Tilskudd til forskning i bedrifter (FORREGION)

FORREGION is a regional research fund program in Østfold County, Norway, designed to support small and medium-sized businesses with little or no experience in research and development (R&D). The program provides funding for preliminary R&D projects to familiarize applicant companies with research as an innovation tool and to initiate further research activities. Companies must collaborate with a researcher and work with competence brokers who can facilitate relevant partnerships and guide the project development process. The program aims to mobilize businesses toward research and trigger continued research efforts through pre-project phase support. The program covers five priority areas: climate, environment and energy; health and care; education and upbringing; technology; and urban, place and regional development. Support is capped at 50% of the project's total budget with a maximum of 200,000 Norwegian kroner. At least 70% of the support amount must be used to purchase R&D competence from external sources. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are evaluated continuously. Eligible companies must have fewer than 250 employees and annual revenue below 50 million euros, be registered in Østfold, and demonstrate little or no prior R&D experience. The program requires collaboration with a named competence broker and aims to prepare companies for future funding opportunities such as the Research Council of Norway's innovation programs or SkatteFUNN.