FRIPRO — Free Investigator-Driven Research

FRIPRO — Top Researchers (World-Leading Research Communities)

Funds established Norwegian research environments building globally visible excellence through long-range scientific programs.

FRIPRO Top Researchers — Developing World-Leading Research Communities is the largest per-grant subcall within the Research Council of Norway's FRIPRO portfolio, funding established research environments with ambitions to achieve or sustain world-leading status. Awards range from NOK 15,000,000 to NOK 40,000,000 per project over 48 to 96 months (four to eight years), drawn from a total pool of NOK 320,000,000. The call accepts applications on a rolling, open-ended basis. Only approved Norwegian research organisations may apply; companies are excluded as partners and may serve only as subcontractors.

Unlike the early-career and mobility subcalls, Top Researchers targets established research environments with a documented track record of high-quality output, existing international collaborations, and the infrastructure to lead a multi-year world-leading research effort. The project manager must be an experienced researcher with a demonstrated ability to lead large, collaborative research groups. All FRIPRO assessment rules apply: applications must score six or seven on every criterion to proceed to funding, and a one-year waiting period applies between a project manager's successive submission attempts. The 2024 FRIPRO success rate across all subcalls was 21 percent.

Successful applicants articulate a compelling vision for how the funded period will elevate the research environment to or sustain it at international leadership levels, supported by evidence of current scientific standing, publication record, and ongoing international partnerships. Budgets must justify the scale of the award requested across the multi-year project duration and comply with Research Council of Norway eligibility rules. Given the four-to-eight-year commitment implied by the award duration, reviewers scrutinise the sustainability plan and team composition in detail. Applications are submitted through the Research Council of Norway's portal at forskningsradet.no, with institutional endorsement required from the host organisation.