16 new FRIPRO projects

"Congratulations to the 16 projects that have been awarded funding today. This is research that is of high quality and helps to push the boundaries of what we know. Over time, society strengthens both its ability to innovate and its readiness for knowledge by investing in projects such as these," says Benedicte Løseth, Executive Director for the Research System and Internationalisation at the Research Council of Norway.  

The projects are funded through the Research Council's open, national competition arena for all subjects and topics, FRIPRO.  

Today's allocation is the third since the introduction of open-ended calls and ongoing application processing in FRIPRO. 87 applications were considered. This gives an aggregate success rate of 19 percent. Ten of the projects are Researcher Project for Experienced Scientists, five are Researcher Project for Early Career and one is a Three-year Researcher Project with International Mobility.  

The allocations in FRIPRO so far this year are distributed as follows on the subject areas:  

• 31 per cent to the humanities and social sciences 
• 31 per cent to medicine, biology and health 
• 38 per cent to mathematics, natural sciences and technology  

FRIPRO finances a wide range of projects. Here are some samples of the issues that will be researched in the years to come as a result of this allocation. A complete list of the projects that are awarded can be found at the bottom of the article.  

How safe is artificial intelligence? 

How safe is machine learning against unwanted modification? How easy is it to attack machine learning models and steal essential data from the models? Researchers at the University of Bergen will receive NOK 12 million to answer this question and improve the models so that they become more resistant to such attacks. 

How to reduce the risk of financial dependence? 

The global economy is undergoing a paradigm shift from a goal of economic integration across national borders to economic dependence being used at a tool for power and coercion. Authorities try to reduce the risk of this by regulating the market, but how does this actually affect corporate strategies? Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs will receive NOK 12 million to investigate the effects of public measures to achieve economic independence. 

Northern Lights and Weather Forecast 

Researchers at the University Centre in Svalbard will receive NOK 5 million to investigate solar wind effects of auroral emissions in two different areas. Existing data is old and incomplete. In the project, the data will be updated and supplemented, and also calibrated against each other. The goal is to provide better auroral emission and weather forecasts, and to be able to use the data in future research on auroral emissions and local ionospheric processes. 

How is marine life affected by the combined effects of climate change, pollution and fishing?  

Cumulative effects on the ecosystem are among the greatest threats to the ecosystem and biodiversity, but do we really understand them? Researchers at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research have received NOK 8 million to model and analyse the cumulative effects of factors such as climate change, pollution and fishing on marine ecology.   

Does punishment really work? 

What consequences – both intended and unintended – do punishment in the legal system have? Scandinavian countries are considered guiding starts in the world of criminal corrections, but we know surprisingly little about the short- and long-term effects on repeat offenders and reintegration. A researcher early in their career at the University of Oslo have been awarded NOK 8 million to lead a project that will combine criminology, sociology, psychology and economics to study previous reforms in the Norwegian Correctional Services. 

Ethics and humanitarian aid 

How to prioritise between different purposes in humanitarian aid? Today's humanitarian principles provide no guidance on how the funds should be distributed when the needs of different cases seem to be equally great. A researcher at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences has received NOK 4.8 million to conduct research on ethical issues and the principles for prioritisation in humanitarian aid. 

Are we building unnecessarily strong structures? 

How many buildings, bridges and other structures in the world are built and demolished every year? Are we building in the best possible way? To what extent are too much materials used in a structure and materials that could have been reused thrown away? Researchers at SINTEF has received NOK 8 million to provide a research-based knowledge base on public regulations related to functional engineering.