SPIRE - Seed money

Strategic Program for International Research Collaboration 2025
 

Who can apply:

• Academic staff (combined positions with a research component), researchers (codes: 1109, 1110, 1183 - with a PhD), and postdoctoral fellows at the University of Bergen (UiB).
• Academic staff must hold at least a 50% position at UiB.
• Postdoctoral fellows must hold a 100% position at UiB and must have employment at UiB for the next two years to be eligible to apply.
   

You can apply for SPIRE funding for international research collaboration:

SPIRE support is considered seed funding to initiate and develop new international research collaborations as a foundation for project proposals to Horizon Europe, the Research Council of Norway, and other external funding sources.

Project proposals that include researchers from institutions outside the EU/EEA area may be given priority.

SPIRE funds may cover:

• Compensation/refund for work done with proposal writing in relation to an application to Horizon Europe, the Research Council of Norway and other external funding sources, by academic staff in tenure-track positions (combined positions with a research component), researchers (codes: 1109, 1110, 1183 – with a PhD) and postdoctoral fellows at the University of Bergen.
  
  NOTE: To apply for compensation/refund for proposal writing related to an application, prior approval from the Department Head is required. The compensation or refund is allocated to the Department or unit, not to the individual researcher.
   
• Procurement of external assistance and consultation. Ordering external consultation must be done by a purchaser at your institute. UiB has signed a framework agreement for pre-award services.
   
• Travel, accomodation and meeting costs related to research collaboration, as well as visits from international researchers in connection with proposal writing.

Application process

• The application deadline for SPIRE funds is March 14, 2025.
• The faculty deadline for finalizing SPIRE applications is March 31, 2025.
• A new application round may be opened during autumn 2025 (which are administered by the faculties).
• The deadline for using SPIRE funds granted in 2025 is December 19, 2025.