Project co-leads (international) based in Norway can be included in UK-led applications and receive funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the Money Follows Cooperation agreement between UKRI and Research Council of Norway (RCN) to reduce barriers to cross-border collaboration.
This agreement does not represent a separate funding scheme. Applications must be submitted through existing council programmes. Conditions and budgets will differ depending on the funding opportunity.
Search for funding opportunities
If you have enquiries about submitting an application, contact details for the participating councils can be found in the Contact details section.
Who can apply?
The UK project lead must meet the relevant eligibility criteria for the specific funding opportunity being applied for.
You must be an eligible project lead employed by a UK research organisation eligible to receive funding from the participating research councils:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Depending on the research council, research organisations (ROs) eligible to receive UKRI funding may include institutions currently located outside the UK, for example:
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
- MRC and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit
- other UK research organisations overseas
The application’s leadership and majority of the budget is to be awarded to institutions eligible to receive UKRI funding.
Norway researchers
A project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) – previously named international co-investigator – based in Norway is an individual employed by a RO in Norway, who otherwise fits the normal definition of a project co-lead on a research project, collaborating with the grant holder in the management and leadership of the project.
The PcL (I) is usually expected to make a major intellectual contribution to the design and conduct of the project. PcL (I)’s will not be permitted to take over as project lead if the UK project lead steps down for any reason. The contribution and added value of the international participants to the research collaboration should be clearly explained and justified in the application.
The international RO must be of comparable status and standing to a UKRI-recognised UK institution. The international RO would be expected to meet the eligibility requirements to receive UKRI funding, according to the specific funding opportunity an application is being submitted, and considering the national context of the international RO.
It is the responsibility of the lead UK RO to ensure that the PcL (I)’s organisation is an appropriate organisation to receive, and has systems in place to manage, the funding provided. The UK RO will also need assurance that appropriate agreements are put in place for the delivery of the overseas activities funded under the grant. UKRI will not undertake eligibility checks as standard but reserves the right to undertake additional checks or seek further information from ROs if necessary.
If funded it is expected the UK RO will have carried out appropriate due diligence on any third parties or collaborative partners used to deliver any part of the project, before any collaboration begins, as outlined in the UKRI terms and conditions (RGC 2.6).
Further guidance
The councils will identify appropriate funding opportunities where the Money Follows Cooperation Agreement with Norway within the specific opportunity’s guidance.
Further information on the PcL (I) policy can be found in UKRI’s dedicated PcL (I) guidance.
What we’re looking for?
Under the Money Follows Cooperation agreement, project co-lead (international)s (PcL (I)s) based in Norway can be included in applications submitted by a UK-based project lead to eligible UKRI funding opportunities published by the participating research councils. The contribution and added value of the international participants to the research must be clearly explained and justified in the application.
The inclusion of a PcL (I) based in Norway is permitted in funding opportunities open to the inclusion of PcL (I)s that:
- do not expressly forbid international collaboration
- do not provide alternative support for PcL (I)s
Collaborative research applications led by UK researchers, involving PcL (I)s based in Norway, may be submitted in any disciplinary or interdisciplinary area which falls within the remit of the participating research councils.
Conditions will vary depending on research council and funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted. You should refer to the ‘Contact details’ section for key contact details to the research councils.
Funding limits
UKRI will pay the award directly to the lead UK organisation under its standard terms and conditions for research grants. Justified costs for PcL (I)s based in Norway will be funded at 100% of the direct costs.
The total costs claimed for the PcL (I)’s contribution to a project must not exceed 30% of the overall cost of the project, calculated at 100% full economic cost (FEC).
More than one PcL (I) based in Norway may be involved in an application to an eligible funding opportunity. Depending on the research council and funding opportunity guidance, other PcL (I)s may also be eligible for inclusion in an application. Where this is the case, the combined total costs requested for the PcL (I)’s (including those incurred by the PcL (I) based in Norway) must not exceed 30% of the overall cost of the project, calculated at 100% FEC.
Applications which include PcL (I)s must provide full justification on all associated costs within the ‘Resources and costs’ section of the application, explaining why such costs are required to achieve the aims of the project, with an appropriate explanation of which costs relate to the PcL (I) based in Norway. Each budget line requested for PcL (I) should be itemised within the ‘Resources and costs’ section.
Eligible costs
Directly incurred costs
For example, travel and subsistence costs, conference attendance.
This component will be assessed in the context of the application as a whole and the ‘Resources and costs’ section. Travel and subsistence costs for PcL (I)s based in Norway are required to be reasonable and fully justified in accordance with the applicable research council guidelines.
Applicants may apply for funds to cover other directly incurred costs (for example, consumables, consultancy fees, survey costs and equipment costing less than £10,000), provided they are fully justified. You should include costs associated with the PcL (I) including any locally employed staff, travel, and any other costs directly incurred by the project under exceptions.
Research and innovation associates based in Norway
For example, salary costs for research and innovation (R&I) associates – previously named research assistants – employed at a Norwegian research organisation (RO) or seconded from a UK RO.
Applicants may apply for funds to cover the cost of R&I associates based in Norway to support research activities in Norway. Where the R&I associate is recruited and employed by a Norwegian RO to support the PcL (I) based in Norway, direct costs will be paid at 100%. These costs should be included under exceptions.
In cases where a R&I associate is employed by a UK RO but seconded to the Norway based RO, costs will be paid at 80%.
Salary costs
UKRI covers salary costs for PcL (I)s based in Norway, provided that these costs are justified, and it is demonstrated that the funding of project lead salaries within research grants is the standard practice of the PcL (I)’s RO.
Alternative arrangements to secure researcher time, such as teaching replacement costs, will be considered where these are required by the PcL (I)’s RO.
UK ROs preparing applications for submission are strongly advised to liaise closely with the PcL (I) based in Norway to ascertain any requirement for salary costs. Salary costs requested for the PcL (I) based in Norway must be justified within the ‘Resources and costs’ section of the application.
Infrastructure and facilities
UK applicants budgeting for the use of large infrastructure or facilities, should, where possible, use UK large infrastructure or facilities when applying to UKRI funding.
Costs we do not cover
Estates and other indirect costs
Since institutions outside the UK do not use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) methodology, it is not possible for UKRI to check and monitor the calculation of estates, overheads and indirect costs in Norway based RO’s. For these reasons UKRI will not consider any estates, overheads or indirect costs pertaining to PcL (I)s.
Equipment
Any individual item, or components combined to make an item, with a value greater than £10,000.
Award payments
UKRI will pay the award directly to the lead UK organisation under its standard terms and conditions. The UK organisation where the UK project lead is based will then be responsible for disbursing the funds to the PcL (I)’s RO.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/collaborate-with-researchers-in-norway/)
