In these projects, there’s a large proportion of young women researchers and the content of the projects ranges widely from political communication, Viking warriors, old law books, and older migrant groups to research on refugees from Ukraine.
Published: 01.06.2023
Petri Karonen from the Academy of Finland is vice-chair of the NOS-HS committee.
“We’ve received a large number of high-quality applications from talented young researchers. The call for applications demonstrated the importance of Nordic co-operation and the importance of strong research networks. On the one hand, the number of applicants was a positive surprise, and on the other hand, this meant that unfortunately there were many excellent projects that weren’t allocated funding on this occasion. The applications were evaluated by international scientific panels, and the NOS-HS committee ultimately decided to propose funding seven projects that were assessed to be of exceptionally high quality,” he says and adds:
“The funded projects are representative of the diversity of all the Nordic countries and are of very high scientific quality. All projects offer strong Nordic added value and are a great asset to society more widely. The social impact of these projects, which comes to light in various ways, further reinforces the importance of the research activities.”
NordForsk received 155 valid applications by the nomination deadline. Here’s a brief overview of the seven projects that have received funding:
PastForward: The political uses of the past in digital discourses about Nordic futures
Project manager: Manuel Menke
Project partners from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
Making a Warrior: The Social Implications of Viking Age Martial Ideologies
Project manager: Marianne Moen
Project partners from Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden
Exploring homelessness among young care leavers: Addressing challenges and finding potentials in a Nordic welfare context
Project manager: Anne-Kristine Mølholt
Project partners from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden
To integrate or return? Policies, aspirations and outcomes for Ukrainian refugees in the Nordic countries
Project manager: Vilde Hernes
Project partners from Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark
Nordic Law Books: The Production and Use of Vernacular Law Manuscripts in the North from 1100 to 1600
Project manager: Stefan Drechsler
Project partners from Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark
Banal (Non)Religion: Secular Imaginaries in Contemporary Pop-Culture
Project manager: Sara Evelina Lundmark
Project partners from Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway
Healthy communities in ageing societies – participatory research with elderly immigrants and refugees living in a Nordic society
Project manager: Verena Lenneis
Project partners: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
Background for the call
NOS-HS project was an open call based on curiosity-driven research in the humanities and social sciences. The hope is that, in the long term, the call will strengthen Nordic research collaboration, since it’s aimed at young researchers and active participation is required from partners in at least four Nordic countries. Several reports in the Nordic countries point to growing pressure on academic career opportunities for young researchers in the humanities and social sciences. This includes a lack of sufficient research funding, as well as a link between an increasing number of temporary research positions and a stable or decreasing number of permanent academic positions.
Funding
The total budget has increased by around NOK 10 million. The total budget, which is distributed between the projects, therefore amounts to approximately NOK 55 million. The national research councils contribute two-thirds of the total budget, while NordForsk contributes the remaining third.
Applicants were invited to apply for funding to establish a Nordic research project with a maximum budget of NOK 8 million for a duration of three years.