Education Research Fund

Criteria, Terms and Conditions

The Education Research Fund's Criteria, Terms and Conditions .

Research Focus 2021

The fund emphasises the following themes:

• Educating students with a diverse cultural and linguistic background
• School refusal (school avoidance) and school drop-out
• Teaching and learning in mathematics, science and technology (STEM subjects)

What are the objectives?

The Education Research Fund awards grants for applied research in the fields of preschool, compulsory school, and upper secondary school education, including adult education on that level, and after-school activities. The aim of the Education Research Fund is to strengthen the foundations of applied education research, increase opportunities for creating and communicating knowledge that promotes advancement and reform in schooling, and support the implementation of Education Policy 2030.

The term “applied education research” refers to research that:

• creates and communicates practical knowledge about the subject-matters of preschools, compulsory schools and upper secondary schools, studies at the upper secondary level, and after-school activities which leads to the improvement of learning and teaching;
• promotes and further strengthens the cooperation between schools and after-school activities on the one hand and researchers on the other, based on mutual experiences and leading to the creation of knowledge;
• furthers academic knowledge and the adoption of new research methods.

This year, the Minister of Education, Science and Culture will grant awards from the Education Research Fund in accordance with Article 42 of the Public Finance Act, No 123/2015. In future, the fund will be provided with its own legal basis as a research fund. The Minister of Education, Science and Culture determines the Fund's priority areas in line with the priorities of Education Policy 2030. See, further, the fund's criteria, terms, and conditions .

Who can apply?

Researchers in educational sciences at Icelandic universities and research institutions can apply for project grants. They can form a research group with partners at other research institutions and/or partners in the education sector, e.g. at preschools, compulsory schools and secondary schools, municipalities, associations, and companies.

Individuals who have been admitted to a doctoral studies at an Icelandic university can apply for a doctoral student grant.

Types of grants

Project grants
Researchers must at least hold a MEd/MA/MS degree to lead a project. It strengthens the Project Grant application if it includes work by graduate students and/or post-doctoral fellows; it further strengthens an application if it includes partners in the education sector, e.g. at preschools, compulsory schools and secondary schools, municipalities, associations, and companies. The maximum grant amount for a Project Grant is ISK 20 million for a 24-month project and ISK 10 million for a 12-month project. The grant may fund up to 85% of the total cost of the project.

Approved expenses for project grants: Salaries; travel expenses; operational expenses; contracted services; and publication expenses. In addition, overhead is added to the amount. See further information on expenses below.

Doctoral student grants
Doctoral Student Grants are intended for doctoral students who apply in their own names. Applicants must have been admitted to doctoral studies at an Icelandic university. A confirmation of enrolment from the student registry shall accompany the application. The grants cover the students' salaries as well as travel costs for up to ISK 300 thousand per grant year. Doctoral Student Grants are provided for up to 36 months. The maximum grant amount is ISK 19,2 million for a 36-month project. The grant from may fund up to 100% of the total eligible project cost.

Approved expenses for doctoral student grants: Salaries and travel expenses; operational expenses. In addition, overhead is added to the amount. See further information on expenses below.

Approved expenses?

Overhead is automatically added for all expenses, excluding contracted services. Note that doctoral student grants only cover salaries and travel expenses. A minimum of 15% own contribution is demanded Project Grants, which can cover up to 85% of a project's total costs. This does not apply to Student Grants where the grant covers up to 100% of the total cost.

Salaries (Project and Doctoral student grants)

The fund suports salaries of researchers, graduate students, and research assistants. Participants may be unidentified when the application is submitted, but the role and person-months of all participants must be detailed in the budget if applying for their salaries. For a master's degree students, up to 12 person-months salary can be applied for. The Education Research Fund does not fund payment of salaries to parties who are also receiving full pay for other work (including pensioners), payments of overtime worked in research or payment to cover release from teaching duties.

Travel expenses (Project and Doctoral student grants)

Applicants can apply for travel expenses necessary for the progress of the project. All travel expenses must be clearly explained and justified in relation to the project goal(s). Doctoral students can apply for travel costs for up to ISK 300 thousand per grant year.

Overhead and facilities (Project and Doctoral student grants)

In the online submission system, a 25% overhead is automatically calculated for all expenses, excluding contracted services. Overhead expenses include costs related to, for example, office and research facilities, rent, utilities, support and auxiliary functions, purchases of literature, and purchases and maintenance of IT equipment and infrastructure such as computers. As the amount is added to the grant applied for, the total amount is higher than what is indicated as the maximum grant amount in the table above.

Operational expenses (Project grants)

Applicants can apply for funding for operational expenses. All operational expenses shall be itemized in the correct fields in the online submission system. Operational expenses do not include overhead expenses and facilities, for example general office equipment such as computers. Any unexplained cost will be rejected.

Contracted services (Project grants)

Contracted services include work necessary for the project's progress but is not carried out by the participants in the project. All contracted services expenses shall be itemized in the online submission system. Tenders for contracted services shall be obtained before the fund signs a contract. Contracted services are not included in the calculated overhead and facilities.

Publication expenses (Project grants)

Publication expenses up to ISK 500 thousand for Project Grants can be applied for. The sum can be distributed over the grant period.

How to apply?

Applications are submitted through the electronic application system of the Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannís). Applications must be written in Englisn.

Further information and contacts

Education Research Fund, Criteria, Terms and Conditions

Send enquiries to the Education Research Fund to: menntasjodur (at) rannis.is

The Education Research Fund's staff .