding is also available for research in the field of environmentally friendly energy under the following cross-cutting topics with a deadline in February 2022: 

• NOK 60 million for research on economic issues related to the green transition (the page opens in a new window) under the call Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal. 
• NOK 110 million for research on marine and coastal areas under pressure (the page opens in a new window) under this call. 

When assessing the mark for the application’s relevance, we will place emphasis on whether the project:

• falls under the area The energy transition and impacts on society, climate and nature; 
• will focus on issues where the public sector is the most important user of the results of the research; 
• is of such a nature that it is not in the interest of business and industry to co-fund the research organisations’ costs; 
• involves a doctoral degree; 
• includes the broad involvement of relevant actors as project partners.

If the project’s area of research is controversial and represents conflicts of interest, the participation of certain key actors could create doubt about the project’s independence and credibility.  In such cases, a project may exclude key actors or the institutions that are the subject of the research, without having a negative impact on the assessment. This must be explained well in the proposal. Please note that you must still fulfill the "participation requirement" through participation by other partners.

Portfolio assessment and prioritisation 

In the portfolio assessment, we will prioritise projects:

• that are particularly relevant to Norway’s energy challenges; 
• that address controversial topics with strong conflicting societal interests. 

You can apply for NOK 8–12 million in funding.  

Funding is available for projects that generate knowledge in the field of CO₂ capture and storage.

The applications must fall under the topics described in CLIMIT’s programme plan.

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

• hydrogen production from natural gas combined with CO₂ capture and storage; 
• biomass combined with carbon capture and storage, often referred to as BECCS (Bio Energy with CO₂Capture and Storage); 
• projects that contribute results that are directly applicable to the realisation of the Norwegian Longship project for CO₂ capture and storage; 
• social science research targeting the design of policy instruments, innovation processes and business models that can contribute to large-scale implementation of CO₂ capture and storage. 

We will prioritise applications that include:

• recruitment positions, primarily doctoral fellowships; 
• interdisciplinary collaboration; 
• use of ECCSEL’s research infrastructure. 

The points above will be taken into account when assessing the application’s relevance.

The total amount of funding available for knowledge-building projects and collaborative projects is NOK 60 million. The quality of the applications and a portfolio assessment will decide how we distribute the funding between the two calls. Applications for knowledge-building projects will be prioritised over applications for collaborative projects if they are otherwise considered of equal quality. 

Funding will be awarded to projects involving basic research that targets new battery materials. The overall goal is improvements in one or more of the following properties: energy density, power density, lifetime, safety and sustainability. 

The projects must involve collaboration between research groups and Norwegian companies to raise knowledge and skills that can in turn improve the competitiveness of the Norwegian battery industry. 

The call is not open for applications at higher technology readiness levels (TRL – the scale used in the EU to indicate technology maturity), or topics such as cell production, battery modules and systems, re-use and material recovery. Projects focusing on these topics can apply under the call Knowledge-building Project for Industry. 

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place emphasis on whether the project includes: 

• active collaboration with at least two private Norwegian enterprises in competitive sectors working in the production of battery cells and/or battery materials; 
• provides funding for doctoral research fellows; 
• master’s degree students. 

It is important to us to secure knowledge-building and recruitment to energy research. Younger researchers are also welcome to be project managers, but please note in such case that it is important to demonstrate that the research group has sufficient overall expertise. 

You can apply for NOK 8–12 million in funding. 

The initiative Maritime Zero 2050 is directed towards development of zero emission solution for large ships sailing long distances.

The funding will go to projects that involve collaboration between industry and research groups to generate increased knowledge and greater expertise and improve the competitiveness of the maritime industry. 

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

• promoting climate and environmentally friendly maritime activities / green shipping
• digital transformation of the maritime industry
• autonomous vessels

The areas are described in more detail in the Portfolio plan for Oceans (see Relevant plans below).

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also place emphasis on whether the project: 

• involves active cooperation with Norwegian maritime companies. These should meet the requirement that at least two partners that are not research organisations contribute at least 10 per cent of the project’s costs
• focuses on issues of importance to large parts of the industry and that require many companies and research groups to work together

Under the area Green shipping, we will prioritize projects directed towards the initiative Maritime Zero 2050, i. e. project which will generate new, better, and feasible zero emissions solution for ships sailing longer distances. The project should achieve new knowledge and develop new technology and solutions, suitable for vessel segments and sailing distances which do not already have available zero emission solutions. The solutions must be scalable for industry and form the basis for sustainable growth in exports.

Within the initiative Maritime Zero 2050 we will also prioritize projects where the participating Norwegian companies apply for Innovation Project for the Industrial Sector 2022 or Demonstration Project for the Industrial Sector 2022 (see Other relevant calls with the same topic below) for related projects and activities to the current Collaborative Project to the cut off for Period 1 in the spring of 2022. See separate calls for this under the thematic area Ocean and the topic Maritime.

For the initiative Maritime Zero 2050 we have allocated NOK 40 million combined for the current call and the calls for Innovation Project for the Industrial Sector 2022 and Demonstration Project for the Industrial Sector 2022.

For the areas Digital transformation of the maritime industry and Autonomous vessels, we will prioritize projects that help to create new business opportunities based on digital solutions. 

You can apply for NOK 4–12 million in funding. 

Partners who are Norwegian companies can have up to 50 per cent of their costs covered. 

Other partners that are not research organizations must cover their costs themselves. 

This call is for a Collaborative Project to meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges within the area Production and processing technology, as described below. 

Funding is also available for aquaculture research on the following topics with a deadline in February 2022: 

• Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal:Production biology, nutrition, breeding and genetics, and Fish health and welfare (the page opens in a new window) 
• Researcher Project for Young Talents:Production biology, nutrition, breeding and genetics (the page opens in a new window) 
• Collaborative Project to meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges: Marine and coastal areas under pressure(the page opens in a new window) 

To be relevant for funding, the application must fall under the area/thematic priority: 

Production and processing technology – standardisation, development and optimal use of data  

The development and effective use of data represents a great potential for sustainable growth and increased value creation in the aquaculture industry. Optimal utilisation of existing data, the development of new systems for data collection and use, standardisation and improved data quality are some of the key challenges currently facing the industry. These challenges are relevant at all levels of the aquaculture sector and involve individual companies, the industry as a whole, the authorities and society at large. 

When awarding a mark for the application’s relevance, we will place emphasis on: 

• the thematic match to the research area (given most weight); 
• whether you have concrete plans for international collaboration, for example participation in project work, co-publication or mobility; 
• whether you have people in recruitment positions who will actively participate in the project work. 

Funding is available for research and innovation relating to personalised preventive measures, treatment and services. 

Support can be granted to research on tailored prevention, diagnostics, treatment, rehabilitation and services adapted to the individual’s characteristics, situation and needs. 

We use a broad definition of the concept personalised preventive measures, treatment and services in this thematic area. Personalisation in this context means to tailor the right therapeutic strategy to the right person at the right time, and/or to determine predisposition for illness, and/or provide targeted preventive measures at the right time. Personalisation is about patient-centred care and the health services reacting more expediently to the patients’ needs. 

The research should help to create more sustainable health and welfare services. Both the individual users and the health system will encounter new challenges when introducing personalised services. We need more knowledge about the ethical, economic, social and legal consequences of personalisation and about how the benefits can be realised. 

Norwegian registry data, population surveys, biobanks and other public sources of health and personal data comprise a unique source that can be used to develop personalised preventive measures, treatment and services. 

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

• quality, competence and efficiency in the health, care and welfare     services; 
• health-promoting and preventive public health measures; 
• diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of illnesses. 

These areas are described in more detail in the Portfolio plan for Health. The funding will be distributed equally between these three areas. For applications within the first two areas we require cooperation across disciplines, sectors and service levels, including the primary and/or municipal health and care services and/or voluntary sector. 

If the application is relevant to the points above, we will also consider whether the project: 

• Includes collaboration across several disciplines, sectors and/or service levels. 
• includes Nordic and/or other international research collaboration. 
• uses existing health data and/or personal data.

Requirements relating to user participation

In addition to the formal partners (most often a municipality, other public institution or business), the project must also involve end users of the research. In the application, you must describe how formal partners and representatives of end users (most often inhabitants, next of kin, patients and voluntary organisations) are involved in the planning and implementation of the project and utilisation of the results. 

We will not consider funding projects that: 

• have a major pre-clinical component, such as studies not evaluating results in a clinical setting. 
• are epidemiological studies mapping the extent of and causal factors behind illnesses without a preventive intervention. 
• solely concern welfare services and do not address issues in the health and care services. 

You can apply for NOK 8–16 million. 

The funding will go to research on the mental and physical health of older women, minority women and young women. Funding can also be granted for research on the causes of undesirable differences in the provision of health services and other services to women and men, in a life-course perspective. Reproduction forms an important part of women’s health, but the research must also encompass women’s living conditions and their life choices. 

We are looking in particular for research that provides more knowledge about: 

• preventive measures, diagnostics, treatment and coping with illnesses that lead to long-term sickness absence and disability among women; 
• illnesses that have not been the subject of much research and that only affect women, or where women are overrepresented (including rare illnesses); 
• the occurrence, risk factors, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of chronic fatigue conditions, illnesses for which there is no treatment and illnesses that lead to a major disease burden with consequences for women; 
• the life situation of women with substantial care burdens and measures to address these women’s health, quality of life and participation in the labour market; 
• causes of and measures to counter unwanted differences in preventive measures, treatment, rehabilitation and services between women and men in a life-course perspective. 

In the application, you must:

• describe the expected benefits in relation to the end users' needs and documented knowledge gaps; 
• describe the impact of the research in the short and/or long term; 
• safeguard health economics perspectives where relevant. 

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance to the call, we will also assess whether the project: 

• involves collaboration across several disciplines, sectors and service levels; 
• includes the primary and/or municipal health and care services, and/or voluntary sector; 
• is interdisciplinary and includes the humanities and social sciences; 
• includes Nordic and/or other international research collaboration; 
• makes use of existing health data and/or personal data. 

Requirements relating to user participation  

In addition to the formal partners (most often a municipality, other public actor or business), the project must also involve end users of the research. The application must describe how formal partners and representatives of end users (most often inhabitants, next of kin, patients and voluntary organisations) are involved in the planning and implementation of the project and utilisation of the results. 

You can apply for NOK 8–16 million.

The Portfolio Board for Health strives to achieve a broad range of topics and disciplines in the portfolio of projects granted under this call and in the overall health project portfolio. 

Funding is available for projects that promote increased value creation, profitability and sustainability throughout the agricultural value chain, from primary production via processing and all the way to the end user. In line with the UN SDGs, sustainable food production comprises economic, social, environmental and climate considerations. 

How to enter the correct start-up date in the application form

The earliest permitted start-up date for Collaborative and Knowledge-building Projects funded by Agriculture and Food Industry Research Funds is 1 January 2023. 

Please note that the start-up date in the general text does not correspond with the text under the topic Agriculture and food industry. This is due to technical limitations in the application form whereby the system will not accept 1 January 2023 as the start-up date. Instead, do the following: 

• Enter 1 December 2022 as the start-up date. The first project year will then be given as 2022 in the budget tables. 
• Enter 0 in all budget tables for 2022. 

Remember to include attachments  

Applications for this topic must include an attachment of no more than one page stating the title of the project, its goals and a summary in Norwegian. 

Requirements relating to participation and financing in the projects – please note that there are some deviations from the general requirements in the rest of the call

• The total financial contribution of partners from the business sector (companies and industry organisations) must correspond to at least 20 per cent of the application amount.
• Self-financing and contributions from public entities, may be considered advantageous as part of the assessment of the application.
• State aid will not be awarded for this topic. Partners that are not research organisations must finance their own project costs. 
• The requirement for contributions from industry may be reduced 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 we do not expect participation from individual actors. User involvement and co-determination in the project must still be well-covered, and you must clearly explain why the 20 per cent requirement has not been met. 

The research must contribute to achieving the applicable agricultural policy objectives, and the application should be related 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). The research must result in applied solutions that offer substantial benefits to the industry. Applications must refer to existing challenges, issues and knowledge gaps, and you must explain how the project will specifically address these and help to achieve agricultural policy objectives. 

Food security and preparedness 

The most important objectives of food security and preparedness are securing safe food and improving food preparedness for consumers. The objective of investing in research and education, breeding and processing is to make better use of our biological resources. Good animal and plant health and animal welfare form the basis for ensuring we have enough safe food. 

The following areas are of particular relevance: 

• the supply capacity of Norwegian agriculture and food industries in times of crisis; 
• increased production and utilisation of Norwegian food and feed resources; 
• anti-resistance strategies against plant pests in agriculture and horticulture and against pathogens in livestock; 
• sustainable use of packaging and packaging technology that help to achieve 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; 
• monitoring of Norwegian plant and animal health, prevention of new diseases and risks related to international trade; 
• product development and processing that contributes to making better use of Norwegian food and feed ingredients. 

Agricultural production throughout the country 

The goal of agricultural production throughout the country can be achieved by facilitating diversified agriculture with varied farm structures and geographic production sharing in a way that promotes settlement across Norway. Measures aimed at increasing the use of soil resources and grazing resources, and that ensure recruitment to agriculture and the industry across the country, can contribute to this end. 

The following areas are of particular relevance: 

• the relationship between finances in primary production and sustainable land use; 
• knowledge aimed at enhancing educational programmes and increasing recruitment to agriculture and the food industry; 
• sustainability in the Norwegian agriculture and food industries 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 targeting the agricultural value chain, including production, the market, the environment and climate; 
• increased use of grazing resources in uncultivated areas and utilisation of agricultural areas no longer in use; 
• species development and plant breeding, and cultivation methods adapted to regional conditions.  

Increased value creation

Agricultural policy should facilitate the income opportunities and ability of farmers to invest in their farms, and promote the efficient, profitable and sustainable use of a farm’s combined resources. We must utilise market-based production opportunities and the value chain for food must be cost-effective and competitive. Norway as a food nation must be further developed. 

The following areas are of particular relevance: 

• knowledge about how the financial situation in primary production can be improved to achieve a cost-effective value chain; 
• knowledge and methods to better utilise residual raw materials in the value chain for food and beverages to develop new and profitable products; 
• mapping of opportunities to increase Norwegian food production and the competitiveness of the agriculture-based food and beverage industries in a changing market; 
• mapping of innovation potential in and across value chains; 
• development, adaptation and use of new technology and new methods to improve efficiency in every segment of the value chain, e.g. through automation, robotics, information technology and sensor technology. It is particularly important that projects focusing on the primary agriculture industry look at technology adapted to regional conditions and pay special attention to cost levels; 
• 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. Soil health and agronomy must be seen in context since they affect the production capacity of arable soil. Cultural landscapes and biodiversity must be safeguarded, and pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural value chains, including the food and beverages industry, must be reduced. It is also an important goal to achieve sustainable livestock production that provides optimal resource utilisation and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Climate adaptation measures and emission-reduction measures are closely interlinked and must be implemented in parallel. 

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; 
• creating a knowledge base on the climate impact of different production methods, climate-adapted production and adaptation strategies, and the impact of measures and possible positive and negative additional impacts;
• issues concerning the relationship between climate and sustainability; 
• new knowledge, methods and systems of operation that ensure good soil health, including organic methods and culture-specific soil health measures; 
• mapping and finding solutions to environmental challenges resulting from the impacts of agriculture and the food industry on ecosystems, aquatic environments and biodiversity; 
• method development. 

The following will be important in the assessment of relevance: 

• The research must be adapted to Norwegian conditions. 
• Interdisciplinary collaboration in the project will be considered a positive factor. 
• Applications should include financial and societal perspectives where relevant. 
• The results of the research should benefit the industry as quickly as possible. User-friendly and targeted dissemination measures will be considered a positive factor in the assessment. 
• Representatives of the agriculture and food industry must have significant involvement in the project to ensure relevance to the industry and society. 
• Where relevant, collaboration between actors in the aquaculture and agricultural sectors may be deemed a positive factor, as long as industry actors from the agriculture-based value chain are significantly involved in the project. 

The projects will be financed by the agriculture industry itself through the payment of research duties on agricultural products (FFL) and transfers through the Agricultural Agreement Research Fund (JA). When prioritising applications, the boards of the Agriculture and Food Industry Research Funds will emphasise the industries’ knowledge needs, the balance between the four given target areas, ongoing research and the distribution of projects between the industries. 

You can apply for NOK 4–15 million in funding. 

Funding will go to research on the green transition in agriculture and biobased industries. To succeed in the transition, we must limit global warming, protect biodiversity and the environment and find circular solutions. The use and management of agricultural resources and areas must be improved and value chains must become climate-smart and sustainable. 

We must also develop the use of forests and forest resources, secure the food supply and promote access to and demand for healthy and safe food. These changes will affect all of society, from administration to production and consumption. 

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

• increased Norwegian food security;
• consumers and the market;
• framework conditions and public administration;
• use of forests and wood.

The sustainability perspective must be an integrated aspect of the project.

The areas in the list above are described in more detail in the Portfolio plan for Land-based food, the environment and bioresources. 

Applications that do not fall under the areas above will be rejected. 

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will also emphasise the extent to which the project: 

• concerns research that falls under one of the four areas above; 
• describes how the research will contribute to the green transition, and to achieving one or more of the global SDGs; 
• shows that the project is not at the expense of other important ambitions related to sustainability, such as: 
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate adaptation; 
• safeguarding healthy ecosystems and biodiversity; 
• reducing pollution; 
• transition to a circular economy; 
• socially and culturally robust solutions for green transitions in agriculture and biobased industries. 
• has concrete plans for international collaboration, for example through co-publication or mobility; 
• has recruitment positions where expedient; 
• has cross-disciplinary/interdisciplinary collaboration where expedient. 

We will place emphasis on funding projects that together best cover the scope of the areas presented above, and that do not overlap with the current portfolio. 

You can apply for NOK 4–12 million in funding. 

Pollution causes significant harm to the environment and is detrimental to health, both in Norway and internationally. Stopping the use and emissions of environmental toxins is essential to good public health, a clean natural environment, safe food production and the protection of ecosystems. We need knowledge about how we can prevent environmental toxins from  being emitted during production processes, and from products and waste. The projects should help to generate knowledge about the situation in Norway. We also encourage research that can support international work on regulating harmful substances. 

This topic covers the terrestrial environment, including freshwater and air. Research on the effects of environmental toxins and pollution on human health will not be covered under this topic. Applications for projects concerning environmental toxins and pollution in marine and coastal areas can be submitted for the topic NOK 128 million for marine research (the page opens in a new window) under the call Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal, or the topic NOK 40 million for marine research (the page opens in a new window) under the call Researcher Project for Young Talents. 

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

• solutions to challenges in the industrial sector related to environmental toxins, e.g. how land-based industry can help to prevent the spread of and exposure to substances that are harmful to the environment; 
• new knowledge about the overall impact on the environment and biodiversity of current levels of pesticides, biocides and plastics used in agriculture and forestry, and research on future solutions to reduce this impact; 
• the contribution of long-distance pollution compared with local pollution, e.g. the extent to which environmental toxins are spread via products; 
• the occurrence of plastics and microplastics in the environment, and, among other things, how this affects the spread of harmful substances by way of other substances binding to plastics and spreading; 
• research that develops methods for identifying substances in the environment that are harmful to health and the natural environment, e.g. about sources of distribution, how they are spread and the effect at the individual, population and ecosystem level, and the role of climate change in this respect. 

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, we will place emphasis on the project falling under at least one of the areas listed above. 

We will give priority to funding a balanced portfolio of projects that covers the breadth of the areas above. 

You can apply for NOK 4–15 million in funding.

Funding will be awarded to innovative projects that develop and use biotechnological knowledge and methods. 

The use of biotechnology is particularly common in the health, agriculture and marine sectors and in industrial processes. 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. It is also important for the development of a competitive health industry. 

Agricultural biotechnology, marine biotechnology and industrial biotechnology are among the most central elements of the ever-growing bioeconomy, which comprises the sustainable production and processing of biomass for different products. 

Each project can be awarded up to NOK 20 million in funding. Together with the already on-going projects, the new projects awarded funding should lead to a balanced project portfolio that covers the scope of the field. 

Relevant projects 

Projects eligible for funding within this topic must fall under at least one of the following areas: 

• bioeconomy; 
• health; 
• development of innovative biotechnological methods. 

In addition to solving societal challenges, the using of new technology can also play a part in creating or reinforcing them. In the application, you must describe the processes and management structures related to how project participants will discuss and manage intentional and unintentional impacts of the technology being developed in the project (see the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework in the section ‘Relevant plans’ below). You must ensure that the actors involved in the project work together on developing good solutions in line with RRI expectations. 

Research on ethical, societal and political dimensions of the technological development can be included in the project. You must clearly state in the application how and why the project will provide new insight and potentially new solutions to achieve global sustainability goals. It must also be clearly stated which of the SGDs your project will help to achieve. 

We encourage projects that receive funding to affiliate the project to the National Centre for Digital Life where relevant. 

The climate strategy for the Norwegian continental shelf, developed by Konkraft (2020) stipulates the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and to achieve close to zero emissions by 2050 (the reference year is 2005). The Storting adopted a resolution in 2020 concerning a plan for further reductions by 2030. This will require a major reorganisation of the industry in a short space of time. 

Funding under this call will go to projects on energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to petroleum activities on the Norwegian continental shelf. 

Applicants must give an account of the estimated total emissions reduction for the technology/knowledge the proposed project intends to develop. The application must also describe the time perspective and framework conditions for implementation of the knowledge/technology in relation to the industry’s new climate targets for 2030 and 2050. 

Across the calls for proposals Collaborative Project to meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges (this call), Knowledge-building Project for Industry, Innovation Project for the Industrial Sector and Demonstration Project for the Industrial Sector, we wish to allocate at least NOK 35 million in 2022 to projects targeting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to petroleum activities on the Norwegian continental shelf. 

Recommended amount of funding from the Research Council of Norway is NOK 4–10 million. 

Partners who are Norwegian companies can have up to 50 per cent of their costs covered.

Funding will be awarded to projects designed to adress the impact of measures to promote quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC), primary and secondary education and upper secondary education. The kindergarten and/or school owner and researchers will decide together which measures to test. 

The projects must involve close cooperation between researchers and local kindergarten or school owners who will test and evaluate the effect of the measure(s) together. The application must clearly define the content of the measure, the target group, what is to be measured and how the measure will be aligned with the organisation’s goals and implemented before testing. 

We will provide funding to projects that adress the impact of measures using randomised, controlled studies or quasi-experimental design.

The project must fall under at least one of the following four areas:

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 

The priority areas are described in more detail in section 2.2 of the portfolio plan for Education and competence. The final paragraph in priority area B in the portfolio plan concerns research competence in selected programmes of professional study, and is not relevant to this call.

Projects that look at transitions between different levels of the educational pathway are also relevant. The thematic areas are described in more detail in the Portfolio Plan for Education and Competence. 

The projects must:

• generate knowledge through an implementation and process evaluation explaining why the measure(s) had an effect or why it did not; 
• provide knowledge about how the measure(s) will be aligned and implemented in practice; 
• describe the cost-effectiveness of the measure(s). 

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, it will also be deemed a positive factor if the project: 

• encompasses several kindergartens/schools; 
• involves collaboration with at least one other Norwegian research organisation; 
• involves international collaboration; 
• includes recruitment positions. 

We encourage you to cooperate with relevant doctoral research fellows funded under the Public Sector Ph.D. Project scheme. 

You can apply for up to NOK 20 million. 

We will provide funding for projects that both seek to test new measures through a pilot phase and then move on to a larger scale, and projects that have already been through the pilot phase.  

Funding is available for projects that enhance research on early childhood education and care (ECEC) and primary and lower secondary teacher education. Only universities and university colleges that educate ECEC teachers and primary and lower secondary school teachers (GLU 1–10) are eligible to apply. The Project Owner at the faculty/department level must be stated in the application. 

Relevant projects  

We will provide funding for research that strengthens strategically important research areas in ECEC and primary and lower secondary teacher education, and that addresses actual and future needs for knowledge and skills. 

The thematic priorities are: 

• strategic and practice-oriented research on ECEC and primary and lower secondary teacher education that is relevant to professional practice;   
• the content and organisation of kindergartens. 

All four areas of the portfolio plan are relevant:     

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  

The priority areas are described in more detail in section 2.2 of the portfolio plan for Education and competence. The final paragraph in priority area B in the portfolio plan concerns research competence in selected programmes of professional study, and is not relevant to this call. 

Projects involving cooperation between ECEC and primary and lower secondary teacher education programmes and projects focusing on issues that cut across the thematic areas, e.g. projects concerning the transition from kindergarten to school, are also relevant for funding.  

When we award a mark for the application’s relevance, it will also be deemed a positive factor if the project: 

• has a minimum of two Norwegian partners that are not research organisations, of which one must be a Norwegian kindergarten/school owner;   
• collaborates with at least one other national or international research organisation;    
• includes students taking ECEC/primary and lower secondary teacher education;  
• includes recruitment positions.  

We encourage you to cooperate with relevant doctoral research fellows funded under the Public Sector Ph.D. Project scheme.  

All project partners are required to take active part in planning and following up the project as well as in disseminating project results and promoting the utilisation of new knowledge.   

When deciding which applications to prioritise, we will aim for the best possible balance between projects concerning ECEC education and those concerning primary and lower secondary teacher education. The distribution of funding will depend on the quality of the applications and the number of applications for each type of teacher education.  

You can apply for up to NOK 10 million.   

Funding is available for projects that generate new knowledge about the effects of labour and welfare measures. The goal is to generate knowledge of high quality and relevance to the field of practice, public administration and policy development. 

The project must fall within at least one of the following areas: 

• the effects of preventive work, measures and comprehensive services targeting children, young people and families. We encourage you to include economic perspectives and/or register studies; 
• the effects of measures promoting an inclusive working life, and those aimed at preventing withdrawal and exclusion from working life. Of particular relevance are measures that contribute to longer working lives, and those that promote an inclusive working life for young people and/or persons with health challenges. 

The areas are described in more detail in the Portfolio plan for Welfare, culture and society in the attachments ‘Welfare, working life and migration’ and ‘Good and efficient health, care and welfare services’. If you are unsure about your project’s thematic relevance, please contact one of the contact persons for this topic.

The research must include explicit user participation. The starting point of the research must be on the knowledge needs of the users involved. Users could be e.g. service recipients, service providers, employees and/or employers, next of kin, public sector and/or voluntary organisations. 
 
If the application is relevant to the areas above, it will also count as positive if the project involves: 

• active collaboration with at least one other national and/or international research organisation; 
• interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary perspectives. 

It is important that you elaborate on these points in the application when describing the project’s relevance. 

Applications that deal with transitions and collaboration between different services may include relevant health services in the research, but not concern health services alone, as the topic of the call is the labour and welfare field.

You can apply for NOK 4–12 million in funding.