Call for proposals - Helse Vest Research Funding 2026

The following application categories are available for the 2026 funding call:

• PhD fellowships
• Postdoctoral fellowships, including extensions related to stays abroad
• Clinical research fellowships
• Clinical career fellowships
• Open project support
• Grants for clinical studies (20 percent)
• Support for stays abroad

Guidelines have been developed for all application categories. Note that different categories have different applicant requirements. Applicants must familiarize themselves with these requirements and the advice provided in the guidelines.

For more information on who can apply, including access to the anchoring form required for the 2026 application process, please refer to Who can apply for Helse Vest research funds.

• Earlier deadline: The deadline has been set to 15 September at 16:00/4:00 pm.
• Quarantine: A quarantine has been introduced for recipients of Helse Vest research funding. For this call, it applies to the "open project support" category. Please refer to the guidelines for more information.
• Clarified goals and target group for the category "Fellowships for clinical studies (20 percent)." Please refer to the guidelines for details.

Applications are assessed based on scientific quality and impact for the health services. The two criteria are equally important, meaning that high impact for the health services or high quality alone is not sufficient to be awarded funding. Read more in Aims and Criteria.

Some categories will also be assessed based on specific criteria:

• Open project support
• Clinical career fellowships
• Grants for clinical studies (20 percent)

User involvement is required in research projects. Applicants must explain any planned user involvement or why it is not applicable. 

Two PDF attachments must accompany the electronic application:

1. Project description – A template is provided. All main points in the template are mandatory, while some subpoints are advisory and may not apply to all projects/categories. Note: there is a separate template for "Fellowships for clinical studies (20 percent)."
2. Other attachments (one PDF file) – Required attachments vary by category. Please refer to the relevant guidelines and instructions in the application form.

Applications that do not meet the requirements may be rejected. A list of common reasons for rejection is available.

The decision on the allocation of open research funds will be made at the Regional Liaison Committee meeting on 26 November 2025. The results will be announced on the Helse Vest website shortly after the meeting.

Contact the Regional Competence Center for Clinical Research if you have questions.