Call Deadline: 22.04.2026 13:00 (CEST/Oslo Time)
Available Budget for Nordic partners: up to 65 000 000 NOK
Available Budget for Estonian partners: up to 600 000 EUR
Available Budget for Lithuanian partners: up to 300 000 EUR
Amount of funding that may be sought to Nordic partners in a project: up to 13 MNOK
Amount that may be sought by Estonian partners in a project: up to 150-300 000 EUR
Amount that may be sought by Lithuanian partners in a project: up to 150-250 000 EUR
Background
Nordic and Baltic countries share a strong tradition of state-funded education spanning early childhood education and care to higher education and lifelong learning. Despite these common foundations, international surveys highlight significant differences in performance across the national systems. Comparative research is therefore well-positioned to uncover how similar conditions can yield diverging outcomes in areas such as student achievement, equity, and social mobility.
The urgency of the call “Nordic-Baltic education systems and 21st century challenges” is underscored by growing concerns regarding democratic resilience, societal polarisation, and new forms of exclusion linked to migration, inequality, and digital divides. At the same time, rapid advances in technology are reshaping the ways in which teaching and learning are organised, creating both opportunities and risks. Nordic and Baltic education systems, long recognised for their emphasis on equity and inclusion, are now challenged to adapt while preserving their core values.
Aim of the call and thematic framework
Against this backdrop, NordForsk invites proposals that explore how education can contribute to resilient, equitable, and future-ready societies. Applicants are encouraged to adopt a societal challenge perspective when developing their projects. This call aims to generate new knowledge about Nordic and Baltic educational systems in light of pressing societal challenges. Its objectives are to:
- strengthen the Nordic and Nordic-Baltic position in educational research,
- broaden and deepen research collaborations and networks,
- contribute to the development of knowledge-based policy across the Nordic and/or Baltic countries, and
- ensure wide dissemination of results to decision-makers and stakeholders.
To guide and inspire proposals, the call highlights the following thematic areas:
- democracy, integration, inclusion and/or exclusion in education
- the impact of emerging and/or disruptive technologies in education, including digital tools and artificial intelligence
- organisation of educational systems, teacher education, and/or continuous education, competence development and upskilling for teachers
In addition, proposals are expected to integrate the following cross-cutting priorities:
- Inclusion of early-career researchers: proposals should actively involve early-career researchers in key roles. The proposal should reflect on how the inclusion of the early-career researchers will support their career path.
- Interdisciplinarity: research questions should draw on and integrate expertise from multiple disciplines.
- Societal engagement and impact: research should involve stakeholders throughout the process and generate knowledge relevant to policymakers, practitioners, and other societal actors.
Funding
This call is announced as a collaborative effort between the Independent Research Fund Denmark, the Research Council of Finland, the Research Council of the Faroe Islands, the Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannís), the Research Council of Norway, the Swedish Research Council, the Estonian Research Council, the Research Council of Lithuania, and NordForsk.
Webinar
We will host a webinar with a Q&A session for researchers interested in the call on Wednesday 11 February 2026 at 10:00 CET. Sign up for the webinar.
Contact list
Would you like to connect with other researchers interested in the call? If so, you can join our contact list. Sign up and complete a brief form before 22 March 2026, and you will be added to a list where your information will be shared with other researchers.
Do you have questions related to the call?
Please contact: education-qa@nordforsk.org
Questions and answers will be anonymized and published on this call page. We update the Questions & answers section continuously, and you will shortly find a reply to your question on this page.
Important: Please read the instructions in the application form as well as the call text to access all the necessary information to write your proposal. You can use the preview form function to see the instructions in the application form.
See also: How to apply
