About the INFRASTRUKTUR initiative

Research Council funding for research infrastructure is available within all subject fields and thematic areas. The INFRASTUKTUR initiative is a national, competitive arena designed to ensure an adequate interface between the funding of research infrastructure and other research funding. The Research Council is to use the grant allocation process to promote scientific quality, conduct strategic assessments and emphasise national priorities.

We provide funding for research infrastructure of national importance.

This is defined as research infrastructure that:

• is of widespread national interest;
• lays a foundation for internationally cutting-edge research; 
• will be available in only one or a few locations in Norway, as a general rule;
• will be made accessible to relevant researchers and industries.

Categories of research infrastructure under the INFRASTRUKTUR initiative:

• Advanced scientific equipment and large-scale equipment facilities. This encompasses equipment within all scientific disciplines as well as large-scale national laboratories, equipment components and research installations.
• Electronic infrastructure (e-infrastructure)/data infrastructure. This encompasses equipment, operation, and related services for high-performance computing, data storage, software systems and high-capacity networks, as well as tools for efficient workflows and software for simulations and analysis of data. The term “e-infrastructure” also refers to digital registries and scientific databases, and further encompasses scientific collections comprising physical objects that are systematised and digitised for scientific purposes.

Infrastructure that is not included:

• basic equipment that several different research institutions are expected to have;
• research infrastructure that costs less than NOK 2 million;
• investments that exceed NOK 200 million, unless recommended by the Research Council;
• generation and collection of research data.