Nansen EDU - Call for applications 2025

Under this call, the following types of organisations can apply for funding:

• Norwegian higher education institutions that are accredited by NOKUT, and that offer educational programs on both bachelor’s and master’s level.

Each application must include at least two partners in Ukraine that are fully recognized higher education institutions, public or private, that offer education programmes on both bachelor’s and master’s level. The Norwegian applicant institution must take on the coordinating role of the project.

Applicants are encouraged to utilize their professional networks and establish partnerships with other actors whenever this may enhance the project. Such partners may include higher education institutions offering accredited bachelor's, master's, or PhD programmes, research institutions, public or private enterprises, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), or other relevant organisations in Norway and Ukraine.

Applicants are particularly encouraged to include higher education institutions that have been relocated or are situated in areas most affected by the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine.

Partners from other European countries may participate in a supplementary role, provided their involvement contributes meaningfully to the expected outcomes in Ukraine and supports safe implementation of project activities.

The call is part of Nansen EDU – Norwegian–Ukrainian Cooperation in Higher Education. The programme is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a part of the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, and supporting the Ukraine Recovery Plan in the field of education and science.

The overall aim of Nansen EDU is to

• Strengthen Ukrainian higher education institutions’ ability to offer good, relevant and attractive education.
• Improve the access to well-qualified professionals for the public and private sector in Ukraine, tailored to priority fields in Ukraine and adapted to regional needs.
• Strengthen long-term cooperation between Norwegian and Ukrainian higher education institutions.

The purpose of this call is to fund projects that aim to generate the following objectives:

Strengthened higher education institutions in Ukraine:

• Enhanced leadership, administrative capacity, and supporting services.
• Improved ability of institutions and academic communities to participate in international knowledge collaboration.
• Strengthened teaching, innovation and research competence among academic staff.

Enhanced quality and relevance of educational offerings at the partner institutions in Ukraine:

• New and/or improved study programmes in priority academic fields for Ukraine.
• Improved quality of digital teaching, learning processes, and assessment methods.
• Improved teaching through student-active learning and integration of education in ongoing research and innovation projects.
• Strengthened doctoral education, opportunities for young researchers, and research-based innovation.

More inclusive education for vulnerable groups and establishment of new opportunities for continuing and further education:

• Established psycho-social support services for students and staff in Ukraine.
• Facilitated education for war-wounded individuals, demobilised soldiers and internally displaced persons in Ukraine.
• Established continuing education and training programmes in domains with identified skills needs.

Thematic priorities

The grants under this call will be given to projects that are considered to fall within the following thematic priorities:

• Digital transformation
• Environment and energy
• Physical and mental health
• Law, social sciences and economics
• Reconstruction and urban planning
• STEM and agricultural sciences
• Teacher and preschool teacher education

You can apply for up to NOK 5 000 000 (five million Norwegian kroner) in funding per project.

Projects may have a duration of up to three years.

Projects must have planned start-up between 1 June 2026 and 1 July 2026 and be scheduled to end no later than 30 June 2029. 

Note that the project must have at least one budgeted activity in each year of this three-year period.

What can the funding be used for?

The funding you apply for from HK-dir can be used to cover the following types of costs:

• Personnel and administration costs
• Procurement costs for services
• Procurement costs for equipment
• Scholarship costs
• Travel and accommodation costs
• Other project-related costs

Learn more about what the different types of costs include and how to budget and calculate them. 

Please note that there are restrictions on some budget categories concerning funding for Norwegian partners.

Applications must be submitted through the HK-dir application and reporting portal Espresso.

The application form and project description template include texts that provide guidance on what kind of information is requested in the different fields.

Requirements

The application must meet the following minimum requirements:

• The application must be submitted by the application deadline applicable to the call. 
• The application must be submitted through the HK-dir application portal Espresso.
• The application must be written in English.
• The application must be submitted on behalf of an organisation that can be entered as applicant under this call. 
• The application must at least involve the applicant institution and two partner institutions in Ukraine. The applicant institution and the two partner institutions must be fully recognized higher education institutions, public and private, that offer educational programmes on both bachelor and master level.
• The application must meet the duration requirements that apply to the call.
• The application must include a project description in PDF format, written using the HK-dir template.
• The application must include a signed version of HK-dir’s declaration of participation from the person in the applicant organisation with administrative responsibility for the application. 
• In addition, the following attachments must be included:
• Letters of commitment from all project partners, excluding the applicant institution, signed on relevant management level, documenting their interest in and commitment to the project.
• A curriculum vitae (CV) for the project coordinator at the applicant institution (maximum 4 pages).

Applications that do not meet these requirements may be rejected or considered incomplete. Applications with errors will be given a short additional deadline to correct such errors where possible. The content of attachments/links that are not a requirement will not be included in the assessment of the application.

Risk management

All applications must identify, assess, and describe how they will mitigate any relevant risks associated with the implementation of the proposed project.

Responsible international knowledge cooperation

Risk assessments tied to the security situation in Ukraine should be included. Consideration should also be given to potential risks in relation to fundamental academic values and national interests including security interests. Please consult Guidelines and tools for responsible international knowledge cooperation.

Cross-Cutting Issues

The risk of potential negative effects of the project in the following cases (Cross-Cutting Issues) shall always be included in the risk management of the project:

• Anti-corruption.
• Climate and environment.
• Women's rights and gender equality.
• Human rights (with a particular focus on participation, accountability, and non-discrimination).

Applicants must describe how they and the partners will identify and mitigate risk factors that may negatively impact the cross-cutting issues throughout the project implementation period. 

Prevention of financial irregularities

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has zero-tolerance of financial irregularities. Institutions receiving funding from Nansen EDU must have sound systems for the prevention, detection, reporting, and sanctioning of financial irregularities within and related to the project. This obligation applies to all staff members, consultants, other non-staff personnel, implementing partners, and any third parties which are involved in activities funded by the grant.

Applicants must

• Describe how the applicant institution and the partners will organize their operations and internal control systems to prevent, detect, and address financial irregularities throughout the project implementation period.

Prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has zero-tolerance for inaction in cases of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH). Institutions receiving funding from Nansen EDU shall have a victim/survivor-centred approach to SEAH issue and take all reasonable steps to prevent, detect, and respond to SEAH within and related to the project. This obligation applies to all staff members, consultants, other non-staff personnel, implementing partners, and any third parties which are involved in activities funded by the grant.

Applicants must

• Confirm that the applicant institution has ethical guidelines in place that include principles for the prevention, detection, and follow-up of SEAH.
• Confirm that any partner receiving a portion of the grant funding has ethical guidelines in place that include principles for the prevention, detection, and follow-up of SEAH.
• Describe how the applicant institution and the partners will organize their operations and internal control systems to ensure that SEAH is prevented, detected, and followed up.

• Project description template
• Declaration of participation template
• Budget guidelines
• Guidelines and tools for responsible international knowledge cooperation
• Grading scale
• Assessment criteria

Espresso

Applications will be considered by two people with special expertise and knowledge of the area covered by the call. In these individual assessments, the applications are given a sub-grade for each assessment criterion that applies to the call, according to the HK-dir grading scale. The assessments will then be consolidated, so that each application receives one set of grades. In case of disagreement about the grading of applications, the application will also be considered by a third person.

In order to qualify for a grant, all of the final sub-grades must be 4 or higher and at least two out of four sub-grades must be 5 or higher. 

The overall grades for the applications are calculated on the basis of the final sub-grades and the weighting indicated for the criteria (weighted average grade). In cases where two or more applications are awarded the same overall grade, the applications will be ranked based on the highest sub-grade for the criteria in the following order: relevance of the project, project impact, quality of project design and implementation, and quality of the project group and collaborative structures. In the case of applications that are still equal, their ranking will be determined by drawing lots. 

In addition, HK-dir may take the following factors into account when allocating funding:

• That the final portfolio reflects a balanced distribution between the thematic priorities of the call.
• That the final portfolio reflects a balanced geographical distribution in Ukraine.

To be considered in the portfolio assessment, applications must have received an overall grade of 5 or higher. Final decision on grants is made by HK-dir based on the final ranking of the applications and the listed portfolio considerations.

Applications that meet the requirements that apply to the call will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

Relevance of the project (30%)

Under this criterion, the following factors will be considered:

• To what extent the need for the project and its significance for the target group(s) are clearly demonstrated.
• To what extent the project’s planned results are concrete and suitable to achieve the call’s objectives.
• Level of ambition of the results.
• To what extent the project is innovative and/or complementary to other measures/activities already initiated by the participating institutions/actors. 
• To what extent the project demonstrates knowledge of existing initiatives offered by other actors, and how it proposes to deliver added value beyond what is already available.

Quality of project design and implementation (20%)

Under this criterion, the following factors will be considered:

• To what extent the project has a concrete, comprehensive and realistic implementation plan.
• Quality of risk assessments, including cross-cutting issues and SEAH.
• The extent to which the project is cost-effective and has allocated sufficient resources to the implementation of the activities. 

Quality of the project group and collaborative structures (20%)

Under this criterion, the following factors will be considered:

• The complementarity of the participating institutions/actors and the overall experience and expertise of the project group.
• Whether the division of tasks and responsibilities shows commitment and active contribution from all participating institutions/actors.
• To what extent the project has a clear and comprehensive plan for interaction between the participating institutions/actors, as well as with any stakeholders.

Project impact (30%)

Under this criterion, the following factors will be considered:

• Potential impact for the project’s target groups, participating institutions, and actors in and outside the project.
• The quality of planned measures to ensure that the impacts are maintained after the end of the project period.
• The quality of planned measures to evaluate and document the project's impact.

The criteria will be weighted according to the percentage indicated in brackets behind the individual criteria. Further guidance is available here on how these criteria will be understood and applied when assessing applications.

All applicants will be informed of the outcome of the application process. We estimate that grant decisions will be sent out medio May 2026. The grounds for the grading of the applications will follow as an appendix to the decisions.