Collaborate with researchers in Norway

Collaborate with researchers in Norway is sponsored by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Collaborate with researchers in Norway. Funding opportunity from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Apply via the UKRI portal.

Collaborate with researchers in Norway – UKRI Funding opportunity: Collaborate with researchers in Norway UK Research and Innovation, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) , Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) , Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) , Medical Research Council (MRC) , Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Research Council of Norway (RCN) Project co-leads (international) based in Norway can be included in UK-led applications and receive funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the Money Follows Cooperation agreement between UKRI and Research Council of Norway (RCN) to reduce barriers to cross-border collaboration.

This agreement does not represent a separate funding scheme. Applications must be submitted through existing council programmes. Conditions and budgets will differ depending on the funding opportunity.

If you have enquiries about submitting an application, contact details for the participating councils can be found in the Contact details section. The UK project lead must meet the relevant eligibility criteria for the specific funding opportunity being applied for.

You must be an eligible project lead employed by a UK research organisation eligible to receive funding from the participating research councils: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Medical Research Council (MRC) Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Depending on the research council, research organisations (ROs) eligible to receive UKRI funding may include institutions currently located outside the UK, for example: MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) MRC and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit other UK research organisations overseas The application’s leadership and the majority of the budget is to be awarded to institutions eligible to receive UKRI funding.

A project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) – previously named international co-investigator – based in Norway is an individual employed by a RO in Norway, who otherwise fits the normal definition of a project co-lead on a research project, collaborating with the grant holder in the management and leadership of the project.

The PcL (I) is usually expected to make a major intellectual contribution to the design and conduct of the project. PcL (I)’s will not be permitted to take over as project lead if the UK project lead steps down for any reason. The contribution and added value of the international participants to the research collaboration should be clearly explained and justified in the application.

The international RO must be of comparable status and standing to a UKRI-recognised UK institution. The international RO would be expected to meet the eligibility requirements to receive UKRI funding, according to the specific funding opportunity an application is being submitted, and considering the national context of the international RO.

It is the responsibility of the lead UK RO to ensure that the PcL (I)’s organisation is an appropriate organisation to receive, and has systems in place to manage, the funding provided. The UK RO will also need assurance that appropriate agreements are put in place for the delivery of the overseas activities funded under the grant.

UKRI will not undertake eligibility checks as standard but reserves the right to undertake additional checks or seek further information from ROs if necessary. If funded it is expected the UK RO will have carried out appropriate due diligence on any third parties or collaborative partners used to deliver any part of the project, before any collaboration begins, as outlined in the UKRI terms and conditions (RGC 2. 6) .

Further information on the PcL (I) policy can be found in UKRI’s dedicated PcL (I) guidance . do not expressly forbid international collaboration do not provide alternative support for PcL (I)s Collaborative research applications led by UK researchers, involving PcL (I)s based in Norway, may be submitted in any disciplinary or interdisciplinary area which falls within the remit of the participating research councils .

Conditions will vary depending on research council and funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted. You should refer to the ‘Contact details’ section for key contact details to the research councils. UKRI will pay the award directly to the lead UK organisation under its standard terms and conditions for research grants.

Justified costs for PcL (I)s based in Norway will be funded at 100% of the direct costs. The total costs claimed for the PcL (I)’s contribution to a project must not exceed 30% of the overall cost of the project, calculated at 100% full economic cost (FEC). More than one PcL (I) based in Norway may be involved in an application to an eligible funding opportunity.

Depending on the research council and funding opportunity guidance, other PcL (I)s may also be eligible for inclusion in an application. Where this is the case, the combined total costs requested for the PcL (I)’s (including those incurred by the PcL (I) based in Norway) must not exceed 30% of the overall cost of the project, calculated at 100% FEC.

Applications which include PcL (I)s must provide full justification on all associated costs within the ‘Resources and costs’ section of the application, explaining why such costs are required to achieve the aims of the project, with an appropriate explanation of which costs relate to the PcL (I) based in Norway. Each budget line requested for PcL (I) should be itemised within the ‘Resources and costs’ section.

For example, travel and subsistence costs, conference attendance. This component will be assessed in the context of the application as a whole and the ‘Resources and costs’ section. Travel and subsistence costs for PcL (I)s based in Norway are required to be reasonable and fully justified in accordance with the applicable research council guidelines.

Applicants may apply for funds to cover other directly incurred costs (for example, consumables, consultancy fees, survey costs and equipment costing less than £10,000), provided they are fully justified. You should include costs associated with the PcL (I) including any locally employed staff, travel, and any other costs directly incurred by the project under exceptions.

Research and innovation associates based in Norway For example, salary costs for research and innovation (R&I) associates – previously named research assistants – employed at a Norwegian research organisation (RO) or seconded from a UK RO. Applicants may apply for funds to cover the cost of R&I associates based in Norway to support research activities in Norway.

Where the R&I associate is recruited and employed by a Norwegian RO to support the PcL (I) based in Norway, direct costs will be paid at 100%. These costs should be included under exceptions. In cases where a R&I associate is employed by a UK RO but seconded to the Norway based RO, costs will be paid at 80%.

UKRI covers salary costs for PcL (I)s based in Norway, provided that these costs are justified, and it is demonstrated that the funding of project lead salaries within research grants is the standard practice of the PcL (I)’s RO. Alternative arrangements to secure researcher time, such as teaching replacement costs, will be considered where these are required by the PcL (I)’s RO.

UK ROs preparing applications for submission are strongly advised to liaise closely with the PcL (I) based in Norway to ascertain any requirement for salary costs. Salary costs requested for the PcL (I) based in Norway must be justified within the ‘Resources and costs’ section of the application.

Infrastructure and facilities UK applicants budgeting for the use of large infrastructure or facilities, should, where possible, use UK large infrastructure or facilities when applying to UKRI funding.

Estates and other indirect costs Since institutions outside the UK do not use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) methodology, it is not possible for UKRI to check and monitor the calculation of estates, overheads and indirect costs in Norway based RO’s. For these reasons UKRI will not consider any estates, overheads or indirect costs pertaining to PcL (I)s.

Any individual item, or components combined to make an item, with a value greater than £10,000. UKRI will pay the award directly to the lead UK organisation under its standard terms and conditions. The UK organisation where the UK project lead is based will then be responsible for disbursing the funds to the PcL (I)’s RO.

Applications must be submitted through existing council programmes. Your application title should include ‘UKRI-Norway’ as prefix. Before submitting an application to collaborate with an eligible project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) based in Norway, you should review the funding opportunity guidance to which an application is being submitted.

The UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation Agreement is not a standalone funding opportunity, and thus, general conditions, deadlines and budget available will differ depending on the funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted. If submitting an application via a MRC funding opportunity you should contact the relevant MRC programme manager to discuss your intention to include a PcL (I) based in Norway.

Further information on who to contact can be found on: relevant MRC area of investment and support pages , by selecting the relevant research area MRC funding opportunity pages to which an application is being submitted Further information on the PcL (I) role can be found in UKRI’s dedicated PcL (I) policy . How we will assess your application UKRI funds research on a competitive basis employing independent expert review.

This system is regarded as an international benchmark of excellence in research funding, and this provides a guarantee of the quality of UK research. The criteria of assessment will depend on the individual UKRI research council and funding opportunity the application is submitted to.

Applications will be evaluated according to normal UKRI procedures, plus any specific criteria set out in the funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted. There is no direct involvement from any overseas research funding agencies, or separate international decision-making process.

Get help with developing your proposal For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

Ask about this funding opportunity General enquiries regarding the submission of applications under the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement, should be submitted to the respective participating research council to which an application is being submitted. Please include ‘UKRI-Norway Agreement’ in the subject line of your email. AHRC: international@ahrc.

ukri. org EPSRC: international@epsrc. ukri.

org ESRC: international@esrc. ukri. org MRC: international@mrc.

ukri. org NERC: international@nerc. ukri.

org UKRI and RCN have signed a Money Follows Cooperation (MFC) agreement to foster collaboration between researchers in both countries, continuing the long history of research collaboration between the UK and Norway. UKRI is committed to protecting personal information and will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the information supplied by the applicant.

Further information is available in UKRI’s privacy notice and data protection policy . UKRI carries out the processing of personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. The information provided by applicants will be used by UKRI for the purpose of carrying out reviewing and assessment for making a funding decision.

For administrative purposes, the results of the evaluation and methodologies used to evaluate applications will be shared between UKRI and RCN, if requested, except for confidential information. Where appropriate, UKRI will seek to involve international academics in the peer review process. This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK.

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