The Board of The Icelandic Research Fund has completed the allocation of grants for new research projects for 2020. A total of 382 valid applications were received by the Research Fund, 55 of which were funded, or about 14%.
The Icelandic Research Fund is the leading competitive fund in Iceland. The fund grants projects in all areas of science, from grants to doctoral students to excellence grants. Grants of excellence are awarded for major projects that excel in their field and have an international connection.
Below is an overview of the breakdown between types of grants. Further analysis will be published on Rannís website shortly.
Information published may be subject to typos. Amounts may change as a result of negotiation.
Grants of excellence
A total of 22 applications for excellence grants were received and 2 were funded, or 9%.
| Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Erla Sturludóttir, Gunnar Stefánsson | The Agricultural University of Iceland | Fishing into the future | 51.365 |
| Hannes Jónsson | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Rational catalyst design for selective electrochemical CO2 reduction to fuel | 45.450 |
A total of 211 applications for project grants were received and 30 were funded, or 14%.
Science and Mathematics (18%)
Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Ásta Heiðrún Elísabet Pétursdóttir | MATÍS | Distribution of arsenic species within the macroalgae with an emphasis on arsenolipids | 19.745 |
| Gro Birkefeldt Moller Pedersen | University of Iceland - School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Morphology of Lava (MoLa): Towards improved Lava Mapping and Forecasting | 18.573 |
| Ivan Shelykh | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Hybrid polaritonics | 15.810 |
| Jesus Zavala Franco | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Near-Field Cosmology with ETHOS: the interplay between baryonic physics and dark matter physics | 20.486 |
| Snorri Þór Sigurðsson | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Spectroscopic investigation of nucleic acid structure and dynamics inside and outside cells | 18.180 |
| Unnar Bjarni Arnalds | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Interface coupling and structural phase transitions in hybrid magnetic heterostructures | 18.738 |
Engineering and technical science (13%)
Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Ármann Gylfason | Reykjavik University-School of Science and Engineering | Lagrangian Dispersion in Mixed Convective Turbulence | 18.963 |
| Guðmundur Óli Hreggviðsson, Steinn Guðmundsson | MATÍS | ThermoExplore - Exploration of synthetic capabilities of aerobic thermophiles | 18.624 |
| Jóhannes Rúnar Sveinsson, Magnús Örn Úlfarsson | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Sharpening of remote sensing images using model-based and deep learning methods | 13.898 |
| Slawomir Marcin Koziel | Reykjavik University-School of Science and Engineering | Computer-aided methods for fast and reliable design of planar true time-delay beam formers for antenna systems | 17.138 |
| Younes Abghoui | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Electrochemical ammonia synthesis | 15.000 |
Natural and environmental sciences (17%)
Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Árni Kristmundsson | The Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, KELDUR | Research on Piridium sociabile (Patten 1936); a bridge between free living and parasitic organisms | 18.631 |
| Daði Már Kristófersson, Pamela J. Woods | Marine and Freshwater Research Institute | United under one cod: complexities of cod fishing and their utility for fisheries management | 17.426 |
| Kristinn Pétur Magnússon | University of Akureyri | Ptarmigan Ecogenomics | 16.171 |
| Oddur Vilhelmsson | University of Akureyri | Do lichens provide a selective force for Pseudomonas syringae in Arctic tundra environments? | 12.315 |
Life sciences (13%)
Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Eiríkur Steingrímsson | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Is SETDB2 an MITF-dependent binary switch regulating ECM properties and proliferation in melanoma? | 18.375 |
| Hans Tómas Björnsson | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | The Role of Precocious Differentiation in the Pathogenesis of Kabuki syndrome | 18.376 |
| Óttar Rolfsson | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Endothelial metabolism and glycocalyx maintenancei | 18.625 |
| Pétur Orri Heiðarsson | Raunvísindastofnun | The mechanism of chromatin remodelling by disordered pioneer transcription factors- from single molecules to cell reprogramming | 18.375 |
| Ragnhildur Þóra Káradóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Promoting remyelination with AMPAkines | 14.120 |
Clinical studies and public health (8%)
Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Margrét Þorsteinsdóttir, Sigríður Klara Böðvarsdóttir | Háskóli Íslands - University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Search for novel biomarkers for early breast cancer diagnosis by metabolomics | 19.013 |
| Ólöf Birna Ólafsdóttir, Sveinn Hákon Harðarson, | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Ocular Biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease | 3.270 |
Social and Educational Sciences (16%)
Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Anna Lind G. Pétursdóttir, Kristen McMaster | University of Iceland-School of Education | Assessing the implementation of peer tutoring in 1st grade and its effects on students´ reading achievement in 1st and 2nd grade | 19.515 |
| Árni Kristjánsson | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Continuity in perception: Contrasting serial dependence, aftereffects and learning of feature distributions of ignored information | 18.341 |
| Berglind Rós Magnúsdóttir, Ólafur Páll Jónsson | University of Iceland-School of Education | Irregular processes of inclusion and citizenship as experienced by migrant youth: Comparative case study of participatory educational practices in Reykjavík, Oslo and London | 18.926 |
| Guðbjörg Hildur Kolbeins, Valgerður Anna Jóhannsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | The State of Journalism in Iceland | 17.475 |
| Gylfi Zoega | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Iceland's Natural Experiment in Mortgage Relief | 12.269 |
| Kristín Loftsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Creating Europe Through Racialized Mobility (CERM) | 17.943 |
Humanities and the Arts (14%)
Principal investigator | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Anders Winroth, Viðar Pálsson | The Arni Magnusson Institute for Icelandic Studies | Iceland's Medieval Christian Law in Context | 6.248 |
| Íris Ellenberger | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | From sexual outlaws to model citizens: The relations between queer sexualities and nationality in Iceland 1944–2010 | 18.572 |
A total of 58 applications for Postdoctoral fellowships were received and 9 were funded, or around 16%.
Postdoctoral fellowships
Science and Mathematics (15%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Christian Nathaniel Bean | Reykjavik University-School of Computer science | Combinatorial exploration and permutation classes | 9.775 |
| Pavla Dagsson Waldhauserová | Agricultural University of Iceland | How is Icelandic Dust affecting high latitude climate systems? | 7.741 |
Engineering and technical science (25%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Elín Ásta Ólafsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Geotechnical seismic site characterization and local site response studies in South Iceland | 9.705 |
Natural and environmental sciences (11%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Tobias Christian Duerig | Science Institute-University of Iceland | MAXI-Plume: MAss fluX Investigation of ash Plumes | 8.900 |
Life sciences (100%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Denis Warshan | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | NoFunGen: Functional genomics of symbiotic Nostoc cyanobacteria | 9.000 |
Social and Educational Sciences (13%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Daniela Alaattinoglu | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Legal Accommodation of Intersex in Iceland and the Other Nordic Countries | 10.000 |
| Jérôme Tagu | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Visual foraging or multiple targets | 9.008 |
Humanities and the Arts (15%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Nanna Hlín Halldórsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Listening to Fatigue: From the perspective of feminist phenomenology and critical theory | 9.745 |
| Declan Taggart | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Fickle friends: Disentangling religion, morality and society in the early medieval North | 9.367 |
A total of 91 application for Doctoral fellowships were received and 14 were funded, or around 15%.
Doctoral fellowships
Science and Mathematics (14%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Benedikt Orri Birgisson | Science Institute-University of Iceland | Exploring the Reaction Paths of Solvated Iron Photosensitizers: a Multiscale Nudged Elastic Band Strategy | 6.525 |
Engineering and technical science (17%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Kamaljeet Singh | Engineering and technical science | Measuring Current Efficiency in an Inert anode Cell for Aluminium production | 6.615 |
| Yixi Su | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | Adaptive evolution of the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum in response to elevated CO2 and other stress factors in geogas | 6.480 |
Natural and environmental sciences (14%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Pauline Anna Charlotte Bergsten | MATÍS | ELiBSS: Exploring Life Beneath the Surface of Surtsey volcano | 6.630 |
| Katrín Björnsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Engineering and Natural Sciences | To graze or not to graze? Responses of plant-soil feedback processes to grazing protection in tundra ecosystems | 6.613 |
Lifesciences (25%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Sara Björk Stefánsdóttir | The Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, KELDUR | Development of Immunotherapy for Equine Insect Bite Hypersensitivity | 6.630 |
Clinical studies and public health (33%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Unnur Arna Þorsteinsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Optimization and Validation of a UPLC-MS/MS Plasma Assay for Diagnosis and Pharmacotherapy Monitoring of Patients with APRT Deficiencyva | 6.490 |
| Lára Ósk Eggertsdóttir Claessen | University of Iceland-School of Health Sciences | Secondary effects of head trauma in female athletes, possible hypopituitarism, psychological defects and loss of quality of life | 1.505 |
Social and Educational Sciences (12%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Dagrún Ósk Jónsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Virtuous, Rebellious and Monstrous Women in Icelandic Folk Legends | 6.418 |
| Atli Hafþórsson | University of Iceland-School of Social Sciences | Technology, Human capital, and the Social Organization of Productivity in the Icelandic Fishing Industry | 6.480 |
| Jóhann Örn Sigurjónsson | University of Iceland-School of Education | Quality in Mathematics Teaching: A Nordic comparative study | 3.428 |
Humanities and the Arts (13%)
Doctoral student | Project Accounting | Title in English | ISK (þ.kr) |
| Katrín Lísa van der Linde Mikaelsdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Norwegianisms in Icelandic Manuscripts from 1350 to 1450 | 6.480 |
| Sigrún Birgisdóttir | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Transformation of territory: How tourism effect change in architecture and landscapes-as studied across an east - west transect of 64° latittude in Iceland | 6.293 |
| Ermenegilda Rachel Müller | University of Iceland-School of Humanities | Origins and Impact of the First Icelandic Printed Collections of Sagas | 6.105 |
