Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about research funding in Health South-East? On this page, we have gathered answers to frequently asked questions about applications, assessments, allocations, and follow-up of research projects.
Application and Application Form:
The deadline for applying for research funding for 2027 is 3 September 2026 at 16:00.
The same deadline applies for applications for mobility grants.
The database will automatically close once the application deadline has expired.
Note: Many health enterprises set internal deadlines prior to the submission deadline for Helse Sør-Øst RHF.
The application must be submitted through a applicant institution, i.e. a health enterprise/private charitable hospital in Helse Sør-Øst, or a private institution with access to apply for research funding through Helse Sør-Øst. Research funding is allocated to the applicant institution specifically for the research project.
See the overview of eligible institutions.
When creating the application form, the "applicant institution" is selected. When the applicant clicks "submit application", a copy of the application is automatically sent to the designated research supervisor at the applicant institution.
All applications must be approved by the health trust/hospital before they are further processed by Helse Sør-Øst RHF.
When creating an application form, the database sends out an automatic email and SMS with a link to the application form. Click on the link. In some email clients, you may need to hold down "Ctrl" while clicking on the link. If the link still does not open, you can copy the link, paste it into the address bar of your browser, and press "enter". Alternatively, you can type the link in manually.
If you still cannot open the link, it may be due to the security systems at the institution/hospital. In that case, try forwarding the email to another machine with internet access outside the security system.
After you have created an application, an email will usually be sent to the provided address within a few minutes, as well as a text message to the mobile number you have specified. This email and text message contain a link to the application form. It may take a little longer if there is high traffic on the server. Due to security systems at certain institutions, it can happen that the emails do not reach their destination. If you have not received the link within an hour, you can therefore email forskningsmidler@helse-sorost.no and request to have the link sent to you manually.
Some institutions have strict security settings that block automatically generated emails. Therefore, please ask your partner to check their spam folder before you possibly contact us at forskningsmidler@helse-sorost.no to request that the email be sent manually.
Under "add participants", the phone number of the collaborator should be entered. Please note that in this box, there should be no hyphens, spaces, or a 0 (zero) at the beginning of the number. The number should be written straight as follows: 34567890
Please provide the REK number if available. The field is not mandatory.
User involvement in the project should be accounted for, or a justification provided as to why this is not relevant.
Read more about user involvement in health research here.
Principal Investigator(Applicant):
Each Principal Investigator may only submit one application in this call.
See application access to regional research funds.
No, anyone can create and fill out the application form on behalf of the Investigator. However, since the Investigator is professionally responsible for the project, he/she must approve the application before it is submitted.
The Principal Investigator (applicant) must:
- hold a doctorate
- be employed in at least a 20% position at the applicant institution from the time of application and throughout the entire project period
- have their main position at either the applicant institution or another institution in the region (in the health sector or other sectors)
Guidelines:
In open project support:
Individuals appointed to research positions must hold a doctorate and have at least a 20% position. The research candidate should be able to conduct independent research without being subject to supervision. Names of candidates for research positions may be provided in the application if desired.(open project support)
The Principal Investigator may apply for funding for their own research fellowship, provided that all requirements for the project leader are met.
There is no limit on the number of full-time equivalents a research candidate can be funded by Health South-East RHF, which means that the candidate may have previously held a research position funded by Health South-East RHF.
All applications for open project funding must include a complete budget that aligns with the project's goals and content. Funding can only be requested to cover actual costs that are necessary for the implementation of the project.
The application form must include a detailed budget within the specified annual framework (1-3 million NOK per year). The budget should show how costs are distributed across different cost types during the project period, and comprehensive information must be provided for each cost element.
Note! The budget must be prepared for the calendar years 2027, 2028, and 2029, even if the project has a later start date than 1 January 2027.
The project's total budget must be clearly presented in the project description. It should be evident what contribution is made by Helse Sør-Øst RHF and what may be covered by other funding sources.
Yes, it is only the PhD candidate themselves and the project leader* who must be employed by the applicant institution. The main or co-supervisor(s) may have a different affiliation.
*see separate point regarding the project leader
Yes, the application must be written in English. The application may be rejected if the application and the attachments are written in Norwegian.
Cooperation agreements from project participants shall be obtained electronically. An email or SMS will be sent from eApplication to the project participant registered in the application form by clicking on the symbol for email or SMS. If changes are made to the description of what the individual will contribute to the project, the email/SMS must be sent out again.
The email/SMS will be sent out with English text. Project participants must confirm the cooperation relationship by following the instructions in the sent email/SMS. The status of feedback from the project participants will be displayed in the preview of the application and must be followed up by the applicant/the person filling out the form before submission. Ensure that the correct email address for the project participants is filled in.
Assessment:
Utility value refers to the project's anticipated significance/utility for patient treatment in the short or long term and/or disease prevention and/or the organisation and quality of healthcare services.
Contact information for regional research support