Young CAS Grant

Application deadline: 9 December 2023

Go to UNIFOR application portal >

The Young CAS Grant is a collaborative initiative between CAS, the Young Academy of Norway (AYF) and The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (DNVA). The programme is designed to empower and support young researchers in their pursuit of project development and network expansion through residential fellowships. By providing financial support and fostering research endeavours, Young CAS Principal Investigators (PIs) gain valuable experience as research leaders. The PIs have the opportunity to invite colleagues from around the world to participate in collaborative, independent fundamental research at CAS. The support includes funding, office spaces, and administrative support. 

CAS will select two Young CAS projects for the period of August 2024 to June 2026. The applicant will serve as the PI of the project.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Young CAS Grant, applicants must:

• Have completed a PhD and be below the age of 40 at the application deadline. Extensions will be granted for leaves of absence, compulsory military or civilian service, and sick leave. There are no age limits for other project participants.
• Maintain a full-time academic position* at one of our partner institutions throughout the entire period. The position does not have to be permanent, and you may change affiliation between partner institutions. 
• While project leadership experience is preferred, it is not mandatory.

*An academic position pertains research and/or teaching at the college or university level.

Are you currently employed in a temporary position?

Applicants in temporary positions are also eligible to apply for the Young CAS Grant. Even if your employment circumstances for the second year of the program are uncertain, you can still apply. However, funding for the second year necessitates employment at one of our partner institutions when the second year begins. In this scenario, a letter of support from your new institution’s head of section is required.

Project Focus

Young CAS Grant projects should be blue-sky and curiosity-driven, challenge given truths and demonstrate the potential to advance the research frontier of the relevant field(s).  Researchers from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. However, please note that laboratory-based research cannot be conducted at CAS. Projects involving laboratory work, fieldwork, or data collection are welcomed if they aim to develop the theoretical aspects of the research.

Successful applications should clearly outline how the Young CAS Grant, through its gatherings and networking opportunities, will contribute to achieving project’s objectives and enhancing the applicant’s career.

What does CAS offer?

• Assistance in planning and organising the three workshops in year one.
• Five well-equipped office spaces for the research stay at CAS during the second year.
• Well-equipped seminar rooms with video conferencing equipment. CAS is wheelchair accessible, with ramps and elevators.
• IT and library services during the research stay.
• Pleasant accommodations within walking distance of the Centre for researchers not based in the Oslo area.

Two-year programme 

Young CAS PIs will receive a grant of up to NOK 750,000 over two years, distributed as follows:

First year: Organise three intensive workshops with a budget of up to NOK 250,000

Second year: Convene a core group at CAS for a two-month research stay, with a budget of up to NOK 500,000.

CAS will provide administrative support to the PI throughout the two years.  

For a comprehensive breakdown of budget inclusions, please refer to the “What can the funding cover?” section below.

Detailed two-year programme

The programme is structured as follows:

Year 1 

• The first workhop, lasting three to five days,  will take place in the autumn semester of 2024 at CAS’ premises.
• The second workshop, lasting three to five days, is ideally held at the PI’s home institution sometime in between workshop #1 and #3.

The third and final workshop  in spring 2025 will involve a three to five-day return to CAS, with the possibility of hosting a dinner at The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (DNVA). 

Year 2 

The research stay in year 2 is designed to resemble a CAS Research Grant project. The Young CAS PIs gather a core group of collaborators at CAS for two-month period, fostering concentrated work on the research project. 

The core group, which includes four to five participants (including the PI), should preferably consist of scholars who participated in the first year’s gatherings. 

Each participant should stay for a minimum of four weeks, which may be split into two periods (please note that stays shorter than one month increase accommodation costs). The PI must be present to lead the group during the entire  two-month period.

What can the funding cover?

The grant covers the following expenses:

• Travel and accommodation for project workshops and the two-month research stay at CAS. As a Young CAS PI based outside of the Oslo area, your accommodation expenses will be covered by CAS. Therefore, this cost does not need to be included in the project budget. CAS will arrange apartments for participants not residing in the Oslo area and staying for longer than 10 days. The current monthly rates are:

  1 bedroom: NOK 22,000
  2 bedrooms: NOK 26,000
  3 bedrooms: NOK 30,000

  Researchers with shorter stays will be accommodated in hotels, which currently cost NOK 1600/night for a single room.

• CAS will cover the cost of venues for the workshops, except for the second workshop held at the PI’s home institution. CAS will also provide office spaces and seminar rooms for the research stay in year 2. Thus, these costs should not be included in your budget draft.
   
• Food expenses:
  -  Daily lunches for the project participants during workshops and the research stay.
  -  Occasional dinner outings, adhering to CAS’ fixed rated for restaurant outings. 
  -  Participants staying in a hotel for shorter periods can have their dinner expenses covered, but the amount must be agreed upon in advance. CAS does not provide a per diem allowance. Moreover, only food meals purchased in restaurants can be reimbursed, as we cannot refund grocery shopping.
   
• Buyouts for documentable teaching replacements costs necessitated by participants’ stays at CAS in the second year. The budget must include estimated costs for buyouts, including the name of the scholar, and the period for the buyout. As the PI, you will keep your salary from your home institution and will, therefore, not require any buyout. Please note that overhead costs are not covered by the grant.

Support for researchers with families: 

Recognizing the challenges of a 2-month stay for researchers with families, CAS will cover housing expenses for PIs with families. For other participants, housing expenses will be covered by the project budget, and their family members are welcome if the budget allows. Childcare support can also be provided, and CAS can assist in exploring options if and when the need arises.

The application must include

• A description (3-4 pages) of the research project, including clear hypotheses/research questions and objectives. The project will be evaluated by a panel of generalists and must be written so that researchers from other subject areas can assess it. The focus should be on what will be accomplished during the fellowship. If you or members of your research group already serve as PIs of other projects with external funding, explain how these can complement the Young CAS project, how the different projects will be coordinated, and how CAS funding would provide added value.
   
• A plan (1 page) for implementing the work during the project period. The plan should show how you will organize and lead the project to achieve its objectives, and how the workshops and research stay will contribute to their realization. The plan should also explain how the stay will benefit your professional development and research. Neither the workshops nor the research stay should be used to write applications. However, it will be considered an advantage if the project can be developed with the aim of applying for funding from other research funding bodies such as the Research Council of Norway and Horizon Europe.
   
• A list of 3-5 researchers who will belong to the ‘core group’. The list should include the participants’ academic titles and institutional affiliations. However, a letter of intent from the participants is not necessary.
   
• A budget draft following the above guidelines. The budget draft must include information about the number of participants and an overview of the costs associated with travel, accommodations, and meals for each gathering in year 1 and the research stay in year 2. The potential buyouts during the research stay must also be included. Please provide necessary explanations of the expenses. Download budget draft template here >
   
• A brief ethical self-assessment (no more than half a page) certifying that you are familiar with the relevant ethical guidelines. Please read our guidelines for ethics in research >
   
• A CV including a publication list. The CV should not exceed four pages. Download template here >
   
• A letter of support* for the period of January 2024 to December 2025 from the head of section at your home institution. As noted above, you can still apply even if you do not know where you will be employed during the second year of the programme. The letter of support shall serve as a formal confirmation that: 1) You will keep your salary and be exempt from other obligations during the periods of absence due to your Young CAS Grant activities and 2) Your home institution will host the second gathering during the first year.

If the research requires pre-approval from the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics, or a similar body, this must be obtained before the start of the project. In the application, you must confirm that the necessary pre-approval will be obtained.

How to apply? 

The application must be submitted electronically in UNIFOR’s electronic application system >

All documents should be written in English and saved and uploaded as PDF files. Required templates are available on the application portal.

The applications should be submitted by 00:00 on the specified date. Late submissions cannot be processed as the UNIFOR system closes after the deadline.

The selection process

A selection committee, consisting of representatives from CAS, the board of directors, and the Young Academy of Norway (AYF), will present a shortlist to the CAS board of directors, which will ultimately select the two Young CAS Grants in January/February 2024.

The selection is based on scientific quality, the applicant’s merits and the project’s alignment with CAS’ mission and criteria in this call.

Applications that do not meet the formal criteria will be rejected.

Inquiries can be directed to adviser Julie Ellinor Frølich Dalseth >