Q: What is the difference between ?research groups? and ?research projects??
A: You are applying for grants for a research project that must be conducted by a research group with members from across UiO's faculties. The research groups must consist of at least four people. It is an important ambition for the initiative to stimulate genuine interdisciplinary cooperation.
Q: What are the requirements for the composition of the research group? May we include international scholars?
A: The requirement is that the PI has a permanent position at UiO and that the group consists of members from at least two faculties. In practice this means that the research group must have at least two participants who hold positions at UiO. Beyond this you are free to assemble the group as you want, including inviting international scholars, as long as the group consists of at least four people. However, we do recommend that the group has a strong foundation at UiO.
Q: I have a lot of questions regarding budgeting…. How do I proceed?
A: UiO:Democracy ask that all applicants contact the finance section at their home unit for assistance with budgeting.
Q: The call states that projects may run from 2024–2028. What does this mean for our project planning?
A: Feedback and questions in connection with last year's call showed that a three-year period is difficult if you want to facilitate recruitment positions. We therefore leave it to the applicants to decide which project length they find most appropriate, between 2 to 5 years.
Q: The call says that the project description should be five pages long. Does this include budgets and research plan?
A: The five-page limit is only for the project description. Additional documents such as abstract, budgets, milestones/plan, and CVs count as attachments.
Q: How long should the CVs be? Do we have to submit CVs for every researcher in the research group?
A: Applicants must use NRC’s template for CVs (see link at the main page). This has a limit of 4 pages. You need only submit CVs for the core members of the research group – the most central researchers in the project. This should be no more than 5 CVs.
Q: Is co-funding a requirement?
A: There is no requirement of co-funding in UiO:Democracy.
Q: Who are reviewing the applications?
A: An interdisciplinary committee with international referees will assess the applications. These will be researchers from different disciplines and with different approaches to democracy research. UiO:Democracy's staff serve as the secretariat for the review committee. Following the committee's recommendation, the board of UiO:Democracy will make the final decision on who will be allocated funding.