The 2024 NordForsk-led International Joint Initiative on Sustainable Development of the Arctic competition has launched. This international joint initiative is a two staged call and represents a collaboration among research funders from Canada, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States.
The Arctic region has seen and continues to see rapid and drastic changes, mostly due to climate change, which has a bigger impact in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. The direct effects of climate change, as well as these indirect ones, have a significant impact on ecosystems, Arctic communities, and traditional ways of living. Through interdisciplinary research projects that include Indigenous perspectives, this call will leverage expertise across Arctic countries to explore approaches to sustainable development in the Arctic, considering aspects such as security, natural resources and societal changes.
Amount: The maximum budget for the direct costs of the research project is C$800,000 per year, for four years. Grantees will have four years to complete their projects and spend grant funds. Applicants may, in addition, request up to 25% of the value of the direct costs of research to cover indirect costs and include this in their total funding request, for a maximum grant value of C$1,000,000 per year.
| Deadlines | Required Steps |
| Notice of intent to apply | As soon as possible |
| Internal – Registration: May 22, 2024 (3:00PM) | Complete and submit Registration in the Convergence Portal for full ORS administrative review. Submit a ROLA proposal for institutional approvals. |
| External – Registration (for Canadian Research teams): May 30, 2024 (by/before 2:00PM) | ORS to submit final Registration in the Convergence Portal. Registration must be forwarded to NFRF by the institution. |
| External – Full Application (Pre-proposal stage): June 4, 2024 (13:00 CEST, Oslo time) | Research teams must submit an application through the NordForsk Application Portal. Registration must be completed to submit full application. |
Eligibility:
- Proposals must meet the requirements as set out in the NordForsk call document.
- A minimum of three Nordic countries must be represented on the research team.
- To be eligible to receive funding from the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF), the research team must also include at least one member who is eligible to apply to NFRF. Research teams must submit an application through the NordForsk Application Portal.
- Research teams seeking funding from NFRF will also have to complete a registration and application in the Convergence Portal. If the research team has more than one NFRF-eligible researcher on it, one must be selected as the nominated principal investigator (NPI) and will be responsible for initiating the application in the Convergence Portal; the others may be co-principal investigators (co-PIs) or co-applicants, depending on their role.
- The Canada-based research team may include individuals who are not eligible to apply directly to NFRF as co-PIs and/or co-applicants.
- NFRF will only fund Indigenous co-developed co-led projects. All projects are required to partner with a participating community or communities in the co-creation, implementation and ownership of the research and outcomes, and to develop approaches related to knowledge mobilization and community uptake. To reflect this, the Canada-based team must have a minimum of two co-PIs, including the NPI and a co-PI who is a representative of the community or region where the research will take place and/or the community that has requested and will benefit from the research findings. Research teams should have a well-developed relationship already established with Indigenous partners & prospective co-PIs prior to submitting an application.
Additional information: NFRF-International page and the NordForsk funding site.
Webinar: NordForsk has a recorded webinar here.
EDID & Indigenous Research Support & Resources: For EDID and Indigenous Research support and/or consultation for your application, please visit Western’s site for resources and contact information: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization (EDID) & Indigenous Research Resources.
Questions: Elizabeth Russell-Minda, Institutional Research Programs Officer.
