Questions and answers

What does the Research Council do?

The Research Council administers a portion of the government’s allocations to research. The Research Council serves as an advisory body to the government on research policy issues, identifies research needs and recommends national priorities.
The Research Council also serves as a meeting place for researchers, funders and users of research findings.

When are the application deadlines?

The Research Council’s programmes operate with six fixed deadlines during the year. Each programme is free to decide which of these deadlines to use. The frequency of funding announcements will vary. Find calls for proposals
The Project Establishment Support (PES) and Industrial Ph.D. schemes have open-ended deadlines. The application deadline for the SkatteFUNN tax deduction scheme is 1 September, but applications are processed on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Who is eligible to apply for funding?

Applications for User-driven Innovation Projects as well as for support under the Industrial Ph.D. and SkatteFUNN schemes may be submitted by companies. Applications for Knowledge-building Projects with User-Involvement may be submitted by research groups. Applications for project establishment support under the PES scheme may be submitted by companies and organisations planning to take part in the project consortium.

Who is eligible to apply for project establishment support (PES)?

Companies, independent research institutes, university colleges, universities, the regional health authorities or other relevant participants in a proposed project (industry organisations, relevant authorities in specific sectors or at the regional/local level) may submit a PES application for project proposals directed toward European R&D programmes. Only companies and organisations planning to take part in the project consortium are eligible to submit a PES application.

Under which programme or scheme should I seek funding?

All relevant information may be found under “Apply for funding”. Calls for proposals are published at the latest by six weeks before the application submission deadline. Use the search box or the filter criteria under Apply for funding > Find calls for proposals to find out which programmes and activities have issued funding announcements. To find a specific programme/activity enter the programme name or acronym in the search box.

Each call for proposals provides information on the amount of funding available, requirements, guiding principles and priorities. The contact persons specified can provide further details. Relevant information may often be found on the webpages of the specific programme/activity. 

I am not sure which programme/activity is most suitable for my application. What happens if I submit my application to a programme/activity that is not the most relevant?

lease get in touch with the contact person specified if you are uncertain as to whether a programme/activity is the right choice for your needs. A grant application is submitted in response to a call for proposals. Applications that do not satisfy the call for proposals are usually rejected. If the Research Council finds that another programme or activity would be more appropriate, it will notify the applicant and ask for permission to redirect the application. If the applicant declines, the application will be processed in relation to the programme/activity for which it was originally submitted.

Who can help to us launch a project?

The Research Council has experience in launching research projects, and the research group you are collaborating with will most likely be the best source of help in setting up the research project and writing the grant proposal.

How are applications processed? When will I receive notification of the outcome?

All project types are assessed on the basis of the criteria and guidelines stipulated in the call for proposals.

User-driven Innovation Projects
Five key criteria will be assessed by a panel of external referees. These are general project quality, level of innovation, research content, commercial benefits, and relevance and benefit to society. Other criteria will be assessed by the programme’s administration.

The programme board will rank the projects based on the described selection criteria. The application assessment process will take approximately 6-8 weeks. The anticipated date for notification of the outcome will be specified in the call for proposals.

Knowledge-building Projects with User Involvement
Scientific merit will be assessed by international referees. Other criteria will be assessed by the programme’s administration. Grant proposals and assessments will be submitted to the programme board, which is responsible for the final approval of grant allocations. The application assessment process takes approximately 2-4 months. The anticipated date for notification of the outcome will be specified in the call for proposals.

Project Establishment Support (PES)
Applications will be processed on an ongoing basis by Research Council personnel working in areas relevant to the content of the application. Applicants will be notified of the outcome after maximum 4 weeks.

The Industrial Ph.D. scheme
Grant applications will be processed administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete applications will be rejected. Applicants will be notified of the outcome after approximately 2 weeks

The SkatteFUNN tax deduction scheme
Applications will be processed on an ongoing basis. They will first be assessed by a case officer at Innovation Norway, then by a case officer at the Research Council who is responsible for taking final decisions regarding approval or rejection. Response time varies as each application is processed by two institutions, and time is also allotted for returning applications to applicants for revision.

What percentage of project costs can be funded?

Funding awarded from the Research Council to projects for trade and industry can be funded up to 50 % of the approved project costs for User-driven Innovation Projects and projects under the Industrial Ph.D. and Project Establishment Support (PES) schemes.

Funding for Knowledge-building Projects with User Involvement which are submitted by research institutions in cooperation with trade and industry will be limited to 80 % of the approved project costs.

Companies may receive up to 20 % tax deduction of incurred, documentable expenses under the SkatteFUNN scheme. The size of the tax deduction is calculated and limited by the Norwegian Tax Administration in accordance with Section 16-40 of the Norwegian Taxation Act and appurtenant regulations.

What are the current hourly rates?

Read more about hourly rates

Can support under the SkatteFUNN scheme be combined with IFU/OFU Research and Development Contracts?

Yes, but there are maximum limits for the amount of public sector funding a project and/or company may receive. These vary according to the type of project and size of the company. Read more on Innovation Norway’s webpages

What is the maximum amount of public sector funding a project can receive?

Funding awarded from the Research Council to projects for trade and industry is limited to 50 % of the approved project costs for User-driven Innovation Projects and projects under the Industrial Ph.D. and Project Establishment Support (PES) schemes.

Funding for Knowledge-building Projects with User Involvement which are submitted by research institutions in cooperation with trade and industry is limited to 80 % of the approved project costs.

If a company also applies for a tax deduction under the SkatteFUNN scheme, the total amount of support the company receives may not exceed the maximum limit for the amount of public sector funding a project of that type and/or a company of that size may receive. As a general rule companies that receive support under several public funding schemes may not receive a total amount exceeding the amount attainable under the most advantageous of the selected schemes.

What is the role of the Research Council vis-à-vis Innovation Norway?

The Research Council provides funding for projects that incorporate a research component. The Research Council and Innovation Norway collaborate on instruments including the SkatteFUNN tax deduction scheme, the Arena programme and the Norwegian Centres of Expertise scheme.

Applications submitted to the SkatteFUNN scheme are first assessed by Innovation Norway and then by the Research Council, which is responsible for final project approval.