Anna Herou is the NordForsk Senior Adviser responsible for the interdisciplinary research Initiative. She says, “This is the highest number of proposals we have had in response to a NordForsk call for proposals. The large number indicates widespread interest in interdisciplinary research in the Nordic countries and the need for this type of funding.”
The Nordic Initiative for Interdisciplinary Research is a collaborative effort between the Academy of Finland, the Independent Research Fund Denmark, the Swedish Research Council, the Research Council of Norway and NordForsk.
There will be a two-phase selection process for project funding. In March 2020, selected applicants will be invited to take part in the second phase. The deadline for submitting proposals for Phase II will be in May 2020, and the final decision determining projects to receive funding will be announced at the end of 2020.
To receive funding, projects must combine at least two of the following three research domains: life sciences; physical and engineering sciences; and social sciences and humanities. The research problems to be addressed must be interdisciplinary and not simply incorporate a method from another area; they must add value to all the scientific areas involved as well as to the interdisciplinary space.
Background
Interdisciplinarity is widely acknowledged as essential to the generation of new and ground-breaking research results, and there is an increasingly urgent global demand for scientific research that dares to think across traditional boundaries between fields and disciplines. The integration of methods, data, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from different scientific fields is crucial in the effort to expand the scope of collective human knowledge.
Budget
Each project has been able to apply for a maximum of NOK 15 million, and NordForsk will provide funding for 8–12 projects for up to four years.
