Project Grants for students and PhD

Guide for Meltzer Project Grants

Students and research fellows can apply for support in the form of project grants. 

Call for grant applications 2023

  • The database for this call opens for applications on January 2. 2023. The link to the new application system will be updated here before the call opens.
  • The deadline for submitting applications will be later in January 2023.  The new application deadline will be updated here.
  • An academic report shall be sent to the Meltzer Research Fund in the electronic application database as soon as the project has concluded and no later than September 30th the year after the grant was awarded. 
  • Any questions can be sent by email to: prosjektstipend@meltzerfondet.no 
  • Enquiries relating to technical problems with the application system/application can be reported to the fond_oka_fia@uib.no 


The grants will be announced on March 8th 2023.

Criteria for the grants

Meltzer project grants are awarded as support for academic projects confirmed by a supervisor and that are linked to study programmes or research fellow positions.

Who can apply?

Meltzer project grants are awarded to especially gifted students and PhD candidates at the University of Bergen. Especially gifted students and PhD candidates from other universities and specialized university institutions in Norway may also apply.
Grants are primarily awarded to students at master’s degree level, students at an equivalent level in professional studies and to PhD candidates. The grants can also be awarded to bachelor degree students when the application is linked to a research project/assignment and this can be confirmed by a supervisor.
The application must be confirmed and recommended by an academic supervisor who demonstrates that he/she is willing to ensure that the grants awarded by the Fund are used in accordance with the application.

Academic requirements

Applicants must be able to document a minimum of 120 credits at university or specialized university institution level (vitenskapelig høgskolenivå). This applies both to applicants who have only studied at the University of Bergen, applicants from the University of Bergen who have completed all or parts of their studies at other educational institutions in Norway or equivalent places of learning in other countries, and external applicants.

The grant is normally awarded for one year and the applicant must be a student or research fellow until mid-October of the year in which the grant is awarded. Applicants who complete their studies during the spring semester will not normally qualify for a grant. The requirement for admission to the programme of study for master’s degree students is extended until June. NOTE that research fellows who are admitted to a PhD programme at the University of Bergen must be registered as having admission to this programme for the application to be processed. The Fund does not award conditional grants.

Students who are studying for a period at an institution other than the University of Bergen, whether through an exchange programme or for specialized subjects/courses, are eligible to apply.

What types of grants can be applied for?

Grants are awarded in different amounts (the maximum amount is NOK 75,000). The grant awarded will be dependent upon expenses that can be documented in connection with the project, for example research travel, field work, equipment, materials etc. Grant monies cannot be used to cover the applicant’s normal living expenses at the place of study, for example research fellow salary or the like. Expenses that are normally covered by working capital for research fellows also cannot be covered by the Fund. Purchases made as part of the grant must be registered in accordance with the laws, regulations and guidelines that generally apply to purchases made through the University of Bergen (other regulations apply to external applicants).

For more information, see the Meltzer Research Fund statutes.

“Meltzer quality”

Normally, only the top 10% of students are considered to have “Meltzer quality”. The required grades are revised annually based on result statistics at each Department. All of the applicant’s exams at the university and/or specialized university institution (vitenskapelig høgskole), with the exception of Examen Philosophicum, are used when calculating the grade point average. The project proposal also applies when ranking the applicants.

For students and PhD candidates at the University of Bergen who have taken exams at external institutions, the grade point average is determined based on exams taken at the University of Bergen. Grades for exams taken at other educational institutions must have the same level of quality. External candidates are evaluated separately and their grades are compared with the level for equivalent subjects at the University of Bergen. This also applies to PhD candidates at the University of Bergen who have only studied at other educational institutions.

It is a requirement that the grades are achieved through normal academic progress. Weaker grades, but those that are still within the top 15% of students, can to some degree be compensated by:

  • Documented participation in unpaid research work at University-departments
  • Documented academic presentations given under particularly difficult conditions

Qualified applicants that have completed a bachelor degree or higher degree, will normally be preferred ahead of students who have not progressed as far in their studies, even if the latter’s grades are better. Active participation in boards or committees at the university/specialized university institution may be decisive if applicants are on an otherwise equal footing.

NOTE: Achieving “Meltzer quality” is not a guarantee for receiving a grant, as there are usually fewer grants available than there are qualified applicants.

Guidelines for L. Meltzer Research Fund project grants
Approved by the board of the Meltzer Research Fund on May 23rd 2016.

Guidelines for project grant applicants

  1. Meltzer project grants are awarded to especially gifted students and PhD candidates at the University of Bergen.
  2. Especially gifted students and PhD candidates from other universities and specialized university institutions (vitenskapelige høgskoler) in Norway may also apply.
  3. Meltzer project grants are awarded as support for academic projects confirmed by a main supervisor, and that are linked to study programmes or research fellow positions.
  4. On October 10th 2016, the Board of the Meltzer Research Fund agreed to an additional allocation of NOK 550,000 per year over 3 years for study grants, with a preference for internationalisation (ref. Item 18/16).
  5. Grants are primarily awarded to students at master’s degree level, students at an equivalent level in professional studies, and to PhD candidates.
  6. Applicants must document at least 120 ECTS credits at university or specialized university institution level (vitenskapelig høgskolenivå). This applies both to applicants who have only studied at the University of Bergen, applicants from the University of Bergen who have completed all or parts of their studies at other educational institutions in Norway or equivalent places of learning in other countries, and external applicants.
  7. Applicants must enclose all diplomas and transcripts of grades from higher education, not just a selection of these.
  8. Applicants with an education outside of Norway must enclose a description of the grade scale that is used.
  9. The application must include a detailed budget specifying all expenses. The application must also include any working capital and/or other financing.
  10. The application must be confirmed and endorsed by an academic supervisor who can demonstrate that he/she is willing to ensure that awarded grants from the Fund are used in accordance with the application.
  11. Admission to programme of study: The grant is normally awarded for one year and the applicant must be a student or research fellow until mid-October of the year in which the grant is awarded
  12. For Meltzer project grants, the requirement for admission to the programme of study will be advanced to June for master’s degree students
  13. Research fellows who have been accepted into a PhD programme at the University of Bergen must be registered with admission to this programme in order for the application to be processed. Students who are studying for a period at an institution other than the University of Bergen, whether through an exchange programme or for specialized subjects/courses, are eligible to apply.
  14. Examen Philosophicum and Norwegian courses will not count towards the grade point average, but the EXFAC preparatory examination will be included.
  15. A PhD candidate may receive a maximum of 3 grants from the L. Meltzer Research Fund.
  16. The faculties may show discretion and deviate from the Meltzer quality requirement in cases where the candidate has a particularly good research talent, has published a lot, or has performed very well with regard to research, but which grade average is not among the best at the respective faculty.

Contact information

Any questions concerning applications for a Meltzer Research Fund project grant for students and Ph.D. candidates can be directed to the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Bergen by email to prosjektstipend@meltzerfondet.no.

  • Enquiries concerning technical problems with the application system can be sent to the IT Department using this link.