In March 2022, Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research established a grant scheme for Ukrainian self-financed students who were unable to access their funds due to the war. 

The grant scheme has since been extended, and students who are Ukrainian citizens can apply for financial support through the 2022/2023 academic year.

Update

• This grant scheme has been extended to also include August and September of 2023.
• This grant scheme is ending on October 1st. From this date, the same arrangements that apply to Ukrainian students that arrived after the war started, will also apply to the students who were eligible for this grant scheme.

This financial aid is available to students who:

• are citizens of Ukraine, or are in Norway through a Ukrainian educational institution.
• were in Norway before the start of the war.
• are self-financed and registered students or PhD candidates at NTNU for the academic year 2022/2023.
• are self-financed students or PhD candidates who have lost access to their funds due to the war in Ukraine.
• are not receiving support from the State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) or other financial support programmes.

Students who qualify for financial support through this grant scheme, can receive up to 11,500 NOK per month. PhD candidates can receive up to 21,000 NOK. The financial support is in effect from September 1st 2022 to July 31st 2023.

The amount of funds you receive is dependent on the amount you lost access to. For example, if you lost access to 8,000 NOK per month, you are eligible for 8,000 NOK per month through this programme.

For students who have a Norwegian bank account, or access to their account abroad, the funds will be transferred to an account in your name. The funds cannot be transferred to an account belonging to another person.

Students who do not have Norwegian bank accounts, or access to their accounts abroad, will receive cash cards.

Note that you may be asked to hand in necessary documents that can support your application. You will be contacted if we require further documentation or clarification.

Apply here.

Russian applicants to degree programmes in Norway apply as private persons not affiliated with any institution, and are therefore not affected by the suspension of academic cooperation with Russia.

NTNU and other Norwegian universities will process degree applications from Russian citizens as usual.

NTNU has no exchange agreements with Belarusian institutions, but students at Belarusian institutions can still apply for exchange to NTNU on an individual basis.

The Norwegian government has suspended nearly all Norwegian academic cooperation with Russia on the national and institutional level. This includes NTNU’s student exchange agreements with Russian education institutions. As such, NTNU cannot accept exchange students from Russian institutions.
 
However, non-institutional reseracher-to-reseracher cooperation is explicitly not affected by the suspension of agreements, meaning that Russian project/placement students may still come to NTNU.

Our best recommendation for Ukrainian scholars is to apply for relevant vacant positions at NTNU. NTNU is committed to open merit-based recruitment and already has some Ukrainian staff members. Our departments may also investigate opportunities for temporary engagements in research projects or the possibility to invite guest researchers with their own funding.

Other tips could be to check out EU programmes and funding opportunities for Ukrainian researchers on ERA4Ukraine. Scholars at Risk (SAR) has also listed possible resources for at-risk scholars affected by the crisis in Ukraine.

Note that Ukrainians must have a residence permit to work in Norway. Academic staff may obtain residence permits for skilled workers. Ukrainian refugees who have been granted collective protection may also work in Norway.

In a letter to Norwegian universities the Ministry of Education and Research has recommended the institutions to explore ways to include Ukrainian researchers in their academic communities. These range from including them in existing projects to offering office space and a work environment to those who have the opportunity to continue their work affiliated to their home institution. 

The Government has not imposed an academic boycott of Russia, but institutional agreements between Norwegian and Russian institutions should generally be put on hold. Any research collaboration related to nuclear emergency preparedness as well as fisheries and resource management will continue as before. The Ministry asks to be informed if institutions believe there is particular reason to continue their collaboration.

We know there are also questions about what to do with the funds allocated to the Russian research partners in the consortia (EU and the Research Council of Norway). This must be clarified with the organization allocating the research funds. Questions should be addressed to the research section at the faculty and/or the Rector's research staff.  

The Government believes that researcher-to-researcher collaboration should be continued as long as the institutions and academic communities regard it as justifiable. However - as long as the war is ongoing in Ukraine it is wise to be cautious about opening up to Russian and Belarus participation at conferences organized by NTNU.

Russian applicants must be evaluated in terms of the ordinary regulations and guidelines for appointment.  A security assessment of research activity must be carried out in accordance with the export control regulations, where particular caution must be taken as a result of the conflict situation.  

Managers and the academic communities have a duty of care to their own staff. Be aware that some employees may need adaptations in their work at a personally demanding time. If professional help is needed, the occupational health service can be contacted. If temporary contracts are about to expire and the situation in their home country indicates that it is not safe for them to travel there, the academic communities should explore the opportunities they have to assist researchers in the form of extensions or short-term engagements.