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Call for proposals: Nordic research networks within natural science and related engineering fields

Nordforsk

NordForsk hereby announces funding for up to 15 research networks. The available budget is op to NOK 30 million.

Call Deadline: 14.08.2025 13:00 (CEST / Oslo time)

Available Budget: up to NOK 30 million

Maximum amount of funding that may be sought: NOK 2 million

Background

The aim of a Nordic initiative for research networks within natural science and related engineering fields[1] is to promote research collaboration and support the establishment of new research networks in the natural sciences and engineering in the Nordic countries, which seek to explore novel research directions, build a strong Nordic platform at the cutting edge of emerging fields, or form new and potentially transformative links across what is usually considered distinct disciplines.

A number of researchers in the Nordic countries have previously benefited substantially from the earlier Nordic network programme (NorFa), which, for a relatively low total budget, sought to establish research networks among the Nordic countries within the natural sciences. The focus of these networks was primarily on exchanging ideas and stimulating collaboration between research groups working on similar problems across Nordic borders.

The networks’ means of reaching these goals typically consisted of combinations of topical meetings, longer-term student exchanges between the involved partner nodes, and short-term reciprocal visits of established researchers. A particular benefit of such networks included the network meetings in which several graduate students participated, gave talks, and interacted with each other and with established researchers in different career stages.

In addition to the positive effect of training young students and early-stage researchers in the Nordic countries, a future network would take the form of a joint platform for both younger and experienced researchers to formulate new common research directions and goals. This could eventually lead to larger-scale Nordic collaborative projects, such as the initiatives currently funded through NordForsk and, in a European context, secure a strong inter-Nordic component in forming consortia in connection with larger EU projects.

[1] The call covers networks within the disciplines of astronomy, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, molecular biology, biochemistry/biophysics, biology, geology, the natural science aspects of geography, and foundation-creating research within technology, engineering, and production sciences.

Aim of the call and thematic framework

By establishing a Nordic initiative for interdisciplinary research networks within natural science and engineering, the Joint Committee of the Natural Science Research Councils in the Nordic Countries (NOS-N) wishes to facilitate collaboration between scientists with clear potential for synergies within the Nordic countries and bolster the international competitiveness, innovative nature, and ground-breaking potential of Nordic research. Through an emphasis on early-stage researchers (2-7 years after completion of their PhD), NOS-N also wishes to encourage the next generation of Nordic researchers to create new or tighter links across national and discipline borders and build strong collegial networks with a decisive impact on future careers and research trajectories.

Network activities should include a strong component in the training of the next generation of researchers with interdisciplinary skills in natural sciences and related engineering topics in the Nordic countries. Hence, NOS-N encourages applicants to include summer schools and similar ones for PhD students and postdocs in the network.

Each network must have a single project owner, but applicants must account in the proposal for how participants from all of the involved disciplines will be substantially and preferably equally involved in the project. All participating researchers should thus take on responsibility for the scientific progress of the project.

To ensure the novelty of the network, the network’s researchers should not have existing active collaboration.

The application should contain a description of the interdisciplinary potential of combining the included fields.

Nordic added value

Nordic added value comes in the positive effects that are generated through common solutions; activities that manifest and develop a sense of community among the participating countries; activities that increase competence and competitiveness; activities that strengthen the participating countries’ international influence; and activities that foster equal and balanced social, economic, and environmental interaction in our region. Applicants should elaborate on how the project will create added value, and this will be assessed as part of the proposal assessment. NordForsk has devised indicators of added value that contributes to the research ecosystem and to society. Read more about this, including the different indicators, here.

The anticipated Nordic research networks will generate added value for the network members by connecting early-stage researchers from Nordic research environments.

Since the Nordic countries share structural, cultural, geographical, and political traits, they have a natural basis for collaboration and understanding each other’s challenges. From this perspective, the networks are believed to be important for ensuring that the unique Nordic tradition of creative scientific thinking in low hierarchical environments will be passed on to the next generation of Nordic researchers and their way of collaborating. At a science policy level, this has been demonstrated by the long-term successful Nordic interactions between the natural science communities through NOS-N.

By the same token, a unique training ground would be established, and the competitiveness of Nordic researchers would be boosted in relation to international arenas, notably Horizon Europe. NOS-N also expects a positive impact with respect to the ability of Nordic research teams to compete successfully for large, collaborative big-science projects supported by other national or international research funders.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Nordic Added Value & Multi-Country Consortium

Your project must generate clear added value for the Nordic region, such as shared infrastructure, data harmonization, increased regional mobility, or addressing unique Nordic challenges—especially in tie-breaker cases

Include partners from at least three Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden—or autonomous areas), and ideally also Baltic participants when eligible

2. High Scientific Quality & Relevance to the Call

Independent peer review scores prioritize originality, sound methodology, and disciplinary fit

Your proposal must explicitly address the aims and objectives of the specific call and any related goals like SDGs, indigenous issues, or Arctic relevance .

3. Interdisciplinarity & Societal Impact

Most NordForsk calls emphasize interdisciplinary research—projects must integrate at least two scientific domains and demonstrate how they will interact .

Embedding Open Science practices (open access, FAIR data management) is increasingly crucial across all calls

4. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) & Early-Career Integration

For calls with EDI frameworks (e.g., Arctic or Indigenous studies), concrete plans for integrating EDI—such as recruitment, mentorship, and outcome monitoring—are evaluated rigorously

Demonstrate integration of early-career researchers with meaningful leadership roles

5. Feasibility & Robust Planning

Feasibility includes clear methodological approaches, realistic timelines, risk management, and integration of EDI and Indigenous/community frameworks where required

A detailed, justified budget and alignment with national funding regulations is essential—NordForsk often uses real or virtual common-pot funding models

6. Full Compliance & Timely Submission

Applications must be submitted via the NordForsk portal, include all mandatory attachments (project plan, budget tables), and comply with length and format limits—fail to comply, and your application will be automatically rejected

Only fully completed and resubmitted drafts before the deadline are accepted

📋 Summary Table

Success Factor	How to Demonstrate It
Nordic Added Value & Consortium	Multi-country team, regional collaboration outcomes
Scientific Quality & Call Fit	Strong peer-review scores, explicit call alignment
Interdisciplinary & Societal Goals	Integration across domains, open science plans
EDI & Early-Career Involvement	EDI measures, clear roles for early-career staff
Feasibility & Methodological Rigor	Solid methods, timelines, risk and EDI integration
Budget & Funding Model Alignment	Accurate, justified finances; understand funding model
Full Compliance & Submission	Complete portal application on time with required docs

🛠 Pro Tips for a Strong Application

Build a diverse, cross-Nordic consortium with relevant partners and Baltic inclusion if allowed.

Emphasize Nordic added value—why the research requires Nordic cooperation.

Structure the project interdisciplinarily, integrating methodologies from multiple domains.

Include Open Science measures—data management, register in open-access repositories.

Integrate a clear EDI plan, especially for Arctic/Indigenous calls, and meaningful roles for early-career researchers.

Prepare a detailed feasibility plan, with realistic schedules and risk analysis.

Align your budget with NordForsk’s funding model—check national annexes for details.

Submit early, comply with all formats, attachments, and length constraints.

Specialties

Data Science

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for funding, the following conditions must be met:

Proposals must be submitted electronically through the NordForsk Call and Application Portal by the call deadline.
All proposals must be written in English.
The consortium must include at least four research-performing organisations* from at least three different Nordic countries. Nordic countries are defined here as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.
The host institution (project owner) for the research project must be an established research-performing organisation, such as a university, university college, or research institute based in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden.
The project leader must be a qualified early-career researcher (PhD) with at least two but not more than seven years of experience following the completion of their PhD.**
The project leader must be employed by the host institution (project owner) for the duration of the project.
Each participating country must be represented by at least two early-career researchers (PhD)**: one to co-ordinate activities at the national level and a second to support the co-ordination work.
An early-career researcher may serve as project leader for only one application under this call. However, research institutions may be affiliated with more than one application.
The proposal must include a signed letter of commitment from each partner institution. Letters of commitment must be signed by a person authorised to take on financial commitments on behalf of the institution for the duration of the project.
Organisations based in the Russian Federation, Belarus, or Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine may not participate in projects funded by this call.

Applications that do not fulfil the above eligibility criteria will not be processed.

*A research-performing organisation is a legal entity which is a university, university college, or research institute and is characterised by the following criteria:

Having as its primary goal to independently conduct fundamental research and/or applied research and or research-based innovation where results are published.
The organisation may be private or public but must not pay dividends from its activities. Research organisations pursuing both non-economic and economic activities must have a formal separation in place between its economic and non-economic activities.
The organisation must have a significant production of academic, peer-reviewed, and published research.

** Eligible researchers must have completed their PhD two to seven years before the deadline for this call, 14 August 2025. Any deductible time must be stated in the application form. The PhD age is calculated as the period of time between acquiring the PhD (the date as it appears on the PhD diploma) and the date of the application deadline.

Consideration will be given to leaves of absence such as parental leave, illness, family care leave, military service, humanitarian aid work, etc.

Moreover, consideration will be given in cases of significant career-relevant circumstances, that can be considered a necessary step in a career path, but during which the time for research has been very limited.

Leaves of absence, which the applicants request to be taken into consideration, must be documented upon request. The actual number of weeks of leave will be deducted from the applicant’s PhD age. The period of the leave of absence, including exact start and end dates, must be stated in the candidate’s CV.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Nordforsk

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Stensberggt. 27 5th Floor NO-0170 Oslo Norway

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