Thomas Jacobsson, senior adviser at NordForsk, says:
"We’re really pleased to see this huge level of interest in the call and the issues facing children and young people after the pandemic. We’ve received more than 60 proposals with project owners representing all the Nordic countries and a healthy overall spread across the Nordic Region in terms of general participation in the proposals,” and adds:
“NordForsk will now work with a panel of distinguished international experts and the programme committee to evaluate the proposals. We’re looking forward to funding the proposals that have highest international quality and following them throughout the project period to maximise Nordic added value and impact.”
Background to the call
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Nordic countries in the spring of 2020, the extent and severity of the threat to the health and welfare of the population was not immediately obvious. Restrictions were rapidly enforced in all the Nordic countries, many of which directly affected the day-to-day lives of children and young people.
There were, however, notable differences between countries and age groups. Schools quickly restructured education to be delivered either exclusively or partly by remote contact instead of in the traditional way in the classroom. In many places, possibilities for extracurricular social encounters and activities were limited, as hobby activities were put on hold and libraries and sports arenas were temporarily closed.
The short-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are now becoming clearer in the Nordic countries and worldwide, but the longer term consequences are still unknown, which is what this call seeks to shed a light on.
Budget and funding
Applicants have been invited to apply for funding to establish a Nordic research project with a maximum budget of NOK 11 million and a duration of between three and four years. The intention is to provide funding for seven research projects under this call.
Decision timeline
The decision on which projects are to be granted funding is likely to be made in the second quarter of 2023. The projects will start in the third quarter of 2023.
