Before you apply

It is important that you discuss your project idea with your colleagues and your research community/department before contacting the research administration. We welcome all good ideas, but it is important to ensure that your ideas are endorsed by your department, as well as supported by the research or academic community in which you work. 

Please note that, in the event of acceptance, there will be several tasks that must be followed up on before the project commences. Please refer to the project creation guidance for further information about this. 

Ideas normally originate from four starting points:

External partners interested in participating

In this context, it is important to clarify what is expected of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and your research community from the very beginning of the work on the project application process. Is the external partner working on an application for which the Oslo School of Architecture and Design will be a partner or is there a desire for the Oslo School of Architecture and Design to manage the project? 

Has it been established whether an application will be submitted to a specific funder or is there just a general idea being floated on which there is a desire to continue working?

You should also clarify what the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is expected to contribute to a potential project, whether everything will be funded or whether the Oslo School of Architecture and Design must contribute its own time or funds. In such a case, it will be crucial to obtain strategic support and clarify what this means in practice. The head of department is authorised to clarify this and the Director is authorised to approve it. 

Interest from internal research community

Firstly, you should have already discussed the idea with your research group and department to ensure that it is linked to the priorities and strategies of the department or the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. It will be easier to obtain assistance to further develop your idea if it is well supported by several people in the unit where you work. 

In this case, it is important to first establish whether it would be desirable for the Oslo School of Architecture and Design to lead the project or whether we would prefer to outsource project management to other partners. It is a good idea to start the process of identifying which partners you want to include in the project at the earliest possible stage, as well as the type of project you want to apply for and the funders you think could be relevant.  

A great idea from an individual researcher

If you have a great idea, the research administration can contribute with insight about the relevant project types, calls for proposals and funders. We also recommend that the great ideas individual researchers have be endorsed by the research community and the unit the researcher works in before being presented to the research administration. It would also be an advantage to prioritise supporting the idea and helping further develop the idea if it is linked to the Oslo School of Architecture and Design’s strategy or the research community’s priorities. 

In situations where there are many requests, the research administration must prioritise younger researchers in order to ensure career development and because there is a desire for the application process to also become a vehicle for learning how to develop a strong application.

Calls for proposals 

There are occasionally calls for proposals that ask for projects with a requested theme. In these cases, it can often be desirable to change tactic to try create a project based on text of the call for proposals. 

Regardless of how the idea comes to life, it is important to ensure that your research community and department have been informed and have had the opportunity to participate in discussion about whether this is something that the Oslo School of Architecture and Design should prioritise. You will not be prioritised by the administration or the academic management if the idea or project are not endorsed by your research community, department or the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and if you are the only person at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design wanting to work on the project, without any link to the rest of the school. 

If you or your research community have progressed far enough with the idea that you want to apply for funding to implement the idea, please contact the research administration as soon as possible. 

The research administration wants to help researchers or research communities with ideas and desires to apply for external funding. In order for the research administration to provide the best possible assistance in application processes, planning and facilitation will be necessary. It is therefore important that you write a brief, single page summary of the application, describing what you want to do, who is involved and how the project will contribute to knowledge change, as well as the impact it will have on the research community you are part of: 

We therefore ask that everyone who would like administrative support with research applications complete the following:

• «One pager: Research Application Summary (.docx)

Please do not hesitate to get in touch before you complete the form, as the research administration would be happy to go through the process with you if you need any help. 

Do you know where to apply for funding or do you need help identifying calls for proposals? 

The research administration has information relating to this and will be able to help find an overview of calls for proposals that may be suitable for your project idea. In order to assist you, we will also need a “One Pager” so that we can work strategically and collaborate further to identify calls or programmes under which we believe your project may have a possibility to obtain funding. 

We will subsequently work together to identify calls or programmes through which we believe your project could obtain funding. 

Do you want to apply for funding for projects where the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is the project owner? 

Being the project owner for an application is labour-intensive, but it is often best if the idea and project are closely integrated with the research communities at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design when most of the work will be performed by the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. For this reason, we also set out a number of strict requirements in order to assist with applications:

Norwegian funding (Research Council of Norway or the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education projects)

• No later than ten weeks before the application deadline: The project must be endorsed by the research community and department and “approval” to initiate an application process must be obtained.
• No later than eight weeks before the application deadline: The One Pager and Research Application must be completed and submitted to the research administration. 

EU and other European funding

• Are you applying to manage an EU project? You need to get started in good time and we will need to conduct thorough internal work at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design to ensure that the project is endorsed and ensure that the school has the resources and capacity to follow through on a potential acceptance before initiating the application process. We recommend that you start at least six months before the application deadline, since we have to ensure that the project is properly endorsed before we start. 

In the event of application deadlines where many applications may be submitted by the same deadline (particularly relevant to calls from the Research Council of Norway), the research administration will review all project proposals together with the academic management at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, reconcile the processes and discuss whether the school has the capacity to support all of the applications and, if necessary, make prioritisations.

Requests for assistance with applications for which the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is the project owner that are submitted after the deadlines have passed will be deprioritised.

In the ongoing work on applications, the research administration will request meetings with the community responsible for the application in order to provide further assistance in the process. The finance department will also participate with a project economist and we would also like any potential external partners to participate, as well as the academic management at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and one or more representatives of the research administration. The discussions at these meetings will largely relate to drawing up a realistic schedule for all project participants up to the application deadline. 

Funder/call for proposals

Some of the first things that must be clarified include where the project wishes to apply for funding, through which programme and under which theme. When this has been clarified, this will trigger a number of requirements relating to the design of the application, the composition of partners and partner requirements, requirements relating to budgets and funding and, not least, requirements relating to what the project will achieve academically. 

The research administration and project economist will be familiar with all formal requirements set out by the various funders and the budgeting rules and will be able to assist in follow-up on this work, together with the project team. 

If this is a large project with many project partners and a complex application category, it is also important to clarify early on that time and resources will be allocated by the department/research community to ensure that everything can be followed up on.

Roles in application work

Project Manager 
The Project Manager has a key role to play and must anticipate setting aside a great deal of time for this work before the application deadline, in addition to writing the application itself. The Project Manager is the academic owner of the application and will be responsible for ensuring the progress of all elements of the application. The Project Manager will also have the main responsibility for the following: 

• Partners and clarifications 

The Project Manager is responsible for following up on, communicating with and informing potential partners about the application and the progress. The Project Manager will also have the main responsibility for collecting information from the different partners and ensuring that such information is received at the right time. The Project Manager may delegate this work but will retain responsibility for ensuring that the work is done. 
It is absolutely crucial to ensure that any clarifications with partners take place in good time before the application deadline, in order to ensure that all formal requirements are in place. 

• Letters of intent 

The Project Manager is responsible for designing and establishing what should be included in any letters of intent. The administration may assist with this work and in obtaining such letters of intent, but the overall responsibility will rest with the Project Manager.

• Writing team 

The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring that the team of participants writes the actual application within the frameworks and requirements that have been set down for the project. The Project Manager is responsible for creating schedules and processes to ensure that everything is ready on time. 

• Access to application portals 

The Project Manager shall create the application in the application portal and will be responsible for providing anyone who requires access to the application with such access.
Administration (research administration and finance)
Administration will be able to assist in a coordinating role and will contribute the necessary administrative work to ensure that the application can be completed. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the responsibility for the application itself will always rest with the Project Manager. 

• Quality assurance and budget follow-up 

The Project Manager must submit information about data for the budget. Such information will mainly cover the following categories:

• Funded posts
  • Will the project request funding for new posts, PhD/postdoctoral fellows or others
• HR costs 
  • This includes anyone who will work on the project and already has a contract with the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. The Oslo School of Architecture and Design is responsible for calculating the costs of the school’s involvement and partners are responsible for performing such calculations for themselves. 
• Direct costs 
  • All costs that will be incurred in the form of travel, accommodation, purchase of materials, etc. 
• Any other costs 
  • This could include the purchase of R&D services and the purchase of infrastructure or equipment 

Together with the finance department, the research administration will create a proposed budget for Oslo School of Architecture and Design as a whole, as well as all costs based on this information. It is important to make sure that finance is involved early enough, in order to ensure that finance has the time to perform such calculations. 
The administration can take responsibility for reconciling any questions with the funder relating to formal requirements and criteria in the call, as well as reconciling any specific budget questions and other rules with the funder. 

Budget design
For all externally funded projects that are accepted, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design must budget in accordance with the TDI model. This means that we need to document all project costs, both in cases where we receive funding to cover costs and in cases where we invest our own time or funds. Together with the finance department, the research administration will have an overview of all costs associated with personnel in research projects. 

Partners 
Responsible for their own part of the project and budget. The budget must be submitted to the Oslo School of Architecture and Design no later than two weeks before the application deadline for the school to incorporate it in a comprehensive application and well designed budget. Please note that deadlines may vary depending on the size and nature of the project.

Do you want to apply for funding for projects in which the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is a project partner? 

It is often less labour-intensive to be a partner in an application, but in such cases it is still a good idea for the project to be closely integrated in the research communities at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design when most of the work will be performed by the school. We therefore set out requirements for early involvement of the administration for assistance with application work. 

Norwegian funding (Research Council of Norway or the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education projects)

• No later than four weeks before the application deadline: The project must be endorsed by the research community and department and “approval” to initiate an application process must be obtained (see earlier section).
• No later than three weeks before the application deadline: The One Pager and Research Application must be completed and submitted to the research administration. 

EU and other European funding

• Do you want to be a partner in an EU project? You will need to get started in good time, at least four weeks in advance, and it is important to conduct thorough internal work at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design to ensure that the project is endorsed and ensure that the school has the resources and capacity to follow up on a potential acceptance before initiating the application process. 

In the event of application deadlines where many applications may be submitted by the same deadline (particularly relevant to calls from the Research Council of Norway), the research administration will review all project proposals together with the academic management at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, reconcile the processes and discuss whether the school has the capacity to support all of the applications and, if necessary, make prioritisations.

How complex the application categories are and how much capacity the research administration has to provide assistance will also vary. All of this will be considered when assessing what the school can support and promise assistance with. 

Requests for assistance with applications that are submitted after the deadlines have passed will be deprioritised. 

Project Manager when the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is a partner

Even if the Oslo School of Architecture and Design will only be a partner in an application, we expect there to be a Project Manager for the application and the work performed by the school. The application and schedule will be managed by the institution that “owns” the application, but the Project Manager has a key role to play and must anticipate setting aside time until the application deadline.

The Project Manager will be the academic owner of the application at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and will be responsible for coordinating the process relating to the application at the school. 
It is also important to involve the research administration as early as possible if you want to be a partner.  

The Project Manager is responsible for maintaining contact with the project owner and for informing all involved parties at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design of any deadlines and other requirements that must be followed up on by the school. 

Administration (research administration and finance)
The administration will be able to help with the application work, but it is important to note that the responsibility for the application itself will always rest with the Project Manager. 

• Quality assurance and budget follow-up 

The Project Manager must submit information about data for the budget. Such information will mainly cover the following categories:

• Funded posts
  • Will the project request funding for new posts, PhD/postdoctoral fellows or others
• HR costs 
  • This includes anyone who will work on the project and already has a contract with the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. The Oslo School of Architecture and Design is responsible for calculating the costs of the school’s involvement and partners are responsible for performing such calculations for themselves. 
• Operating costs
  • All costs that will be incurred in the form of travel, accommodation, purchase of materials, etc. 
• Any other costs 
  • This could include the purchase of R&D services and the purchase of infrastructure or equipment 

Together with the finance department, the research administration will create a proposed budget for Oslo School of Architecture and Design’s part of the project, as well as all costs based on this information. It is important to make sure that finance is involved at an early stage, in order to ensure that finance has the time to perform such calculations. 

The administration will also take responsibility for reconciling any questions with the funder relating to formal requirements and criteria in the call, as well as reconciling any specific budget questions and other rules with the funder. 

Budget design
For all externally funded projects that are accepted, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design must budget in accordance with the TDI model. This means that we need to document all project costs, both in cases where we receive funding to cover costs and in cases where we invest our own time or funds. Together with the finance department, the research administration will have an overview of all costs associated with personnel in research projects. 

All applications submitted from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, both those in which the school is the project owner and those in which it is a project partner, must be subject to an approval process. At the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, there are three steps that must be established:

• Department approval by the head of department 
• Budget approval by the finance department
• Approval from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design management, normally through the Director. 

The research administration will assume responsibility for ensuring approval from the administration at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, but it is crucial that the Project Manager ensures that academic approval from the department is obtained as early as possible. 

Applications are always submitted by the Project Manager. If the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is the project owner, the research Project Manager will submit the application on behalf of all partners in the application, following internal approval at the school. If the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is a project partner, the research Project Manager will send the school’s part of the application to the project owner, following internal approval at the school. 

The research administration can assist in checking that all formal requirements have been met and that all relevant documents have been uploaded to the application portal. 

After the application has been submitted, it must be archived at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, regardless of whether the school is the owner of or a partner in the project. Applications and evaluations will be evaluated annually by the RC as part of quality control and as the basis for strategic discussions at the school. Submitted applications may be used as references for work on future applications.

If the Oslo School of Architecture and Design is the project owner, the research Project Manager will be responsible for forwarding the submitted application to the rest of the partners in the application. 

After an application process, especially if the Oslo School of Architecture and Design has submitted an application as the project owner, the research administration will wish to conduct a subsequent evaluation. The research administration will convene the team that was involved in the application at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design to discuss what worked well and what did not work so well. The research administration will take the initiative for organising the evaluation soon after the application deadline has passed. 

• Individual responsible for the administration: This individual must have the authorisation to bind the project owner (in this context the Oslo School of Architecture and Design). 
• The project owner is the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (or another enterprise/department that is the project owner).
• The Project Manager is the individual who has the academic responsibility for managing the project.