First meeting for our portfolio board for Defence capability, security and preparedness
The new portfolio board has decided on calls for proposals of NOK 495 million in 2026. The first round of funding is already available through the Industrial PhD and Public Sector PhD schemes.
The Norwegian government wants more civil-military research cooperation. The aim is for the expertise in the civilian research system to be of greater use in defence, security and emergency preparedness and to exploit the opportunities that lie in civil-military research cooperation.
The initiative has three goals based on the three strategic priorities in the Norwegian National Security Strategy.
These are:
- to strengthen the defence capability
- to making society more resilient
- to strengthen Norway's economic security
At the first meeting, the portfolio board decided on calls for proposals of a total of NOK 495 million in 2026 to:
- Research Centre for Defence capabilities, security and preparedness (NOK 400 million)
- Collaborative project for a more data-driven defence (NOK 81.8 million)
- doctoral projects in companies and in the public sector (NOK 11.5 million)
- Event support (up to NOK 2 million)
Download the presentation from the meeting the Research Council had in March about the upcoming calls.
Keep an eye on the information pages for Defence capability, security and preparedness and subscribe to our newsletter for more information.
A committee has been appointed among the members of the portfolio board, and their work is among other things to work on proposals for the portfolio plan. The plan will be discussed at the next meeting in June and approved by the Research Council's board during the autumn. The Research Council will hold a digital meeting discussing the plan in August 2026.
Funding for the Industrial PhD and Public Sector PhD schemes
The first round of funding is already available through the Industrial and Public Sector PhD schemes. The purpose is to strengthen research-driven innovation and to contribute to long-term competence building in Norwegian business and industry and in the public sector.
The Research Council will be able to fund a total of five doctoral projects. The project must contribute to at least one of the three main strategic priorities in the National Security Strategy (to be opened in a new window).
This year's calls open for applications in January and have ongoing application reception and ongoing application processing.
Calls for proposals:
Messages at time of print 22 April 2026, 19:54 CEST