AFG received 114 applications this year. 64 projects to a sum of 5,65 million NOK were completely or partly funded. Again, this year, most of the applications were of high quality and there were many good applications who did not get funding.
All applications were evaluated administratively by a panel of experts, all of whom have 10-20 years of field experience in Svalbard in relevant scientific fields. The applications were evaluated based on the criteria and priorities in the call for proposals and the terms and conditions established by AFG.
Some applications did not receive funding due to errors in the application, missing or incomplete attachments or because questions in the call for proposals were not answered. For several application from project leaders not enrolled at or employed by a Norwegian institution the detailed description of the benefits of the cooperation to the Norwegian host institution was left out or inadequate. We therefor urge all applicants who plan to reapply next year to read through the call thoroughly, answer the questions and especially follow the HowTOs and guidelines to better their chances of receiving funding.
All funded projects are listed in the attachment (link at the bottom of this page) and will also receive a mail in the coming days. If your project is not in the list, you did not receive funding. As the grant is administered administratively no individual grades or feedback is distributed. If your project is listed as funded, you have received full funding (to the nearest whole 1000 NOK) and can spend the funds according to your budget. If your project is listed as partly funded, you will receive less than the amount you applied for, for most projects these are minor adjustments to comply with the AFG terms and conditions. In a few cases these are bigger cuts related to the costs for a field assistant. In any case, you will receive a mail in January listing the details. The contracts will be sent out in January 2024.
Most of the projects that were not funded were of good quality, but we did not have funds for everyone. The panel have followed the criteria and priorities set I the call when distributing the funds.
Remember that it is mandatory to apply for project changes in advance through MyRCN if you need to make changes to your budget or project. The reporting deadline for AFG 2024 is 1st of November 2024. It is your responsibility as a grant holder to ensure that the necessary reports are delivered on time. SSF has the authority to recall the grant if requirements are not met.
We are anticipating the next AFG call to be announced in the fall of 2024.
Best of wishes for the upcoming field season.
List of projects that received funding through the Arctic Field Grant 2024 allocation.