How to apply for funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers
Although the projects span a wide variety of areas, common to all is that they have Nordic added value and are anchored in the Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision. The majority are run by an “administrative body”, usually a national agency in the Nordic Region, commissioned for this purpose by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic Council of Ministers issues direct calls for funding applications on particular topics from time to time.
All projects are conducted on the basis of political discussion in the various councils of ministers or committees of senior officials. Decisions on the allocation of funding are made by them or on the basis of application schemes and announcements. Current opportunities to apply for project funding can be found here:
Please note that we cannot accept spontaneous applications.
Conditions
All projects that are granted funding need to meet the Nordic Council of Ministers’ conditions. Below is a list of the general conditions that apply to all projects. In addition, specific requirements may apply depending on the project and announcement.
Projects financed with Nordic funds must be linked to the Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision, action plan, and budget.
Vision 2030 is the overriding vision for Nordic co-operation, which is that the Nordic Region be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by the year 2030.
This means that we strive to be:
- A competitive Nordic Region: Together we will promote green growth in the Nordic Region based on knowledge, innovation, mobility, and digital integration.
- A green Nordic Region: Together we will promote the green transition of our societies and work towards carbon neutrality and a sustainable, circular, and bio-based economy.
- A socially sustainable Nordic Region: Together we will promote an inclusive, gender-equal, and cohesive region with shared values, increased cultural exchanges, and enhanced welfare provisions.
The various councils of ministers draw up plans, strategies, and programmes that reflect their political priorities. The Nordic Council of Ministers also has three intersectoral strategies: for sustainability, gender equality, and children and young people.
All projects must involve at least three of the following countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland or Åland. One of the Nordic countries may, however, be replaced by at least one non-Nordic country. Involvement is defined as helping to run or implement the project.
Projects must add Nordic value. This is defined as:
- the project being a collaborative effort between the Nordic countries
- the outcomes benefiting the Nordic countries.
Project process
To facilitate the reporting on the project, our project process has three phases. Depending on where in the process the project is, on the following pages you can read more about the three phases and what documents are needed to complete each step. Select the option that best suits your project:
You can read more about every step in the process in our guidelines.
Scandinavian document:
If you have a framework contract
If your project has a framework contract, this means that you must submit a report on the project every year in accordance with a common template. Projects that have a framework contract receive instructions on the annual report before the end of each year.
Managing projects
The project portal is for those who have already been allocated funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers. You will manage your ongoing project here. You will be given a username and password by the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers.
You can read more about the project portal in our manual.
Scandinavian document:
English document:
Nordic Council of Ministers’ project database
You can read about the most recently updated projects and search for ongoing activities in the Nordic Council of Ministers’ project database.