External Funding Opportunities

- Viking Olov Björk’s scholarship in applied biomaterial research. 275 000 Swedish Crowns to be given to a young researcher at a Nordic university with strong links to Uppsala University who has shown scientific skills in the field and shown aptitude for leadership. The scholarship should be used to finance the recipient’s costs for a longer visit to a high ranking international research institute. Intersection between medical technology and clinical applications. Tissue engineering, nanotechnology or biomaterial research. Download the call text (PDF). Full applications should be sent to the Office for Medicine and Pharmacy in a digital form (as a single PDF file) to jin.saida@uadm.uu.se. Deadline: 30. September 2020.

- 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. Deadlines: 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. Deadline: continuing.
• Research Council of Norway - granted for 3-12 months. Deadline: continuing.

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

• Short-term Fellowships fund research exchanges of up to three months between laboratories in eligible countries.
• 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.

- Deadline: 2. September 2020. Duration: 2-4 years

Note: The Norwegian-language call for proposals is the legally binding version!

Collaborative and Knowledge-building Project - To develop new knowledge and generate research competence needed by society or the business sector to address important societal challenges.

The projects are to encourage and support collaboration between research organisations and stakeholders from outside the research sector that represent societal and/or industry needs for knowledge and research competence. Projects may involve basic and/or applied research and should be of broad-based benefit to society.

Relevant work programmes for the thematic areas:

1. Antimicrobial resistance (NOK 8–16 million/project)

• BEDREHELSE / BIOTEK2021 - NOK 50 million for research on antimicrobial resistance, applying a One Health perspective

2. Health (NOK 8–16 million/project)

• BEHANDLING - NOK 35 million for research on oral health, multimorbidity and patient safety
• BEDREHELSE / BEHANDLING / HELSEVEL - NOK 170 million for research on public health, treatment and municipal services
• KVINNEHELSE initiative - NOK 50 million for research on women’s health and gender perspectives

3. Welfare, culture and society (NOK 4–12 million/project)

•  VAM - NOK 72 million for research on welfare and working life

Joint call opens on 15. June 2020. Templates available for download at the bottom of the call page!

- SFF V (Phase 1) - Sentrene for fremragende forskning (SFF) work with ambitious ideas and complex issues. 

The goal is concentrated, focused and long-term research efforts at a high international level, with research education and international cooperation as important sub-goals. The SFFs have the possibility of support for up to ten years (5 + 5). This gives the institutions room to restructure their research environments and develop new collaborations. The call has two stages. Stage 1 is open to all applicants at approved Norwegian research organizations while stage 2 will be a closed call where only applicants selected in stage 1 can apply. Deadline: 18. November 2020, 13:00

- INFRASTRUKTUR - to give Norwegian research communities and businesses access to relevant and up-to-date infrastructure that supports high-quality research.

The call includes research infrastructure of national importance as defined in the National Strategy for Research Infrastructure (2018-2025). The announcement also includes Norwegian participation in international research infrastructure, including participation in infrastructure at the ESFRI Roadmap. This is a notice of the announcement for 2020 and will only apply to those who participate in the introductory mandatory sketch round with a deadline of 27 May 2020. More information will come in June 2020. NOK 2-200 Million. Deadline: 18. November 2020.

- PES2020 - Support to Norwegian Stakeholders Shaping the Content of Horizon Europe

This call is designed to facilitate cohesive Norwegian collaboration and increase the participation of Norwegian stakeholders in the effort to promote Norwegian interests in the process of shaping the content of Horizon Europe, the EU’s next research and innovation framework programme (2021–2027). NOK 100,000-500,000 for 12-24 months. Deadline: continuing.

What can you seek funding for?

• Payroll and indirect expenses: costs incurred by the Project Owner and other task-performing partners, budgeted in accordance with the Research Council’s standard guidelines.
• Direct costs related to:
  • travel and accommodation/board in connection with relevant meetings;
  • costs in connection with organising workshops, seminars, etc.
• Project activities/incurred costs from the application date onward may be included.

- Krafttak mot kreft - to build two national Groups of Expertise for research, respectively on brain and oesophageal cancer

Each group is expected to include several institutions and fields of research and care to consolidate nationwide competency. The application must clarify how the Group of Expertise will contribute to improve the research field and standard of care in a national perspective by using the national research expertise, promote national networking and contribute to an appropriate national work-sharing. Additionally, international collaboration will strengthen the proposal, and should be considered where relevant. The outcome of the research performed the Group of Expertise as a whole should aim to have a significant scientific impact.The application must clarify what will make the group a national Group of Expertise and how the Group of Expertise will continue to exist after the period of funding. The application must explain how the Group of Expertise will credit the Norwegian Cancer Society. The Norwegian Cancer Society expects a regular dialogue with the Group of Expertise in the period of funding. Application guidelines. Up to 5 years. NOK 15 million. Deadline: 10. September 2020, 13:00.

- Dam Fondation (formerly ExtraStiftelsen) - A new research scheme from 2020 that involves some new procedures and deadlines

The Cancer Society invites collaboration with research communities to prepare applications that are in line with the priorities of the Stiftelsen Dam and the Cancer Society:

• Issues related to health and service offerings in municipalities and/or interaction between the various actors in the health service
• Patient / user-related research
• User participation research
• Research on the role of voluntary organizations in collaboration with the public, for to develop health and service offers in health and mortality

The Cancer Society particularly wants research projects on:

• Low survival cancers
• Patient care (interaction between different actors)
• Good palliation and reduction of over-treatment
• Participation in social and working life (mapping or measures that can increase participation)
• Inequality in health and mortality

The Cancer Society is a user and interest organization, and attaches great importance to ensuring that user participation is safeguarded in the various phases of the research project. Where user participation is not relevant, this must be explained and justified.

Application process in two steps:

1. Sketch application: The first step consists of submitting a sketch application that the Cancer Society assesses based on the above criteria. The sketch application form opens on 2 January 2020 and is filled out in the application portal of Stiftelsen Dam: Damnett. 

2. Extended application: Selected applicants receive a response from Dam on 14 April 2020 and are invited to submit an extended application.

See information on the Foundation's complete application process: main site for the scheme and active call for research. Questions can be directed to: Forskningsadministrasjon@kreftforeningen.no.

Deadlines: 17. February 2020 (sketch application) / 10. June 2020 (extended application).

- Health autumn 2020 (in Norwegian) - to support health projects and measures aimed at target groups in Norway that promote living conditions, physical and mental health, coping, quality of life or social participation

“Projects with health objectives” include work for increased participation and gender equality for the disabled, preventive health work, rehabilitation, habilitation, care work and public health work.Projects can, for example, address challenges related to services, services and measures for people with disabilities, the chronically ill, the acutely ill, relatives and other relatives, as well as information work. Max. 3 years. NOK 30.000-1.400.000. Deadline: 15. September 2020.

- The Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association (NAAF) is one of the member organizations of the Dam Fondation, and eligible to apply for funding. The projects that are applied for through NAAF should fit in with our vision of being the foremost driver in improving the quality of life for all affected by asthma, COPD, allergy, eczema and hypersensitivity. Deadlines: 17 February 2020 (sketch application) / 10 June 2020 (extended application).

The Trond Mohn Foundation gives grants towards research and research supporting activities at the University of Bergen (UiB) and Haukeland University Hospital (HUS) , and other Norwegian research institutions who cooperate with institutions in Bergen. The foundation also gives grants to support translational research at UiB and HUS.

- Deadline: 15 September 2020.

Proposals must be in PDF format – one (1) file only, attachments included -with the file size not exceeding 4 MB. Please use a 12 pt. font size.

Proposals must be sent by email to Special Adviser Bjørnar Vold-Sarnes (e-mail: bjornar.vold-sarnes@admin.uio.no)

• The Foundation will reserve NOK 20 million for grants to Nordic research collaboration in the field of medicine for 2021. Only researchers associated with universities or academic institutions in the Nordic countries are eligible for support. The collaboration must include specific research groups in at least two Nordic countries and be led by personnel holding professorships or equivalent permanent academic positions. Applications will be assessed in light of their academic quality and the projects’ potential for development of new and groundbreaking knowledge in medicine. For 2021, 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. Projects should be based on the use of stem cell biology, genetic approaches, tissue engineering, biotechnology, or regenerative medicine with the aim of repairing, regrowing or replacing damaged or diseased cells or tissues. Each project = max. NOK 2.5 million/year for max. 4 years. 

• International Research Award for Mathematics/Natural Sciences and Medicine 2021. NOK 5 million can be given for excellent research in the field of mathematics/natural sciences and medicine.The award is not restricted to candidates from the Nordic countries. The prize may be shared by two, or - in exceptional cases - three persons. In the field of medicine, special attention will be given to gerontology aswell as to studies of brain function and age-related changes in brain.

• Awards for outstanding teaching and support for student-active research projects in the natural sciences and medicine 2021. Up to 10 awards, each of NOK 500,000 can be awarded to Norwegian and foreign academic researchers who provide excellent teaching of students in the mathematical-natural sciences and medical disciplines at Norwegian educational institutions. Funds can also be awarded to research projects, on the condition that the knowledge acquired at Norwegian educational institutions is disseminated.

- Financial support for applicants from the Research Council of Norway - You can apply for financial support to find partners, networks and relevant calls for proposals, as well as for help to prepare a grant proposal

Horizon2020 - several calls.

Selected H2020 deadlines 2019-2020:

1. European Research Council (ERC) - Frontier research grants

- ERC 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. This year is the last call for ERC AdG in Horizon 2020 and ERCwill have approx. 15% more funds available - this means that the succes rate may exceed the usual 11-13%. Up to €2.5 Million for 5 years. The new call for Advanced Grants should open on 14/05/2020. Deadline: 26. August 2020.

2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

- Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF)

2 types:

European Fellowships

• are open to researchers moving within Europe, as well as those coming in from other parts of the world.
• can restart a research career after a break, such as parental leave.
• can help researchers coming back to Europe find a new position.
• held in the EU or associated countries and last for 1-2 years.

Global Fellowships

• fund positions outside Europe for researchers based in the EU or associated countries.
• last between 2-3 years.
• !!  the researcher has to come back for one year to an organisation based in the EU or associated countries.

Both types of Fellowship can also include a secondment period of up to three or six months in another organisation in Europe.

Call will open in April. Deadline: 9. September 2020.

→ Read more about the programme (article from RCN, in Norwegian).

3. Societal Challenges (SC) - Collaborative breakthrough research and radical innovation

Diverse funding opportunities

- EuroNanoMed3 Era-NET - Funding for: innovative research projects on nanomedicine

Upcoming call:

• Translational research in nanomedicine. Preproposal deadline (Stage 1): 21. January 2020 / Submission deadline of full proposals: 10. June 2020.

Please contact MEDforsk@uib.no if you have any questions or would like to discuss relevant options within your field of research with faculty advisors.

4. Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) - Public-private partnership aiming to speed up the development of better and safer medicines for patients

Pre-announcement - Next year's proposed IMI (Call 20) topics have been published: 

• Early diagnosis, prediction of radiographic outcomes and development of rational, personalised treatment strategies to improve long-term outcomes in Psoriatic Arthritis
• Innovations to accelerate vaccine development and manufacture
• Tumour plasticity
• Proton versus photon therapy for oesophageal cancer – a trimodality strategy
• Handling of protein drug products and stability concerns
• Academia and industry united innovation and treatment for tuberculosis (UNITE4TB)

The calls are expected to be published on 21 January and 23 June 2020. Catch up on topic-specific webinars for IMI2 - Call 20.

- Aquatic pollutants, human health and the environment

Pre-announcement of a joint transnational call for projects on risks posed to human health and the environment by pollutants and pathogens present in the water resources. Expected deadline for pre-proposals: 16. April 2020. 

The three Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) on Water, Oceans and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) have pre-announced a joint transnational call for research and innovation projects on risks posed to human health and the environment by pollutants and pathogens present in the water resources.

The call AquaticPollutants will support research and innovation projects that establish integrated and cross-sectoral approaches for risk-management combining the research areas of contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs), pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. 

The projected call budget is approximately 25 million Euro, co-funded by European Commission.

Provisional timeline

• Call opening: February 17th 2020 
• Deadline pre-proposals: April 16th 2020
• Selection of pre-proposals: June 2020
• Deadline full proposals: August 2020
• Project start: End 2020 – Beginning 2021

Please note that all information is subject to change until the final call is published.

- Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED II) - to strengthen capacity of higher education institutions in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) to educate more and better qualified candidates, and to increase quality and quantity of research conducted by the countries’ own researchers.

The partnership model is based on collaboration between higher education institutions in developing countries and Norway within 6 identified areas:

• Education and training
• Health
• Natural resource management, climate change and environment
• Democratic and economic governance
• Humanities, culture, media and communication
• Capacity development in South Sudan

NORHED II - Programme Document

An information meeting on the NORHED II call was streamed on Friday 20 March. Deadline: 26. June 2020, 13:00.

- EDCTP has published it's calls for 2020. Follow the links below for details:                                                 

• Ethics and regulatory capacities (CSA2020ERC)
• EDCTP Regional Networks (CSA2020NoE)
• Capacity development for disease outbreak and epidemic response in sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with Africa CDC (CSA2020E)
• Career Development Fellowships in poverty-related diseases and child and adolescent health (TMA2020CDF)
• Innovative approaches to enhance poverty-related diseases research (RIA2020I)
• Strategic actions to maximise the impact of research on reducing disease burden, in collaboration with development cooperation initiatives (RIA2020S)

- Pre-announcement: Calls for NOK 2 billion through the EEA funds - Interested in research collaboration with Poland, Romania, the Baltic States, the Czech Republic or Portugal? Estimates indicate that about 200 research projects with Norwegian partners may be supported. A typical research project with EEA funding has a duration of around 3 years, a budget of about NOK 10 million and is managed by a research institution in the recipient country. It must also have at least one Norwegian partner. More nformation on the calls and priorities in the various programs can be found on the Research Council's website on EEA funding.

Support for medical research, especially in the fields of cardiovascular disease and cancer, including medical diagnostics in these fields. Research projects that combine basic and clinical research, with special emphasis on applications from younger researchers. Send applications to erik.keiserud@outlook.com (member of the Board of Directors). It must be written on a prescribed form which will be sent by e-mail address: goe@hjort.no. Deadline: 25 June 2020.

- Open call for both senior and early-career Associate Investigators at NCMM, Nordic EMBL Partnership, University of Oslo - to improve our molecular understanding of health and disease to facilitate improved medical practice and patient outcomes

For further information, please read the full call text or contact Director Janna Saarela (janna.saarela@ncmm.uio.no) for details. Please mark applications NCMM Associate Investigator and send them electronically as a single PFD-file to director@ncmm.uio.no. Deadline: 25. August 2020.

The Local Contact Points (LCP) for Research Project Support at UiB webpage provides an overview of the research advisors at the central administration responsible for the different funding programs/schemes. Feel free to contact them or your faculty advisors (MEDforsk@uib.no).

1. SPIRE

The Strategic Program for Research Cooperation (SPIRE) aims to support the University of Bergen's strategy and action plan for internationalization 2016-2022.

Who can apply: Scientific staff in first positions (must be employed at a minimum of 50% at UiB), researchers and postdoctoral fellows (must have 100% employment) at UiB.

SPIRE funds can be applied for from the following 2 categories:

1. International research collaboration - seed funding for the initiation and development of new, long-term international research collaborations as the basis for project applications.Note that the funds are limited to seed funding towards the Research Council and other external sources of funding (ex. Nordforsk), but not to Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe.

2. Visiting research funds - to cover expenses (travel, accommodation, boarding, transport) by inviting a foreign guest researcher for a stay of 1, 2 or 3 months. There are no restrictions on land and partners but visiting researchers must at least be at the post-doctoral level. A maximum of NOK 15,000 can be awarded in support per month per application. In addition, support can be applied for to cover the guest researcher's travel expenses. Note that SPIRE funds cannot be paid directly as a salary / scholarship to the guest researcher.

• Use the standard standard SPIRE application template to apply for funds.
• 2020 SPIRE funds can be used during the period: 01.01.2020 - 31.12.2020.

Deadline: 1 December 2019 for SPIRE funds in 2020.

2. Positioning funding (POS)

Note: Deadline for using Positioning funding granted in 2019 is December 10, 2019. Unused POS-funds cannot be used the following year.

Positioning funding is divided into 3 categories:

1. Positioning funding for researchers - who are positioning themselves towards a Horizon Europe application:

• Building relationships with leading European environments (networking) whose purpose is to identify potential partners for future H2020/HEurope projects.
• Participation in arenas that contribute towards influencing the European research and innovation agenda (strategic work).
• Short-term positioning to build new partnerships/join existing consortiums.

2. Grants to fund strategic academic measures - at Faculty level:

• Participation in European strategy networks and forums.
• Interdisciplinary events in Bergen, with participation from the EU Commission or other relevant EU organizations.
• Study trips and delegation trips to Brussels.

3. Competence development funding for researchers and the EU administrative support staff - at the Faculties.

This includes participation at H2020/HEurope seminars, workshops and conferences both nationally and internationally. The course program for the competence activity for which funding is sought must be submitted with the application.

Deadline for POS funding in 2020 grants for 2020: 1 December 2019. 

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

• Short-term Fellowships fund research exchanges of up to 3 months between laboratories in eligible countries.
• Long-term Fellowships are awarded for a period of up to 2 years and support post-doctoral research visits to laboratories throughout Europe and the world. Deadline: throughout the year.

- Meltzer Foundation Research Funds - to promote the academic activities of the University of Bergen (and others) and to support especially gifted students.

• Project Grants for students and PhD. Deadline: 1 December.
• Travel grants. Deadline: 1 December.

All applications to the Meltzer Research Fund must be sent via UiB`s electronic application system: https://fond.app.uib.no/.

- UiB - PhD-candidates and Post-docs funded by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, can apply for travel grants limited to 25.000 nok.There are now new guidelines for these stipends. Please read them in this PDF. Deadline: 1 March and 1 October 2019.

- Research Council of Norway - offers for a scholarship for research stays abroad applies to PhD candidates and Post Doctors in projects with full or partial funding for the Research Council for a minimum of 24 months. The research stays abroad may last for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months. Deadline: continuing.

- 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. Deadline: continuing.

- ERASMUS+ staff mobility - subsidising mobility of up to 2 months, for UiB staff including PhD-candidates and post docs, to attend courses or individual laboratory visits. Also have a look at the list of organized staff mobility weeks. Deadline: 20 August and 20 January.

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

For more information on external funding opportunities, please contact the research advisors at Helse Bergen: forskning@helse-bergen.no

- Call for proposals 2021

The research funds announced are to be awarded to clinical patient-oriented research and health services research. Clinical, patient-oriented research also includes, among other things, registry research, laboratory research and other research necessary for specialised health care services to be able to offer good, safe and efficient health care services.

Please visit the call page for more information/guidelines and contact forskningsmidler@helse-vest.no for questions. Templates: project description / CV. The maximum application amount for the application category «Open project support» is NOK 1,5 million per year for up to 3 years. Deadline: 15. September 2020, 23:59

- NFR