The University of Oslo has entered a partnership called the North Sea University Partnership (NSUP) with seven other universities in Northern-England and in Norway. The goal is to strengthen the ties between the universities and to create a favorable environment for collaboration within both education and research.
About the NSUP consortium
The consortium consists of 8 universities: the University of Oslo, the University of Bergen, the Arctic University of Norway, the Norwegian Technical University of Science and Technology, Durham University, the University of Leeds, Newcastle University and the University of York.
The partnership is coordinated and led by the University of Bergen and Durham University, on the Norwegian and UK sides respectively.
The NSUP initiative builds on a joint declaration between Norway and the UK, signed in May 2022 to recognize the crucial role science and innovation play in the economies of both countries. In addition to outlining bilateral strategic cooperation in defense and security, the declaration covers climate and environment, research and innovation, and education and culture.
About the seed funding call
Through a competitive process, NSUP will jointly advertise, select, and fund collaborative research projects involving at least two NSUP institutions (one Norwegian and one British).
The priorities for this call are energy, the green transition, marine/maritime research, and resilience/security. Interdisciplinary perspectives across science, humanities and social sciences for these topics are highly encouraged.
The selection panel will aim to achieve a balanced portfolio across the priority areas. Projects may request up to ?25,000 for activities lasting 12–24 months, with each project researcher funded by their respective institution. Participation of each applicant will be funded and supported by their home institution.
More information about the call can be found here.
How to apply
The call opened on 19 February 2026, and the deadline for submissions is 20 May 2026 at 12:00 (GMT). Proposals are to be prepared jointly and submitted by the Lead Applicant. Please complete the application by referring to the full application guidelines. The application must be submitted through the online application form here.
Applications from the University of Oslo must be approved by the Head of Department or equivalent, in accordance with the call requirements. Approved applications must be notified by e-mail to Sofia Elamson at the Department of Research and Innovation Administration by the application deadline. This is for information purposes and to ensure an overview of UiO’s participation.