New minimum basic funding requirements in Norway

The Research Council of Norway has expanded the minimum requirements that research institutes must satisfy to receive public basic funding.

Currently, 52 research institutes receive basic funding from the Research Council, and several others are seeking to come on board. So far five new institutes have applied to be included in the funding scheme. The institutes already receiving basic funding will be assessed as well.

In expanding on the eight main requirements for basic funding for research institutes, the Research Council has established numerical criteria regarding, among other things, the size an institute must be to receive basic funding, the amount of scientific publication required, and the proportion of the institute’s revenues that must come from commissioned research.

Four of the requirements are directly linked to the research institute’s activities. The numerical criteria are based on the key figures reported each year by all research institutes.

The following minimum requirements have been set:

1. National and international revenues from commissioned research must comprise at least 25 per cent of the institute’s total R&D revenues.
2. Scientific publication measured in terms of publication points per academic person-year must comprise at least one-third of the average for the institute’s field.
3. The research institute must employ scientific personnel equalling at least 20 person-years.
4. The research institute’s revenues from funding sources, such as the Research Council and the EU, must comprise at least 10 per cent of its total R&D revenues.

In addition to meeting the numerical criteria, the institutes must undergo an assessment based on general research policy criteria. The Research Council will use this assessment as a basis for determining whether an institute will be included in the basic funding scheme.

Read the full story at the Research Council of Norway's website