Open invitation to apply for project funding for Nordic collaborative projects focusing on the promotion of a green and sustainable transition in passenger transport and emission‑intensive sectors

This open call aims to support initiatives that increase knowledge and facilitate cooperation across the Nordic region. This call welcomes applications focusing on the promotion of a green and sustainable transition in passenger transport and emission-intensive sectors, such as the agricultural sector. The results shall be in line with Nordic priorities and may in addition have an impact on an international and global level.

The programme can fund activities, such as analyses, reports, dialogues, seminars and alike, that support policy development, capacity building and the expansion of the knowledge base within the two focus areas.

The programme welcomes project applicants to especially consider communicative efforts and outreach of results as a part of the proposals.

The NKLP aims to facilitate cooperation and increase knowledge for limiting climate change and air pollution and prevent their adverse effects, as well as fostering the transition towards climate neutrality and the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the UNECE Air Convention.

We invite applications for projects that: 

Promote a green and sustainable transition in passenger transport to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and support low-emission solutions in the Nordic region. 

Relevant applications may include projects that: 

- develop shared Nordic methods, peer-learning, indicators, and analytical tools, including strengthening integrated planning across transport modes, land-use development, and climate policy. 
- improve the practical use of sustainable transport and land-use models in policy. 
- map infrastructure needs for large-scale vehicle electrification, including grid and storage capacity, charging networks and the potential of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions. 
- advance a just and inclusive green transition in passenger transport, for example by analysing distributional impacts, supporting fair access to low-emission transport options or developing approaches that ensure socially equitable outcomes. 

Promote a green transition within high-emission sectors 
- Projects may provide policy input to the revision of the Gothenburg Protocol or the development of carbon credit systems. This may include peer learning, analyses, and proposals targeting emission-intensive sectors such as agriculture, to strengthen multilateral cooperation and support integrated policies that improve Nordic ecosystems, air quality, and climate.

The programme welcomes a wide variety of applicants. Examples of eligible entities that can apply, but are not limited to:

- Profit/non-profit research institutions
- Industry and trade associations and business federations
- Regions and municipalities
- Government agencies
- Non-governmental organisations
- Consultancies
- Stakeholder platforms
- International organisations

The project must have participants from at least three different Nordic countries or two different Nordic countries plus one non-Nordic country. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland or the Åland Islands are seen as Nordic countries.

• The fulfilment of the aim of the open call. 
• Quality of the communication and outreach plan for the dissemination of the results, including final beneficiaries. 
• Relevance and Nordic value: projects must add Nordic value, i.e. be a collaborative effort between the Nordic participants. The outcome should benefit emissions reduction in the Nordic countries.  
• Project quality and feasibility. 
• Credibility and experience of project team (please note that no additional documents, such as CVs, are considered). 
• Contribution to the fulfilment of commitments of Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and mainstreaming of cross cutting perspectives, for gender equality and rights of children and youth. 
• Innovative and transformative thinking within the scope of the aim, which contributes to knowledge or solutions to problems identified by the project. 

Unless otherwise agreed, all publications funded by projects that receive Nordic Council of Ministers funding, must be produced by the Nordic Council of Ministers' publishing unit. The administrative body is obliged to adhere to the Nordic Council of Ministers' current communication and publishing strategy, including guidelines for publication and dissemination. It is the responsibility of the project lead to allocate funds for potential communication and publication in the budget. The costs for the publication should be included in the project budget.  

All publications that are published by the Nordic Council of Ministers are available via Open Access through the publication platform Nordpub, on norden.org, and in Google Books.   

All projects must deliver an executive summary for possible web publication through the NCM. 

Find the overview of Nordic publications on climate and air here. 

Find information on how to publish NCM reports here including contact information to the publication’s unit. 

The call for applications is open from 15 June 2026 and close on Monday 14 September 2026 at 23:59 (CET). Projects granted funding will be notified by the end of 2026. Note that the granted funding will be disbursed during the first quarter of 2027.

The suggested size of grants for project proposals in this call is 500 000 – 950 000 DKK.

The activity period for this call is 1 January 2027 to 31 October 2027. All projects must finish no later than 31 October 2027.

Please ensure that the proposed timeline aligns with the overall project planning and deadlines.

Applications must be submitted using the Nordic Council of Ministers’ narrative application form and budget template available to download. Any VAT shall be paid by the project and must be considered when establishing the project budget.

When completing the budget form, overhead costs are calculated based on the total budget. For general project funding, overhead costs may be a maximum of 7 % of the total budget. For funding of research activities carried out by recognised research organisations — such as universities, university-affiliated research units, or accredited research institutes — the overhead costs may be a maximum of 20 % of the total budget. The 20 % overhead rate does not apply to private consultancy firms or other commercial service providers, which fall under the general 7 % overhead rule.

If the project has received at least DKK 500 001 and the administrative body is not subject to audit by one of the Nordic national audit offices, the project’s final accounts must be audited by a certified or chartered public accountant. The audit report must comply with the provisions laid down by the Audit regulations for funds granted by the Nordic parliaments to the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Any costs for external audits should be considered when establishing the project budget. 

Audit instructions can be found at the information page on Nordic funding. 
 

Notice of funding is issued by the NKLP secretariat through the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The Swedish EPA complies with state aid rules for the award of grants/subsidies (Article 107 TFEU). If an approved project meets all six criteria for state aid, the grant will apply to the rules for de minimis support and a de minimis declaration must be filled in and provided to the NKLP/Swedish EPA. The NKLP group and/or the Swedish EPA cannot provide advice on or answer questions regarding EU state aid to potential applicants.  

General Data Protection Regulation 
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is obliged to comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). By applying, the applicants give approval that the NKLP (Environmental and Climate ministries/agencies in the Nordic countries) process the application and any personal data in the application electronically.  

• Narrative application/project form for project funding (Word document, English) 
• Budget template/financial statements (Excel, English) 
• De minimis declaration (if relevant) (Word document, English) 

The application must contain the (1) Narrative application/project form and (2) budget/financial statements. Attach De minimis declaration when relevant.   

Do not submit any additional documents to your application.  

Application/project description form must be submitted in one e-mail attaching the narrative application form as a word (.docx) or pdf file and the budget/financial statements as an Excel file (.xlsx).  

Submit the application to the NKLP secretariat: nklp@naturvardsverket.se.  

The maximum number of pages of the application may not exceed 15 pages. 

If you have any questions, please contact the NKLP secretariat. 

We look forward to receiving your application!