The call for Exploratory Networks within the Social Sciences and Humanities is an open call for bottom-up, curiosity-driven research networks within the humanities and social sciences in the Nordic region. Funding is available for 3-year networks, where researchers are free to explore and develop themes, topics, and types of activities.
The Nordic partners in a network proposal can apply for a total maximum of 1.5 MNOK. The intention is to fund the Nordic participation in approximately 22 research networks under this call.
The initiative aims to provide opportunities for early-career researchers to build and lead Nordic networks, to support novelty and creativity in research network activities, and to promote Nordic added value in research.
The call encourages networks to include a significant number of early-career researchers as Key Researchers. The project leader must have obtained the PhD latest 2-7 years prior to the application deadline. The application deadline will announced when the call opens in January.
The call aims to facilitate broad Nordic networks involving partners from at least four Nordic countries, thereby ensuring Nordic Added Value. Nordic countries are defined here as Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Åland Islands.
Distributed peer review
In the Nordic Exploratory Network Call, the Distributed Peer Review (DPR) method will be used for evaluating proposals. In DPR, the applicants themselves act as reviewers.
By using Distributed Peer Review, NordForsk aims to contribute to the development of new approaches to research evaluation and train early career research in the role as reviewers.
More information about the DPR evaluation method will be provided when the call text is published in January 2026.
Funding
The call is funded through the Joint Committee for Nordic research councils in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NOS-HS). NOS-HS is a co-operation between the research councils in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden responsible for research within the humanities and social sciences. The NOS-HS initiative is under the auspices of NordForsk.
