Nordic cooperation
The RCF actively cooperates with other Nordic research funding agencies. In particular, we are closely involved in the activities of NordForsk, the Nordic research funding organisation established under the Nordic Council of Ministers, by co-funding its research programmes.
Our scientific councils also actively engage in the work of the three Joint Committees of the Nordic Research Councils (NOS).
NordForsk is a joint Nordic research funding organisation established in 2005. It works under the Nordic Council of Ministers with responsibility for joint Nordic research cooperation.
NordForsk’s mission is to support and fund Nordic research, thereby improving the international competitiveness and welfare of the Nordic countries. NordForsk and Nordic funding organisations jointly identify research areas and themes where jointly funded calls can best generate Nordic added value. NordForsk also supports Nordic research infrastructures. Projects applying for NordForsk funding must involve researchers from at least three Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) or autonomous Nordic areas (the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands). Several NordForsk activities are open to all countries in the Nordic region, which besides the Nordic countries also includes the adjacent areas Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Northwest Russia.
NordForsk funding calls are built around the common-pot principle. Funds from national agencies are pooled into a common pot from which projects are funded based on peer review, without quotas or comparisons between national contributions. NordForsk takes care of the applicant support and the payment of funds. NordForsk takes care of the applicant support, and applications are submitted via the NordForsk Application Portal. Information about the calls is also posted on the RCF’s website in cases where the RCF co-funds the call.
In recent years, other countries, particularly the Baltic countries and Japan, have also been increasingly involved in NordForsk calls. These countries fund their own researchers’ participation.
NordForsk’s activities are led by a board of representatives appointed by the national funding agencies. The board also includes a representative of the RCF. The NordForsk Secretariat is located in Oslo.
NOS
The RCF and the RCF’s scientific councils actively participate in the work of the Joint Committees of the Nordic Research Councils (NOS). The Joint Committee for Nordic Research Councils for the Humanities and the Social Sciences (NOS-HS), the Joint Committee Natural Science Research Councils (NOS-N), and the Joint Committee for Medical Research Councils (NOS-M) serve as Nordic cooperation and expert bodies within their respective fields.
