Two ways to apply
Your idea must be innovative. This means it is new, it benefits society and there is a need for it. Good ideas come from every field. They can be social innovations, innovations in the public sector, process innovations or commercialization projects.
Both schemes use the same application form and the same project description template.
UiB tidlig idé (early idea)
This is for ideas at a very early stage. The goal is to help your idea become mature enough to qualify for other funding. As a student, you can receive up to NOK 25,000. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis.
UiB idé
This is for verifying and testing a more developed idea. As a student, you can receive up to NOK 100,000. The next deadline is 14 February 2026, and the application form opens on 14 January 2026.
How to apply
Both schemes start with you filling in the application form and attaching a project description.
UiB tidlig idé (early idea)
- Fill in the application form, attach your project description and get approval from your mentor.
- Advisers in the innovation section assess your application on a rolling basis against the requirements and the assessment criteria.
- You will get an answer within one to two months. When the project is finished, you submit a final report.
UiB idé
- Fill in the application form, attach your project description and get approval from your mentor.
- Advisers first assess all applications against the requirements. A committee then evaluates the qualified applications.
- The highest ranked applicants are invited to present and pitch their idea to the committee.
- You will get an answer within two to three months after the deadline. When the project is finished, you submit a final report.
How your application is assessed
Your application is assessed on seven points:
- Challenge – what problem will the idea solve, and how innovative is it?
- Value proposition – what value does the innovation have for users and for society?
- Main deliverable – what will the project actually deliver?
- Follow-up plan – what happens to the idea after the project ends?
- The project team – what expertise do you have, and who do you work with?
- Project plan and budget – are the goals, milestones and budget realistic?
- Ethics and sustainability – does the project take ethical requirements and the environment into account?
If several applications are equally strong, the effect on sustainability and the environment is used to prioritize between them.
The rights to your idea
Your idea is safe with us. The assessment is confidential, and the content of your idea is not shared with others. However, the title and summary must be possible to publish openly, so do not write anything secret there.
As a student, you generally own your idea in full – employees share ownership with the university. If you want to apply for a patent, it is important that the idea has not been published or made public beforehand, for example in articles or at conferences.
Do you have questions about the rights? Contact Yves Aubert.
Students who succeeded
Many good ideas have started with a UiB idé application. Here are two examples from students at UiB.
Hjelpesiden.no – an overview of mental health support
Psychology students Frida Røvik, Mari Aune and Elin Hanevik were worried that it was hard to find your way through the range of mental health services. Using UiB idé as a starting point, they developed hjelpesiden.no – the first service in Norway to gather an overview of digital help by phone, email and chat. The service is run by the non-profit organization The Human Aspect, so it stays available in the long term.
Urban Ocean – cleaner water in the city fjords
The ocean technology students behind Urban Ocean use low-trophic marine species as a natural water treatment plant in the city fjords. Mussels and seaweed filter the water, take up nitrogen and phosphorus and create shelter for marine life. After their UiB idé project, they received one million kroner from Innovation Norway through the STUD-ENT scheme.