Weave: Proposal Submission with European Cooperation Partners (Weave Lead Agency Procedure)

What is Weave?

Weave is a European cross-border initiative developed by European research funding organisations with the aim of supporting high-quality international research collaborations. The aim is to simplify the application and review processes for research applications. Research projects can collaborate with participants from two to three European countries. This is achieved by subjecting applications to a single review process.

Which research funding organisations are participating in Weave?

• Austria: Austrian Science Fund FWF
• Belgium: Research Foundation Flanders FWO.; Fund for Scientific Research FNRS.
• Croatia: Croatian Science Fundation HRZZ.
• Czech Republic: Czech Science Foundation GACR.
• Germany: German Research Foundation DFG.
• Luxembourg: Luxembourg National Research Fund FNR.
• Poland: National Science Centre NCN.
• Slovenia: Slovenian Research Agency ARRS.
• Sweden: Swedish Research Council for sustainable development, Formas
• Switzerland: Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF.

Which research funding bodies is the Research Council of Norway currently collaborating with?

A pilot call for Weave between the Research Council of Norway and the Swedish Research Council for sustainable development (Formas) is scheduled for 2026 with successful projects starting in 2027. For this call, Norwegian researchers will be able to apply jointly with Swedish colleagues via “Explore” - Formas’ open call for research projects. Information about Explore at Formas can be found here.

How does Weave work?

Proposals for bilateral and trilateral research projects with parts of the research conducted in Norway and in partner countries (with whose funding organisations the Research Council of Norway cooperates in the context of Weave) are submitted to a funding organisation in one of the partner countries (the “Lead Agency”) for evaluation. A copy of the proposal must also be submitted to the collaborating research organisation.

If a project is approved, the different shares of the project are funded by the respective funding organisations in charge.

How to apply within Weave?

The researchers appoint a lead applicant who submits the joint application to their country's research funding body (the Lead Agency).

For administrative reasons, co-applicants must also submit parallel applications to their respective countries' national funding bodies (Partner Agencies).

The Partner Agency performs eligibility checks in accordance with national processes. The Lead Agency is then notified if the application meets the basic requirements and can proceed to further review by the Lead Agency.

The application is then reviewed by the Lead Agency in accordance with its call process.

The application is then approved/rejected in its entirety, and the decision is communicated to the main applicant at the Lead Agency, while the Partner Agency is also informed.

If approved, the Research Council of Norway is responsible for the budget for the Norwegian part of the project, while the respective partner country's finances the other parts of the project.

Which requirements need to be followed for the submission of a Weave proposal?

The proposal documents are always submitted according to the specifications of the Lead Agency; however, additional documents may be requested by the Partner Agencies on a project-specific basis. After submitting the proposal to the Lead Agency, a copy of the proposal documents must be submitted to the Partner Agency by the cooperation partner(s) within 7 days.

The Research Council of Norway as Lead Agency:

The lead applicant located in Norway submits the proposal to the Research Council of Norway. Ordinary deadlines for submitting applications apply.

The Research Council of Norway as Partner Agency:

Please read the information and follow the guidelines on the selected Lead Agency’s website and contact them if you have any questions about the call and the procedure.

As a co-applicant, you must email the following documents to the Research Council of Norway within seven (7) days of the application deadline:

• An exact copy of the application submitted to the Lead Agency to the Research Council of Norway's contact persons. The Norwegian part of the budget must be clearly distinguishable and include information about both the Lead Agency's and the partner agencies' parts of the project.