National Research Consortium for Participation in SOLSTICE II – Social Cohesion in the Context of Climate Policy
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Important dates
12 Aug 2026
Open for applications
23 Sep 2026
Application deadline
01 Nov 2026
Earliest permitted project start
November 2026
Expected response to the application
01 Dec 2026
Latest permitted project start
30 Nov 2031
Latest permitted project completion date
Important dates
Purpose
The purpose of this call is to select one Norwegian research consortium to participate as the Norwegian partner in the implementation of SOLSTICE II – Social Cohesion in the Context of Climate Policy. The consortium will contribute to the development of policy-relevant knowledge on the societal prerequisites for climate mitigation, climate adaptation and related societal transformation processes, including social cohesion, public support for and legitimacy of climate policy, as well as the governance of these transformation processes.
About the call for proposals
This is a targeted call with the purpose of identifying and selecting the Norwegian consortium best suited to carry out defined research and synthesis mission (SOLSTICE II) in collaboration with Germany and other international partners.
The call covers:
- The selection and establishment of a consortium based on the requirements set out in the call
The research content will not be fully detailed in this call but will be further developed in collaboration with the German partner following the award of funding.
Funding is conditional upon:
- the establishment of a committed collaboration with the international partner group
- the final project design being developed jointly after the award of funding
About SOLSTICE II
The research initiative is based on the premise that climate change, climate mitigation, climate adaptation and related societal transformation processes represent fundamental societal challenges. Climate change is no longer solely a technological, economic or environmental issue, but increasingly also a question of society, politics and legitimacy. Societal support for and the legitimacy of climate policy are essential prerequisites for successful and long-term climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
The main objective of SOLSTICE II is to strengthen social science research on social cohesion in the context of climate policy. The initiative aims to analyse:
- the societal conditions for public support for and legitimacy of climate policy
- the dynamics, conflicts and risks associated with climate mitigation, climate adaptation and related transformation processes;
- social cohesion and the societal consequences of climate policy, climate mitigation, climate adaptation and related societal transformation processes
- the development of evidence-based frameworks for policymaking and practice
The goal is to contribute to climate policy that are democratically legitimate, socially just and sustainable over time. SOLSTICE II is not a traditional research funding call. Rather, the initiative builds on existing research and promotes knowledge integration, synthesis and interdisciplinary collaboration. The aim is to consolidate and further develop knowledge that can provide a foundation for policymaking, decision-making processes and the design of policy instruments at the national and European levels.
The call is aimed at strong research environments with documented scientific scientific excellence, international networks, and a strong capacity to carry out this type of interdisciplinary synthesis and collaboration research.
The call welcomes analyses of how different policy instruments and mitigation and adaptation strategies – including culture-based solutions, cultural heritage, nature-based solutions as well as measures for climate adaptation, resilience and disaster risk reduction, and the interactions, synergies and trade-offs between climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and climate mitigation – affect social cohesion, public support and legitimacy.
Project may also examine the role of democratic processes, participation and engagement in climate mitigation and adaptation, and the democratic legitimacy of climate policy.
Furthermore, the project can investigate how global and geopolitical developments, international collaboration and changing security and social conditions, including in vulnerable and rapidly growing regions, affect climate transition and climate adaptation, social cohesion and climate policy.
Furthermore, the projects may can investigate how global and geopolitical developments, international cooperation, and changing security and societal conditions - including in vulnerable and rapidly growing developing regions, affect - influence climate transition mitigation and climate adaptation, social cohesion and climate policy.
The project is expected to address, in particular, the following thematic areas:
Module A: Analysing Societal Dynamics
Module A addresses the societal dynamics that emerge in the context of climate policy and climate action. The focus is on changes in public perceptions, social cleavages and political contestation, as well as processes of polarisation, fragmentation, resistance and backlash. The objective is to analyse the social conditions, risks and tipping points that influence whether climate measures gain societal support or encounter resistance. Furthermore, the module seeks to develop knowledge and insight that can contribute to a the socially sustainable design of climate mitigation, climate adaptation and related societal transformation processes.
Module B: Strengthening Acceptance and Legitimacy
Module B focuses on the conditions for public support for, acceptance of, and the democratic legitimacy of climate policy. It examines different understandings of justice, forms of participation, and the role of state and non-state actors in shaping socially just and inclusive climate measures. The objective is to identify how climate policy can be perceived as fair, necessary and forward-looking, and how acceptance and active participation among citizens and different societal groups can be strengthened in a sustainable manner.
Aspects of technological development, innovation and digital applications (e.g. artificial intelligence) may be incorporated into the research, provided that they contribute to the analysis of societal acceptance, adaptive capacity, and the socially sustainable design of climate mitigation, climate adaptation and related societal transformation processes. The primary focus shall remain on the social science perspective on the use, perception and societal implications of such developments.
The establishment, use and open sharing of relevant datasets is also explicitly encouraged.
For a more detailed description of the thematic areas, please refer to the attached Concept Paper
Project activities shall be carried out in small, interdisciplinary groups consisting of Norwegian, German and other international researchers (4–5 researchers), who will work together during structured research periods on clearly defined thematic areas.
Each thematic cycle consists of:
- a one-month in-person residency that constitutes the core element of the working format;
- preparatory and follow-up activities;
- a total research phase of two months.
This format will be repeated across five thematic cycles.
The purpose of the collegium is to:
- produce synthesis reports and other outputs;
- integrate and consolidate scientific knowledge;
- translate knowledge into policy-relevant insights for political decision-making, policymaking and the design of policy instruments at the national and European levels;
- identify trade-offs and policy options.
The call is available in both Norwegian and English. The text of the Norwegian version of the call is legally binding.
Who is eligible to apply?
Only approved Norwegian research organisations are eligible to apply. See the list of approved research organisations.
Who can participate in the project?
Requirements relating to the Project Owner
The research organisation listed as the Project Owner in the application form must have approved the submission of the application.
If the application is a collaboration between several organisations, the Project Owner submits the application on behalf of all collaborating partners.
Requirements relating to the project manager
You must have an approved doctoral degree or achieved associate professor qualifications before the application deadline. For the purposes of this call, being or having been employed as researcher 1, researcher 2 or senior researcher in the institute sector is considered to be associate professor competence.
As the project manager, you must be employed by the Project Owner or by one of the collaborating partners.
Requirements for Project Partners
Eligible Norwegian research organisations may participate as project partners and receive funding.
The Norwegian consortium (to be selected through this call) must:
- consist of 4–5 eligible Norwegian research organisations;
- collectively cover the relevant thematic areas and research questions described in Modules A and B of the attached Concept Paper (see About the Call);
- demonstrate high scientific quality and relevant expertise within the thematic areas covered by the call;
- possess a high level of social science and analytical competence;
- demonstrate experience in interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge integration and synthesis activities, as well as the ability to integrate knowledge across disciplinary boundaries;
- demonstrate relevant international experience and international networks;
- demonstrate relevant experience from research and innovation projects within the thematic areas of the call, including projects funded under Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020 and/or the Research Council of Norway’s portfolio;
- demonstrate the ability to develop syntheses of research-based knowledge and translate these into policy-relevant analyses, synthesis reports, policy briefs and other decision-support outputs;
- have documented experience with doctoral training programmes, visiting researcher schemes, or other relevant collaborative and collegium-style formats;
- demonstrate experience in coordinating larger national or international research collaborations;
- possess strong collaboration and coordination capabilities.
The following will be considered an advantage:
- experience from relevant projects under Horizon Europe (including Clusters 5 and 6 and the EU Missions), as well as the European Green Deal Call or other Green Deal-related projects under Horizon 2020;
- established links with, or the ability to engage with, the Adaptation Hub.
What can you seek funding for?
You can apply for funding to cover the actual expenses necessary to carry out the project. The Project Owner must obtain information on costs from the partners in the project. These costs must be entered in the cost plan under the cost type to which they belong.
We require that you break down the project budget into the following cost types in your application:
- Payroll and indirect expenses, which are costs incurred by the Project Owner and collaborating partners.
- Other operating expenses, which are costs for other activities necessary to carry out the project's R&D activities. Any purchases from subcontractors must be entered here. All costs entered as "other operating expenses" must be specified in the application.
- Equipment, which are costs that include operating and depreciation costs for scientific equipment and research infrastructure necessary to carry out the project.
The cost type Procurement of R&D services is not to be used.
You will find detailed and important information about what to enter in the budget on the website.
Scope of funding
We can award funding of NOK 20 million for one project under this call. We do not requirement own financing.
Conditions for funding
The project must start between 1 November 2026 and 1 December 2026, and the funding from the Research Council must be distributed across all budget years. The latest permitted project completion date is 30 November 2031.
The duration of the project will be 3–5 years, but it will have to be adapted to the collaboration with German and other international partners throughout the project period.
In addition, you must be aware of the following if you should receive an award from us:
- The Research Council's conditions for funding can also be found in our general terms and conditions for R&D projects on the information page What the contract involves.
- The project manager and the Project Owner must have assessed and handled the consideration of research security in the project. Research security refers to risks associated with unwanted transfer of knowledge and technology, impact on research and innovation, or breaches of research ethics/integrity where knowledge and technology are used to undermine key societal values.
- Grant recipients in research organisations and the public sector (Project Owners and partners) must have action plans for gender equality (GEPs) available on their websites. This must be in place before the contract is signed for projects with grants from us. The requirement does not apply to the private sector, interest groups or the voluntary sector.
- The Research Council requires full and immediate open access for scientific articles, see Plan S - open access to publications.
- For all projects that handle data, the Project Owner must prepare a data management plan in connection with the revised application. Here you will find more information about requirements for data management plans in projects that receive funding from us.
- For medical and health studies involving humans, the Research Council sets special requirements and guidelines for prospective registration of studies and publication of results.
Relevant thematic areas for this call
Climate and the environment
Practical information
Requirements for this funding scheme
You can change and submit the application several times until the application deadline. We recommend that you submit your application as soon as you have completed the application form and uploaded the mandatory attachments. When the application deadline expires, it is the version of the application that was submitted most recently that we process.
- The application and all attachments must be written in English.
- All attachments must be in PDF format.
Mandatory attachments
- Project description of a maximum of 10 pages. Use the standard template that you can download at the bottom of the page.
- CV for project manager. Use the standard template that you can download at the bottom of the page.
- CV for persons who will be part of the Norwegian consortium. Use the standard template that you can download at the bottom of the page.
- Description of relevance of a maximum of one page. When describing the application's relevance, we recommend that you read the relevant topic text carefully. Uploaded as attachment type "Other". May be written in Norwegian.
Applications that do not meet the requirements above will be rejected.
All attachments to the application must be submitted with the application. We do not accept attachments submitted after the application deadline unless we have requested additional documentation.
We will not consider documents and websites linked to in the application, or attachments other than those specified above. Be careful to upload the correct attachment type, as there are no technical restrictions on what kind of templates it is possible to upload in the application form.
Assessment criteria
Applications will be assessed in light of the purpose of the call and the following criteria:
Excellence
• The extent to which the concept is sound, credible and novel.
Solidity
• The extent to which the project objectives are clear and relevant.
• The quality of the proposed deliverables from the project.
Impact
• The extent to which the expected effects are specified.
• The extent to which expected impacts on the system and societal levels are specified.
Knowledge sharing and exploitation
• The quality of the proposed communication and dissemination activities.
• The extent to which it is credible that the proposed outputs will contribute to the specified effects and impact.
Implementation
• The extent to which the Project Manager and project group are qualified and have the necessary expertise and are positioned to implement the project.
• The extent to which management structures and procedures are appropriate.
Plans and management
• The extent to which the work plan is clear and understandable, and the time table realistic
• The extent to which objectives and measures are coherent.
• The extent to which the project has the support of the leadership of the Project Owner and any partners, and the allocation of roles in the project is clear.
• The extent to which the budget is realistic and appropriate, and resources are allocated so that each of the partners can fulfil their role.
• The extent to which potential risks have been discussed.
Relevance to the call for proposals
Administrative procedures
The Research Council of Norway may reject applications where the Project Owner or any partner has significantly breached its obligations in other projects funded by the Research Council within the two years prior to the submission of the application.
The application may be rejected if the project manager has been found guilty of misconduct by the Joint Integrity Committee or the Investigation Committee in the last two years prior to the submitted application.
Applications that meet the formal requirements will be assessed by an international referee panel that will make an assessment based on the criteria set out in the call.
The administration will assess the relevance of the applications in relation to the purpose and guidelines of the call. Particular emphasis will be placed on the extent to which the application addresses and is geared towards the specific assignment in SOLSTICE II as described in the Concept paper (see About the call).
The administration prepares a recommendation based on the assessment of the applications and an overall portfolio assessment. The Portfolio board for climate and environment then makes a decision on funding.
We will prioritise projects that have the greatest breadth across the two modules.
See also: How we process applications.
We expect to publish which applications will be awarded funding in November 2026.