Nordic Collaborative Research

In order to promote the quality of Nordic research and the development of new and innovative research areas and research efforts within the humanities and social sciences in the Nordic countries, NOS-HS invites proposals for grants for NORDic COllaborative Research Projects (NORDCORP).

Research areas: NOS-HS supports both projects with the Nordic countries as their theme as well as projects with non-Nordic themes which otherwise encourage Nordic research collaboration in the Humanities and Social sciences. This includes complementary use of competences in the Nordic countries, comparative research or projects that strengthen research in areas in which the participating countries' research environments can increase their critical mass. Both discipline-oriented and interdisciplinary projects can be awarded funding, and new research areas are of particular interest. Priority will be given to proposals for new consortia, i.e. groups of researchers who have not previously collaborated in joint projects. However, this does not exclude consortia of researchers who have been involved in pilot schemes or series of exploratory workshops. NOS-HS encourages the inclusion of researcher training in NORDCORP through PhD student exchange and postdoctoral grants.

Applicants: Eligible principal investigators are researchers at, as a minimum, PhD level from universities or research institutions in the Nordic countries. The proposal must be submitted by a principal investigator together with at least two co-applicants. The applicants should be based at universities and research institutes in at least three different Nordic countries. Co-applicants must also be researchers at PhD level from universities or research institutions in the Nordic countries. In addition to principal investigators and co-applicants, NORDCORP may have participants from both Nordic and non-Nordic countries. NOS-HS encourages researchers early in their career to apply for funding.

NOS-HS encourages the participation of all Nordic countries as well as an even distribution of participants from the Nordic countries.

Duration: The projects’ starting date is to be in the interval September 2012 to January 2013, and they should have a duration of 36 to 48 months.

Proposals: The maximum amount for a four year project is 4 MNOK, including a maximum of 20 per cent for indirect costs (overhead), of the total amount applied for.

For NORDCORP, it is possible to apply for funding for the following budget items only:

• Salary for research staff
• Salary for technical/administrative staff
• Data collection
• Travel expenses
• Seminars, meetings
• Dissemination, publication and similar
• A maximum of 20 per cent of the total of the items above for indirect costs (overhead)

No additional funding can be expected from NOS-HS for the same purpose or for any supplementary or additional activities in connection with the grant. Note that funding is usually not provided to purchase scientific equipment.

The proposal should state whether project funding has been applied for from other sources. If funding is provided from other sources for a project already applied for or granted, the Committee must be informed immediately.

NOS-HS requires that applicants give an account of how the project proposes to obtain its research material and data, how the material produced by the project will be used and stored and how the subsequent use of the material will be facilitated. This is referred to as a ‘materials management plan’, and it should be presented in connection with the research plan.

Assessment criteria: Proposals will be assessed in accordance with the following criteria:

• Scientific quality
• Novelty value in relation to research and society
• Development opportunities of the project
• Problem formulation, theoretical foundation and suitability of the proposed methodology
• Feasibility of the project (time schedule, suitability of the workplace – incl. access to research-related guidance and facilities in general)
• Nordic Added Value of the project
• Researcher training used in the project
• Scientific qualifications of principal investigator and co-applicants

Content of proposals: Proposals for funding to NORDCORP must be submitted electronically and must be written in English. Furthermore, the following appendices must be submitted together with the proposal:

• A project description of no more than 10 pages providing information about

1. Project relevance: State why the project is important, including the novelty value of the project in relation to research and society, as well as development opportunities
2. Problem formulation: Specify the research topic(s) to be treated and resolved
3. Theoretical foundation
4. Methods to be used
5. statement of the Nordic Added Value of the project
6. The research networks in which the applicant and co-applicants participate
7. A statement of how the project includes researcher training (e.g. PhD student exchange or postdoctoral grants)
8. The practical aspects of carrying out the project, including an account of the organisation of the project and a materials management plan
9. A statement about any ethical issues in relation to the project
10. Dissemination and publication plans. NOS-HS strongly recommends that results from NORDCORP should be publicly available through electronic means (Open Access)

• Time and activity schedule for the research project
• CVs and lists of publications for the principal investigator and co-applicants (max. 2 pages for each person)
• Detailed budget

Submission of proposals: Proposals are submitted electronically through the web page www.nos-hs.org. NOS-HS uses electronic submission service which is the Research Council of Norway’s Internet-based system for completing and submitting grant proposals with attachments (eSøknad). The proposal deadline is Wednesday, 15 February 2012 at 13.00 CET.

In the period 2011-2014, the NOS-HS secretariat is placed in Norway and will, accordingly, be subject to Norwegian administrative law. This means, among other things, that NOS-HS will not accept supplementary material after the application deadline and that applications which fail to meet one or both requirements set out below will be rejected without prior substantive consideration (rejection on formal grounds):

• Proposals must include a project description
• Proposals must include CVs for the principal investigator and the co-applicants
• Proposals must include a detailed budget
• The budget must not exceed the maximum amount of 4 MNOK

Assessment of proposals: NOS-HS will set up assessment panels which will make a final decision on the proposals to receive funding in May/June 2012. The names of successful applicants will be published on the Committee's website at www.nos-hs.org. Applicants will receive a letter indicating the Committee's decision.

Questions pertaining to proposals of funding for NORDic COllaborative Research Projects – NORDCORP, may be directed to Hedvig Buene, tel. +47 22037242, e-mail: hb@rcn.no.