NORGES FORSKNINGSRAD

Their core work

The Research Council of Norway is Norway's central public funding agency for research and innovation, responsible for allocating national research budgets and aligning Norwegian science priorities with European agendas. In H2020, they primarily co-fund ERA-NET Cofund actions — pooling national money with other countries to launch joint transnational research calls across environment, energy, health, and food sectors. They do not perform research themselves; they fund it, coordinate national participation, and ensure Norwegian researchers connect into European collaborative programmes. Their role is strategic: shaping which research themes get funded and bridging Norwegian and EU research policy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2018), the Research Council focused heavily on structural alignment — connecting National Contact Points, monitoring joint programming initiatives, and building the ERA-NET infrastructure (keywords: alignment, monitoring, NCPs, joint transnational calls). By the later period (2019–2021), their portfolio shifted decisively toward climate action and sustainability outcomes: mitigation, adaptation, nature-based solutions, and climate change became dominant themes, alongside emerging priorities like antimicrobial resistance and marine ecosystem governance. This mirrors Norway's broader policy pivot toward green transition and climate resilience research funding.

Moving from building European co-funding mechanisms toward directing those mechanisms at climate resilience, biodiversity, and antimicrobial resistance — expect future calls in these domains.

How they like to work

Almost exclusively a participant (78 of 80 projects), which reflects their role as a national funder joining multilateral co-funding schemes rather than leading individual research projects. With 489 unique partners across 70 countries, they are an exceptionally broad network hub — one of the most connected funding agencies in H2020. Working with them means access to Norwegian national research funding streams and a gateway into Nordic and pan-European co-funded calls.

With 489 unique consortium partners across 70 countries, they operate one of the widest collaboration networks of any single H2020 participant — spanning virtually every EU member state plus associated countries and international partners (notably South Africa via ESASTAP 2020). Their reach is truly global for a national funding body.

What sets them apart

Unlike universities or research institutes, the Research Council of Norway controls national funding allocation — partnering with them means potential access to Norwegian co-funding in joint transnational calls. Their participation in 57 ERA-NET Cofunds makes them one of Europe's most active co-funding agencies, covering environment, energy, health, food, and materials. For consortium builders, they are not a research performer but a funding multiplier: their presence signals that Norwegian national money will back the research topic.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ACT
  One of only 2 projects where they served as coordinator, with the largest single EC contribution (EUR 2.03M), focused on accelerating carbon capture and storage — signaling Norway's strategic leadership in CCS.
• BiodivERsA3
  Long-running ERA-NET (2015–2022) with nearly EUR 1M EC funding, consolidating the European Research Area on biodiversity and ecosystem services — a flagship for their environmental portfolio.
• ERA4CS
  Largest EC funding received (EUR 1.23M) for climate services co-development, reflecting Norway's strong investment in climate adaptation research infrastructure.