Collaborative Project to meet Societal and Industry-related Challenges

Funding is available for projects that promote cooperation on diagnostics, surveillance strategies and/or infection prevention and control measures across the public health, animal health and food production sectors and the external environment in order to understand, manage and prevent the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance in a One Health perspective. Grant applications must have their basis in at least two sectors to satisfy the requirement for a One Health perspective.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat that reaches across national borders through trade, food, humans, animals and their environments. Meeting the knowledge challenges requires an integrated approach across disciplines, sectors and technologies. This priority area has its basis in the National Strategy against Antibiotic Resistance (2015-2020) (pdf).

The Research Council’s investment decisions for the project portfolio will seek to ensure that allocations encompass a wide range of research areas and questions.

Priority will be given to:

• applications incorporating cooperation across several sectors (human health, animal health, food production and/or the external environment);
• interdisciplinary applications;
• applications that apply biotechnology and enabling technologies;
• applications to develop more knowledge on the pathogenic bacteria included in the WHO list of antibiotic-resistant “priority pathogens”;
• applications that incorporate international research cooperation and positioning activities to obtain international funding;
• applications with a sound plan for involving and cooperating with relevant stakeholders in society.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated. Health trusts/hospitals are considered research organisations.

The recommended budgetary framework is NOK 8–16 million per project.

Land under pressure – impacts and solutions relating to biodiversity, climate, energy, agriculture and forestry

According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the UN Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the main global causes of the loss of habitats and ecosystem goods on Earth are land fragmentation, land-use change and intensified land use. Important drivers are demand for production of food and fibre, and infrastructure for energy production and transport. In addition, climate change is contributing increasingly to changes in species composition and pressure on ecosystems.

Steps must be taken to safeguard the capacity of the natural environment to provide renewable resources and ecosystem goods. Pressure on and a scarcity of land and resources pose challenges to the public administration, trade and industry and society as a whole. At the same time, the transition to a low-emission society calls for investment in renewable energy and new solutions in agriculture and forestry. This is illustrated by the increased level of conflict in connection with land-use changes, both nationally and internationally, relating to climate, the environment, energy, agriculture and urbanisation.

The objective for research under this topic is to generate a new, interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral knowledge base and innovative solutions for the sustainable use and management of land in Norway that gives priority to environmental and climate-related considerations.

There is a need for new knowledge and solutions that can be implemented rapidly and/or are scalable. Funding is available for projects addressing innovative research questions and alternatives for solutions. Projects may vary in size and duration, depending on the scope, complexity and research questions addressed in the grant application.

This topic is primarily targeted towards research on land-based issues, including fresh water, but grant applications may also address marine aspects if relevant to the project.

Grant applications must address one or more of the following priority areas:

• an enhanced knowledge base for weighing different societal considerations and taking decisions that both promote sustainable land use and safeguard biodiversity in the transition to a low-emission society;
• impacts of land use and ramifications relating to climate and biodiversity;
• innovative land-use solutions that safeguard biodiversity and climate-related considerations.

Guidelines and requirements:

• Grant proposals must include a communication plan that describes how project results will be used.

Importance will be attached to achieving a balanced project portfolio that reflects the full breadth of the call for proposals and that incorporates projects of different sizes and duration.

Increased allocations from the Ministry of Climate and Environment in connection with the Government’s third package of financial measures to address the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak (Prop. 127 S (2019-2020))
The Research Council is increasing the funding amount available under calls for proposals in 2020 with an additional NOK 75 million for projects that promote research-driven innovation for low-emissions solutions, and/or research on and business development of new solutions and technology to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and safeguard biodiversity. Projects under this thematic area may be of interest for funding in keeping with the supplementary allocations.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

Research activities must help to expand the knowledge base needed for planning under the Planning and Building Act with the aim of promoting sustainable societal development. Projects that shed light on the importance of the legislative instruments in the planning part of the Act are of particular interest. Projects are to illuminate and enhance understanding of how different societal interests, sector-based legislation and market mechanisms work together and in conflict with one another, and the impacts of this on physical planning. Efficiency and implementation capacity in planning activities are essential. Research is to help to generate knowledge that can be used by politicians, government administrators and other stakeholders in society.

Research activities are to promote the building of strong scientific communities and add high-quality, long-term, broad-based competence to researcher training. Research activities are to further develop the knowledge obtained under the EVAPLAN project funded under the DEMOS programme, as well as from other relevant planning research. One objective of the research is to strengthen educational programmes and institutions in the field of planning, and to incorporate relevant educational institutions into the research activities.

Funding is available for projects within four main thematic areas. Applicants also have the opportunity to propose additional sub-areas of relevance within the scope of the field of planning. There is no order of priority between these thematic areas or the bullet points under them.

The Planning and Building Act: development and use of the Act’s legislative room to manoeuvre and need for new instruments

• Legislative instruments relating to the planning levels, land-use purposes, zones requiring special consideration, planning provisions and guidelines;
• The interaction between instruments at the national, regional and municipal levels;
• Prerequisites for transformation and high-quality urban densification; Interaction between and development of instruments;
• The Planning and Building Act as coordinating legislation and how it relates to relevant sectoral legislation;
• Effects of digitalisation on important considerations in the Planning and Building Act and the act’s impact on the potential for digitalisation of planning activities;

Planning and markets: efficiency and implementation capacity in planning

• Interaction between the municipality and markets, the business sector, ownership interests and various societal interests;
• The relationship between social planning, physical planning and financial planning – short- and long-term impacts;
• Interaction between municipalities and different stakeholders – the role of negotiation- and agreement-based processes;
• The role of geodata, ownership information and digital tools in planning.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals: the role of planning in following up relevant goals

• How environmental, climate-related, economic and social considerations may be emphasised and unified;
• Innovative ways to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals through planning activities;
• Importance of the knowledge base for the design of indicators and performance achievement.

The competency base for planning: factors that affect social and land-use planning and competency requirements among different stakeholders.

• Current status of competence and capacity in the public and private sectors within planning, maps and geodata;
• Development of relevant public-sector competence in planning through innovation, external stakeholders or collaborative schemes;
• The role of digitalisation and automation for competence development in the field of planning and geodata.

Projects are expected to include relevant national, Nordic and/or other international partners from the research sector.

Priority will be given to:

• Projects that strengthen educational programmes and institutions in the field of planning and incorporate relevant educational institutions into the research activities;
• Projects involving doctoral fellowship positions.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 20 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.
• Grant applications may seek a maximum NOK 10 million in funding from the Research Council.

Funding is available for research that sheds light on and enhances understanding of municipal and county innovation efforts. Research projects are to address concrete challenges and needs related to municipal innovation activities and must clearly reflect the experience of and challenges facing the municipalities collaborating in the project.

Research is to help to generate knowledge for use by municipal actors in their innovation activities as well as by politicians, the government administration and other stakeholders in society. The research should also help to develop dynamic research groups and strengthen researcher education by providing long-term, broad-based competence.

The Research Council is seeking projects to develop knowledge and build up research expertise relating to innovation processes in the municipal sector, the realisation of and value creation from municipal innovations, and the sharing of innovations across municipalities. See below for descriptions of the three thematic areas under this call. It will be of relevance to look at stakeholders, roles, competency challenges and barriers and drivers associated with these three thematic areas. Projects must address research questions involving at least one of the three areas, but projects addressing more than one thematic area are preferred.

Innovation processes in municipalities
The Research Council is seeking to develop knowledge and research competence related to municipal innovation processes, from the first innovation phase through the utilisation of results with the ensuing benefits, as well as all elements underlying the process. Relevant research questions include optimal ways to carry out the process; which stakeholders are involved and how; leadership competence, project management competence, and innovation competence; and which barriers and drivers determine whether a municipality succeeds with its innovation processes.

Realisation of innovations and benefits
The Research Council is seeking to develop knowledge and research competence related to how municipalities can reap the benefits of innovation efforts. This involves the ways in which municipalities employ new knowledge and solutions. A number of effective tools for project implementation and realisation of benefits in municipalities are available, but few of these are adapted for use with innovation projects. Relevant research questions may involve steps municipalities take to realise benefits; how they use relevant project and innovation tools; how they include various stakeholders; roles and leadership at the municipal level; and the strategic basis for, and ownership of, innovation activity and new solutions.

Projects are encouraged to propose recommendations for what municipalities can do to ensure that they reap a greater share of the potential benefits of an innovation project.

Sharing of innovations
The Research Council is seeking to develop knowledge and research competence regarding how innovations can be scaled and shared effectively among municipalities. It can be difficult for the municipalities carrying out an innovation project to deploy additional resources to ensure that other municipalities will be able to draw on the results. It is also challenging for those municipalities seeking to adopt innovations developed elsewhere to identify these and get help in generating comparable benefits locally. There is a large potential for communicating and sharing new solutions that remains untapped. Relevant research questions include which communication methods are the most effective, how the municipality’s expertise and learning capacity can be used to expand sharing, the barriers and drivers related to sharing, the roles of the sharing entity and the recipient, and the part that digital solutions may have to play within this framework.

Priority will be given to:

• projects that incorporate multiple research organisations as partners;
• projects involving partnerships between four or more municipalities/counties;
• projects with concrete activities related to communicating and sharing results with municipalities outside the constellation of project participants;
• projects with specific plans to enter into dialogue with municipalities that are not part of the partnership;
• projects involving doctoral fellowship positions;
• projects involving international cooperation;
• projects that can help to strengthen relevant educational programmes.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 20 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.
• Projects are to have a steering committee comprising representatives of the partners.
• Projects are to have a reference group comprising representatives of other municipalities for the purposes of knowledge exchange and dialogue during the project.

Applicants are to seek a minimum of NOK 7 million and a maximum of NOK 16 million. The Research Council anticipates projects seeking funding between NOK 7 and 9 million.

In the 2014–2020 period Norway has carried out municipal and regional government reforms in which 119 of the country’s municipalities have merged to become 47 new municipalities and 19 counties have been reduced to 11. Reform processes have led to significant changes in structure and responsibility, including the transfer of tasks to both the municipalities and the counties. There is a need for knowledge about the overall impacts of the reforms on local and regional administrative structures and systems. It will also be of interest to study the generalist municipal system itself more closely, including whether and how the reforms may have affected it.

Funding is available for project proposals examining the following two priority areas:

1. overall effects of the municipal and regional reforms
2. the generalist municipal system

Effects of the reforms on key objectives in individual municipalities and counties will be gauged at a later date using baseline measurements recorded earlier. Norway’s Local Government Act is to be evaluated in a separate process.

Overall effects of the municipal and regional reforms on

• organisation and localisation of services, democracy and cooperation
• the distribution of responsibilities and relationship between the local and regional levels, and the role of these levels
• the relationship between cities, municipalities and surrounding areas
• the relationship between counties and between county administrations and the County Governors’ offices, especially with regard to the role in societal development

Examples of relevant questions to address:

• To what extent, and in what ways, do the mergers affect service structure? How are the newly merged municipalities applying the new Local Government Act to meet the challenges of larger geographic size – i.e. to what extent are they “spreading” their physical presence and employing remote conferencing (digitalisation) and district committees?
• How have the structural reforms affected intermunicipal cooperation structures? What collaboration structures have been dissolved, what new ones have been introduced and what forms of cooperation are being used? It will be of interest in this context to look at how the new models of cooperation described in the Local Government Act are being used, and how well they are working.
• How have the mergers affected the roles of, and relationships between, local and regional government levels?
• How has the regional reform affected the relationship between counties?
• Have the reforms affected the relationship between the County Governors’ offices and county administrations? Has it affected other aspects of the central government’s regional activities?
• How have the structural changes affected power relations between urbanised municipalities, cities and surrounding areas?
• Are there variations in experience and impacts between different parts of the country and between different types of municipalities, for example in terms of centrality?

Generalist municipal system

A system of generalist municipal government underpins the reforms that have been implemented. Accordingly, all municipalities are part of the national administrative system and all must be able to function individually as generalist municipalities. Furthermore, all municipalities by law are assigned the same tasks, have the same funding system, and have the same organisational and administrative frameworks under the legislation (see white paper Meld. St. 12 (2011-2012), p. 22).

Recommendations from the County Governors’ offices during the municipal reform period showed that many municipalities struggle to fulfil the principles of a generalist municipality on their own. As a result there will be value in taking a closer look at the impacts of the reforms on the municipal system. It may be of particular interest to examine any compensatory measures being employed to fulfil the responsibilities of a generalist municipality (procurement from the private sector, cooperation, etc.) and to learn more about how the system is working in practice and how it evolves over time.

Funding will be allocated to one Collaborative and Knowledge-building Project that covers both of the priority areas and has budgetary framework of up to NOK 14 million.

It will be viewed as positive if the project:

• incorporates national and international cooperation
• involves an interdisciplinary project team
• includes a doctoral research fellowship

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

Funding is available for projects to meet society’s needs to increase knowledge and innovation in the area of societal security and safety. Research must focus in particular on challenges and problems arising from digitalisation, and on the potential to further develop and apply knowledge related to ICT and digital security into efforts to safeguard societal security.

Societal security concerns society’s ability to protect itself against and manage expected and unexpected events that affect basic values and societal functions and endanger the health and safety of inhabitants. Such events may be the result of epidemics, natural disasters, accidents, acts of terrorism or criminal activity. Globalisation, climate change, population growth, and the growing complexity of and reliance on digital systems are all part of why societal security concerns constantly encompass new challenges.

Activities relating to societal security reflect a desire to reduce vulnerability and to develop resilient, adaptable systems and functions at different levels of society. Societal functions are dependent on effective interaction between people, technology and organisations at all levels. As a result of the digital transformation, an increasingly wider range of key societal functions are ICT-dependent, which entails that societal security challenges must be met with knowledge about digital security in convergence with other forms of security and social cohesion. Interdisciplinary cooperation between subject fields and end-users is needed not only to design effective solutions for preventing undesirable events, but also to identify how potential crises can lead to new ways of thinking and innovation.

Collaboration with relevant stakeholders in society will ensure that the knowledge, expertise and solutions developed under the project are targeted towards society’s needs, and that the knowledge and solutions utilised will benefit individuals, organisations and society at large.

Priority will be given to:

• projects incorporating international collaboration;
• projects involving recruitment positions;
• projects building on genuine collaboration between partners and end-users;
• projects that integrate or build on the results of national and international projects;
• projects that contribute to policy development and address the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 20 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

The Research Council anticipates projects with a four-year duration that seek funding between NOK 20 and 25 million.

This thematic area is targeted towards research within the priority area “Energy policy, economics and sustainability” as described in the ENERGIX work programme. Funding is available for projects that promote the long-term, sustainable development of the energy system and accelerate the transition to a zero-emission society. Achieving a zero-emissions society means reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero in order to stabilise the climate, the environment and ecosystems.

Funding is available for projects in the following priority areas:

• Policy and economics, including instruments to facilitate the transition to a zero-emission society;
• Innovation theory and technology diffusion;
• Sustainability and resource efficiency perspectives;
• Society and behaviour.

Limitations under this call:

Funding is not available for grant applications that fall under the topic “Land under pressure – impacts and solutions relating to biodiversity, climate, energy, agriculture and forestry”. “Land under pressure” is a separate thematic area under this call, and NOK 150 million has been announced there (see the thematic area “Land under pressure” above).

Projects designed to develop new knowledge and generate research competence to enhance competitiveness and value creation in the Norwegian business sector, including technology development projects, may apply for funding under the call Knowledge-building Project for Industry under the thematic area “Energy, transport and low emissions”. That call is open to all priority areas set out in the ENERGIX work programme. Please note that all applicants that can satisfy the requirement of 20 per cent cash financing from the project partners may apply under that call, where NOK 120–160 million has been announced for 2020.

Please contact us if you are uncertain about which topic or call to apply under.

Priority will be given to:

• Projects that contribute knowledge and/or solutions to accelerate the transition to a zero-emission society.
• Projects in which the public sector and government administration are the key users of the results and play a significant role as project participants. Other projects are referred to the call Knowledge-building Project for Industry.
• Interdisciplinary projects.
• Projects encompassing broad involvement from relevant stakeholders as partners. If there are reasons why it would not benefit the project to include certain key stakeholders in the consortium, for example if this would compromise the reliability of results, then this must be explained clearly in the grant application to prevent a negative assessment on this point.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Projects under this thematic area are not eligible for state aid. Partners that are not research organisations must fund their project costs themselves.
• Cash financing from partners may be entered in the project budget if so desired but will not count as part of the requirement to contribute minimum 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.

Funding will be distributed as follows:

• NOK 15 million is earmarked for cross-border health and welfare collaboration.
• NOK 15 million is earmarked for cross-border business collaboration.

Funding is available for projects designed to promote development and collaboration within the health and welfare sector and for projects to promote cross-border business development and collaboration in the north.

The Research Council is seeking projects that will promote broad-based renewal, revitalisation and development as well as engagement in local communities and across national borders to generate good living conditions and encourage increased business activity.

Strategic guidelines:

Funding for this call is earmarked for the Arctic/Barents Region and has its basis in chapter 3.1 C “Social and economic development, business activity” of the document Scientific and thematic priorities for the High North Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as chapter 5.2.3 “Economic growth, technology and development models” of the UTENRIKS work programme.

Priority will be given to:

• projects incorporating international collaboration in the Barents Region;
• applied research projects incorporating a high degree of user participation.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 20 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

Funding is available for projects that promote long-term, sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.

Funding is available for projects within five research areas set out in the HAVBRUK work programme. An estimate is provided under each priority area as to how many projects are expected to be allocated funding assuming there are sufficient grant applications of high quality. The portfolio board may deviate from this anticipated distribution.

Societal perspectives, governance and markets
The background for this priority area is the developments seen in recent years towards the use of new production systems such as land-based salmon production, floating closed and semi-closed aquaculture systems, and facilities designed to utilise locations more exposed to the elements. New aquaculture production systems pose different requirements for organisation, expertise and use of areas, and may have impacts on coexistence with other users. Changes in locations and production systems also place new requirements on regulations and the public administration of the industry. Shedding light on these issues is vital to enable the industry to evolve and to safeguard other societal interests. Funding is therefore available for social science-based research on issues relating to the increased use of new concepts for aquaculture production.

Funding is expected to be allocated to one grant application under this priority area.

Fish health and welfare – Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) and sea lice (Caligus elongatus).
The genomes of both salmon and salmon lice (L. salmonis) have been sequenced and great progress has been made in mapping traits related to the different genes. Applying this knowledge to provide solutions to lice problems will likely require long-term, basic-research efforts to understand the mechanisms of how the parasite recognises salmon and why it is not repelled.

Funding is available under this priority area for projects that develop and utilise knowledge about molecular mechanisms underlying the lice-host interaction. This priority area also encompasses projects using salmon’s genetic variation for selective breeding for resistance to lice. It may also be of interest to include sea

lice (C. elongatus), which are more generalist in their host selection. Infestation of L. elongatus is a growing problem and knowledge about the mechanisms that differ between the lice species may enhance understanding of host specificity in salmon lice.

This priority area is coordinated with the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF), and applicants are asked to specify whether they have applied for funding under the FHF strategic initiative on salmon lice.

Funding is expected to be allocated to two to four grant applications under this priority area.

Production biology – Robust smolt
Mortality in Norwegian aquaculture is currently too high, in part due to the heavy overall strain on the fish in the sea phase. Emphasis on the production of more robust smolts in the freshwater phase would presumably enhance fish welfare and reduce mortality in the sea phase of production of salmon and rainbow trout in Norway. The timing of smoltification and transfer to sea are particularly critical and complex for large groups of fish. In recent years, the trend of producing larger smolts has challenged “established truths” about smoltification and shown that larger smolts are not necessarily more robust. Funding is therefore available for research that enhances understanding of the processes underlying smoltification, seawater tolerance and robustness.

Funding is expected to be allocated to one grant application under this priority area.

Production technology and processing technology – Digitalisation
The development and use of digitalisation represents considerable potential for sustainable growth and increased value creation in the aquaculture industry. Smart algorithms will be needed to manage and make use of the vast amounts of data on environmental and production parameters. This will result in a better basis for decision-making on-site, for companies, for the industry in general and for the authorities. Digitalisation will also provide researchers with better opportunities to utilise industry data. There are a number of challenges related to standardisation of data and open versus proprietary/closed systems. Large amounts of data are collected and stored by salmon aquaculture companies during regular production. Utilising these data anonymously could yield benefits for the industry on a regional or national level without undermining the competition between the companies. In the years to come, increased digitalisation will have an impact on the industry. Funding is therefore available

for research to enhance knowledge on the use of large amounts of data and machine learning for increased production control.

Funding is expected to be allocated to one grant application under this priority area.

Sustainable feed ingredients
One of the major challenges facing the aquaculture industry ahead is access to new, sustainable feed ingredients which have a small climate footprint and satisfy the nutritional requirements of the fish. Funding is available for projects to examine the potential for large-scale production and/or utilisation of one or more new feed ingredients for proteins and/or lipids. This priority area encompasses all types of feed ingredients, but the ingredient must have the potential to supply a significant proportion of the dietary requirement for protein and/or lipids. Studies of the feed ingredient’s physical and nutritional suitability should be included in projects studying utilisation in feed. This priority area is open to feed ingredients for established as well as new production species. Proposals addressing the environmental and climate-related aspects of the feed ingredient(s) will be given priority when assessing grant proposals.

Funding is expected to be allocated to two to four grant applications under this priority area.

Priority will be given to:

• Projects encompassing broad involvement of relevant stakeholders as partners;
• Projects incorporating international collaboration;
• Projects incorporating recruitment positions (doctoral and/or post-doctoral fellowships).
• Projects incorporating Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and clearly describes the measures to take to ensure RRI (see A Framework for Responsible Innovation (pdf)).

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project;
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, this funding may not exceed the maximum aid intensity allowed under the rules.
• Projects may seek a maximum of NOK 12 million in funding from the Research Council, with a maximum duration of four years.

Funding is available for projects that incorporate cooperation between industry and the research community in order to develop knowledge and build competence that can help to increase competitiveness in the maritime industry.

Funding is available for new projects within all the priority areas set out in the MAROFF work programme:

• opportunities in ocean industries;
• autonomous and remote-controlled vessels;
• digital transformation of the maritime industry;
• promoting greener maritime activities;
• safety and security at sea;
• the Arctic and northern areas.

Priority will be given to:

• projects addressing problems that are of importance to a wide segment of the industry and that require collaboration between many companies and research groups.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are companies from the maritime sector must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Partners that are Norwegian companies may receive funding to cover a portion of the costs that are necessary for the execution of the project. The state aid rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated. Partners from the public sector are not eligible to receive support to cover project costs and must fund their project costs themselves.

Funding is available for projects that promote long-term, sustainable utilisation and management of wild living marine resources. Research activities must address the research needs as defined under priority areas 4.3. Sustainable harvesting and value creation (VERDISKAPING) and 4.4. Management and societal perspectives (SAMFUNN) in the MARINFORSK work programme.

Funding will be distributed as follows:

• Approximately NOK 25 million is earmarked for the research need “Technology and methods to facilitate more effective, risk-based resource control” under focus area 4.3 c) “Monitoring methodologies and resource control”. This includes, among other things, research on development and use of technology, methods and verifiable data, as well as socio-economic, legal and other factors that promote more effective resource control.

Funding is expected to be allocated to two to four grant applications in this area.

• Approximately NOK 35 million is available for research within other research needs as defined under priority areas 4.3. Sustainable harvesting and value creation (VERDISKAPING) and 4.4. Management and societal perspectives (SAMFUNN) in the MARINFORSK work programme.

Funding is expected to be allocated to three to five grant applications in these areas.

Priority will be given to:

• Projects incorporating international collaboration;
• Projects incorporating recruitment positions (doctoral and/or post-doctoral fellowships);
• Projects that add to the thematic and scientific scope within the thematic framework of the call.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding under this call may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated. Applicants may seek a maximum NOK 12 million in funding from the Research Council.

Oral health
There is a need to strengthen research related to diagnostic and treatment-related aspects of oral health. The public authorities need better insight into what comprises suitable treatment in light of the individual patient’s general illness and life situation, and on how to best organise services to reach target groups. There is a need to explore issues in the interface between odontology, biology and medicine and to enhance understanding of oral health as an element of general health. More information about the Government’s R&D strategy for dental health (2017–2027) (in Norwegian) is available here.

Multimorbidity
An ageing population and extended life expectancy for the chronically ill are leading to more multimorbidity, or a larger number of patients with multi-illnesses or more than one chronic disease. It is important to gain a deeper understanding of how to treat these patients’ individual diseases and to determine the best treatment in light of the fact that they have multiple diseases which may be interacting.

Patient safety
Patients should be able to count on access to high-quality, reliable and safe diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation. Quality must be consistent and there must be continuity throughout the entire disease trajectory when a patient is dependent on health assistance from multiple sources, such as municipal health services and specialist health care services. Adverse events and/or complications should be rare occurrences that are discovered early on when they do arise. There is an important need for greater insight into the efforts to safeguard patient safety in diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation, and how to improve this throughout the entire patient pathway in, and between, the various service levels. Cost-benefit analyses of preventive measures and/or relevant packages of measures under the Norwegian Patient Safety Programme, in connection with diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of patients may be a part of the project.

Grant applications are required to incorporate at least two partners representing users. In addition, grant applications are required to incorporate end-users. Applicants must describe how the partners and any other users, such as the general public, relatives, patients or non-governmental organisations will be involved in the planning and implementation of the project and application of the results.

A collaborating organisation qualified to assume more than one role in the project (e.g. approved Norwegian research organisation and stakeholder from the public sector) must clearly specify in the project description which role it will be playing. A project participant may not be assigned two different roles in the same project.

It is important that the anticipated benefits of the project are based on user needs and documented knowledge gaps. Both short- and/or longer-term impacts of the research are to be described in the grant application. The potential for implementation in clinical practice must also be described.

Perspectives relating to health economics are to be incorporated when this is relevant.

Projects are expected to include relevant national, Nordic and/or other international partners from the research sector.

Priority will be given to:

• applications involving patient-related clinical studies;
• applications that have an interdisciplinary approach and incorporate social sciences and/or humanities research;
• applications that use existing health and personal data (all types of data regardless of the gathering method employed) when this is relevant;
• applications in which partners that are not research organisations finance their own participation to the greatest extent possible.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

The recommended budgetary framework is NOK 8–16 million per project.

This thematic area encompasses the BEDREHELSE, BEHANDLING and HELSEVEL programmes. Grant applications must be of relevance for at least one of these programmes or address research questions that extend across two or all three of them.

Funding is available for projects that can help to address health and societal challenges related to health-promoting and preventive measures, treatment and/or municipal health, care and welfare services. Grant applications must have their basis in municipal knowledge needs and services, and must incorporate at least one partner from the municipal sector. This includes County Councils. The potential for transfer of results and knowledge between municipalities or municipal clusters must be described.

Grant applications are required to incorporate at least two partners representing users. In addition, grant applications are required to incorporate end-users. Applicants must describe how the partners and any other users, such as the general public, relatives, patients or non-governmental organisations will be involved in the planning and implementation of the project and application of the results.

A collaborating organisation qualified to assume more than one role in the project (e.g. approved Norwegian research organisation and stakeholder from the public sector) must clearly specify in the project description which role it will be playing. A project participant may not be assigned a role both as research-performing and as partner in the project.

It is important that the anticipated benefits of the project are based on user needs and documented knowledge gaps. Both short- and long-term impacts and outcomes are to be described in the grant application. The potential for implementation in municipal health-promoting and preventive health efforts, treatment and/or municipal health, care and welfare services must also be described.

Perspectives relating to health economics are to be incorporated when this is relevant.

Projects are expected to include relevant national, Nordic and/or other international partners from the research sector.

Priority will be given to:

• applications that have an interdisciplinary approach and incorporate social sciences and humanities research;
• applications that use existing health and personal data (all types of data regardless of the gathering method employed) when this is relevant;
• applications in which partners that are not research organisations finance their own participation to the greatest extent possible.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

The recommended budgetary framework is NOK 8–16 million per project.

Research on this will be financed through accumulated funding under the KVINNEHELSE initiative and supplemented by small amounts of funding from the BEDREHELSE, BEHANDLING and HELSEVEL programmes.

Funding is available for research that follows up the research ambitions behind the six promises for better women’s health put forth by the Norwegian Government. The Research Council is seeking projects involving:

• research that will provide both a better understanding of the causes of, and measures to prevent, unwanted differences in health and service provision for women and men in a life-cycle perspective;
• research that will generate more insight into prevention, diagnostics, treatment and ways of coping in relation to illnesses that lead to long-term sick leave and disability among women;
• research that will yield more knowledge about the life situation of women with major caretaker burdens and about measures to safeguard these women’s health, quality of life and participation in working life.

Grant applications are required to incorporate at least two partners representing users. One or both partners may represent end-users. If this is not the case, grant applications are required to incorporate end-users in addition. Applicants must describe how the partners and any other users, such as the general public, relatives, patients or non-governmental organisations will be involved in the planning and implementation of the project and application of the results.

A collaborating organisation qualified to assume more than one role in the project (e.g. approved Norwegian research organisation and stakeholder from the public sector) must clearly specify in the project description which role it will be playing. A project participant may not be assigned two different roles in the project.

It is important that the anticipated benefits of the project are based on user needs and documented knowledge gaps. Short- or medium-term impacts of the research are to be described in the grant application.

Perspectives relating to health economics are to be incorporated when this is relevant.

Projects are expected to include relevant national, Nordic and/or other international partners from the research sector.

Priority will be given to:

• applications that have an interdisciplinary approach and incorporate social sciences and/or humanities research;
• applications that use existing health and personal data (all types of data regardless of the gathering method employed) when this is relevant;
• applications in which partners that are not research organisations finance their own participation to the greatest extent possible.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

The recommended budgetary framework is NOK 8–16 million per project.

Cultural heritage and cultural environments link the past, present and future. They are highly valued environmental goods in a rapidly changing world, and it is important to safeguard these cultural history values in a long-term perspective. They provide a sense of belonging as well as opportunities for value creation and growth in a variety of sectors. Cultural heritage and cultural environments are often closely linked to the management of natural heritage and biodiversity, and together these play an important role in ensuring environmentally sustainable development. At the same time, cultural history values are under serious and increasing threat, particularly in relation to climate change, pressure on land areas, and the impacts of urbanisation and tourism. Research on cultural heritage and cultural environments is important for addressing major societal challenges and expanding the knowledge base for a transition to a greener society.

Relevant projects are to generate new knowledge about the sustainable management and use of cultural heritage and cultural environments within at least one of the following priority areas:

• how to prevent the negative impacts of climate change, land use and demographics, as well as expand the knowledge base for addressing the changes society is facing;
• new usage that can contribute to preservation, in close cooperation with owners and other users;
• knowledge among indigenous peoples and local populations about the use and safeguarding of cultural environments in the face of climate-related, environmental and societal challenges.

Strategic guidelines :

The Research Council is seeking new knowledge about the sustainable management and use of cultural heritage and cultural environments in the face of changes to the climate, environment and society at large. Importance should be attached to multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches. Research activities are to promote the development of knowledge relevant to conditions in Norway.

Scientific framework:

This thematic area is targeted towards research on mainland Norway as well as the polar regions (see the definition of polar regions on pages 6–7 of the POLARPROG work programme). For mainland Norway, support is primarily provided for terrestrial research, but marine issues can be included. In polar areas, support can be provided for both marine and terrestrial issues. We allow for projects in polar regions, mainland Norway, or that include both mainland Norway and polar regions Funding will not be available for projects whose main focus is research on the development of technologies or techniques for restoration/preservation.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

The tentative plan is to allocate funding to four to six projects. Importance will be attached to achieving a balanced project portfolio that reflects the full breadth of the priority topics under this call.

Funding is available for large-scale, transdisciplinary, innovative projects seeking to develop new forms of interaction in which users and other stakeholders take part as partners with research groups. Projects must employ an integrated approach to land-based food systems.

One of the challenges facing society is to produce an adequate supply of nutritious food for a growing population while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the various food systems and safeguarding biodiversity. Sustainable food systems help to ensure an economic, social and environmental foundation for the future. They are designed to provide food security and sound nutrition for coming generations as well. The knowledge generated will have transfer value for the international community. It is essential to promote sustainable food systems which view production, processing, distribution and consumption within a unified context in order to assess their overall effects. New knowledge is needed to better understand what can be changed and how.

Projects are to generate insight into how the various segments of food systems work together, and which parts of the system can and should be transformed. These changes are to promote more sustainable resource management in Norway and/or modification of national dietary habits to promote better public health. The Research Council is seeking projects that look at the interaction between different segments within a single food system and/or interaction between different food systems. Funding is available for projects designed to help build long-term, sustainable food systems, enhance the competitiveness of Norwegian trade and industry, and facilitate the restructuring of Norway and the world at large.

A food system is understood as the value chain from farm to fork and back to the farm. This encompasses all materials and processes, laws, regulations and frameworks, as well as all infrastructure related to agriculture, processing, transport, marketing, distribution and sales, consumption of food products, food waste, and socio-economic and environmental impacts.
Funding is available for large-scale projects with a budgetary framework of NOK 20–30 million per project. Parts of the project may entail high risk and explore opportunities for radical change. The inclusion of international collaboration is encouraged when appropriate for the project.

Investment decisions for the project portfolio under this topic will seek to ensure that allocations encompass a wide range of research areas and questions.

Requirements related to the projects:

• Projects must encompass one or more of the three related thematic areas of climate, the environment and health.
• Projects must be transdisciplinary* and employ an integrated approach.
• Projects must address at least one case from the existing land-based food systems in Norway.
• Steps must be taken to ensure Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), and measures to ensure this are to be presented in the project description.
• Projects must include at least one recruitment position.

Increased allocations from the Ministry of Climate and Environment in connection with the Government’s third package of financial measures to address the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak (Prop. 127 S (2019-2020))
The Research Council is increasing the funding amount available under calls for proposals in 2020 with an additional NOK 75 million for projects that promote research-driven innovation for low-emissions solutions, and/or research on and business development of new solutions and technology to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and safeguard biodiversity. Projects under this thematic area may be of interest for funding in keeping with the supplementary allocations.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, this may not exceed the maximum aid intensity allowed under the rules.

*Transdisciplinarity is interdisciplinary research in which interactions are extended outside academia to solve problems of societal importance through integration of knowledge from different actors. This is achieved by crossing the boundaries between different disciplines, and through engagement with different types of knowledge: scientific knowledge, lay knowledge and practitioners’ experience. Transdisciplinarity engages with a wide group of stakeholders, including policymakers. Participants become co-creators, co-producers of knowledge (Lemos, 2005).

In a circular economy, resources are used in a way that maximises the value and benefits to society for as long as possible. This entails keeping products, materials and resources in use as long as possible. Any form of waste is seen as resources that are lost. To increase the proportion of waste recovered, there is a need to further develop resource-efficient solutions for recycling that encourage widespread support and retrieval of high-quality resources from waste.  

Waste that can lead to serious pollution and/or damage to health or the environment is considered hazardous waste and must be managed in accordance with specially stipulated requirements. Currently, most hazardous waste is sent to dumpsites or incinerated, which entails loss of valuable constituent resources. Improved technology and more knowledge will enhance the ability to separate the hazardous substances out of a greater proportion of such waste so that the remaining materials can be recycled.

Grant applications must address one or more of the following priority research needs:

• What do future solutions for resource-efficient waste management comprise? Examples of research questions are how to increase the reuse and recovery of materials and products, including hazardous waste.

• What can be done to prevent hazardous waste? For example, by replacing hazardous components of products.

• What can be done to increase the proportion of materials recovered from hazardous waste without allowing hazardous substances to remain in the resource cycle? For example, how can hazardous substances be separated out before products are reused or recycled?

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, this may not exceed the maximum aid intensity allowed under the rules.

Funding is available for projects that promote long-term, sustainable development of agriculture throughout the country, increased value creation, and agriculture with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, we would like to support a project on Catch and Cover crops as climate action, cf. in this year's agricultural settlement.

In accordance with Meld St. 11 (2016–2017) white paper on agricultural policy and Proposition to the Storting 1 S (2019–2020), Norway’s agricultural policy sets out four overall target areas relating to agriculture and food production: food security and preparedness; agricultural production throughout the entire country; increased value creation; and sustainable agriculture with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Research projects funded under this call must help to achieve these agricultural policy objectives. Grant applications must refer to existing challenges, research questions and knowledge gaps, and explain specifically how the project will address these and help to realise agricultural policy objectives.

Of particular interest are the challenges and knowledge needs identified in the state-of-the-art reviews on food safety (in Norwegian), animal welfare and animal health (in Norwegian) and plant health (in Norwegian) that were drawn up in 2019 on commission from the Research Council.

Food security and preparedness
The main objectives relating to food security and preparedness are to ensure that consumers have safe food and to strengthen food preparedness. The utilisation of bioresources is to be increased through selective breeding, research and education. Good animal and plant health and good animal welfare provide the foundation for producing sufficient quantities of safe food.

The following areas are of particular relevance:

• Norwegian agricultural supply capacity in times of crisis;
• increased production and utilisation of Norwegian feed resources;
• factors that affect the production capacity of arable soil (soil health);
• anti-resistance strategies against plant pests in agriculture and horticulture and against pathogens in livestock;
• the connection between reduced food waste and food safety;
• assessments of food security related to changes in diet, nutrition and consumption, new packaging requirements, and new sales frameworks and distribution channels.

Agricultural production throughout the entire country
Agricultural production throughout the entire country can be achieved by facilitating diversified agriculture with varied farm structure and geographic production sharing that provide opportunities for settlement throughout the entire country. Measures to increase the use of soil resources and grazing resources and measures that ensure recruitment to the industry throughout the entire country will help to promote this.

The following areas are of particular relevance:

• increased use of grazing resources in uncultivated areas;
• knowledge to enhance educational programmes and increase recruitment to agriculture and the food industry;
• knowledge about the ability to achieve the agricultural policy objectives through effective design of market schemes and agricultural policy instruments targeted towards markets, the value chain, production, the environment and climate.

Increasing value creation
Agricultural policy is to lay the foundation for the income opportunities and ability of farmers to invest in their farms, and to promote the efficient, profitable use of a farm’s combined resources. Market-based production opportunities must be employed and the value chain for food must be cost-effective and competitive. Norway must be further developed as a food-producing nation.

The following areas are of particular relevance:

• developing knowledge and methods to better utilise residual raw materials in the value chain for food and beverages to develop new and profitable products.
• mapping the opportunities to increase Norwegian food production and competitiveness for the agriculture-based food and beverage industries in a changing market;
• how to further develop Norway as a food-producing nation;
• developing new technology and new methods to improve efficiency in every segment of the value chain, e.g. automation, robotics, information technology and sensor technology;
• further developing methods and collaborative solutions for the collection, analysis and utilisation of large amounts of data.

Sustainable agriculture with reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Sustainable agriculture entails sustainable use and strong protection of agricultural areas and resource bases. The cultural landscape and biodiversity must be safeguarded, and pollution and greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced. CO2 uptake must be increased and good climate adaptation measures must be implemented.

The following areas are of particular relevance:

• new knowledge and methods that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration in the agricultural value chain;
• generating new know-how about climate-adapted production and development of adaptation strategies for increased Norwegian food production and food security in the face of new climatic conditions and challenges;
• creating a knowledge base on the climate impacts of different production methods;
• mapping and finding solutions to environmental challenges resulting from the impacts of agriculture on ecosystems, aquatic environments and biodiversity;
• helping to solve pesticide challenges relating to development of resistance, import of pests and invasive alien species, and the impact of pesticides on the environment and soil quality.

Catch and Cover crops as climate action
Catch and Cover cropping improves soil quality by protecting soil against erosion, locking in nitrogen, preventing nutrient loss, promoting biological activity and improving soil structure. In this year's agricultural settlement, it was agreed to prioritise research on Catch and Cover crops, which is a relevant climate action. The measure is currently not posted in the greenhouse gas accounts because insufficient attempts have been made in Norway documenting the climate effect of the measure. Measurements are needed under Norwegian conditions in order to improve the knowledge base in terms of the carbon storage effect of Catch and Cover crops and their effect on nitrous oxide emissions. There is also a need to assess current species, such times and cultivation methods that provide safe cultivation and the desired climate effect under Norwegian conditions. It is desirable to grant one project on this topic.

The following guidelines will be considered when assessing the relevance criterion:

• Research should focus on conditions in Norway.
• Grant applications incorporating interdisciplinary cooperation will be assessed as positive.
• Grant applications should include economic and societal perspectives where this is relevant, e.g. cost-benefit analyses and risk assessments.
• Results from the research should benefit the industry as rapidly as possible. Innovative and user-friendly dissemination measures will be assessed as positive.
• Stakeholders from the agricultural sector and food industry must be significantly involved in the project to ensure its relevance to the industry and society at large.
• When relevant, collaboration between actors in the aquaculture and agricultural sectors will count as positive, as long as industry actors from the agriculture-based value chain are still significantly involved in the project.

The projects will be financed by the agricultural industry itself through the payment of research duties on agricultural products and transfers through the Agricultural Agreement Research Fund. The project portfolio assessment will place emphasis on the industry’s knowledge needs, achieving a balance between the four stated target areas, ongoing research activities and distribution among the industry branches.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners from the business sector (companies, industry organisations, etc.) must in total contribute a minimum of 20 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• The participation of public entities will not be included as part of the requirement to contribute minimum 20 per cent of the overall costs, but will count as positive where this is of relevance.
• Projects under this thematic area are not eligible for state aid. Partners that are not research organisations must fund their project costs themselves.
• The requirement for contributions from industry may be modified under special circumstances. This applies to projects that address important collective knowledge needs for the industry as a whole, particularly in areas relating to the environment, climate and animal welfare, where it is not possible to expect participation from individual actors. Projects must still be firmly based on the needs and involvement of the users. If the 20 per cent requirement is not met, the reason for this must be explained in the application.

An estimated eight to twelve projects will be financed. Emphasis will be placed on getting a balanced project portfolio that answers the breadth of the topics highlighted here.

The steady rise in the use of plastic over the past 50 years has resulted in plastic everywhere in society. Funding is available for projects seeking to develop circular value chains that increase the resource efficiency of plastic. Achieving this will entail focusing on the value of these materials throughout the entire resource cycle and developing value chains that optimise resource utilisation. Solutions may incorporate elements such as design for recycling and use of reclaimed materials and may also encompass development of value chains, including new business models and approaches to collecting, sorting and recycling.

New circular value chains will require both better product design and the development of new recycling technology and markets. It is crucial that researchers collaborate with manufacturers and other actors involved to develop the value chains of tomorrow. For example, close to 80 000 tonnes of textile products are sold in Norway each year, and a large portion of it is made of plastic. Textiles containing plastic may account for as much as five per cent of Norway’s annual plastic waste. Textile materials with plastic are not necessarily designed with an eye towards efficient material recovery when replaced or (in the best-case scenario) worn out. A large proportion of textiles are incinerated and consequently lost to the resource cycle.

Textiles containing plastics comprise a key product group, but other groups such as plastic furniture, artificial turf and fishing equipment pose similar challenges.

The Research Council is seeking project proposals that can reduce the amount of plastic used in energy utilisation, that ends up in dumpsites or that is lost. The anticipated impact of the project is to be quantified provided this is relevant/possible.

Research needs
Grant applications must address one or more of the following research needs and it must be clearly stated in the introduction to the project description (Relevance to the call) which of these research needs the application addresses:

• How can new circular business models for plastic products and or regulation yield long-term value creation and positive environmental impacts? For example, how can extended producer responsibility or product ownership facilitate this?
• Which solutions and/or improved processes can help to increase resource utilisation related to different types of plastic products such as the plastic components in textiles, furniture and artificial turf?

Priority will be given to:

• project proposals involving partners from different segments of the value chain, particularly the involvement of designers/producers.

Importance will be attached to achieving a balanced project portfolio that reflects the full range of the priority research needs.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

This call is co-funded with the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund. The Fund will serve in an advisory capacity in the grant recommendation process, and will therefore be given access to the application documents for projects that are considered for funding.

This thematic area is targeted towards strengthening the role of biotechnology in developing the bioeconomy. Funding is available to universities and research institutes for innovative projects that develop and apply biotechnological knowledge and methods. Project proposals addressing other bioeconomy-relevant topics in this call, and that meet the strategic guidelines set out here, may be allocated funding under this thematic area.

Strategic guidelines

• The project is to develop biotechnological knowledge and methods that are essential to achieving the project’s objectives.
• The project must support one or more elements of relevance to the development of the bioeconomy as described in the Government’s Bioeconomy Strategy, “Familiar resources – undreamt of possibilities” (pdf in Norwegian).
• Projects addressing challenges within the thematic areas of “Oceans” and “Land-based food, the environment and bioresources” will be given priority.
• Steps must be taken to ensure Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), and measures to ensure this are to be presented in the project description (see A Framework for Responsible Innovation (pdf)).

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

The call is open to universities and university colleges that offer teacher education for the primary and secondary level (grades 1–10). Up to NOK 12 million per project may be sought.

The purpose of this call is to strengthen research and the interplay between teacher education programmes, research groups and the field of practice. The research must have a basis within the academic environments affiliated with the teacher education programmes. Funding is available for research in didactics that can promote more targeted production of relevant knowledge along with the development of a research base and supervisory competence for teacher education programmes.

Funding is available for projects addressing priority areas A and B described in the FINNUT work programme:

A: Learning processes, assessment forms and learning outcomes;
B: Praxis, professional practice and competence-development.

The Research Council is seeking projects on education and learning in all school subjects, particularly research in didactics. Projects in the subjects of English and mathematics are of special interest. Projects do not have to be limited to a single school subject, but may consider research questions that extend across multiple school subjects as well as between them. Projects addressing priority area B in the work programme must be viewed in the context of priority area A.

Strategic guidelines:

School stakeholders should be involved to ensure that projects reflect the strategic focus of practitioners in the profession. The Research Council encourages collaboration among multiple schools/institutions to ensure broad diversification of results. Other relevant research groups may be brought into the project if this will facilitate the achievement of project objectives.

The project must have a basis within the academic environments affiliated with the teacher education programmes and must be of benefit to teacher education and professional practice.

Research activities are to strengthen research areas of strategic importance to teacher education as well as meet existing and future competence needs.

Priority will be given to:

• projects involving national and international research collaboration;
• projects involving teacher education students;
• projects involving doctoral fellowship positions;
• projects that intend to incorporate cooperation with relevant doctoral fellowship-holders with funding under the Public Sector Ph.D. Scheme.

Requirements relating to participation and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project. Partners may be, for example, schools and/or school owners.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

Up to NOK 20 million in funding may be sought for projects designed to measure the impacts of measures to promote quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC), primary and secondary education, and upper secondary education. Measures are to be designed in a manner conducive to review via impact evaluations, preferably through randomised controlled studies or quasi-experimental design. Funding is available both for projects seeking to test new measures in a pilot phase followed by larger-scale testing and for projects that have already completed a pilot phase.

Funding is available for projects addressing priority areas A, B and C set out in the FINNUT work programme:

A: Learning processes, assessment forms and learning outcomes;
B: Praxis, professional practice and competence-development;
C: Governance, management, organisation and achievement of results.

Projects that examine transitions between the levels of the educational system are also of interest.

Requirements relating to participation and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs in connection with the execution and implementation of the measure/intervention.
• Research Council funding may be used to cover costs related to project coordination activities carried out by an employee of the owner of an ECEC institution/school.

Strategic guidelines:

Funding is available for projects in which researchers and local owners of Norwegian ECEC institutions and/or schools test and evaluate the effects of measures to promote quality. Researchers and local ECEC institution or school owners are responsible for designing the content of the projects. Before a measure is tested, a clear definition must be provided for the substance of the measure, the intended target group, the effects to be measured, as well as how the measure will be supported and implemented.

Projects are to:

• generate knowledge by means of an implementation and process evaluation that explains why the measure has had an effect;
• generate knowledge on how the measure(s) were supported and implemented locally within the ECEC and/or school;
• provide information about the cost-efficiency of the measure.

Priority will be given to:

• projects where the intervention is tested in multiple ECEC institutions/schools;
• projects involving recruitment positions;
• projects incorporating international collaboration;
• projects that incorporate cooperation with relevant doctoral fellowship-holders with funding under the Public Sector Ph.D. Scheme.

Funding is available for projects that address societal challenges within one or more of the priority areas set out in the VAM work programme:

• welfare, living conditions and inequality;
• achieving an adaptable, inclusive and health-promoting working life;
• active citizenship, migration and the role of institutions.

Projects involving migration research must be linked to integration, welfare and working life in order to be relevant under this thematic area.

Grant applications that address the following will be of particular relevance:

• interdisciplinary research on the impact of preventive efforts, measures and services for children, young people and families;
• research on effects and measures; see under chapter 5.1 of the VAM work programme for examples, including but not limited to measures to reduce inequality, housing policy measures, and measures to increase inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour market or in society, or to contribute to health-promoting workplaces.

In addition, it will be viewed as positive if the application:

• incorporates active international cooperation;
• takes a multi- and interdisciplinary approach.

Priority will be given to:

• Assuming all factors relating to scientific merit and relevance are essentially equal, an effort will be made to achieve a balance between project managers who are at an early stage in their careers and those with longer experience.

Requirements relating to participation (effective collaboration) and financing in the projects:

• Partners that are not research organisations must in total contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the overall costs of the project.
• Research Council funding for this topic may be used to cover costs incurred by partners that are necessary for the execution of the project. For companies defined as undertakings in the state aid rules, the rules set certain restrictions for the maximum amount of funding that may be allocated.

Grant applications must seek between NOK 4 million and NOK 12 million in funding from the Research Council.