Arctic Q&A

Is it mandatory to have partners from USA and/or Canada?
No, you are eligible as long as the consortia consists of minimum three different partners from three different Nordic countries. It may, however be an advantage, depending on the research area and research questions of your planned project.
 
Can we have partners from USA/Canada that are not eligible for funding?
Yes, they have to be from research organisations, and you must clearly state in the pre-proposal that they will cover their own costs, you can not ask for funding for them in the pre-proposal, and change it later.
 
Can we have partners that are not from a Nordic country nor from USA or Canada,  but e.g. from Germany?
Yes, but they have to be from research organisations and have to cover their own costs.
 
What experience level are the PIs expected to have? Is there a requirement that they are professor/docent?
The project leader (and Nordic contact point) must be a qualified researcher (PhD) employed by their host organisations (Project Owners). A Professorship is not required. The experts will assess the management team in the full proposal. In the pre-proposal, the CV of the project leader should show the experts  that the project leader have the knowledge and experience needed to lead the implementation of the project.

Can we change partners between stage 1 and 2?
The PI must be the same, and the changes in the consortium can not be substantial, and must be justified.
 
Can undertakings or for-profit organisations be partners?
No, they can not be full partners. You can pay for services or materials/equipment they deliver to the project. For US and Canadian applicants: read Annex 1.
 
How can we find partners for this application?
You can join our contact list. Simply sign up and complete a brief form, and you will be added to a list where your information will be shared with other researchers.

Register for the contact list
 
Can NGOs be partners?
NGOs (ex Indigenous organisations) cannot be partners, but can have their cost covered (via a partner organisation). The costs of non-academic participants  are considered as project related costs.
 
Can I be involved in several pre-proposals, and in what roles?
Yes, but as project leader of only one of them. We do advise against it, though. You end up competing against yourself.
 
Can there be several pre-proposals from the same organisation?
Yes.

Can we change the budget between the pre-proposal and full proposal stage?
If you are invited to send full proposal, the budget can not be increased from what you sought in the pre-proposal. We have more flexibility if you apply for less in the full proposal. However, the changes can not be substantial.
 
Should the pre-proposal budget (the amount sought) include the estimated indirect costs, overhead?
YES, you should include all eligible costs that you plan to cover by the grant.
 
Can we apply for less than NOK 18 million?
The level of ambition of the projects should be  to implement big research projects. We do not believe a budget for three Nordic partners for 3- 4 years of less than 18 million NOK is feasible to realise the aims of this call.
 
Is it OK to only have 2 Nordic countries and 1 from Canada in the project?
With only two Nordic countries in the consortium, the proposal would not be eligible, and will not be sent to experts for assessment.  The partners from USA  and/or Canada come in addition to the three Nordic partners.
 
Is co-financing /in-kind contributions required?
There is no requirement of co-financing or in-kind contribution for the Nordic partners. In the pre-proposal phase, we only ask you to state the size of the grant you seek, not the total cost of the project.  Be aware that the percentage of coverage of cost agreed in the contract with NordForsk will apply for the entire duration of the project. Nordic partners can not reduce the degree of co-financing/in-kind contributions at a later stage. Canadian and US partners must consult Annex 1 regarding overhead, different rules might apply.
 
Can the grant be used to cover costs for overhead?
Yes, the Nordic partners can cover the costs for overhead from the grant. Partners from USA and Canada must read Annex 1. NordForsk does not apply any fixed rate or model for calculating overhead/( indirect) costs for research projects. Overhead (indirect) costs should be determined by the applicants own institutions according to their rules and models. The feasibility of the budgets will be assessed in stage two (the full proposal). Applicants are advised to consult their respective institutions for further guidelines.
 
Can PhD/ postdoc positions be funded through this call?
Yes.
 
A project led by a Nordic applicant would create a budget (covered by the grant) for the Nordic consortium of 18-24 million NOK .  Would the consortium  receive additional budget from the Canada/USA pots, if they have US and /or Canadian partners?
Yes, the budget for a project including US and /or Canadian partners will come in addition to the 24 million NOK . The project would be larger. Canadian and US applicants can find the maximum sum of grant in Annex 1 and in links in the Annex.
 
Is it possible that Nordic partners get funding, but US and Canadian partners don't?
No, if the project have Canadian and /or US partners, the entire project will be funded, or not at all. NordForsk, the New Frontiers in Research Fund, Canada and U.S. National Science Foundation are committed to fund as many of the projects as possible on the main list (i.e.  the full proposals that are recommended for funding).

When do you expect to give responses on the first stage of the application?
The invitations to submit full proposal  will be sent approximately mid September 2024. 
 
When is the expected deadline for stage 2?
The deadline for stage 2 (full proposal) will be late November 2024. Only invited applicants will be eligible.
 
When is the expected response for stage 2?
The expected response for stage 2 is approximately mid March 2025.
 
When will the call text for the second stage (full proposal) be published?
The plan is to publish the draft-call text for the full proposal (to invited applicants only)  on the call website before the summer break.

If the Canadian or USA partner fail in their evaluation, would that consequentially impact the result of Nordic evaluation?
The pre-proposals will be assessed by scientific experts (evaluated) once. If someone in the consortium is not eligible to receive the funding they ask for, either from the North-American funders, or from NordForsk, the pre-proposal as a whole will not be assessed.
 
Do we have to fulfil all eligibility criteria, and who will do the eligibility checks?
Yes, all proposals and applicants must meet all the eligibility criteria in the call text, and applicants from Canada and USA must meet the national eligibility criteria described in Annex 1. Eligibility checks will be performed both by the NordForsk administration, and by the Canadian and US funding organisation.
 
What will be the requirements for the full proposal?
The full proposal will be assessed by the same assessment criteria as in stage 1. In addition we will require a detailed and justified budget, a clear plan for implementation including management of the project. The assessment of the full proposal will be completely independent of the assessment of the pre-proposal, and include criteria for implementation and dissemination.
 
When will the call text for the second stage (full proposal) be published?
We plan to  publish the full call text before the summer break.

What is meant with Project Owner
The Project Owner is the institution responsible vis-à-vis NordForsk for ensuring that the project is completed in accordance with the contract.
 
What is meant with Project Leader
The project leader is an employee of the Project owner, and is the individual who is responsible for the professional progress, implementation and completion of the project. The Project Leader must be a qualified researcher employed by the Project Owner.
 
What is meant by Principal Investigator (PI) = main applicant
The Principal Investigator is in this NordForsk call referred to as the "Project leader" individual who is responsible for the professional progress, implementation and completion of the project. The Project Leader must be a qualified researcher employed by the Project Owner. In the application/proposal  phase the Project leader (PI) is the main applicant.
 
What is meant with Host organisation = project owner
In this call Host organisation /institution is the same as the Project owner.
 
What is meant with Co-host institution / organisation
In this call, if the project owner is a research performing organisation in USA or Canada, the project must also have a Nordic co-host institution(research organisation) from either Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden. NordForsk enters into contract concerning the Nordic part of the project, with the co-host institution. This is necessary since the Nordic funding only can be distributed to  Nordic countries. Co-host is an administrative role, and do not imply a scientifically leading role in the project.
 
What is meant with contact person
The  person representing the research organisation in the project. Also called project participant.
 
What is meant with project participant
The project leader is the main project participant. Individuals participating in the project and is affiliated with a partner research organisation are project participants. One research organisation can have many project participants, e.g. one researcher and several PhD-students.
 
What are NordForsk standard terms and conditions?
See the NordForsk page with standard tems and conditions