Application categories - guidelines

Applications for PhD grants must be submitted without a named candidate.

PhD grants must, as a general rule, have a duration of three full years (FTEs). The grant can be taken out as a 50 % doctoral position for six years, or a 100 % doctoral position for three years in the project. 

Doctoral grants of a shorter duration (min. one year) are only awarded if the candidate has already started his/her doctoral work without funding from other sources or has only received internal funds equivalent to up to two years work from the applicant institution. If this is the case, these funding arrangements must be explained in the project description.

The candidate must be employed and have their main physical workplace at the applicant institution for the entire project period, with the exception of any research stays abroad.

Helse Sør-Øst RHF awards a lump sum for this category which includes salary costs, indirect costs and operating costs. For 2026, the rate is NOK 1 400 000 for doctoral grants. It is not possible to apply for additional operating funds in this category. 

Helse Sør-Øst RHF does not provide support to candidates who have already completed a doctorate, or who have received other doctoral grants from Helse Sør-Øst RHF or other funding sources in the past. The doctoral grant cannot be shared by several candidates. 

Applications for postdoctoral fellowships must be submitted without a named candidate, if the application is not the PI’s own grant application. 

Please note: The postdoctoral fellowship must have a duration of three full years (FTEs). The postdoctoral fellowship can be taken out as a 50 % postdoctoral position for six years or 100 % postdoctoral position for three years in the project.   

Helse Sør-Øst RHF funds only one postdoctoral fellowship per candidate.

The post doc must be employed and have their main physical workplace at the applicant institution for the entire project period, with the exception of any research stays abroad. The dissertation must be approved before the candidate is employed in the postdoctoral position. The postdoctoral award cannot be shared by several candidates. 

Helse Sør-Øst RHF awards postdoctoral grants as an annual round sum. The grant includes salary costs, incl. indirect costs and operating costs. For 2026, the rate is NOK 1 400 000 for a postdoctoral grant. It is not possible to apply for additional operating costs in this category. 

*The activities of the health trusts are not subject to the new Universities and Colleges Act and the associated Universities and Colleges Regulations, which came into force in 2024. Postdoctoral positions in the specialist healthcare service will therefore not follow the requirements for postdoctoral positions in the higher education sector.  

Purpose 

The purpose of this application category is to provide scope for funding of a larger researcher-initiated project of high scientific quality with expected impact/benefit for future patient care. 

Funding and duration

In the open project support category, applications can total 1-3 million NOKs per year up to 3 years. Note that the budget must be within the given annual total for the category.

After the project has commenced, the PI is at liberty to apply to Helse Sør-Øst RHF to change the FTE percentages and to extend the project period to six years.

Budget

All applications for open project support must have a complete budget, which corresponds to the project's aims and content. Support can only be applied to cover actual costs that are necessary for the implementation of the project.

In the application form, a detailed budget must be drawn up within the given annual framework (NOK 1-3 million per year). The budget must show how the costs are distributed among different cost types during the project period, and additional information must be provided about each cost element.

Please note! The budget must cover the calendar years 2026, 2027 and 2028, even if the project starts after 1st January 2026.

The project's total budget must be made visible in the project description. Helse Sør-Øst RHF's contribution and what is financed by other funding sources must be clearly stated.

The budget is included in the review process of the application.

Budget elements 

In the open project support category funding is available for: 

• PhDs, postdoctoral and researcher positions
• other research/support personnel
• operating costs

Necessary research services can be purchased externally based on hourly rates, and this should be made visible in the budget and explained in the application. 

 The following is not permitted:

• employment/remuneration of people in other sectors (university/college or institute sector), other health regions or abroad.
• to apply for extra remuneration for the project manager or for compensation related to supervision of PhD fellows.
• purchase ordinary research support services on an hourly basis to an extent greater than a 20 % position, i.e. more than 30 hours per month, from an institution that is not eligible to apply. This applies to the total scope of the service, regardless of whether it is shared among several people.
• Support to events

PhDs, postdoctoral and researcher positions

If the application includes a doctoral or postdoctoral grant, these positions should be handled according to the guidelines given for applications within the individual categories. Please note that both doctoral fellowships and postdoctoral fellowships should have a duration equivalent to three full-time years. The names of candidates for such positions should not be given in the application.

PhDs, post docs and researchers must be employed and have their main physical workplace at the applicant institution for the entire project period, with the exception of any research stays abroad.

The support is given as follows:

• For doctoral positions, the support is only given as a lump sum which includes salary costs, indirect costs and operating costs. For 2026, the lump sum allocation is 1 400 000 NOK.
• For postdoctoral positions, the support is either given as a lump sum or actual salary costs. For 2026, the lump sum allocation for postdoctoral grants 1 400 000 NOKs.
• For research positions, actual salary costs for the position must be stated.

For all positions, the %FTE and the duration must be stated in the budget.

Appointments as a researcher require that the candidate has a PhD and at least a 20 % position. The researcher must be able to carry out independent research without being subject to supervision. The names of candidates for research positions can be included in the application if desired.

The project manager can apply for funding for their own research fellowship, provided that all requirements for project managers are met.

There is no limit to the number of years a researcher candidate can be funded by Helse Sør-Øst RHF, which means that the candidate may have had a researcher position with similar funding previously. 

Other research personnel and support personnel 

It is also possible to apply for funding for other research/support personnel, e.g., technical personnel, research nurses, etc. For each position, the job title, %FTE, salary and duration must be stated in the budget. The need for all positions and their role(s) in the project should be made visible in the project description. 

Positions listed in the budget element “research personnel/support personnel financed by Helse Sør-Øst RHF” must be employed at the applicant institution. 

Operating assets

Any operating costs necessary for the implementation of the project may be included in the budget. Examples of such costs may be:

• analyses, database solutions, biobank, monitoring, etc.
• funds for minor equipment (up to NOK 300,000 in total for the entire project period)
• publication costs (up to NOK 50,000 per year)
• user participation
• ICT access

If the project includes recruitment of patients, compensation for recruitment (e.g., using a per patient model) may be included. The cost elements should be explained in the project description regarding the individual cost elements included in the calculation (study nurses, laboratory equipment, etc.) and whether patients are to be recruited from regional institutions other than the applicant institution.

It is assumed that ordinary costs relating to the operation of laboratories, offices/workrooms and administration are included in calculations of indirect costs (overheads) for positions in the project, and consequently, they should not be included in the budget.