Learn more about the application form

Get a better idea of what the application form looks like. The following takes you through the application form and explains our terminology.

It is possible to create and submit grant applications from when the call for proposals has been designated as “Apply now” and up to the application submission deadline. The call will have a link for creating an application.

How to create an application

You can find the calls for proposals from the Research Council under the menu heading Apply for funding > Calls for proposals and from the link See calls for proposals on the home page: Calls for proposals.

Be sure to read the text of the call carefully before you click on “Create application”.

You have to be registered as a user on “My RCN web” to be able to create a grant application. The first time you create an application, you need to click on the link “New user? Register as a new user” to register as a user on “My RCN web” on the Research Council website.

The first page you see after you have logged in contains important information regarding the submission of grant applications. Please read this and then tick the confirmation box.

Next, click on “Create new application”. The application form that appears already contains some pre-filled in information from the call for proposals you selected.

Select the language you wish to use in the form (see the call for proposals for any specific language requirements).

You may choose to create a short name to make it easier to distinguish between your various grant applications. The short name is for your use only.

The application form will be stored in your user account on “My RCN web” under the menu heading “Applications in eSøknad”.

Copying applications

When you create a grant application, you can choose whether you wish to create an empty application form (“Create new blank application form”) or copy from an existing application (“Copy existing application”).

Start by locating the relevant call for proposals and follow the procedure for creating a new application.

When the “Create new application” box appears, select “Copy existing application” and choose the application you want to copy from.

Please note that the following data will not be copied: Project period with main activities and milestones, budget tables, and attachments.

If you want to copy budget figures and main activities, you must first enter the dates of the project period under the section “Progress plan” in the application you are copying to.

Sometimes the application form for a call requires you to clarify whether the Project Owner or any partners are defined as “undertakings” under the state aid rules, and whether any of them are part of the same business concern. Note that this information will not be transferred to a copied application form either.

Project partners

Section one of the application form pertains to the project partners. You are to enter information about the institutions/companies with responsibilities and/or rights under the project. We also ask for information about certain key personnel and contact persons here.

Project Owner and project administrator

The Project Owner is the organisation, company, or public sector entity responsible for the project.

The call provides information about the kinds of organisations, companies, and public sector entities that can serve as Project Owners.

Here we also ask for the name of the individual designated by the Project Owner to serve as a project administrator. This person is authorized to represent and assume obligations on behalf of the Project Owner vis-à-vis the Research Council.

Project manager

This person is responsible for the scientific progress and performance of the project. The call may stipulate requirements regarding who can serve as the project manager and documentation of his/her qualifications.

Please also refer to the General requirements for grant applications for more information about the roles and responsibilities of the Project Owner, project administrator, project manager, etc.

Partners

A partner is an organisation, a company, or a public sector entity obligated to contribute to and participate in the project with the Project Owner.

This obligation will involve performing R&D activities, providing financing, and/or being granted rights to the project.

All project partners, Norwegian and non-Norwegian, need to be listed in the grant application. We also ask you to provide a contact person for each partner.

When a partner is contracted to provide R&D services to the Project Owner or other partners in the project, this partner is a sub-contractor (supplier of R&D services). Costs related to R&D services should be entered under “Procurement of R&D services”. In the application form, suppliers of R&D services are to be registered as partners with the role “Only research activity”.

All other partners under obligation to perform R&D activities in the project are always listed as “Both research activity and financing,” regardless of whether the Research Council or others finance all their costs.

Project participants

All individuals listed in the grant application form and the project description (including those for whom CVs have been submitted) are considered project participants.

The grant application and description will list only individuals actively participating in the project.

In this context, “active role” means that the individual will be taking part in one or more work packages, participating in the management of the project, or contributing in another way to the implementation of the project.

Project information

In section two of the application form, we ask you to provide a summary of the scientific content of the project.

Project title

Choose a title for your project. Project titles for all applications under processing are publicly available on the Research Council website, so the title should not disclose sensitive information.

Primary and secondary objectives of the project

State the project’s primary and secondary objectives. The objectives must be verifiable and must describe the results the project will achieve.

Project summary

You need to provide a summary of the project.

The Research Council publishes project summaries for all applications granted funding on its website. The summaries may also be forwarded to the referees being considered in connection with the application review process. It is essential to ensure the project summary does not disclose sensitive information.

It is essential to emphasize the project's objectives, the most critical R&D challenges, and the anticipated potential for using the project findings.

We suggest you write your project summary and copy it into the application form. The application form closes automatically after two hours, without being stored, unless you have actively saved it yourself or moved on to another section.

Outcomes and impacts

This is where you briefly describe the outcomes and impacts that you expect the project to have.

In this context, outcomes refer to what the project will entail for the participants and related framework (target groups, users) regarding changes in competency, conduct, practice, and policy.

Impacts refer to long-term societal changes the project results and outcomes bring.

Funding scheme

In section three of the application form, you classify your project in the relevant scientific disciplines. We also ask you to provide information regarding any related applications submitted to the Research Council and/or any other public funding scheme.

Progress plan

In section four, you are to provide a progress plan for the project. Here we need information about the planned project period and the project's main activities (work packages) with the relevant milestones and deliverables.

The call for proposals will typically set parameters for when the project will be carried out and how long it can last.

Dissemination plan

Section four also asks you to provide a dissemination plan for the project. Here you provide information regarding plans for scientific and popular science dissemination activities and contact with users, including relevant target groups and types of dissemination. For some calls for proposals we require you to include this information in the project description. In such cases, the field should be left empty. You should read the application form guidelines carefully before entering any information.

Budget

The tables in section five, “Budget”, are determined by the call for proposals selected. There are guidelines for each table, and you should read these carefully.

To be able to fill in the budget tables, you must first enter the dates of the project period in section 4, “Progress plan”.

Some application forms contain tables asking for an overview of costs distributed across all project partners. The Project Owner and all formally registered partners will be automatically entered in these budget tables. Therefore, it is essential to ensure you have registered all project partners and their roles in the project (only financing, only research activity, or both) before you begin filling in the budget information in your grant application.

For more details about the different cost codes, rates for fellowship grants, and other budget-related information, please see the information about budgets.

For more details about the state aid rules, see the information on state aid rules.

The total amount for each budget year must be identical in all the budget tables. You can check this using the application form's “Save and check page” function.

Attachments

Section six, the final section of the application form, contains fields for uploading attachments to the application. The call for proposals selected determines the fields that appear.

The call provides information regarding the mandatory and optional attachments we need to process your grant application.

All attachments to the grant application must be uploaded in PDF format. The PDF format satisfies the criteria stipulated by the National Archives of Norway, whereas Word and RTF formats do not.

It is impossible to upload an attachment that exceeds the maximum page total stipulated, nor is it possible to upload attachments larger than 40 MB.

Submission of attachments after the deadline

The Research Council does not accept late submission of attachments. Transcripts issued after the application deadline and confirmation of the completed doctoral dissertation defence are the only documents that may be submitted after the grant application deadline. These should be sent by email to post@forskningsradet.no and marked with the name of the responsible application officer, the project number, the project title, and the project manager's name.

Project description

The project description must not exceed the length limits set for the application type.

As a rule, you must use the project description template provided with the call for proposals. The template contains guidelines for writing the project description.

Before you upload your project description into the application form, you must convert it to PDF format.

Working on the grant application form

Saving information and automatic logout

The application form is divided into several pages. Each time you navigate to a new page, the information you have entered on the previous page will automatically be saved.

If you close your browser without storing your application, you will lose all changes to the last page you were working on.
Note that you will be logged out of the system automatically after a period of inactivity (i.e., not switching pages or saving your information). The automatic log-off time is given at the top of the screen and updates automatically each time you store your application. If you are working on the same page over an extended period, you should frequently use the “Save and check page” button.

Navigating the application form

You can navigate between the various pages of the application form by clicking on the “Previous” and “Next” buttons at the top and bottom of the screen or by using the menu in the left-hand column.

Note that you should not use the “Back” function on your browser when working in eSøknad, as it will cause you to lose all changes that have not been saved in the section you are working in.

Error detection

The “Save and check page” and “Check full application” buttons help you find logical errors and missing information in your application and supplement your ongoing quality control.

The function “Save and check page” will only check the current page you are on. Use “Check full application” to check the entire application form.

All fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be filled in. If the application contains errors or is incomplete, an error message will appear, and the relevant parts of the application will be marked in red. It is not possible to submit an application that contains logical errors.

When the application is complete

Signatures

The project administrator must tick the box for “Confirmation” in the application form to confirm that the Project Owner (institution/company) has approved the grant application.

Confirmation of receipt of the grant application will be emailed to the user who created and submitted the grant application and to the email address specified for the project administrator as soon as the Research Council has received the application.

Submitting grant applications

All application deadlines are final. It is possible to open, revise, and resubmit a submitted application multiple times until the deadline. It is not possible to apply after the submission deadline has expired.

It is always the most recently submitted version of the grant application that will be registered and assessed by the Research Council.

Please note that it is not possible to revise and resubmit grant applications multiple times for programmes and activities operating with open-ended submission deadlines.

Grant applications may only be submitted if all fields in the application form have been completed correctly and all mandatory attachments have been provided.

Note that only the person who created the application can submit it.

Archiving documents

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that relevant applications, letters/contracts, and reports are stored in a separate archiving system.

Deleting applications

You may delete applications created but not submitted under the “Applications in eSøknad” menu by clicking the “Delete” icon.

Once your application has been submitted

The project manager and administrator will be emailed once the Research Council has registered your application. Your application will be assigned an individual project number.

The Research Council publishes a list of all the grant applications currently under processing. The following information from each application is made publicly available: