Funding for Coordination and Network Activities in Svalbard – Svalbard Strategic Grant
Download the call
Download templates
Important dates
22 Jan 2025
Open for applications
12 Mar 2025
Application deadline
01 Jun 2025
Earliest permitted project start
01 Nov 2025
Latest permitted project start
31 Oct 2027
Latest permitted project completion date
Important dates
Purpose
The purpose is to support coordination, collaboration, network and data sharing activities that contribute to increased scientific quality in Svalbard research.
About the call for proposals
Funding may be sought for collaboration and network activities that contribute to increased scientific quality in Svalbard research, and/or contribute to placing Svalbard research in a pan-Arctic or global perspective.
Funding is available for
- cooperation/network projects
- workshops
- initiating pre-projects
The activities should enhance international and interdisciplinary cooperation and stimulate to open sharing of data.
Priority in this call will be given to activities that contribute to the following:
- establishing new scientific cooperation and/or monitoring initiatives in Svalbard to fill current knowledge gaps;
- increased mobility and cooperation between research localities in Svalbard (Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund, Hornsund, Bjørnøya, Hopen and Jan Mayen);
- increased mobility and cooperation between research localities in Svalbard and Greenland;
- placing Svalbard research in a pan-Arctic and global perspective;
- developing the Ny-Ålesund flagship programmes and other existing scientific networks in Svalbard;
- data management compliant with SIOS data policy and FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management;
- developing sustainable cooperation under the auspices of SIOS;
- Workshops that are to be held back-to-back to the Svalbard Science Conference 2025.
SIOS offers tailored help and training in data management to support funded projects in navigating the hurdles of data management and making the output of Earth System Science projects visible through the SIOS data access portal.
The complete call for proposals is only available in English. The English call text is the legally binding version.
All projects that receive funding must register and tag Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) in the Research in Svalbard portal (RiS: www.researchinsvalbard.no, opens in new window) when accepting the contract.
RCN also announces funding for events within polar research in 2025.
We reserve the right to make changes to the call after we have received our letter of allocation from the Norwegian government for 2025.
Who is eligible to apply?
The call is open to approved Norwegian research organisations, public sector entities and non-governmental organisations.
Who can participate in the project?
Requirements relating to the Project Owner
The organisation listed as the Project Owner in the application form will have the economic and scientific responsibility for the project. The Project Owner must have approved the submission of the grant application.
If the application is a collaboration between multiple organisations, the Project Owner submits the application on behalf of all partners.
Requirements relating to the Project Manager
For applications initiating pre-projects, the Project Manager must have an approved doctorate when submitting the application.
The Project Manager must be employed at the Project Owner or at one of the collaborating partners.
Requirements relating to collaborating partners
Workshop(s) do not require project partners. All relevant Svalbard research parties must be invited to participate in the workshop.
Network projects must include international collaboration with minimum two different collaborating partners, of which one party must be a Norwegian research organisation and one a non-Norwegian research organisation. The project must involve scientists from at least two of the permanent research and monitoring locations in Svalbard (Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund, Hornsund, Bjørnøya, Hopen and Jan Mayen), and should involve representatives from as many research institutions as relevant.
Private sector and public sector can be collaborating partners in the project when this contributes to strengthening Svalbard research.
What can you seek funding for?
Svalbard Strategic Grant provides seed money for cooperation and network projects and workshops. Activities financed by SSG must take place in Norway (Svalbard or Norway mainland).
The budget must be formulated correctly to clearly indicate what the funding will cover. You must remember to attach the SSG 2025 Budget template. Please find more information about budgets here: What to enter in the project budget.
Cooperation/network projects
These projects should be designed to enhance international and interdisciplinary collaboration, and they should stimulate open sharing of data. Such activities can include the initiation of new collaborative research networks and initiation of pre-projects. The funding provides support for:
- travel expenses
- rooms and meals
- consumables
- operating costs for scientific equipment and research infrastructure necessary for the execution of the project (for example renting expensive equipment and running expenses during testing)
- salary costs limited to a maximum of 10% of the total amount sought
Workshops
The Svalbard Strategic Grant also provides funding for workshops as part of such collaborative efforts. The funding provides support for direct costs related to
- travel costs for workshop participants and organisers
- rooms and meals at the workshop for participants and organisers
- rent of venue for the workshop
We do not cover salary costs for workshops.
You can apply for a maximum of NOK 250 000 to cover direct costs related to one single workshop. An application may include two workshops with a maximum total amount of NOK 500 000. The second workshop should then be a follow-up of the first. The application must explain why the second workshop is necessary.
Workshops must be related to research in Svalbard or contribute to placing Svalbard research in a pan-Arctic or global perspective. Representatives from all relevant research locations and organisations that are active in Svalbard should be invited. A preliminary programme and tentative list of invitees to the workshop(s) must be included in the application.
Conditions for funding
Earliest permitted project start is between 01.06.2025 and 01.11.2025. Latest permitted project completion date is 31.10.2027.
The Research Council's requirements relating to allocation and disbursement of support for the first year, and any pledges and payments for subsequent years are set out our General Terms and Conditions for R&D Projects which you can find in its entirety on the information page.
If the project is awarded funding, the following must be in place before you enter into a contract with us: Grant recipients that are research organisations and public sector entities (Project Owners and partners) must have a Gender Equality Plan available on their website. The requirement does not apply to non-governmental organisations.
Relevant thematic areas for this call
Climate and the environment
Practical information
Requirements for this application type
You may revise and resubmit your grant application form multiple times up to the application submission deadline. We recommend that you submit your application as soon as you have filled in the grant application form and included all mandatory attachments. After the deadline, it is the most recently submitted version of the grant application that will be processed.
- The grant application, including all attachments, must be submitted in English.
- All attachments must be uploaded in PDF format.
Mandatory attachments
- Project description, maximum 5 pages, using the template that you can download below. The applicant must fill in all relevant sections of the project description.
- CV of the Project Manager, maximum 4 pages, using the template that you can download below.
- Budget, using the SSG budget template to be found below (to be uploaded under Attachments/Other items in the application form).
- For network events/workshops, you must also include a preliminary programme and tentative list of invitees (to be uploaded under Attachments/Other items in the application form).
All attachments must be submitted together with the grant application. We will not accept attachments submitted after the deadline for applications unless we have requested further information.
Attachments other than the mandatory and optional attachments specified above, as well as any links to websites in the grant application, will not be included in the application review process.
Excellence
• The extent to which the concept is sound, credible and novel.
Solidity
• The extent to which the project objectives are clear and relevant.
• The quality of the proposed deliverables from the project.
Impact
• The extent to which the expected effects are specified.
• The extent to which expected impacts on the system and societal levels are specified.
Knowledge sharing and exploitation
• The quality of the proposed communication and dissemination activities.
• The extent to which it is credible that the proposed outputs will contribute to the specified effects and impact.
Implementation
• The extent to which the Project Manager and project group are qualified and have the necessary expertise and are positioned to implement the project.
• The extent to which management structures and procedures are appropriate.
Plans and management
• The extent to which the work plan is clear and understandable, and the time table realistic
• The extent to which objectives and measures are coherent.
• The extent to which the project has the support of the leadership of the Project Owner and any partners, and the allocation of roles in the project is clear.
• The extent to which the budget is realistic and appropriate, and resources are allocated so that each of the partners can fulfil their role.
• The extent to which potential risks have been discussed.
Relevance to the call for proposals
Priority will be given to projects with a female project manager when the applications are otherwise assessed equally.
Administrative procedures
Applications are processed by the Research Council's administration. Advice is sought from a panel consisting of external experts with experience from Svalbard. The final decision on funding is made administratively by the Research Council. The Research Council will not provide the applicant with individual feedback on the application's strengths or weaknesses or marks following the application review.
We plan to publish which applications will receive funding no later than 15 May 2025.