VISTA Centres for Interdisciplinary Research on Energy Transition
Call 2024
The VISTA program is a continuation of a more than 30-year long collaboration between Equinor and The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
On this basis, the VISTA board calls for proposals for new VISTA centres. Two new centres will be funded by a total of 25 MNOK over a five-year period. The overall budget of each center should allow for the critical mass/level of research activity necessary to push the research front in the domain of the centre a significant step forward. Resources from the research institutions covering at least 40 % of the total budget should match the VISTA contribution. VISTA funding may be used for salary, direct and indirect costs.
The centres must be located at a university at which the principal investigator holds a position, adhere to the principles of RRI (Responsible Research & Innovation) and be interdisciplinary.
In the event a grant application is successful, VISTA and the host institution will enter into a project grant agreement in which their respective responsibilities will be detailed in full.
Scope of call
Limiting global warming will require major transitions in the energy sector and in society. This will involve a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use, widespread electrification, improved energy efficiency, and use of alternative fuels.
With this as a background, the VISTA programme 2024-2028 aims to support science that provide fundamental insights in:
1. Energy Transition Solutions
2. Public Policies and Citizen Engagement
For each of these two research areas, VISTA will fund one centre. The detailed description of the two research areas can be found in Appendix 1.
The VISTA programme supports research that is in accordance with the strategies and priorities of the host institutions and their research environments. The VISTA programme therefore invites Norwegian universities to submit a limited number of proposals (as listed in appendix 2). Research groups that participate actively in established or new Centers of Excellence (SFF), Centers for research based Innovation (SFI) or Centers for Environment-Friendly Energy Research (FME) may apply only if the proposal is qualitatively distinct from the already established or new centre and represents a truly novel cross- or interdisciplinary approach. It is a condition for funding that the VISTA name is attached to the centre and its activities.
Please also consult Appendices 2, 3 and 4 for further details about the programme and on how to apply.
The application deadline is March 15, 2024 at 12:00 (noon).
The final decision on the centres to be funded will be made in May 2024. The centres should start up as soon as possible, and no later than October 1, 2024.
For any questions related to the call, please contact:
Håkon Sandbakken
VISTA coordinator
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Email: hakon.sandbakken@dnva.no
Phone: +47 22 84 15 18
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