New research funding for autonomous systems, critical raw materials and societal risks
Det Norske Veritas Foundation, an independent Norwegian foundation, is now launching its first call for research funding. Nordic universities are invited to apply for funding for basic research within autonomous systems, critical raw materials, and societal risks.
In October 2025, the Foundation’s Board decided to earmark NOK 2 billion that will provide funding for basic scientific research grants. For 2026, the board decided grants up to NOK 100 million. The 2026 call for research proposals is now published.
The initiative is a strategic extension of the Foundation’s historic and statutory commitment to generating knowledge that safeguards life, property, and the environment.
By investing in basic scientific research in autonomous systems, critical raw materials, and societal risks, the Foundation addresses areas where advances in knowledge are crucial to strengthening resilience and maintaining safety, trust, and sustainability in a rapidly changing world.
The Foundation’s research funding extends the impact of public funding by targeting basic research where risk, uncertainty, and societal resilience are at the forefront of scientific inquiry.
It addresses pressure points of modern civilization: the materials we build with, the systems we run, and the risks we must be able to absorb.
“We see that vulnerabilities in society are increasing in complex systems and in the interaction between technology, climate and geopolitics. These are areas where there is a need for new fundamental knowledge in areas that are important to society, in line with our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment,” says Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chair of the Board of the Det Norske Veritas Foundation.
The call is for basic research within:
Autonomous systems: how artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies can be developed, understood and managed in a safe and reliable manner in critical applications.
Critical raw materials: how society can ensure sustainable, stable and long-term access to materials that are essential for energy, industry and technology, and which are affected by geopolitics, resource scarcity and vulnerable supply chains.
Societal risks: how interconnected threats such as climate change, cyberattacks and geopolitical instability will affect critical infrastructure and can reinforce each other and create compound risks.
“There is a growing need for research that takes a system perspective on risk and vulnerability. Our goal is to contribute to the knowledge base that makes it possible to develop, operate and regulate such systems in a way that safeguards safety, trust and sustainability,” says Baksaas.
To strengthen the knowledge base for safe and resilient societies
The Foundation will fund basic scientific research undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view. The projects are expected to contribute to new understanding, new methods and new frameworks that can strengthen society’s resilience in the long term. The research will address challenges at system level and across sectors, technologies and academic disciplines.
The governance structure has been established with clear roles between a Research Funding Committee (RFC) responsible for allocation decisions and external experts.
The Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of the RFC members, bringing together leading experts from across the Nordic region. Newly appointed members include John‑Arne Røttingen, Chief Executive Officer of Wellcome; Camilla Stoltenberg, Chief Executive Officer of NORCE Norwegian Research Centre and member of the Foundation Council; Leif O. Høegh, Vice Chair of Foundation Board; Jens Lundsgaard, Senior Fellow at the CIP Foundation and Astrid Rusås Kristoffersen, Director of Research and Development at DNV.
For each of the three research areas, 5-10 independent external experts will be recruited to carry out the scientific assessment of the applications and provide a scientific recommendation to the RFC.
Nordic start with global ambitions
Initially, the call is aimed at accredited universities in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. This anchoring is an operational choice for 2026, not a long-term geographic definition.
“The Nordic focus will enable the Foundation to establish robust processes and support operational learning during the first funding cycle. At the same time, this should be seen as a starting point and a deliberate learning opportunity. With DNV’s global presence in mind, the Foundation Board will, over time, evaluate how the initiative should evolve, including its future scope and geographic direction,” says Klas Bendrik, Chief Digital & Development Officer, in DNV.
The application portal is now open, with a submission deadline of 5 July 2026. The first funding decisions are expected to be announced by the end of October 2026.
Recipients of funding will be required to make their results publicly available in line with the principles of open access scientific publications.
More information about the research funding and the prioritised academic areas can be found here.
Instructions for the committee can be found here (PDF).
About Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas
Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas is a Norwegian, free-standing, autonomous and independent foundation whose purpose is to safeguard life, property and the environment. This purpose is achieved through its ownership of companies, of which the most important is the DNV group, which is 100% owned by the Foundation. DNV is a global assurance and risk management company, providing classification, certification, and technical assurance and advisory services.