Strong Nordic response to Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas’ first research funding call
The first call for research funding from Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas has attracted strong interest from the Nordic research community.
By the application deadline on 5 July 2026, the Foundation had received 145 applications from accredited universities across Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden. Of these, 59 applications were submitted within autonomous systems, 49 within critical raw materials, and 37 within societal risks.
The response demonstrates broad engagement across all three research areas and reflects a shared recognition of the need for new fundamental knowledge in areas that are increasingly important to society.
"The response to our first call has been very encouraging. We established this initiative to support excellent basic research in areas where society is facing growing complexity and uncertainty. Seeing such strong engagement from universities across the Nordic region gives us confidence that we have created a relevant and meaningful funding programme with long-term potential," says Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chair of the Board of Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas.
Next steps in the evaluation process
The Foundation`s project team has now completed the eligibility screening of all submitted applications. Eligible proposals have been passed to independent external experts for scientific assessment, with each research area being evaluated by dedicated expert panels.
The experts' scientific recommendations will then be considered by the Foundation's Research Funding Committee (RFC), an independent committee bringing together internationally recognised leaders from research, industry and research funding.
The RFC will provide an overall funding recommendation to the Board based on the projects' alignment with the Foundation's purpose, strategic fit with the programme mandate, contribution to portfolio balance, and integrity, risk and governance considerations.
The 2026 Research Funding Committee consists of:
- Leif O. Høegh, Vice Chair of the DNV Foundation Board
- Camilla Stoltenberg, CEO, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre
- Astrid Kristoffersen, Director of Group Research & Development, DNV
- John-Arne Røttingen, CEO, Wellcome
- Jens Lundsgaard, Executive, Chair and Board Member
- Joakim Appelquist, Academy Secretary and Vice President, The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA)
The first funding decisions are expected to be announced in October 2026.