​Norwegian

In the planning phase, it should be assessed and ensured that sufficient resources in the form of finance, personnel, equipment and infrastructure are available so that the project can be carried out in a good way. 

The guidance that follows is based directly on points 2-4 in the agreement between UNN HF and the Faculty of Health [Helsefak] at UiT for research projects. All managers of projects carried out in collaboration between UNN and UiT should familiarize themselves with this agreement during project planning. 

Project composition 

Projects should be led by a project manager (or a principal investigator) and must be comprised of project participants and project partners. The institution with overall responsibility for the project is the project manager.  

By project manager (or principal investigator) is meant a physical person, normally the person who takes the initiative. The project manager must have the necessary professional expertise. 

By project owner (in Norwegian: prosjektansvarlig) is meant an institution with signature rights and overall responsibility for the project towards the funding source(s). 

Project participant(s) means the project manager and partner(s) who, in accordance with the project description, contribute resources to the Project. 

By (project) partner is meant collaborative participant(s) in the project who together with the project manager define the scope of the project, contribute to its scientific implementation and share risks and results. Commissioned research and the provision of research services are not considered a form of collaboration. 

A collaborative project means a project in which the parties are described and act as partners. 

Planning

The project manager must involve the department/clinic management as early as possible during the planning and preparation of the project proposal.  Where it is natural and appropriate for both UNN and UiT to participate in the project, the head of department/head of clinic must ensure that the initiative is made known to the other institution. 

If the project involves resources from both UNN and UiT, the application - including the budget and description of the project participants and their roles and responsibilities - must be approved by the head of department and clinic manager jointly, before the application is sent. In all cases, planned resource use must be approved by the person who owns the resource, and the use must be made visible in the budget. Use of other parties' resources in projects where you are not project partners is considered the sale of services, and is normally subject to VAT. 

The application must highlight the project manager's and the partner's obligations and contribution to the project, including a description of responsibilities and tasks (i.e., what is to be carried out), as well as any milestones etc. 

Before submitting the application, a realistic budget must be prepared for all costs and revenues for the relevant project period. The budget must cover both direct and indirect costs, as well as the use of in-kind contributions, including the use of personnel and core facilities and/or other research infrastructure. The use of in-kind contributions must be justified academically. 

Every person in each individual project can only represent one institution. For employees who have positions at different institutions, it must be decided which institution the employee will represent in the project. The individual institution has employer responsibility for its employees in the project. 

UiT and UNN both have support to assist with budgets as well as with applications. Research projects can apply for research support from the Clinical Research Department at UNN. Furthermore, for researchers applying for external funding, a new low-threshold offer of additional research support has been established at the Clinical Research Department (Klinisk forskningsavdeling – UNN - Grants@unn.no).  This Grants team can assess and provide advice on the following areas: application construction, budgeting, formal requirements, user involvement, and more. More information can be found here. 

Roles and responsibilities in the project

The project manager is the driving force behind the project's implementation and goal achievement, and must, in collaboration with all partners, ensure that the project is carried out in accordance with applicable laws, rules, routines and agreements. 

In collaboration with the partners involved, the project manager shall assess which institution should be responsible for the project and is responsible for submitting the application on behalf of the partners. The decision of who should be responsible for the project is based on a concrete and comprehensive assessment of: 

• Terms and conditions that follow from the call for proposals or the external funding source. 
• Which institution is responsible for the main part of the scientific contribution to the project. 
  

• Where the project/research actually takes place, and which infrastructure will be used in the project.
  

For projects that fall under the scope of the Health Research Act [helseforskningsloven], the project manager must assist the partners in deciding which institution will be the institution responsible for research. The institution responsible for research means an institution with overall responsibility for the project being organized and carried out in accordance with the Act on medical and health Research (the Health Research Act [helseforskningsloven]). The institution responsible for research is the institution where the research actually and naturally belongs, based on a practical and holistic assessment of:  

• Where the research actually takes place. 
  
• Who owns, or is responsible for, the management of the relevant research data to be used in the project. 
  

Archiving

The project must archive relevant documents in accordance with routines at the institution responsible for the project (e.g., in Elements). ​