About the Infrastruktur Initiative
Research Council funding for research infrastructure is available within all subject fields and thematic areas. The INFRASTUKTUR initiative is a national, competitive arena designed to ensure an adequate interface between the funding of research infrastructure and other research funding.
The Research Council is to use the grant allocation process to promote scientific quality, conduct strategic assessments and emphasise national priorities.
Modern, up-to-date research infrastructure promotes high quality in Norwegian research, facilitates cooperation with the best international research groups, and inspires talented students to pursue careers in research.
Up-to-date research infrastructure, combined with outstanding researchers, is essential to the successful implementation of innovation projects in the industrial and public sectors. This may be a critical factor when domestic and international companies are considering whether to implement their research activities in Norway.
We provide funding for research infrastructure of national importance
This is defined as research infrastructure that
- is of widespread national interest
- lays a foundation for internationally cutting-edge research
- will be available in only one or a few locations in Norway, as a general rule
- will be made accessible to relevant researchers and industries
Categories of research infrastructure under the Infrastruktur initiative
- Advanced scientific equipment and large-scale equipment facilities. This encompasses equipment within all scientific disciplines as well as large-scale national laboratories, equipment components and research installations.
- Electronic infrastructure (e-infrastructure) / data infrastructure. This encompasses equipment, operation, and related services for high-performance computing, data storage, software systems and high-capacity networks, as well as tools for efficient workflows and software for simulations and analysis of data. The term “e-infrastructure” also refers to digital registries and scientific databases, and further encompasses scientific collections comprising physical objects that are systematised and digitised for scientific purposes.
- Infrastruktur primarily supports investments in new, and upgrading of existing, research infrastructures. The operating costs of the infrastructures shall, as far as possible, be covered by projects that use the research infrastructures. Infrastruktur can contribute to the financing of the operation of infrastructures in a start-up phase, but will be restrictive in providing support for long-term basic funding of the infrastructures' operations beyond the start-up phase. Infrastruktur will only contribute funds for long-term basic financing of operations beyond the start-up phase if a number of conditions are met. These will be clearly stated in the relevant announcement text.
Infrastructure that is not included
- basic equipment that several different research institutions are expected to have
- research infrastructure that costs less than NOK 2 million
- investments that exceed NOK 200 million, unless recommended by the Research Council
- generation and collection of research data
Messages at time of print 21 December 2024, 17:07 CET