Iceland's national research funding agency and H2020 National Contact Point, specializing in NCP networks, ERA-NET Cofunds, and science-society engagement.
Rannis is Iceland's national research funding agency, operating as the country's designated National Contact Point (NCP) across nearly all Horizon 2020 thematic areas. They help Icelandic researchers and companies access EU funding, build transnational consortia, and connect with European research networks. Beyond NCP duties, they manage ERA-NET Cofund programmes in geothermal energy, materials, blue bioeconomy, and humanities — pooling national funding with European partners to co-finance research calls. They also run science communication and public engagement initiatives in Iceland, including Researchers' Night events.
Participated in NCP networks across nearly every H2020 pillar — ICT (Idealist2018/2020), Space (COSMOS2020), Security (SEREN 3/4), Energy (C-Energy), Society (NET4SOCIETY4/5), MSCA (Net4Mobility), and coordinated SiS.net 2 and 3.
Partner in ERA-NET Cofunds spanning geothermal energy (GEOTHERMICA, EUR 589K — their largest grant), blue bioeconomy (BlueBio), materials (M-ERA.NET 2), humanities (HERA JRP UP, HERA-JRP-PS), and social sciences (DIAL, Governance).
Coordinated both SiS.net2 and SiS.net 3, the pan-European NCP networks for Science with and for Society, covering ethics, open access, gender, and RRI.
Active in EURAXESS TOP III and IV plus Net4Mobility and Net4MobilityPlus, supporting researcher mobility services, career development, and gender integration.
Coordinated 'Our Science' (Researchers' Night) focusing on public recognition, citizen science, and science careers — a shift toward direct public engagement.
Participant in EU-PolarNet 2, contributing Iceland's geographic and scientific position in Arctic and polar research coordination.
In the early H2020 period (2014–2018), Rannis focused heavily on building NCP capacity across thematic areas — joining almost every major NCP network simultaneously (ICT, Space, Security, Energy, MSCA, Society) with keywords dominated by "capacity building," "national contact points," and "networking." From 2019 onward, their profile shifted toward innovation management (ICKEAM-5), science communication, public engagement, and citizen science, while maintaining their NCP backbone. The ERA-NET Cofund portfolio also matured, with larger commitments in blue bioeconomy and geothermal energy signaling a move from pure coordination toward thematic research funding.
Rannis is evolving from a passive NCP network participant toward an active facilitator of innovation and public engagement, making them increasingly relevant for projects needing national-level science communication or SME innovation support in Iceland and the Nordic region.
Rannis operates overwhelmingly as a network participant (29 of 34 projects), joining large pan-European NCP consortia rather than leading them. Their 5 coordinator roles are concentrated in areas where Iceland has particular ownership — the SiS.net network and Researchers' Night. With 226 unique partners across 56 countries, they function as a broad hub connecting Iceland to the entire European research landscape, though individual project budgets are modest (average EUR 115K), reflecting their role as a national coordination node rather than a research performer.
Exceptionally broad network spanning 226 unique partners across 56 countries — one of the widest geographic spreads possible, reflecting their role as Iceland's gateway to European research. Their connections span every H2020 pillar, making them a useful bridge to Nordic, Arctic, and small-country research ecosystems.
Rannis is the single gateway to Iceland's research ecosystem — partnering with them gives you a direct link to Icelandic universities, companies, and national funding streams. Their cross-pillar NCP presence means they understand the full breadth of EU funding instruments better than most single-sector organizations. For any consortium needing an Icelandic partner, geographic diversity (important for Widening proposals), or access to Arctic/geothermal/marine expertise networks, Rannis is the natural entry point.
