External Funding Opportunities

- NEW: Familien Blix fond - the fund supports medical research in the field of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Priority is given to projects combining basic and clinical research, and to applications from younger researchers. Application process: inform about interest to apply by sending an email to goe@hjort.no. Fill out the received application form and send it to: Familien Blix' fonds styre v/advokat Erik Keiserud, Advokatfirmaet Hjort DA, postboks 471 Sentrum, 0105 Oslo. Deadline: 25 June 2019.   

- ERC Starting Grant and Consolidator Grant writing course in Bergen - Are you an early stage researcher (2-7 years since defending PhD for StG and 7-12 years for CoG)? Come to a workshop held by the experienced consultany company Enspire on how to prepare competetive proposals for these two ERC schemes. The workshop is divided into two main sections. First we will lay the foundations of the ERC grant. Then, we focus on conveying to the participants information which cannot be found in the ERC official documentation. You can also book 1:1 session to discuss your idea and project. Time and venue: 19 June 2019 - 09.00–15.00, Hotel Ørnen

- Research Stay Abroad - each funding source offers funding for research stays abroad for the candidates:

• The Faculty of Medicine - Postdoctoral fellows with UiB funding: granted for stays 3-12 months. Deadline: 1 March and 1 October.
• Helse Vest: granted for 6 or 12 months. Postdoctoral fellowship applicants are especially encouraged to apply for an overseas fellowship over the course of their fellowship period. Continuing deadline
• Research Council of Norway: granted for 3-12 months. Continuing deadline

- EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) Fellowships Research on the molecular mechanisms of life at all levels.

• Short-term Short-Term Fellowships fund research exchanges of up to three months between laboratories in eligible countries.
• Long-term The EMBO Long-Term Fellowships are awarded for a period of up to two years and support post-doctoral research visits to laboratories throughout Europe and the world. Deadline: throughout the year.

- NEW: Innovation Projects for the Public Sector: Elligable applicants are entities from the public sector, groups of such entities and organizations representing the public sector. One or more approved research organisations must participate as a partner in the project. The following programmes are involved in the call for proposals calls for Innovation Projects for the Public Sector: FINNUT, FORKOMMUNE, HELSEVEL, Transport 2025, FORSTAT and IKTPLUSS. Deadline: 25 September 2019 at 13:00.

- NEW: Commercialization projects: The objective of Commercialisation Projects is to increase the commercial utilisation of research results from publicly-funded Norwegian research organisations. Commercialisation Projects are to clarify uncertainties related to the commercial utilisation of high-potential R&D results, i.e. questions that will prevent the project from moving forward in the commercialisation process if they remain unanswered. Research organizations are elligible applicants together with technology transfer offices, in our case, VIS. Deadline: 25 September 2019 at 13:00.

Horizon2020 - several calls. Selected H2020 deadlines 2018:

1. European Research Council (ERC) Frontier research grants

-Pre-announcement: Advanced Grant - Applicants for the ERC Advanced Grants are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years. The Principal Investigators should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions. Deadline: 28 August 2019.

2. Societal Challenges (SC): Collaborative breakthrough research and radical innovation

- IMI’s next Calls for proposals, call 18 and 19, are currently planned for 26/06/2019. This date is indicative and may change. The following topics are under consideration for inclusion in the next calls. These topics are now at an advanced stage of development and we hope that these drafts will allow potential applicants to start working actively on proposals and forming consortia:

• Central repository of digital pathology slides to support the development of artificial intelligence tools
• Health Outcomes Observatories – empower patients with tools to measure their outcomes in a standardised manner creating transparency of health outcomes
• Improving patient access, understanding and adherence to healthcare information: an integrated digital health information project
• Establishing international standards in the analysis of patient reported outcomes and health-related quality of life data in cancer clinical trials
• Accelerating research & development for advanced therapy medicinal products
• Supporting the development of chimeric antigen receptor T cells
• Restricted call to maximise impact of IMI2 JU objectives and scientific priorities

- Sustainable Smart Solutions for Ageing well: The Active and Assisted Living Research and Development Programme (AAL) aims to provide innovative Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-based solutions including products, systems or services. These solutions aim to enhance older adults’ quality of life, to improve the long-term sustainability of health and long-term care systems, and to strengthen the industrial base in Europe and internationally. The main goal is to improve the autonomy, participation in social life, skills, and employability of older adults.  Solutions funded under the AAL Programme address the wishes and needs identified by end-users, are transnational, collaborative and cost-shared between private and public funding. Deadline: 24 May 2019 at 17:00 CET.

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) provides funding for the creation of research networks, called COST Actions. These networks offer an open space for collaboration among scientists across Europe (and beyond) and thereby give impetus to research advancements and innovation. COST is bottom up, this means that researchers can create a network – based on their own research interests and ideas – by submitting a proposal to the COST Open Call.

Participants are invited to submit COST Action proposals contributing to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal knowledge advancement and development of Europe. Multi- and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged. The next collection date is 5 September 2019 at 12:00.

The Norwegian Cancer Society’s aim is to work to prevent and fight cancer, and to ensure the best quality of life for patients and their families. This funding scheme offers flexible, long-term funding for researchers to undertake high-quality, cancer-relevant projects within a wide range of research categories; basic research, translational research, clinical research, epidemiological research, and health -and social science research. Deadline: 3 June 2019 at 13.00.

- Project grants in Endocrinology and Metabolism - Nordic Region: The Novo Nordisk Foundation hereby calls for applications within basic and clinical research within the endocrine system and metabolism relating to cellular energy homeostasis. Deadline: 4 June 2019 at 14.00 CET.

The EDCTP calls for proposals are supported through three distinct types of Horizon 2020 'actions':

* Research & Innovation Actions (RIA) are multicentre clinical trials conducted by research consortia involving both European and African research teams, with integrated capacity development and networking elements.

* Coordination & Support Actions (CSA) support activities that strengthen the enabling environment for conducting clinical trials and clinical research, including ethical review and regulatory capacity.

* Training & Mobility Actions (TMA) are fellowships that focus on the career development of individual researchers or research team members.

In 2019, EDCTP intends to launch 10 calls for proposals to support clinical research and related activities on poverty-related diseases. Details of the call texts are planned to be published on the website in May 2019, conditional on approval by the EDCTP General Assembly. All dates below are therefore indicative.

• Strategic actions supporting large-scale clinical trials (RIA): Open to application: 03 June 2019. Deadline for application: 07 November 2019
• New drugs and vaccines for priority pathogens in antimicrobial resistance (RIA): Open to application: 03 June 2019. Deadline for application: 07 November 2019
• Paediatric drugs formulations for poverty-related diseases (RIA): Open to application: 10 June 2019. Deadline for application: 10 October 2019
• Strategic actions on product-related implementation research (RIA): Open to application: 10 June 2019. Deadline for application: 21 December 2019
• Vaccines against Lassa virus - joint call with CEPI (RIA): Open to application: 02 November 2019. Deadline for application: 07 April 2020
• Ethics and regulatory capacities (CSA): Open to application: 02 August 2019. Deadline for application: 22 November 2019
• Career development fellowships (TMA): Open to application: 06 August 2019. Deadline for application: 27 November 2019
• EDCTP-AREF Preparatory fellowships (TMA) : Open to application: 06 August 2019. Deadline for application: 27 November 2019
• EDCTP-TDR Clinical research & product development fellowships (TMA): Open to application: 01 October 2019. Deadline for application: 28 February 2020
• Senior fellowships Plus (TMA): Open to application: 02 November 2019. Deadline for application: 01 February 2020

- The Nordic Cancer Union (NCU) provides funding to support and stimulate collaborative cancer research within the Nordic countries. Researchers working in two Nordic countries or more must be involved in the project. The research project must be cancer relevant and uniquely suited to be carried out within the Nordic countries, and the effect of collaboration should be synergistic.Funding is restricted to research that is in line with the NCU's research strategy. The research strategy was adopted by the NCU Board on May 26, 2014.NCU research grants are provided for one year. Further support for the project will require a new, yearly application. Deadline: 2 September 2019, 3 pm.

- Familien Blix fond - the fund supports medical research in the field of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Priority is given to projects combining basic and clinical research, and to applications from younger researchers. Application process: inform about interest to apply by sending an email to goe@hjort.no. Fill out the received application form and send it to: Familien Blix' fonds styre v/advokat Erik Keiserud, Advokatfirmaet Hjort DA, postboks 471 Sentrum, 0105 Oslo. Deadline: 25 June 2019. 

- The Olav Thon Foundation: For 2020, the Board of the Foundation has decided to invite applications for research on reparative medicine targeting diseases in the musculoskeletal and peripheral and central nervous system. Deadline: 15 September 2019.

On the following page the UiB's local contact points are listed where every call has a responsible research advisor. You can contact them or faculty advisors MEDforsk@uib.no.

Please visit our web page dedicated to innovation relevant funding possibilities.

- EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) Fellowships Research on the molecular mechanisms of life at all levels.

• Short-term Short-Term Fellowships fund research exchanges of up to three months between laboratories in eligible countries.
• Long-term The EMBO Long-Term Fellowships are awarded for a period of up to two years and support post-doctoral research visits to laboratories throughout Europe and the world. Deadline: throughout the year.