[PDF] IRF Handbook for the grant year 2026 - Rannís
Enriched Nordic · Found: 2026-03-11 08:06
Five types of grants are offered. Grants of Excellence, Project grants, Postdoctoral grants, and Doctoral student grants are awarded for up to 36 months.
Source: https://en.rannis.is/media/rannsoknasjodur/IRF_Handbook.pdf
Funding Details
- Funder
- Rannís (Icelandic Centre for Research) / Icelandic Research Fund (IRF)
- Funding Goal
- To support defined research projects and research-based postgraduate studies in Iceland, based on scientific quality, researcher competence, and available resources. The fund aims to strengthen Iceland's research capacity across all academic disciplines.
- Funding Amount
- Grants range from 25M ISK (Doctoral Student Grants) to 145.5M ISK (Grants of Excellence) for up to 36 months, with an additional 25% overhead added automatically. With overhead, the maximum is 181.9M ISK for Grants of Excellence. Startup Grants can extend to 60 months with a max of 102M ISK (127.5M ISK with overhead). Amounts are in Icelandic Króna. (25.000.000 € – 181.900.000 €)
- Deadline
- June 13, 2025 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Applications are submitted electronically through the Rannís online system. The process involves: (1) Preparing a project description using the mandatory template with page limits varying by grant category, (2) Submitting CV (max 2 pages), reference list, and for some categories letters of recommendation and host institution confirmation, (3) Pre-screening by Rannís for compliance with formal requirements, (4) Scientific evaluation by the relevant Expert Panel, (5) External peer review by 2-3 international experts, (6) Final funding decision by the IRF Board. For Grants of Excellence, a two-step process includes Board interviews for top-ranked applications. All applications must be submitted in English.
- Target Region
- Iceland
- Contact
- Email: rannsoknasjodur@rannis.is
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-12 05:58
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The Icelandic Research Fund (IRF), administered by Rannís, is Iceland's primary competitive research funding mechanism. It offers five categories of grants: Grants of Excellence, Project Grants, Startup Grants, Postdoctoral Fellowships, and Doctoral Student Grants. Grants are awarded for up to 36 months (60 months for Startup Grants) and cover salaries, operating costs, travel, publications, equipment, and contracted services, with a 25% overhead automatically applied to most budget lines. Eligibility is restricted to researchers and students at Icelandic universities, research institutions, and companies based in Iceland. Principal Investigators must hold a PhD and demonstrate relevant research experience. The fund is discipline-agnostic, supporting research across all academic fields based on scientific quality. Applications are evaluated through expert panel review and international peer review before final decisions by the IRF Board. For the 2026 grant year, the application deadline is June 13, 2025. The program has introduced a new Startup Grants category targeting early-to-mid-career researchers (3-10 years post-PhD). Funding amounts range from approximately 25M ISK for doctoral grants to 181.9M ISK (with overhead) for Grants of Excellence. All results must be published in open access, and grantees must follow FAIR data management principles.
Historical Context
The Icelandic Research Fund is an established annual program with yearly funding rounds. The 2026 handbook introduces several changes including a new Startup Grants category for researchers with 3-10 years post-PhD experience, increased minimum experience requirements for Project Leaders, and enhanced restrictions on simultaneous applications across categories.
Sources
- https://en.rannis.is/media/rannsoknasjodur/IRF_Handbook.pdf
- https://en.rannis.is/funding/research/icelandic-research-fund