Rates for funding of research time and research fellowships

Until 31 December 2025, applicants from the higher education sector were required to use rates to budget how much the Research Council finances in terms of personnel costs and indirect costs in the project. In calls for proposals where the rate for funding research fellows has been used, the rates in the table below applied to applications submitted before 31 December 2025.  

Ongoing projects that have used the rates in the application must continue to use the rates in financial reporting to the Research Council.

Costs must be calculated using the TDI model. Costs that exceed the maximum aid limit must be financed by own or other funding.

You can find previous rates here: Previous rates for reporting.  

General information

The Research Council's funding for research positions and research fellowship positions is provided to the organisation in which they are employed. The support is intended to help cover salaries and other personnel costs such as employer's national insurance contributions, pensions and insurance. It will also cover indirect costs that are directly linked to work on the R&D project.

Costs for the research fellowship position, such as for Norwegian language training, career guidance and other career-promoting or educational work that is not related to the work on the R&D project, are therefore not covered by our rates.

If there are restrictions on the level of support, it will be stated in each individual call what this aid intensity is.

Rates for support may differ from the budgeted costs the organisation has associated with the research fellowship position.

Costs related to researcher time and research fellowship positions in the higher education sector must be budgeted using the TDI model.

See guidance on the TDI model on the website of the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions.

For health trusts, costs must be budgeted based on wage costs. A supplement is given for personnel costs such as employer's national insurance contributions, pensions and insurance, in addition to indirect costs that are relevant to the staff's efforts in the project.

The institute sector can use approved hourly rates for R&D staff to budget costs related to research fellowship positions.

The rates do not apply

• for foreign doctoral and post-doctoral research fellows who are affiliated with a research project at a Norwegian organisation, but who will complete the fellowship period at an organisation in their home country or another country
  Read about budgeting for these positions in the higher education sector and for the institute sector
• when the research fellow receives funding directly from the Research Council, such as EUI research fellows