Project funding

We are writing an application

This page is under revision, as a new digital application form was launched in February 2021. Please use this information temporarily for guidance, and a new guide will be published together with the launch of the digital application form.

When applying for project support you are required to use the application form provided. As an appendix to the application form you should enclose a document with a description of the project with further details. All forms should be filled in English, Danish or Norwegian.

The application form is the applicant’s most important opportunity to describe the projects objective, carrying out and expected results and the like. The application should be read as an independent illustration of the project’s content and message. A concisely articulated and informative application renders the best possibility for an insightful consideration further on in the process. The quality of the application’s impression is ensured by giving a clear description of

  1. What is the problem?
  2. How can it be resolved?
  3. How much does it cost.

These elements should be illustrated and explained very clearly.

Application Form

Project description

Short advice on how to fill in the individual sections. It is important that the sections are filled in briefly and adhering to described limitations. The sections 1-9 should contain a brief description with essential information about as well as a description of the project:

Title: A short title of the project (max. 30 characters), which gives an impression of the project's content in a non-technical language.

Main partner: The main partner is legally responsible for the project. The main partner is thus also responsible for the project being carried out as planned in accordance with the project contract. The main partner appoints a project manager. Note that all communication with NORA takes place through the project manager.

  • 1) The project’s objective: Brief description (max 80 word) of the project’s tangible aim, challenges and planned activities. This section aims to shed a light on and explain the project’s idea. In this section, there should not be references to the enclosed project description as it should read as an independent document. It is important that the text is worded in a manner that can be understood by a non-specialist reader. In the event of a grant, NORA will be able to use this text as a description of the project to a third-party.
  • 2) Expected results and consequences: Disclose expected tangible results and consequences from the project’s activities. Write brief bullet points. The section should also briefly explain how the results positively affects the project’s problem formulation for example in relation to new business opportunities. The section should describe what the project’s results should be applied to and how it is embedded in NORA’s priorities.
  • 3) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: NORA puts emphasis on the projects relating to one or several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets. In this section you fill in which of the SDGs your project relates to. Please list both main goals and targets.
  • 4) Target group: How and within what sector will the project mainly contribute to. Who or what will benefit from the project’s results.
  • 5) Activities and deadlines: Disclose relevant and activities in the project’s progression as well as important milestones in relation to the projection’s process.
  • 6) Dissemination: How will the project’s results, outcomes and experience be disseminated. Do also note specific websites or accounts in social media.
  • 7) Potential risks and uncertainties: Disclose briefly potential uncertainties and risks that are associated with carrying out the project.
  • 8) Other Partners: The project’s other partners should be disclosed here. Please remember that the project should as a minimum contain partners from two countries from the NORA region.

Economy

  • 9) Financing: What will the funding from NORA primarily be used for?
  • 9a) Budget overview: Summery of the key figures from tables 16-17, that are filled in in the appendix. Please note that cash financing in the first row is exclusive of own work, and should be disclosed independently in the second row. The sum for every year should be aggregated vertically whilst the total sum of the entire project period is aggregated horizontally.
  • Detailed expenses: Provide an overview of the relevant expenses related to the project, including all costs, fees and the like
  • 9b) Funding: Financing includes financial contributions from project partners, other financing schemes, founda-tions or the like
  • 9c) Financing in the form of own work: If the value of own work is included in the budget, please indicate the hourly rate, number of hours, total annual amount and the total amount for the project period
  • 10) Timetable: Disclose here how the project’s activities are expected to commenced and completed. Please remember that NORA does not cover expenses held before the project start. In other words, for projects that apply to the early march cut-off date should not expect to be able to begin before the 1 of July – and projects that apply to the early October cut-off date should not expect to begin before 1 January.
  • 11) Appendices to the application: Disclose a list of enclosed appendices to the application. Further comments to the relevant appendix. As appendix 1, 2 and 3 enclose the project description, project expenses and financing.
  • 12) Explanatory remarks to budget (9a) and financing (9b and c)
  • 13) Where did you learn of NORA? This information contributes to improving NORA’s communications efforts.
  • 14) Date and signature: The project manager signs for the project.

Appendices

  • The project description: In addition to the brief descriptions 1-9 there should be added a more detailed, thorough project description supplied along with the application form. This document should not be seen as the main source of information about the project - it will be the application form. The following should be included in the project description:

The objective of the project. Expand on the description in the application form. In addition, it should state in the objective description why the project is relevant to NORA’s overall objective of strengthening cooperation in the North Atlantic region and create a powerful North Atlantic region with strong and sustainable economic development.

Questions to consider:

- What is new in the project?
- Who will benefit from the project?
- What is the advantage of carrying it out as a transnational project in the NORA region?

Expected results from the project. Expand on the description in the application form. Emphasis should be on tangible and measurable results that the project is expected to produce.

Questions to consider:

- What are the tangible outcomes expected from the project?
- How does the project contribute to the development of the North Atlantic?
- How will you disseminate the results from the project?

Organising and carrying out the project. The project description should run through in relative detail the expected project progression. The progress should as far as possible be divided in to milestones with measurable results.

Questions to consider:

- How is the project managed?
- What milestones are there in the project?
- How will the project impact on the field of work?
- How will the results be delivered?

The project partners and their role in the project. In the considerations NORA emphasises that the transnational co-operation creates value that otherwise could not have been achieved if the projects were only carried out nationally. It is therefore first and foremost important to describe how all the partners actively contribute to – and benefit from – the project.

Questions to consider:

- Can the project include partners from all four NORA countries?
- Can the project with advantage include partners from its neighbouring regions to the west such as Canada and Scotland?
- What do the different partners contribute to the project?

Project’s budget. The budget should be based on the budget in the application. The difference here is that the budget in the project description should shed a light on the individual elements in more detail. The income should shed a light on how the project partners’ own contribution to the project (own finance and capitalising of own efforts) in addition to potential financial support from other project support sources. The outgoings should be relatively detailed and shed a light on expected outgoings for the entire project process and completion. The outgoings budget should therefore demonstrate how the resources are divided between the participating partners in the project.

Questions to consider:

- Do the partners agree on the division of the outgoings?
- NORA does not cover running costs. Are all the outgoings related to the project?
- Are outgoings for, for example revision included?

Timetable.
The applicant should here produce a detailed and realistic timetable with milestones for when individual activities are expected to be carried out.

Questions to consider:

- Is the timetable realistic?
- Does the timetable consider all the partners?

  • Project Expenses: Disclose here the estimated expenses related to the project. The expense
    posts should reflect the relevant year. The sum is then transferred to table 9a. A more detailed
    budget should be disclosed in section 9 (Detailed expenses).
  • Financing: NORA’s support can be up to half of the total budget for the project. It is therefore important that there is an explanation for how the project is financed. The financing of own work should be disclosed based on the aggregation in table 9c. Other financing should be disclosed by the relevant financing sources as well as under the relevant year. Furthermore, disclose if individual income posts are confirmed of unverified. If the project achieves support the project partners will be asked about the status of unverified income sources. 12 months projects only use the first column whilst he second and third columns are used for multi year projects in relation to the project’s duration. The numbers from row a, b and c should be transferred to table 9a about economy, total budget.
  • Financing in form of own work: Own work can be included as part of own financin of the project. The applied hourly rate should be based on real and pragmatic relations that are deemed to be suitable to the delivered work. NORA can ask for further information about this. Fill in the relevant columns corresponding to the project’s duration. The amount should also be disclosed above in table 9a, while the objective with table 9c is to give a more detailed illustration of own work. It is generally desirable with many financing sources as the project will appear as more solidly funded.
  • Notes: This is an occasion to comment on potentially disclosed posts in the financing and expenditures. Comments should contribute to that certain posts can be clarified and explained further where it can be relevant.

Submission of application

The application form should be sent electronically to: noraprojekt@nora.fo.

Project descriptions and potential appendix are to be enclosed together with the application.

The application will initially be considered by the secretariat which makes the initial evaluations of the projects. Subsequently, the applications will be considered by NORA’s board, which make the final decisions for each project. However, the secretariat can reject projects based on administrative grounds which are therefore not considered by the board. Projects may be rejected on administrative grounds if there are basic and formal insufficiencies in the application, for example: applies for more than 50 % of budget, or if should there be only one partner from the NORA region.

After submission NORA sends an automatic confirmation of receiving the application. If you do not receive such a confirmation within two hours, you should contact NORA’s main secretariat or write to nora@nora.fo.

In addition, NORA’s staff can be contacted directly on their personal email addresses that are available here on the website.

Biannual application rounds

The first will be announces in mid-January with a cut-off date around early March. The second application round will be announces in mid-August with a cut-off date in early October. The cut-off dates are always announced on our website www.nora.fo.

Both the application form and appendices should reach NORA before the cut-off date.