International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges

Purpose:

This call aims to harness the potential of disruptive technology to offer novel solutions to global challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The projects are required to address at least one of the seventeen SDGs.

Research harnessing disruptive technologies to address global challenges requires an interdisciplinary approach involving expertise across disciplines, including the natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Working across sectors, including academia, government, not-for-profit organizations, community organizations, and private industry, can help ensure implementation and impact.

Read all information on the application process, requirements, and evaluation criteria via New Frontiers in Research Fund and NordForsk (see links under Documents).

Other important requirements

This call is a collaboration between NordForsk, the Dutch Research Council, the International Development Research Centre (Canada), the New Frontiers in Research Fund (Canada, NFRF), the São Paulo Research Foundation (Brazil), the Spanish State Research Agency, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the National Science and Technology Council (Taiwan), and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

NordForsk administers the participation of the Nordic countries. The following Nordic funding agencies co-finance the call: Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF), Academy of Finland, Research Council of Norway, Innovation Fund Denmark, Rannís (Iceland), and the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).

Each project team must be international and eligible to receive funds from at least three participating funding organizations, one of which must be Canadian. Projects that apply for funding from NordForsk must include research partners from at least two different Nordic countries.  Nordic countries are defined here as Åland Islands, Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. One of the Nordic team members must have the role of Co-Principal Investigator in the international project team.

There must be three Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs), one of whom is designated as the Project Lead.

The consortium must be genuinely interdisciplinary, and it is recommended that at least one Co-PI comes from the humanities or social sciences.

Disruptive technologies

In this call, ‘Disruptive Technology’ is defined as ‘an innovation whose application replaces or radically alters systems, processes and/or behaviours to have transformative economic or societal impacts. The impact may be localized or far-reaching. Disruptive technology may include cutting-edge and novel innovations, or the application of an existing innovation in a new context, bringing about substantial change or paradigm shifts.

Contact list and webinar

Connect with other researchers interested in the call by signing up for the NFRF contact list no later than 9 February 2026.

NordForsk will host a webinar on the call on 22 January 2026. A recording of a similar webinar held in December is available on the NordForsk website.

See links under Documents.