External Funding Opportunities

- Rakel and Otto-Kristian Bruuns Endowment - provides funding for six grants of NOK 200.000 for innovative projects. The endowment supports medical basic research within biochemistry, physiology, and pathology. Cancer-related projects are prioritized. Grants are awarded to qualified scientists who are licensed Medical Doctors. The grants may cover running expenses and small scientific equipment. Individuals may apply, but applications on behalf of institutes or research groups are preferred.  The application should be written on a form that is available from Jo-Ann Fabe Larsen, Institute for Experimental Medical Research, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål. E-mail: j.f.larsen@medisin.uio.no  Phone +47 23016800. Deadline: 15 September 2019.

- AURORA and DAAD (Research Council of Norway)- exchange of research for new collaboration between Norway-France (AURORA) and Norway-Germany (DAAD). Researchers from Norway can receive support for short stays in France or Germany to start and develop joint new research projects. Projects with France must be completed by 2020 while projects with Germany can go over one or two consecutive calendar years. Younger researchers (including PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows) are encouraged to participate. It is a bilateral call that requires applications to be submitted in both Norway and France or Norway and Germany respectively. NOK 20.000-100.000. Deadlines: in France: 25 September 2019 / in Germany: 5 September 2019.

- 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.

- 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.

- FORSTERK: Supplementary Funding for Norwegian Participants in Horizon 2020 Projects - for Norwegian participants with a key role in a Horizon 2020 project. Applications for supplementary funding must be submitted before the start of final year of a Horizon 2020 project. This funding must be applied towards independent activities which build on the results of project and must not be used as additional funding for the project’s activities. Independent activities may include: establishment and operation of national networks in connection with the project, participation in specific conferences of relevance to the project, special initiatives for communicating the results of the project (organising workshops, producing information material), etc. NOK 0.5-1 Million for 1-2 years. Deadline: 25 September 2019 at 13:00.

- Commercialization projects - 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.

- 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.

Horizon2020 - several calls.

Selected H2020 deadlines 2019-2020:

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

- Pre-announcement: ERC Starting Grant - for researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD (Extensions are possible under certain circumstances — see the latest ERC Work Programme), a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal who are ready to work independently and who show potential to be a research leader. Up to €1.5 Million for 5 years. Deadline: 16 October 2019.

- Pre-announcement: ERC Synergy Grant - for a group of two to maximum four Principal Investigators (PIs) working together and bringing different skills and resources to tackle ambitious research problems. No specific eligibility criteria regarding the academic training are foreseen for ERC Synergy Grants. PIs must present an early achievement track-record or a 10-year track-record, whichever is most appropriate. Proposals will be evaluated on the sole criterion of scientific excellence which, in the case the ERC Synergy Grants, takes on the additional meaning of outstanding intrinsic synergetic effect. Up to €10 Million for 6 years. Deadline: 5 November 2019.

- Pre-announcement: ERC Consolidator Grant - for researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD (Extensions are possible under certain circumstances — see the latest ERC Work Programme), a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal who have established a research team and want to strengthen the team and their career in Europe. Up to €2 Million for 5 years. Deadline: 4 February 2020.

2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) - Along with individual fellowships, the MSCA help develop training networks, promote staff exchanges and fund mobility programmes between countries, optionally to the non-academic sector.    

- Individual Fellowship (IF) - MSCA-IF-2019 - supports the mobility of researchers within and beyond Europe - as well as helping to attract the best foreign researchers to work in the EU. The grant usually covers two years' salary, a mobility allowance, research costs and overheads for the host institution. Individual researchers submit proposals for funding in liaison with their planned host organisation. Proposals are judged on their research quality, the researcher's future career prospects, and the support offered by the host organisation. Deadline: 11 September 2019 at 17:00.

- NEW: Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND) - MSCA-COFUND-2019 - aims to stimulate regional, national or international programmes to foster excellence in researchers' training, mobility and career development, spreading the best practices of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. This will be achieved by co-funding new or existing regional, national, and international programmes to open up to, and provide for, international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research training, as well as transnational and cross-sectoral mobility of researchers at all stages of their career. Deadline: 26 September 2019 at 17:00.

- Pre-announcement: Innovative Training Networks (ITN) - MSCA-ITN-2020 - supports competitively selected joint research training and/or doctoral programmes, implemented by partnerships of universities, research institutions, research infrastructures, businesses, SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. Deadline: 9 January 2020.

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

NEW: The last update of the Work Programme now contains all the topics that have final deadline in 2020.  It will be published by end of June 2019. For more information and updates please visit the Commission website. To simplify the overview, here you can find a list of the relevant topics only with 2020 deadlines. Deadline: 4 topics are two stage with first stage deadline already 24 September and 3 topics with final deadline in November 2019.

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.

- Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)’s next Calls for proposals - calls 18 (two stages) and 19 (single stage), are currently planned for 26 June 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

Deadline for 1st stage proposal: 26 September 2019.

- Krafttak mot kreft 2019 - National Groups of Expertise - awards fund to establish two “Norwegian Cancer Society National Group of Expertise”, one for the research on lung cancer and one for pancreatic cancer. The application must clarify how you will be able to contribute to improve the research field in a national perspective by using the national research expertise, promote national networking and contribute to an appropriate national work-sharing. The Norwegian Cancer Society will only accept applications submitted through ApplicationWeb. See Application Guidelines Krafttak mot kreft 2019 for more information. NOK 10-15 million for up to 5 years. Deadline: 20 September at 13.00

- Prevention of cancer - long-term funding for researchers to undertake high-quality projects within cancer prevention. Researchers can send proposals within the following areas:

• structural and individual measures to impact people's behavior to decrease cancer risks. Emphasis should be focused on measures that can lead to reduction in social inequality, ie measures that benefit groups with greatest potential for cancer prevention
• evidence-based measures to prevent tobacco and nicotine use among young people in Norway
• effective measures to prevent occupational cancer and how to reduce cancer risk at work

At least one position must be included in the proposal, and it is possible to include running costs. The Norwegian Cancer Society will only accept applications submitted through ApplicationWeb. See Application Guidelines Cancer prevention 2019 for more information. NOK 1-5 million for 1-4 years. Deadline: 20 September 13.00

- NEW: Call for proposals for interdisciplinary research projects - the aim of the Nordic Programme for Interdisciplinary Research is to promote high-quality bottom-up research that combines and integrate skills from multiple disciplines. The programme aims to strengthen the ability of Nordic research environments to meet the increasing international demand for truly interdisciplinary research that spurs new scientific approaches in pursuit of answers to novel research questions. The proposal must address at least two of the three areas of science as used by the European Research Council: Life science; Physical Sciences & Engineering; Social Sciences and Humanities. The research project must include partners from research-performing organisations in at least three Nordic countries. Nordic countries are defined here as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland Islands. Maximum funding/project is NOK 15 Million. Deadline for pre-proposal: 13 November 2019 at 13.00 CET.

- NEW: GRIEG call - is part of the Basic Research Programme operated by the National Science Centre under the EEA and Norway Grants and is prepared in cooperation with the Research Council of Norway. The GRIEG call will be implemented through curiosity-driven joint research projects, enabling Polish-Norwegian research teams to bring together complementary skills, knowledge and resources to jointly address specific research challenges. Collaborative research project proposals are invited in all areas of the fundamental sciences. Based on the provisions of the MoU between Poland and Norway, research groups within polar research and social science research are particularly invited to submit proposals to this call. Deadline (extended): 28 Octobeber 2019 at 24.00 CEST.

- European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Actions - provides funding for the creation of research networks, offering an open space for collaboration among scientists across Europe (and beyond) and thereby give impetus to research advancements and innovation. These are the new COST actions within medicine and life sciences:

• CA18206 – Glioma MR Imaging 2.0
• CA18208 – Novel tools for test evaluation and disease prevalence estimation
• CA18216 – Network for Research in Vascular Ageing
• CA18226 – New approaches in detection of pathogens and aeroallergens
• CA18227 – The Core Outcome Measures for Food Allergy
• CA18240 – ADHEsion GPCR Network: Research and Implementation Set the path for future Exploration

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. Deadline: 5 September 2019 at 12:00.

- Updated info on open calls! 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 open and planned call texts are published on the website.

• Strategic actions supporting large-scale clinical trials (RIA) - Deadline: 07 November 2019
• New drugs and vaccines for priority pathogens in antimicrobial resistance (RIA) - Deadline: 07 November 2019
• Paediatric drugs formulations for poverty-related diseases (RIA) - Deadline: 10 October 2019
• Strategic actions on product-related implementation research (RIA) - Deadline: 10 October 2019

Planned calls:

• Ethics and regulatory capacities (CSA) - Deadline: 21 November 2019
• Career development fellowships (TMA) - Deadline: 27 November 2019
• EDCTP-AREF Preparatory fellowships (TMA) - Deadline: 27 November 2019
• Senior fellowships Plus (TMA) - Deadline: 01 February 2020
• Clinical research & product development fellowships (TMA) - Deadline: 28 February 2020
• Vaccines against Lassa virus - joint call with CEPI (RIA) - Deadline: 07 April 2020

- Dementia - dementia researchers are invited to apply for running costs and/or networking activities related to ongoing research activities focusing on causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Researchers may apply for funding up to 300 000 NOK to strengthen ongoing research funded by the Norwegian Health Association or other sources, and/or to support network building activities in the field of dementia. Care research is outside the scope of this call. Relevant documents regarding this call. Deadline: 1 September 2019 at 13:00.

- Cardiovascular research - the Norwegian Health Association fund cardiovascular Research witin epidemiology, clinical research and basic research that contributes to increased knowledge of causation and mechanisms of disease, risk factors, diagnosing, preventing, treating and rehabilitation. Deadline: 1 September 2019 at 23:30.

- IdeaLab workshop "Managing Threats" - the IdeaLab call is for ground-breaking, interdisciplinary research projects targeting social challenges facing European societies now and in the future. An idealab (also know as sandpit) is different type of call, where researchers and users of research with expertise in a given topic are selected and invited for a 5-day workshop where project ideas are developed. The best among those ideas are invited to submit full proposals for bilateral research projects and funded (2-3 years, budgets 500-1500 K EUR). Researchers and experts are invited to submit applications to participate in the workshop, consisting of a motivation letter, a confirmation from their institution, and a CV. Deadline: 19 August 2019, 24.00 CEST.

- Pre-announcement: Romania2nd Research Call: The last call for research cooperation with Romania under Norway Grants will open on July 15th 2019. Thematic areas will be similar to the Romania 2018 call. Projects within CCS are encoured to submit applications. Call information will be published on the webpage of UEFISCDI.

- Pre-announcement: Romania Mobility Call 2019 - support for finding partners and preparing a proposal in the Romania Research Call 2019 will be available through a dedicated call. The call is scheduled to open on July 15th 2019 and will offer lump sums for travel.

- 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.

- 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 at 15:00.

- Rakel and Otto-Kristian Bruuns Endowment - In 2019 the fund will provide six grants of NOK 200.000 for innovative projects. The endowment supports medical basic research within biochemistry, physiology, and pathology. Cancer-related projects are prioritized. Grants are awarded to qualified scientists who are licensed Medical Doctors. The grants may cover running expenses and small scientific equipment. Individuals may apply, but applications on behalf of institutes or research groups are preferred.  The application should be written on a form that is available from Jo-Ann Fabe Larsen, Institute for Experimental Medical Research, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål. E-mail: j.f.larsen@medisin.uio.no  Phone +47 23016800. Deadline: 15 September 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.

- 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.

Announcement of results from the Starting Grant Programme will be on 6 December 2019.

- Call for proposals 2020 - for any questions related to the open call and how to get funding, please contact forskningsmidler@helse-vest.no. Deadline: 15 September 2019.

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).

- Funds for collaborative projects in Global Challenges for 2019 - The UiB Priority Area, Global Challenges, has allocated funds to promote scientific inter-Faculty cooperation in 2019. Deadlines: 25 March and 25 September 2019.

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 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.

- Career development fellowships (TMA) / EDCTP - Deadline: 27 November 2019.

- Preparatory Fellowships – in collaboration with the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) 2019 / EDCTP - Deadline: 27 November 2019 at 17:00.

- 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^st December 2019.
• Travel grants. Deadline: 1^st December 2019.

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.

- AURORA and DAAD (Research Council of Norway)- exchange of research for new collaboration between Norway-France (AURORA) and Norway-Germany (DAAD). Researchers from Norway can receive support for short stays in France or Germany to start and develop joint new research projects. Projects with France must be completed by 2020 while projects with Germany can go over one or two consecutive calendar years. Younger researchers (including PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows) are encouraged to participate. It is a bilateral call that requires applications to be submitted in both Norway and France or Norway and Germany respectively. NOK 20.000-100.000. Deadlines: in France: 25 September 2019 / in Germany: 5 September 2019.

- 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 2019.