Research Stays Abroad

It is the Project Owner (research organization) that applies for and receives funding for research stays abroad from the Research Council. 

The funding is granted to an approved Norwegian research organisation as part of a larger Research Council-funded project. Funding for research stays abroad is not a personal scholarship but is included as part of the overall allocation to the project. The conditions for receiving support are stated in the text of the call for proposals.

There is a separate call for proposals where the Project Owner can apply for funding for research stays abroad for doctoral and postdoctoral fellows funded by the Research Council and affiliated with an ongoing project.
Currently, there is no separate call for proposals aimed at researchers planning to undertake research stays abroad.

Funding is only provided for research stays abroad lasting from three to 12 months. The research stay abroad may be divided into shorter segments, with each segment lasting at least three months.

The requirements set out in the call for proposals will determine what is required from the grant application.

Expenses covered

The funding from the Research Council is to cover costs of settling in and other extra costs in connection with the research stay. Funding is disbursed to the research organisation with which the researcher or fellowship holder is associated, and the research organisation decides which costs are to be covered in connection with the research stay abroad. Costs exceeding the rates below must be covered by the research organisation.

Rates for research stays abroad (the rates apply for 2024):

• Single: NOK 23 000 per month
• Family: NOK 39 000 per month

In addition to the rates, the research organization may apply for funding to cover for the most economical travel expenses related to a round-trip flight, visa fees and documented tuition fees.  

For the researcher/the fellowship-holder's family, the following applies:

• A family is defined as a fellowship-holder/researcher accompanied by a spouse, common-law partner or registered partner and any children. A common-law partner is a person with whom the fellowship-holder/researcher has lived in a marriage-like relationship for the past two years or shares a common address.
• Applicants may seek funding to cover travel costs for a spouse/partner and children under the age of 18, provided that the family members reside together with the fellowship-holder/researcher for close to or the entire research stay abroad.
• The Research Council does not cover travel costs for visits by family members while the fellowship-holder/researcher lives abroad without his/her family.

We do not cover bench fees or similar expences, nor expences for diet/meals.

Costs related to the research stay abroad must be entered under “Other operating expenses” in the budget information in the application form.

Disbursement of funding

It is the Project Owner that receives the funds for a research stay abroad from the Research Council as part of the project's overall allocation. Disbursement follows the terms agreed upon in the original contract with the Research Council. The Project Owner is responsible for ensuring that the funds are used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the funding allocation. 

The funds are intended to cover documented expenses related to establishment costs and additional expenses during the stay and therefore are not taxable. The support should not be used as additional remuneration for work. 

The researcher/fellow-holder must stay abroad for the agreed-upon period to fulfill the purpose of the research stay abroad.

The costs associated with the research stay are to be specified in the project accounts and reported in the final accounts the project's final report. Funding that has not been used for the research stay abroad must be repaid in connection with final reporting.

Rules for research stays abroad for fellowship positions

• Academic personnel in a research fellowship position must conclude their research stay abroad by at the latest three months before the end of the research fellowship period.
• It is possible to apply for funding to cover documented tuition costs for fellowship-holders taking part in programmes at universities outside Norway.
• The Research Council does not provide any documentation for visa applications.
• The stay abroad may be divided into shorter segments of minimum three consecutive months each, provided that the funding is sought as an overall amount in a single application. An explanation for dividing the stay into shorter segments must be provided in the project description.

For research fellows with a registered address in Norway who spend all or parts of their research fellowship period abroad, The Project Owner, which is a research organisation, can apply for funding for stays abroad for up to 12 months. This also applies to doctoral research fellows who are staying and taking their degree at a foreign degree-conferring institution.

Cases when funding for research stays abroad will not be granted

We cannot grant support for stays abroad if the fellowship-holder has lived, studied or worked in the country where the foreign host institution is located for more than 12 months during the three preceding years.  

We can make exceptions to this requirement if the foreign host institution has equipment, facilities and expertise that are not available in Norway or other countries where it would otherwise be expedient to carry out the stay abroad. 

Funding for research stays may not be used for research visits to Svalbard.