RCN Research Centres — SFF, FME, PETROSENTER

PETROSENTER — New Research Centre for Petroleum

Funds Norwegian petroleum research organisations building forward-looking technology programmes through sustained research support.

PETROSENTER 2026 establishes one to three new Norwegian research centres in petroleum science, administered by the Research Council of Norway under its Energy and Transportation portfolio. The total programme pool is NOK 240 million; individual centres receive between NOK 80 million and NOK 120 million over a maximum duration of 8 years (96 months). The deadline for applications is 23 September 2026. PETROSENTER runs in parallel with the FME clean energy centres call, reflecting RCN's simultaneous investment in both the energy transition and the optimisation of Norway's existing petroleum sector.

Eligibility is restricted to approved Norwegian research organisations — universities and research institutes. Companies, including oil and gas operators, cannot lead a PETROSENTER centre but are expected to participate as industry partners in the consortium; previous petroleum centre schemes required formal industry co-funding commitments from oil companies operating on the Norwegian continental shelf. The programme's scope covers subsurface reservoir science, improved oil recovery, CCS/CO2 storage related to petroleum fields, well technology, and other upstream and midstream petroleum research. The maximum 8-year duration is shorter than the 10-year standard applied to SFF and FME centres, reflecting the programme's more applied orientation.

Applicants must demonstrate scientific excellence in a specific petroleum research domain, establish a credible consortium of the relevant Norwegian university or institute with industry partners from the oil and gas sector, and show that the proposed centre will generate new knowledge applicable to the Norwegian continental shelf. Budget plans should cover the full 8-year period, addressing both RCN funding and the industry co-funding contribution that evaluators expect to see. Institutions that hosted earlier petroleum research centres — SIP, PETROMAKS-era collaborative projects, and prior PETROSENTER rounds — have competitive advantages in demonstrating infrastructure and track record.