First FRIPRO allocation with open-ended calls and continuous application processing

On Tuesday 18 June, the first allocation with open-ended calls and continuous application processing in FRIPRO was ready. Of the 111 applications, the Portfolio Board for Ground-breaking Research decided to grant a total of 21 applications: fourteen applications for Researcher Projects for Experienced Scientists, five applications for Researcher Projects for Early Career Scientists and two applications for Three-year Researcher Project with International Mobility.

New FRIPRO measures had an effect

From the autumn of 2023, FRIPRO switched from the annual application deadline to open-ended calls and continuous application processing. This means that researchers can submit their applications whenever they want, and that the applications are processed on an ongoing basis. In addition, submission restriction periods were introduced for applications that score below a certain threshold. Both measures were introduced to reduce the number of applications and increase the success rate. The changes to the scheme were introduced after thorough discussions between the Research Council and the sector.

There is a clear decrease in the number of applications. At the same time, the distribution is roughly the same as before between institutions, types of institutions, research domains, career stages and the gender of the project manager.

The grant this round is 19 per cent, compared with five per cent in the previous FRIPRO allocation for all career stages in 2022. Preliminary receipt of applications may indicate a success rate somewhere between the two in the future.

Allocations every two months according to fixed rules

The Research Council receives new applications to FRIPRO on an ongoing basis. The first step in the processing of new applications is peer review. The peer-reviewed applications are then presented to the Portfolio Board for Ground-Breaking Research. This happens every other month. The portfolio board selects applications for funding based on a set of rules for allocations and rejections in FRIPRO that they adopted prior to the allocations.

"Quality counts most, but at the same time we are concerned with an appropriate distribution and a good balance between research domains and career stages across allocation rounds and years. We have a good overview of the statistics for the allocations and will follow developments closely to see if there may be a need to adjust the rules," says the Research Council's Director for the Research System and Internationalisation Benedicte Løseth.

This first allocation resulted in a budget allocation of 26 per cent to the humanities and social sciences, 41 per cent to medicine, biology and health, and 33 per cent to mathematics, natural sciences and technology.

Three opportunities for eligible applications

Of the 111 applications being processed, 26 were eligible for funding. There was enough money to grant 21 of them. The last five will also participate in the competition for funding in the next two rounds of decisions – in two and four months' time. This mechanism helps to even out any random and systematic differences related to the number of applications submitted and processed in different periods and variation in quality. For these applicants, it will take a little longer to receive an answer, but they have received an email about where they are in the process. Applicants who have had their application approved or rejected now will receive a letter about this on My RCN Web in week 25 or 26.

The applications that were considered for funding now were submitted in the period October 2023 to April 2024. For these applications, the processing time was 2-8 months. The application processing time for each application will vary, depending on factors such as the number of applications received within the same research area, the availability of peers and coincidences. The average application processing time is estimated at 6-8 months, but may vary from 2-10 months.

In addition to the 111 applications that have been processed, there are 170 applications submitted in November to June that are still being processed. These will be considered for funding during the autumn and winter. The next allocation is planned for week 36.

You can read more about the funding principles and application processing in FRIPRO on FRIPRO's information page.

First FRIPRO award with the most female project managers

For the first time in FRIPRO, more women than men have their applications approved, with 62 per cent women and 38 per cent men. The proportion of applications with female project managers in FRIPRO is increasing steadily, with a distribution of 39 per cent women and 61 per cent men this time.

For many years, FRIPRO has used a mild prioritization of women in the selection of applications for funding, but this mechanism was not triggered this time. The gender distribution is only an effect of the applications' marks.

Mark averages and mark profiles may indicate that more women restrict themselves in submitting weak applications compared with their male colleagues. Among applications eligible for award, the success rate is the same for the genders.

Research for challenges today and in the future

By combining knowledge about the past and present, we are better equipped to both solve known problems and to deal with an unknown future. That is the purpose of FRIPRO, and the 21 projects are shining examples of this.

See the list of the 21 approved projects (pdf)

Here are some samples of the issues that will be researched in the years to come:

Health

At the University of Oslo, researchers receives NOK 11 million to investigate how variants of a particular RNA molecule affect different cell types in the body. The research will be able to provide a better understanding of growth, variation and disease development, including an understanding of cardiovascular diseases.

Women's health

Why do some women get endometriosis and adenomyosis? How does this affect their lives? Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health will receive NOK 12 million to research the genetic and environmental causes of these widespread conditions, and to map how living with such conditions affects women's health, education and working life.

Bats and the climate

A researcher at NMBU has been awarded NOK 5 million to study how a changing climate affects Nordic bats. Bats are particularly sensitive to change, but we have little knowledge about how the climate affects them. Nordic bats, which live in the border area for the distribution of bats, can provide particularly good knowledge about this.

Civilian victims in war

Researchers at the Peace Research Institute Oslo will receive NOK 12 million for research that will provide knowledge about how we avoid the loss of civilian lives in war. The researchers will investigate whether there are patterns in how war between states affects civilians based on data and reports from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Roman graffiti

In the fourth century, someone carved Christian graffiti on a temple near the Roman Forum – the heart of pagan Rome. Graffiti is a unique source of knowledge about the Christianization of Rome, but has never before been thoroughly investigated. The graffiti is also threatened by erosion due to pollution. Now, a researcher from the University of Bergen wants to digitize graffiti and investigate more closely what knowledge it can provide about the history of the Roman Empire.

Architecture and chronic disease

What characterises the interaction between patients, buildings, and welfare structures in Norway? At NTNU, a researcher has received NOK 8 million to investigate patients' own experiences of this in an interdisciplinary project that aims to expand Norwegian architectural history with previously marginalized voices.

Equations in Chemistry, Economics and Social Sciences

The University of Stavanger will receive NOK 12 million to research the geometric shape of the solutions of a set of mathematical equations. This understanding of fundamental mathematics will contribute to the development of fields such as geometric modelling, clean energy and engineering.

The beginning of the universe

The University of Oslo will receive NOK 12 million for an experiment that will be able to transform Big Bang research and contribute to even better knowledge about the beginning of the universe. In the project, the researchers will use satellites to obtain more accurate and stable measurements of gravitational waves from the Big Bang.

UV-B rays in pollen fossils

UV-B rays make up five percent of the ultraviolet rays that reach the earth's surface and have a very high energy level. How much UV-B rays from the sun reaches the earth's surface is affected by the sun itself, the earth's geomagnetic field and volcanic eruptions. Researchers at the University of Bergen will receive NOK 12 million to study pollen fossils to find out whether UV-B radiation increased when the Earth's geomagnetic field turned about 41,000 years ago.