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NOK 95 Million for Pioneering Research at UiO

Five researchers at the University of Oslo (UiO) receive funding from The Research Council of Norway?s total of 18 FRIPRO awards. UiO researchers have also secured the first and only two grants in a new pilot scheme.

Bildet kan inneholde: smil, briller, briller, synspleie, lykke.

Impressive effort from UiO researchers: Achim Krause, Are Austad Ingunn Kathrine Wehus, J?rgen Afseth Sugar, Matthjis Dorst, Pritty Patel-Grosz og Sundeep Sahay. Foto: UiO

FRIPRO is the Research Councils of Norway?s funding scheme for pioneering research with the potential to advance the research frontier. 

Among the successful applicants this round is Professor Sundeep Sahay from the Department of Informatics. He will use AI and machine learning to study antibiotic resistance. 

– The aim is to build a system that collects and links environmental, health and social data to understand how resistance spreads. By using artificial intelligence and machine learning, researchers will be able to monitor, predict and assess the risks, Sahay explains to Titan.

The five FRIPRO projects:

Research Project for Young Talents (FRIPRO)

Matthjis Dorst, Faculty of Medicine

  • The role of Striatal Interneurons in Action Selection
  • Sum: NOK 10 million

Are Austad ved Det matematisk- naturvitenskapelige fakultet

  • Harmonic Analytic and Quantum Metric Aspects of Rapid Decay (HAQMARD)
  • Sum: NOK 4,9 million

Achim Krause, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

  • Effective Spectra (EffSpec)
  • Sum: NOK 10 million

Read more about the projects.

Research Project for Experienced Researchers (FRIPRO)

Ingunn Kathrine Wehus, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

  • COMAP: Mapping the teenage universe with carbon monoxide
  • Sum: NOK 12 million

Sundeep Sahay, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

  • Building new multi-disciplinary science to monitor and predict environment Antimicrobial resistance (AMR); case of rivers in India 
  • Sum: NOK 12 million

Read more about the projects.

Rejected top research receives funding

The European Research Council (ERC) receives far more top-rated applications than it can finance. Two research projects at UiO received the highest possible score in the last ERC round, but were not awarded funding. 

They will nevertheless receive support from the Research Council of Norway, which has launched a new pilot scheme. The scheme aims to strengthen projects that have already received top marks, stimulate pioneering research ideas and incentivise Norwegian research communities to apply for ERC funding. 

The Two grants in the scheme both go to UiO researchers:

J?rgen Afseth Sugar, Faculty of Medicine, receives NOK 22 million to study how the brain forms and recalls episodic memories, specifically memories of what happened where and when. By examining neural activity patterns in both healthy individuals and those with brain disorders, the project aims to provide better insight into brain function and open new methods for improving memory in patients with neurological conditions.

Pritty Patel-Grosz, Faculty of Humanities, receives NOK 23,6 million to study how humans and our closest primate relatives use the body to convey meaning. By examining gestures and dance, the researchers hope to identify shared elements in bodily communication across primate species. The goal is to uncover universal strategies for the use of bodily movement in communication and end expression

– Important for competitiveness

UiO Rector Ragnhild Hennum emphasises the significance of these awards:

– FRIPRO makes it possible to bring forward bold, basic research of the highest quality. It is a crucial contribution to strengthening our competitiveness and to developing the knowledge society needs to address the challenges we face. 

– It is also very encouraging that the Research Council is launching a pilot scheme to stimulate top-level research and increase ERC applications. And of course, it is particularly gratifying that our researchers are the first to receive funding through this scheme - congratulations!

 

Published Sep. 17, 2025 - Last modified Sep. 17, 2025