Call 2020 has ended. The new centers are found on the Vista-homepage.
The VISTA program is a continuation of a more than 30-year long collaboration between Statoil (now (Equinor) and The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The VISTA-board has developed a new strategy and its approval by the partners was the basis for a renewal of a five-year contract. Equinor will annually provide MNOK 20 for research according to the new strategic plan. Additional funding will be sought from the Donor Matching Scheme. On this basis, the VISTA board calls for proposals for new VISTA centers. Two new centers will be funded by MNOK 5 annually for five years. The centers must be located at a university at which the principal investigator holds a position, adhere to the principles of RRI (Responsible Research & Innovation) and be truly interdisciplinary. Integration of perspectives from social sciences and the humanities into proposed projects are encouraged. The centers should host scientists from both Academia and relevant business partners and have a broad international network.

In a 2020-2050 perspective, fossil resources will remain an important contributor to global energy consumption. It is therefore imperative to lower the environmental footprint of fossil fuels production by optimizing energy efficiency in all operations including field electrification, and to further develop CCS/CCUS technologies. In a perspective beyond 2050, a CO2 neutral society will require efficient energy storage and transport solutions to meet the intermittency of renewable energy sources, and to secure energy supply beyond the electricity grid.

On this background, the aim of the program is to support science that provides fundamental insight in

1) Basin analysis and efficient resource identification and utilization, or
2) Future development solutions, or
3) Sustainability, environment and low carbon solutions.

The detailed description of the three areas (one center – one research area) can be found in Appendix 1.

Nomination
The VISTA program supports research that is in accordance with the strategies and priorities of the host institutions and their research milieus. The VISTA program therefore invites Norwegian universities to submit a limited number of proposals from each geographic region (as listed in appendix 4 below). Research groups that participate actively in already established Centers of Excellence (SFF), Centers of Innovation (SFI) or Centers for Environment-Friendly Energy Research. (FME) may apply only if the proposal can be identified as qualitatively distinct from the already established center and represents a truly novel cross- or interdisciplinary approach. It is a condition for funding that the VISTA name is attached to the center and its activities.

Please also consult Appendices 2, 3, 4 and 5 for further details about the program and about how to apply.

Application deadline for centers starting within the first eight months of 2020 is 28.02.2020 at 12:00 (noon).

For any questions related to the call, please contact:

Pål Pettersen
Project manager
Email: pal.pettersen@dnva.no
Phone: +47 22 84 15 18 / +47 415 10 974