Apply for funding

Research infrastructure

The following describes requirements and overall principles for grant proposals submitted under this type of application. Any amendments or additions to the requirements below will be described in the call for proposals.

Objective:
To establish research infrastructure that enables Norway to meet emerging knowledge challenges, to satisfy the research needs within the public and private sectors, to promote recruitment, to enhance efficiency and quality in research and to realise the potential of international research collaboration in a sound, cost-effective manner.

Comments:
The total purchase price must ordinarily be more than NOK 2 million. In addition to funding for equipment, and under certain conditions as specified in the funding announcement, support may also be sought to cover some of the expenses for operation of the infrastructure that are a direct result of its initial implementation.

Applications will be accepted from:
Universities, university colleges and research organisations(1) and other publicly funded administrators of research infrastructure who cooperate closely with Norwegian research institutions.

(1)According to the European Union (EU), a research organisation is ”an entity, such as university or research institute, irrespective of its legal status (organised under public or private law) or way of financing, whose primary goal is to conduct fundamental research, industrial teaching, publication or technoloy transfer; all profits are reinvested in these activities, the dissemination of their results or teaching; undertakings that can exert influence upon such an entity, in the quality of, for example, shareholders or members, shall enjoy no preferential access to the research capacities of such an entity to the research results generated by it”.

Application requirements:

The Project Owner (formal applicant) must be an institution, and must supply the name of the designated project administrator. Any exceptions to this rule will be described in the call for proposals.
The institution's administration is responsible for the procurement, implementation and operation of the research infrastructure for which the grant is awarded.
It is especially important that the project description provides a scientific description of the research infrastructure to be procured/established, that it gives a brief account of the research-related questions the research infrastructure will help to answer. It must also include an overview of the key research environments that will benefit from the infrastructure and the projected degree of use.
The grant proposal will be evaluated relative to the assessment criteria that apply to the particular type of application, and the requirements and principles set out in the call for proposals.

Requirements for project descriptions:

The project description is not to exceed the number of pages stipulated in the call for proposals. See the separate specification of requirements for the project description. It is not possible to upload project descriptions that exceed the page total stipulated. The page format should be A4 with 2 cm margins, 12 point font and single spacing. For references and figure text, font size 9 can be used.
A separate cost and funding plan must be drawn up using the template provided. Budgetary components associated with the establishment of the infrastructure and its operation after initial implementation are to be clearly differentiated

Attachments to the application:

A Mandatory attachments:

Project description.
Cost and funding plan.

B Attachments that may be required in the call for proposals
Only the attachments requested in the call for proposals should be submitted. Attachments that have not been requested will not be included in the application review process.

A CV for the project manager
The institution's internal ranking of priorities in the event the institution has submitted more than one application.
Letters of confirmation from partners.
A list of contact persons at the relevant user groups/institutions that have expressed an interest in using the infrastructure, and who can be contacted by the Research Council.
Project implementation plan.
Only items that are stipulated in the call for proposals should be attached to the grant proposal application. Types of attachments that have not been requested, including non-binding declarations of support, will not be included in the application review process.

Assessment of grant proposals
The Research Council views it as a prerequisite that all projects will maintain high ethical standards, and give adequate consideration to potential environmental impacts.
The Research Council considers it essential that research projects seek to promote the internationalisation of Norwegian research, to increase the recruitment of women to higher academic positions and within MST subject areas, to enhance the gender balance in Norwegian research and to ensure that gender perspectives are adequately integrated into research activities.
These elements will be taken into consideration when assessing and ranking grant proposals.

Assessment criteria for the application:

• Feasibility
• National cooperation
• Distribution of responsibility
• International cooperation
• Relevanse and benefit to society
• Administration and operation of infrastructure
• Scientific and technical assessments with regard to choice of technology, design and planned organisation
• The national importance of the infrastructure
• Benefit to research of the infrastructure
• Relevance and benefit to trade and industry
• Strategic basis and importance
• Relevance relative to the call for proposalsn

Additional assessment criteria may be specified in the call for proposals

Feasibility

The feasibility of the project will be assessed in relation to the following points:

Budget and resource parameters, including financing.
Plans for project implementation, including milestones and deliverables.

National cooperation

This criterion will be assessed in relation to the extent to which the project will make use of national research expertise and help to promote national network-building.

Distribution of responsibility

Evaluation will be focused on the extent to which the project will contribute to an expedient distribution of responsibility between R&D groups and whether it will contribute to constructive utilisation and development of Norway's national research expertise.

International cooperation

International cooperation will be assessed in relation to the extent and quality of the international cooperation activities set out for the project.

Relevance relative to the call for proposals

The grant application will be assessed in relation to the guidelines and stipulations set out in the call for proposals.

Relevance and benefit to society

Evaluation will be focused on the extent to which a project is relevant to society, e.g. by considering its ability to contribute to knowledge/competence that would in the short or long term be of significance to meeting major challenges in the public sector, industry and the civil society, viewed in a regional, national or global context.

Administration and operation of infrastructure

The ability to establish and operate the infrastructure as well as to make it accessible to users will be assessed in relation to the following points:

Whether the applicant institution and project manager/project group have the expertise and resources needed to establish, operate and make optimal use of the research infrastructure.
Whether the research infrastructure will be organised and administered in a manner that ensures satisfactory accessibility for relevant researchers and industries (cf. criteria for national importance).
Plans relating to distribution of tasks and obligations regarding the operation, upgrading and life-cycle of the research infrastructure.
The funding plan, including any co-funding from the institutions.
The contribution of any partners to enhancing the quality and feasibility of the project.

Scientific and technical assessments with regard to choice of technology, design

The choice of scientific and technological solutions is to be assessed in relation to the feasibility of the project.

The national importance of the infrastructure

This criterion gives an indication of the function that the infrastructure will play at the national level. The national importance of the infrastructure will be assessed in relation to the following points:

Whether the infrastructure is of widespread national interest.
Whether the infrastructure will be available in only one or a few locations in Norway (as a general rule).
Whether the infrastructure will lay a foundation for internationally cutting-edge research.
Whether the infrastructure will be made accessible to relevant researchers and industries.
Whether the infrastructure will promote effective coordination between relevant research groups.

Benefit to research of the infrastructure

Whether the infrastructure is of widespread national interest.
Whether the infrastructure will be available in only one or a few locations in Norway (as a general rule).
Whether the infrastructure will lay a foundation for internationally cutting-edge research.
Whether the infrastructure will be made accessible to relevant researchers and industries.
Whether the infrastructure will promote effective coordination between relevant research groups.

Relevance and benefit to trade and industry

This criterion gives an indication of the anticipated potential of the expertise/knowledge developed in connection with the project to generate value added in Norwegian trade and industry. The relevance and benefit to trade and industry will be assessed in relation to the following points:

The need for this expertise among the participants from industry.
The need for this expertise within Norwegian industry at large.
The potential of the increased expertise to trigger new growth in Norwegian industry.

Strategic basis and importance

This criterion gives an indication of how the project is incorporated into, and the role it will play, in relation to the project owner’s and partners’ strategic objectives and plans, as well as the relevant research challenges (e.g. subject-specific evaluations, research agendas and technology roadmaps, strategic activities and business plans).

Overall assessment of the referee/panel

The overall assessment of the referee/panel taking into account the criteria which the referee/panel has been asked to assess.

Ethical perspectives

The Research Council emphasises the need for projects to maintain high ethical standards and not conflict in any way with the fundamental principles for ethics in research.
More information on ethical perspectives may be found in the guidelines for ethics in research drawn up by the national committees for research ethics and in the Act on Ethics and Integrity in Research.

Environmental impact

The Research Council attaches importance to whether research projects give adequate consideration to any potential impacts (positive or negative) on the natural environment (external environment), when this is relevant. This applies both to the performance of the projects and to the utilisation of the results.

Recruitment of women

The Research Council considers it important for projects to promote increased recruitment of women to higher academic positions and within the MST subject areas (mathematics, science and technology).

Gender balance in the project

The Research Council works actively to enhance the gender balance in the Norwegian research sector. Each project can play a role in this by seeking to ensure gender balance in the composition of the project group.

Gender perspectives in the research

The Research Council views it as essential that gender perspectives are given adequate consideration in research projects where this is relevant. Good research must take into account biological and social differences between women and men, and the gender dimension should be one of the main pillars of the development of new knowledge. In research projects this dimension may be manifested through the research questions addressed, the theoretical approaches chosen, the methodology applied, and in the efforts to assess whether the research results will have different implications for women and men.

Internationalisation

In this context, internationalisation refers to the extent to which the project serves to promote the internationalisation of Norwegian research, by such means as:

International networks.
International mobility.
Measures that enhance Norway’s attractiveness as a host country for research activities.

Published:: 04.09.2003
Last updated:: 19.01.2012

Denne siden på norsk