The 2026 Brain Power Award

The Brain Power Award is given to one or more members of Forskerforbundet (The Norwegian Association of Researchers; NAR) who, through their knowledge-based work, have made significant contributions to society.

Every day, Forskerforbundet's nearly 27,000 members use their brain power to improve and develop our society. Their knowledge, competence and efforts are important in the workplace and for society. They can be found at universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, in public administration, in business and at museums, archives and libraries. They represent an important diversity of knowledge that in various ways develops our society. With Forskerforbundet's Brain Power Award, we want to appreciate their efforts and showcase the important work our members do.

The nominee must be a person who has made significant contributions to society through their knowledge work. It can be a research project, an exhibition, an innovation, an archive, a teaching programme, innovative dissemination to the public, a contribution to the public debate, or another socially beneficial contribution. The nominee should meet one or more of the criteria.

The award money is a total of NOK 200,000, which will be allocated to one or more winners. The winner(s) will also receive a diploma designed especially for this purpose by the artist Lars Fiske. A committee will nominate five candidates as possible winners of the award. The Executive Board will choose the winner(s). The award ceremony takes place at our annual Research Policy Conference on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. 

The deadline for nominating candidates is September 7, 2026.

Who can be nominated? 

• Anyone who is a member of Forskerforbundet/NAR can be nominated. You cannot nominate yourself.
• The award is normally given to one recipient, but it can also be given to a group that has collaborated on a joint project.
• NARs Brain Power Award is personal and there are no specific requirements for how the award money should be spent. 

How to nominate? 

Proposals for candidates must be justified with a short text of up to 1,000 words:

• The text must contain the candidate's name and institutional affiliation, as well as a justification for why the candidate is eligible for the award.
• The text can be written in a Scandinavian language or in English. It can also be written in Sami, provided that a translation in Norwegian or English is attached.
• The justification will be decisive for the assessment of the candidate. 
• Attachments will not be taken into account. 
• The nomination must be in writing. Audio-visual contributions such as audio tracks, media coverage/reports, broadcast interviews etc. will not be considered.
• Nominations should be submitted by email to hjernekraft@forskerforbundet.no by September 7, 2026.

Important criteria in the assessment:

• The candidate has given a substantial contribution in research and/or knowledge work. 
• Through his/her environment-creating and knowledge-promoting efforts, the candidate has had a particular significance in the workplace and/or own professional environment.
• The candidate shows a particular ability for commitment and has contributed to innovation within his or her field.
• The candidate excels with versatility and/or innovative thinking in communication and forms of expression.

The candidates will be assessed by a committee, which nominates up to five possible winners. The winner(s) are chosen by Forskerforbundet's Executive Board.

The nomination committee:

• Kristin Dæhli (chair), former union representative at NTNU and former NAR vice president
• Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr, senior researcher, NUPI (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs)
• Elisabeth Solvang Koren, director, Norwegian Maritime Museum
• Aksel Kjær Vidnes, chief editor forskning.no