Advanced International Studies at the Nobel Institute
Norway
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
Since 1991, nearly 150 visiting fellows from over 25 countries have spent shorter or longer periods at the Institute, including many of the world's leading historians and political scientists. In connection with the Fellowship Program, research seminars are held throughout the spring. Candidates are expected to deliver one research seminar and one public lecture while in residence at the Institute.
The program takes place in spring. The topic for 2026 will be: “The Price of Peace: historical, political, and philosophical perspectives."
The Price of Peace: historical, political, and philosophical perspectives
The value of peace is beyond doubt. Without it, human beings can hardly live flourishing lives. But while the attainment of peace is immensely important, it is not the only thing that matters. Hence, peace may come at a price.
But what is the price of peace? Is peace sometimes more important than respecting human rights or collective self-determination. Is it more important than democratic governance, or the just distribution of natural resources? Is the price of peace that perpetrators of historic injustice go unpunished? Or that objectionable social hierarchies, both within and between states, remain in place?
The Norwegian Nobel Institute seeks to throw light upon the price of peace from a wide range of perspectives, drawn especially from the fields of history, political science, and philosophy.
Relevant research questions include, but are not limited to:
- How has peace been achieved in the past? At what cost in terms of other values?
- How may peace be achieved in the years to come? At what cost in terms of other values?
- What is the nature of peace?
- Is peace a prerequisite for democracy and justice, or is it rather the other way around?
- How valuable is peace compared to other values?
- If the ideal balance of values is infeasible, what should we aim for in practice?
We welcome both case-oriented and more general approaches to the topic.
As the secretariat for the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and the administrative custodian of the Peace Prize, the Nobel Institute is one of Norway’s most prestigious and highly respected institutions.
The Nobel Institute houses what is perhaps Northern Europe’s finest international relations library, and has during the past few decades emerged as an important international academy for studies relating to war and peace.
Three months
Grants may only begin any time between February 1 and April 1, 2026.
International politics, international relations, peace and conflict studies, political theory, Cold War history, contemporary/late modern history, political philosophy, ethics, legal philosophy, international law.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute will provide office space and find/arrange (but not pay for) lodging for selected scholars.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
The working language of the Nobel Institute is English, and all public lecturing will be in English.
For research grant activity, language fluency sufficient to complete the research project is required. Feasibility of conducting research must be demonstrated in both the project statement and, for research that is not in English, the language self-evaluation form of the Fulbright application.
This award seeks established scholars i.e. tenured professors or assistant professors.
Please note that dual U.S.-Norway citizens are not eligible for the Fulbright program with Norway. Applications will not be considered if the applicant is currently residing in Norway or will be residing in Norway during the year preceding the grant.
All letters of recommendation should be submitted by the application deadline.
30,000 Norwegian kroner (NOK) per month for three months for research scholars. An additional monthly allowance of 2,000 NOK per accompanying dependent per month is provided for up to three accompanying dependents. If two people in the same family receive Fulbright grants to Norway, no dependent allowance will be provided for additional family members.
The monthly stipend is sufficient to cover basic living costs in Norway for the grantee and up to three accompanying dependents.
International travel for scholar only. Small allowance for excess baggage.
Housing costs can vary considerably depending on the type of place scholars rent, including whether or not they get access to researcher housing at their host university. For other costs of living, please see Consumption Research Norway’s reference budget for ordinary consumer expenditures.
One-time grants of up to 2,000 NOK are available for scholars to use for grant-related travel in Norway or Europe.
Scholars are also eligible to participate in the Fulbright Intercountry Lecturing Program. The program provides opportunities for professional enrichment and cultural experience outside of Norway through short visits to give presentations in other participating European countries. Intercountry Lecturing travel is covered by the Fulbright commission and host institution in the country the scholar travels to.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Norway
Norway is an excellent place to live, teach, and conduct research. With a strong public emphasis on knowledge and learning, Norway's generously funded and publicly accessible system of higher education and research is the backbone of Norwegian intellectual development, creativity, and innovation. A good introduction to Norway can be found here. In addition, Statistics Norway has a wealth of information in English on many topics.
The vast majority of higher education institutions in Norway are public. There is a single national admissions process for undergraduate study at public colleges and universities as well as some private institutions. In accordance with European standards, the years of study for a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degree are three, two and three respectively. In-depth information about higher education in Norway can be found here.
Norwegian institutions of higher education and research offer many opportunities for international scholars to conduct research and teach. English is used almost as a second language in Norway, and the international environment in most research and higher education institutions means that competence in Norwegian is not a requirement for a successful short-term research or teaching visit.
In addition, The Research Council of Norway has designated a number of Centers of Excellence and Centers for Research-Based Innovation in various fields. The centers are affiliated with Norway's top universities and premier independent research institutes and may be of particular interest for Fulbright scholars. Scholars especially interested in efforts to strengthen quality in higher education may want to consider one of the Norwegian Centres for Excellence in Education.
The academic year runs from mid-August to mid-December and mid-January to mid-June.
Early career applicants who are currently working on a PhD must have a doctorate in hand by February 2025 to be eligible.
Please note that dual U.S.-Norway citizens are not eligible for Fulbright grants to Norway.
The US-Norway Fulbright Foundation is proud to have welcomed scholars in a variety of disciplines from the creative and performing arts to education to mathematics and natural sciences. Every scholar and every host situation is different, and we cannot guarantee an exact match, but we will be happy to try and connect potential applicants with relevant recent alumni. For a complete list of current and past scholars, please see the Fulbright Scholar Directory.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
Applicants will be selected in accordance with the overall quality of past scholarship and the relevance of the application to the topic of “The Price of Peace: historical, political, and philosophical perspectives.”
Applicants may be contacted by the Nobel Institute for further information about their research.