Funding for Research Stays Abroad for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows

The scheme applies to research fellows fully or partially (at least 50% or more) financed by the Research Council as part of an ongoing project with a Norwegian research organization as the Project Owner, or under the Industrial Ph.D. Scheme or the Public Sector Ph.D. Scheme. It also applies to project managers for Researcher Project for Early Careers/Young Talents/Young Research Talents projects funded by FRIPRO. 

For both the Industrial Ph.D. Scheme and the Public Sector Ph.D. Scheme, a company or a public sector entity must serve as the Project Owner and formal applicant, in consultation with the degree-conferring institution.

The Project Owner is to submit the application after the individual has been appointed to the position of research fellow and concrete plans for the research stay abroad have been drawn up, and at least three months prior to the start of the research stay. Any exceptions to this must be explained in the Project Description.

It is not possible to seek funding for research stays abroad for research fellows financed through basic funding for the SFF, SFI, FME and FKB centre schemes.

The scheme applies to named research fellows affiliated with ongoing projects financed by the Research Council that have a Norwegian research organization as the Project Owner, or are under the Industrial Ph.D. Scheme or the Public Sector Ph.D. Scheme. It also applies to project managers for Researcher Project for Early Careers/Young Talents/Young Research Talents projects funded by FRIPRO.

• It is only possible to apply for the fixed rate for research stays abroad,
  coverage of one round-trip flight (cheapest mode of travel), visa expenses and coverage of documented tuition costs.
• The Research Council will cover travel costs for family members provided that they will be accompanying the fellowship-holder for all or most of the stay abroad. The Research Council does not cover travel costs for short-term visits by family members.
• For postdoctoral research fellows, it is also possible to apply for funding of the postdoctoral fellowship period, please see the Rates for Funding of Fellowships.
• The Project Owner may be granted funding for a research stay abroad for the research fellow for 3–12 months.
• The stay abroad may be divided into shorter segments of minimum three consecutive months each, provided that the funding is sought as an overall amount in a single application. An explanation for dividing the stay into shorter segments must be provided in the project description.
• The Research Council will only cover travel costs for one round-trip ticket for the research fellow in connection with the research stay abroad. This is also the case when the research stay is divided into multiple segments.
• It is possible to apply for funding to cover documented tuition costs. The amount of these costs must be stated in the letter of invitation from the host institution. 

Applications under the Industrial Ph.D. scheme – conditions for funding 

For companies defined as an “undertaking” in the state aid rules, support will be awarded as de minimis aid. This means that the company may receive maximum EUR 300 000 over a period of three fiscal years. Written confirmation and an overview of all other de minimis aid that the company has received in the past three fiscal years must be submitted to the Research Council as an attachment to the application. For companies that are a part of a group of linked enterprises, the ceiling amount generally applies to the group as a whole. For more information on de minimis aid, see the Commission Regulation (EU) No 2023/2831. 

General requirements

• The applicant/Project Owner must come from an eligible category of institution. The project manager for the ongoing main project must be the project manager in the application for a research stay abroad. The project number of the project with which the fellowship-holder is affiliated must be indicated in the application form (under “Supplementary info from applicant”).
• The grant application must lie within the scope/satisfy the objectives of this call.
• The funding amount sought and expenses to be covered must be in keeping with the framework of the call.
• The budget must be formulated correctly and the field for specification must clearly state what the funding will cover.
• The application form must be fully completed. In the field for “Fellowship”, applicants must fill in “Type of fellowship”, “Basis for calculating the grant for research stays abroad”, the name of the fellowship-holder and the time frame.
• The required attachments must be included using the designated templates.
• The project description and the plan for the research stay abroad must provide answers to the items set out in the text of the call. All items in the project description template must be completed.
• The grant application, including all attachments, may be submitted in Norwegian or English.
• All attachments must be submitted in pdf-format.

Mandatory attachments

• Project description – a plan for the research stay abroad, using the designated template for this application type found at the end of this call (to be uploaded under the field for “Project description” in the application form).
• Brief CV for the fellowship-holder, using the designated template for this application type found at the end of this call (to be uploaded under the field for CV in the application form).
• A letter of invitation from the host institution. The letter of invitation must state the time frame of the research stay, the name of the fellowship-holder, the objective of the research stay and the amount of any tuition costs. The letter of invitation must be signed.
• A recommendation from the project manager. This letter of recommendation must be signed by the project manager.

The designated templates are found at the end of this call for proposals.

Other attachments

• When you apply for an extension of the postdoctoral period, you must enclose a development plan for postdoctoral fellows. The plan must show the date of the postdoctoral period and be signed by the postdoctoral candidate and the manager with personnel responsibility. The plan must show a new date for the postdoctoral period, which includes an extension of the position due to the stay abroad. You upload the development plan under "Other" in the application form.
• For projects under the Industrial Ph.D. scheme, where the applicant is a company, a signed “Declaration form for de minimis aid”, must be attached using the designated template found at the end of this call (to be uploaded as an attachment under “Other items” in the online grant application form).

Grant applications that do not satisfy the above requirements will be rejected.

Links to websites and documents, as well as other attachments than those specified above, will not be included in the application review process.

Notification of the outcome from the Research Council will normally be provided within four weeks after receipt of the application.

Grant applications will be assessed by the Research Council administration, and funding will normally be awarded if the application has satisfied the formal requirements stipulated in this call for proposals. When funding for a research stay is granted, the Project Owner will receive an amendment to the contract for the main project.