The Board of The Icelandic Research Fund has completed the allocation of grants for new research projects for 2024. A total of 353 valid applications were received by the Research Fund, 67 of which were funded, or 19%.
The Icelandic Research Fund (IRF) is the leading competitive research fund in Iceland. The fund grants projects in all areas of science, from grants to doctoral students to grants of excellence. Grants of excellence are awarded for major projects that excel in their field and have international connections.
Grants for new projects amount to ISK 1.1 billion this year, but since the projects are generally for three years, the total cost is close to ISK 3.3 billion in the years 2024-2026. The IRF will also support the participation of Icelandic parties in internationally funded projects.
Below is an overview of the breakdown between types of grants. Further analysis is available on the Research Fund's website. Amounts may change as a result of contract negotiations and information published may include typos.
A total of 29 applications for excellence grants were received and 4 were funded, or 13,8%.
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Óttar Rolfsson, Per Johannsson, Adrián López García de Lomana, Sarah McGarrity, William Oldham, Thomas Duflot | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Assessment of shock induced hormonal crosstalk in endothelial dysfunction | 48.470 |
| Sigríður Þorgeirsdóttir, Guðbjörg R Jóhannesdóttir, Kristín Valsdóttir, Björn Þorsteinsson, Donata Schoeller | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Freedom to make sense Embodied, experiential and mindfulresearch | 50.220 |
| Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir, Matthias Wibral | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Sunk Cost Iceland (SCICE) | 52.720 |
| Unnar Bjarni Arnalds, Snorri Þorgeir Ingvarsson, Friðrik Magnus | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Magnetic metamaterials | 52.335 |
A total of 159 applications for project grants were received and 30 were funded, or 18,9%.
Physical Sciences and Mathematics (18%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Egill Skúlason, Koichi Shirahata, Hiroyuki Higuchi, Atsushi Ishikawa | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Integrating AI and DFT for sustainable ammonia synthesis – a high-throughput screening study | 21.600 |
| Elías Rafn Heimisson | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Bárðarbunga's Caldera as a Kilometer Scale Earthquake Laboratory | 21.707 |
| Elvar Örn Jónsson | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Computer Simulations of Liquid/Solid Interfaces with Applications to Electrochemical Systems | 24.250 |
| Jón Emil Guðmundsson | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Optical design and characterization for the NASA balloon-borne experiment Taurus | 22.840 |
| Sæmundur Ari Halldórsson, Robert Alexander Askew | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | SECRET—Structurally Enhanced Crustal Recycling Explains exTensive silicic magma production | 22.340 |
Engineering and technical science (26%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Dórótea Höeg Sigurðardóttir, Björn Marteinsson, Kristján Mímisson | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Monitoring and Simulation of Hygrothermal and Structural Behaviour of Turf Houses: Towards Preservation and Performance Optimization | 15.977 |
| Einar Örn Sveinbjörnsson | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Optimization of SiC/dielectric interfaces in SiC MOSFETs for power electronics | 23.985 |
| Hrund Ólöf Andradóttir, Tarek A. M. Zaqout | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Multi-objective benefits of sustainable urban drainage systems in cold climates | 23.632 |
| Kristín Briem, Sigurður Brynjólfsson, Atli Örn Sverrisson | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Moving with intent; making strides with a novel prosthetic leg with intent control and sensory feedback. | 20.457 |
| Matthias Book | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Sketchsheets: Sketch-based User Interaction with Spreadsheet Applications | 20.992 |
| Slawomir Marcin Koziel | Reykjavik University-Department of Engineering | Efficient Design of Reflectarrays and Transmitarrays Using Machine Learning, Behavioural Modelling, and Optimization | 21.725 |
Natural and environmental sciences (17%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Bjarni Diðrik Sigurðsson | Agricultural University of Iceland | Effects of wetland restoration on GHG-balance and ecosystem function (ReWet) | 22.593 |
| Björn Christian Schäffner, Peter Olson | The Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, KELDUR | Conservation of ancient relationships: Assessment of skates (Rajiformes: Rajidae) and their parasite fauna in Iceland | 18.750 |
| Egill Gautason, Bjarne Nielsen | Agricultural University of Iceland | Genetic adaptation of barley to extreme environments | 20.845 |
| Paul Vincent Debes | Holar University | Genetic architecture of maternal and maternally controlled traits in Arctic charr | 18.296 |
Life sciences (17%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Eiríkur Steingrímsson | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | The MITF E318K variant and melanoma predisposition | 18.437 |
| Margrét Helga Ögmundsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Mammalian specific features of ATG7 in Drosophila melanogaster | 22.500 |
| Ragnhildur Þóra Káradóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Ramifications of focal white matter lesions on brain function | 21.416 |
| Sigríður Rut Franzdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Pontin, Reptin and the Cellular Machinery at Neurmuscular Junctions | 22.485 |
| Sigurdís Haraldsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Molecular characterization of cancers in Lynch syndrome carriers with MSH6 and PMS2 pathogenic variants | 17.860 |
Clinical studies and public health (25%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Anna Björg Jónsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Mitigating Muscle Loss in Older Hospital Patients: A Novel Bedside Leg Press for Prevention and Rehabilitation | 9.135 |
| Kristjana Hrönn Ásbjörnsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Optimizing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for adolescent girls and young women in Mozambique | 17.501 |
| Sæmundur Rögnvaldsson | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Monoclonal gammopathy of clinical significance: Epidemiology and the development of diagnostic pathways | 17.917 |
Social and Educational Sciences (14%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Anna Lind G Pétursdóttir, Bergljót Gyða Guðmundsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Education | Assessing the effects of classroom management on students and teachers in Iceland | 22.189 |
| Berglind Gísladóttir | University of Iceland-School of Education | Monitoring and improving teacher education: Strengthening educational foundations | 23.037 |
| Erlingur Sigurður Jóhannsson, Nanna Ýr Arnardóttir, Guðrún Sunna Gestsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Education | Bridging the Gaps of Mental and Physical Health from Adolescence to Adulthood: The 1988 Icelandic Birth Cohort Study | 22.211 |
| Valdimar Tryggvi Hafstein | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Skyr as Biocultural Heritage: Ethnographic and Biological Study of Live Cultures, Resilience, and Diversity | 20.220 |
Humanities and the Arts (19%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Elmar Geir Unnsteinsson, Daniel W. Harris | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Genre and Conversation | 24.687 |
| Gylfi Gunnlaugsson, Clarence Edvin Glad, Jon Gunnar Jørgensen | The Reykjavík Academy | Reclaiming the Northern Past. The Shaping of National and Transnational Identities through Old Norse Literature 1750-1900 | 21.312 |
| Þorbjörg Daphne Hall | Iceland University of the Arts | Building bridges through collaboration: MetamorPhonics as an approach to socially engaged music making | 18.476 |
A total of 59 applications for Postdoctoral fellowships were received and 11 were funded, or 18,6%.
Physical Sciences and Mathematics (22%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Andrejs Kudlis | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Strong correlations in low dimensional systems with light-matter interaction | 12.875 |
| Linda Sobolewski | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | LONGVOLC: Long-term impacts of volcanic eruptions on glacier dynamics and volcanic edifice behaviour – a case study of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption | 12.702 |
Engineering and technical science (20%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Aysan Safavi | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Pyro-Waste -Transforming Waste through Pyrolysis: A Route to Carbon-Negative Energy- | 12.000 |
| Bashar Ali Farea Esmail | Reykjavik University-Department of Engineering | Novel Enhanced-Performance Millimeter-Wave Antenna Arrays through Design and Optimization of Metamaterial-Based Structures for 5G Applications | 11.925 |
Natural and environmental sciences (14%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Maartje Tanneke Nel Oostdijk | Agricultural University of Iceland | Integrated marine protected area prioritization (I-MAP) | 12.875 |
Life sciences (17%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Katrín Möller | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Neuronal cell fate changes in Mendelian disorders of the epigenetic machinery. | 12.675 |
Clinical studies and public health (25%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Álfheiður Haraldsdóttir | Icelandic Cancer Registry, Icelandic Cancer Society | Increase in Breast Cancer Incidence in Iceland 1980 – 2020: Understanding the Trends | 9.645 |
Social and Educational Sciences (20%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Harpa Sif Eyjólfsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Linking emotions and economics: Adversities in childhood and labour market participation | 12.425 |
| Karen Birna Þorvaldsdóttir | Reykjavík University-Department of Psychology | Traumatic Loss: Disclosure, Social Reactions and Mental Health | 12.300 |
Humanities and the Arts (15%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Ole Martin Sandberg | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Climate Crisis and Affect: An Investigation of Embodied Emotions and Behaviours Regarding Climate Change in Iceland | 12.812 |
| Tiffany Nicole White | The Arni Magnusson Institute for Icelandic Studies | Creating Ruins: The Literary Construction of Pagan Temples in Old Norse-Icelandic Literature | 12.050 |
A total of 106 application for Doctoral fellowships were received and 22 were funded, or 20,8%.
Physical Sciences and Mathematics (33%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Masoumeh Kazemi | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | The interplay between excitonic and magnetic dynamics in 2D chromium trihalides | 8.875 |
| Rachel Elizabeth Brophy | Reykjavik University-Department of Engineering | Atomistic approach to organo-halide materials for photovoltaics (ATOMAP) | 8.560 |
| Shubham Sharma | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Organo-tin (Ⅳ) compounds as anticancer agents | 8.865 |
Engineering and technical science (16%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Emil Harðarson | Reykjavik University-Department of Computer Science | Neural Architecture Search for Wearable Sensor Fusion | 8.560 |
| Eric Michael Sumner | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Investigating the Effect of Anthropometric Properties on Individualized Head-Related Transfer Functions via Machine Learning | 8.874 |
| Laurentiu-Lucian Anton | Reykjavik University-Department of Engineering | Coupled Traffic Energy and Power Modeling to Assess Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Control Impact on Power Systems in Iceland | 8.435 |
Natural and environmental sciences (27%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Guðbjörg Ósk Jónsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Parallel evolution and developmental origins of adaptive craniofacial traits. | 8.760 |
| Ingvild Ryde | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Chemical warfare in a degraded land: allelopathic effects of Empetrum nigrum in the subarctic highlands of Iceland | 8.865 |
| Mathilde Florence Marie Defourneaux | Agricultural University of Iceland | Evaluating the role of herbivores on nutrient redistribution in the Icelandic tundra | 8.874 |
Life sciences (17%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Sigríður Stefanía Hlynsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | The molecular mechanism of the pioneer transcription factor PU.1 studied on the single molecule level | 8.865 |
| Anna Dröfn Daníelsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Exploring the non-histone role of KMT2D in Kabuki syndrome | 8.865 |
Clinical studies and public health (17%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Ismael Abo Horan | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Cyclodextrin/Statin Nanocarriers for Enhanced Therapeutic Efficacy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration | 8.175 |
Social and Educational Sciences (16%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Bára A. Alexandersdóttir | Reykjavik University-Department of Law | Regulation of Carbon Capture and Storage in Iceland | 8.454 |
| Fayrouz Nouh | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Human, cultural, and social capital anddiscrimination: Muslim immigrant women's labourmarket participation in Iceland | 8.865 |
| Guðmundur Steingrímsson | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | The circular economy in Iceland - status, scope and strength | 8.874 |
| Hrafnhildur Bragadóttir | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Governance of the Voluntary Carbon Market | 8.865 |
| Irina Ovchinnikova | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Relation between reading abilities and individual differences in visual processing | 8.875 |
Humanities and the Arts (28%)
| Project management | Institution | Title | ISK (thousand) |
| Aðalheiður Eyvör Pálsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | A Study of the the Life and Legacy of the Poet Guðmundur Bergþórsson (1657 — 1705) in Folk Narrative Sources from the Period Preceding Organised Folklore Collection to the Present Day | 8.865 |
| Birna Lárusdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Icelandic place-names and landscapes in process | 8.875 |
| Jonas Koesling | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Human–Sea Entanglements in Early Iceland | 8.865 |
| Luna Polinelli | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Boat Burials in the Viking Age: A New Method for Their Identification. | 8.850 |
| Rannveig Þórhallsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Millennium by the Atlantic Ocean | 8.510 |
The information published may include typos.
Amounts may change as a result of contract negotiations.
