Calls for Applications

Below you will find information about current and previous calls for application.

Call for Applications 2016

In 2016, we issued a call for three to six new centres. NOK 4-8 million was available in annual funding over a five-year period, with the possibility of extension for another five years. How much each centre will receive and the total number of new centres depended on the quality of the applications received and the level of ambition and activity envisaged.

When the deadline expired on 13 May, we had received 22 applications for SFU status from 12 universities and university colleges.

An international expert panel assessed the applications.

Awarding Centre Status

Of the 22 applications, the expert panel selected nine applications as finalists. The finalists were invited to send in supplementary documentation and the expert panel conducted site visits. Subject experts supported the panel during the site visits. The expert panel made its recommendation to the NOKUT board in October and the Board awarded centre status to four new centres:

  • NOKUT calls for applications for three to six new Centres for Excellence in Education (SFUs). Four to eight million NOK will be awarded each Centre annually, based on the level of activity described in the application. SFU status is awarded for five years, with the possibility of prolongation for another five years, subject to an interim evaluation after three to four years.

    The communities that are awarded centre status must be able to document excellence in education, ambitious and innovative plans for the Centre’s activities and good plans for the dissemination and involvement of others.

    We invite all academic communities to apply. SFU status will be awarded based on the applications with the highest quality. If several applications have equally high quality, a spread of academic fields will be prioritized.

    • Deadline for applications: 13 May 2016 at 12.00 p.m. (noon).

    Information about applications and the assessment procedures

    The application must follow the requirements set in the NOKUT template for applications (doc) and be sent by e-mail to sfu@nokut.no before the deadline.

    An international expert panel with student representation will conduct the assessment.

    The assessment process has two stages:

    1. Assessment of all submitted applications and selection of the best candidates for progression to the second round.
    2. Site visits at the institutions selected. Additional information might be requested prior to the site visit.

    The Centres will be appointed before the end of 2016.

    Read the criteria for awarding SFU status (pdf)

    Contact persons

    Helen Bråten
    Project Manager, Centres for Excellence in Education (SFU)
    +47 21 02 18 27 | Helen.Braten@nokut.no

    Ingvild Andersen Helseth
    Adviser, Centres for Excellence in Education (SFU)
    +47 21 02 18 25 | Ingvild.Andersen.Helseth@nokut.no

    Ole-Jacob Skodvin
    Director of The Department of Analysis and Development
    +47 21 02 18 29 | Ole-Jacob.Skodvin@nokut.no

  • The panel consisted of the following members:

    Professor Stephanie Marshall, Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom (Chair)
    Professor Stephanie Marshall is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Manchester and the Chief Executive Officer of the British Higher Education Academy (HEA). HEA is a national body stimulating educational quality. Professor Marshall served as a panel member in the expert committee assessing the applications for Germany’s Excellencz Initiativ.

    Prior to her engagement in HEA, Professor Marshall has worked extensively with rewarding and recognition of education, as well as educational leadership. She was formerly a Provost of the University of York and ran the Centre for Leadership and Management. As a researcher and teaching academic at this university, she developed the university’s first development programme for academic staff – the York Certificate of Academic Practice. Marshall has also been Director of Programmes with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE), where she developed the organisation’s leadership activities from a single programme, led the Governor Development Programme, and developed the LFHE’s Professional Recognition Scheme.

    She is co-editor of "A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education" and author of "A Handbook for Leaders in Higher Education; Transforming Teaching and Learning".

    Student Christine Alveberg, NSO, University of Agder (UiA)
    Christine Alveberg is appointed to the assessment panel by the National Union of Students in Norway (NSO). She is a bachelor student in political science at the University of Agder (UiA).

    Alveberg commenced her studies in 2012, and has since then acquired substantial experience both as a student representative and as a student politician. Today, she serves as a member on the university board of UiA and in NSO’s central executive committee. She has also been an elective representative at national level through the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions. She has led the student organisation Politicus at UiA, in addition to other positions at faculty and institutional level.

    Professor Peter Dieter, Gustav Carus Medical School, Dresden University of Technology, Germany
    Peter Dieter is professor in Biochemistry at the Carl Gustav Carus Medical School, Dresden University of Technology, Germany, where he was dean of education for almost ten years. He is the President of the Association of Medical Schools in Europe (AMSE).

    Professor Dieter is executive board member on several boards of German associations of higher medical education. He has also served as executive board member in AMEE, an international association for medical education. He has been the vice-president of the German Society of Education. In 2010, Peter Dieter was honoured with the Ars Legendi Award for excellent teaching in higher medical education. He has broad international experience, especially from Asia and Australia, where he has worked with curricular reforms, new foundations and accreditation of medical schools, as well as facilitation of exchange programmes.

    Professor and Head of Development, Astrid Elbek, The Royal Academy of Music, Denmark
    Astrid Elbek is the Head of Development at The Royal Academy of Music, Denmark. With her background as a rhythmical musician and composer, professor Elbek was a key in establishing the rhythmic music education at the academy.

    She has been part of many expert committees in Denmark, among them Statens Musikråd (The Danish Government’s Music Council). She also has extensive international experience, including from the Association Européenne des Conservatoires (AEC). She has been part of several international accreditation and evaluation processes within different artistic disciplines, such as music and dance.

    Professor and Pro-Vice Chancellor Duncan Lawson, Newman University, United Kingdom
    Professor Duncan Lawson is the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Formative Education at Newman University, Birmingham. Lawson chaired both the international expert panel that assessed the applications for SFU status in 2013 and the panel conducting the mid-term evaluation of Norway’s first Centre for Excellence, ProTed. He is now part of the SFU MatRIC’s international advisory board. Hence, his knowledge of the SFU initiative is extensive.

    Furthermore, Lawson has experience from the British Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) scheme, where he led one of the most successful centres, sigma. Lawson was previously the Assistant Chief Executive of the Higher Education Academy in the UK, and has taken part in several international expert committees related to education and mathematics education. Lawson will ensure the continuity in the SFU assessment process.

    Professor and Pro-Vice Chancellor Philippa Levy, University of Adelaide, Australia
    Professor Philippa Levy is the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Student Learning) at The University of Adelaide, Australia, where she is responsible for quality assurance, enhance and innovation in learning and teaching for the University. Adelaide is one of the eight research-intensive institutions in Australia. She earned her PhD, which focused on the use of new digital technologies in higher education, from the University of Sheffield.

    Previously, she was Professor of Learning and Teaching Enhancement in Higher Education at The University of Sheffield, where she also was Head of The Information School (iSchool). For five years, she was the Director of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, CILASS, based at The University of Sheffield, which focused on supporting the development of inquiry based learning, especially in arts and social science disciplines. Professor Levy’s research has been directed towards the student experience of learning through inquiry and research, and on inquiry-based pedagogies. She was Deputy Chief Executive (Academic) of the UK Higher Education Academy, and in 2014, she was deputy convenor of the Education panel for the Hong Kong Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

    • Lillehammer University College
      CEFIMA – Centre of Excellence in Film and Interactive Media Arts
    • Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
      SITRAP – Centre for Integrated and Transdisciplinary Education in Planning
    • Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
      o SCOPE – Center for Excellence in Medical Education
      o ENgage – Centre for Engaged Education through Entrepreneurship
      o EXcITEd – Excellent IT Education
    • Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences
      INTERACT – Centre for Interprofessional Interaction with Children and Youth
    • University of Bergen
      iEarth – Centre for integrated Earth System education
    • University of Oslo
      CCSE – Center for Computing in Science Education
    • UiT The Arctic University of Norway
      INTERPROF – Centre for Interprofessional Education in Health and Social Sciences

    Read about the process and the feedback the finalists (pdf)

  • Brief Information about the Call

    A call for applications for funding of NOK 3 million for three Centres of Excellence in Education was announced on 4 March 2013. All academic communities were eligible to apply, but if an application from the field of health and social work was of a sufficiently high standard, it would be awarded centre status. NOKUT received a total of 24 applications.

    Read the text of the announcement (pdf)

    The Expert Panel

    The applications were assessed by an international panel of experts consisting of:

    • Professor Duncan Lawson, Newman University, Birmingham (chair)
    • Director of Academic Affairs Jørgen Thorslund, University College Lillebælt
    • Professor Trudie Roberts, University of Leeds
    • Professor Mats Benner, Lund University
    • Musician and Pro-Vice Chancellor Helena Gaunt, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
    • Student Trine Oftedal, The National Union of Students in Norway

    The committee was extended with subject experts from the different disciplines for the final round.

    Applications and Feedback

    Awarding Centre Status

    Of the 24 applications that were received, eight progressed to the final round following an expert assessment. The finalists were asked to provide the committee with supplementary information, and visits were made to the institutions. On 15 October 2013, the expert panel gave its recommendation to NOKUT’s board, which awarded centre status to the following three candidates:

  • Brief Information about the Call

    The call for applications to establish a pilot Centre for Excellence in Education was announced on 12 April 2011. The pilot round was linked to teacher education institutions, and institutions offering the following study programmes were eligible to apply: primary teacher, preschool teacher, vocational teacher, subject teacher and five-year integrated master’s degree programmes. NOKUT received eight applications from a total of twelve institutions.

    The Expert Panel

    The applications were assessed by an international panel of experts consisting of:

    • Director of Academic Affairs Jørgen Thorslund, University College Lillebælt (chair)
    • Professor Riitta Pyykkö, Universitety of Turku
    • Professor Per-Olof Wickman, Stockholm University
    • Professor Roger Säljö, University of Gothenburg
    • Student Marte Hafr, The National Union of Students in Norway

    Applications and Feedback

    Awarding Centre Status

    The Centre for Professional Learning in Teacher Education (ProTed) was the first in Norway to be awarded the title Centre for Excellence in Education in December 2011. The centre is a collaboration between the University of Oslo (UiO) and the University of Tromsø (UiT). ProTed is linked to the five-year integrated teacher education programmes, which comprise teaching of grades 1–7 and 5–10 at UiT and 8–13 at UiO.

    Read more about ProTed