Researchers in Norway from academia, industry and public administration, can apply for allocations to various national computing and storage facilities.
Sigma2 issues calls for proposal twice a year:
- A call in January with allocations effective 1 April.
- A call in June with allocations effective 1 October.
Additionally, you have the option to submit applications outside of the regular call periods.
To facilitate a seamless application process, we provide comprehensive guidance on requesting allocations through the national services. Click on the links below to read more about each theme.
The application process at a glance:
Who can apply for resources
Our resources are primarily available for research and education purposes. Access to the national e-infrastructure resources is open to individuals and groups from the listed Norwegian organisations:
- Norwegian universities and university colleges
- Governmental Research Centres
- Entities or projects financed by the Ministry of Education and Research or the Research Council of Norway are open to applications from academic users and those in industry and public administration.
- Norwegian hospitals
- Industrial parties
If other usage is needed, organisations outside the listed categories may contact Sigma2 to enquire about possible access.
Project leadership criteria
To apply, the applicant must meet certain criteria for project leadership. Eligible applicants include individuals with:
- a permanent position at their organisation.
- a postdoctoral position.
- temporary employment at their organisation.
Note that master and PhD students and guest researchers cannot apply directly. Instead, they must apply through a colleague (e.g. a supervisor) who holds a permanent postdoctoral position at their organisation.
Additionally, the qualified user must be the Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Leader, while other researchers can be assigned as an Executive Officer (XO). See the Project Leader Handbook for more information.
How to apply for a regular allocation
If you are starting a new project and require resources, you should apply for a regular allocation.
Keep an eye out for our call for resources, announced on this website twice a year normally in December/January and June/July. The deadline varies accordingly and is usually set in February and August. If you submit your application after the deadline, it will be processed once the next period begins.
We encourage you to apply within the designated call periods to have the best chance of receiving the requested resources.
Each resource period lasts 6 months: from 1 April to 30 September and 1 October to 31 March.
Applications can span multiple allocation periods. However, for multi-period applications, the applicant must confirm the requested quotas for the next period by the deadline for the specific call.
Multi-period applications must be confirmed within the deadline to be case-handled.
How are resources granted (Evaluation)
Applications for national e-infrastructure resources are evaluated by a Resource Allocation Committee (RFK).
The RFK is composed of leading Norwegian scientists from relevant user groups who are appointed by the Sigma2 board.
The RFK evaluates the proposals and awards access to Sigma2 computing and storage resources twice per year.
Proposals for access must demonstrate scientific excellence and the scientific need that the resources requested will be used efficiently.
In addition to meeting the requirements for scientific quality, projects must comply with our Acceptable Use Policy and the local ICT policy at your affiliated research institution
Apply outside regular calls
We acknowledge that there may be situations where you require resources outside the regular call periods. In such cases, we continue to accept applications even during non-call periods.
These applications will be processed within a couple of working days. However, it's important to note that fulfilling resource needs may be subject to availability.
The project leader can submit a request for an extra allocation for the remainder of the period if a project exhausts its quotas before the end of the ongoing allocation period. There are no deadlines for such requests.
Requests for extra allocations are subject to available capacity on the facilities. This also applies to proposals submitted outside regular calls. HPC applications submitted after the deadline and extra applications granted in part or full will receive a lower scheduling priority than ordinary applications. This does not apply to applications for new projects.
Users with an existing project
Users with existing national e-infrastructure projects may renew their projects or apply for additional quotas through our administration system.
Note that only Principal Investigators/Project Leaders or Executive Officers can apply for additional quota.
How to apply for extra allocation
Projects that consume their allocations before the end of the allocation period can apply for extra resources to meet their needs. This option is only available for existing projects which are running out of quota before the period expires.
To apply for extra allocation, log into the resource administration system and find your project. Under the active project section, find the relevant project and click "Apply to extend granted quota".
The application process for extra allocation is easy and requires only a short justification, and can be submitted at any time during an ongoing period.
If you are applying for extra allocation for HPC resources, note that you can only apply for CPU hours, and not storage on the HPC disk.
Read more about storage on HPC
Please submit your requests in due time before the resources are consumed. We normally process applications within 5 working days, and allocations are subject to resource availability.
After we have processed your application, you will be notified by email.
Mandatory requirements
Funding sources
In this application scheme, it is mandatory to provide information about your funding sources. This information is crucial for justifying the ongoing operation and development of the national e-infrastructure.
Reporting scientfic results
Project Leaders are required to submit a report on the scientific results of previous allocations. This should include linking the allocation project ID to their scientific publications in Cristin.
How to report usage through Cristin
Please be aware that it is necessary to link project numbers for both HPC and NIRD storage to the publications.
Data Management Plan
Note that applications for NIRD storage services NIRD Data Peak and NIRD Data Lake) must be complemented with a data management plan.
This can be created with easyDMP — NIRD Data Planning or any other approved data management plan tool.
Sanctions to Russia and Belarus
Norway has applied sanctions to Russia and Belarus. Norway has followed the EU regulations as it is formalized in the Regulation concerning the integrity of Ukraine.
Based on the EU regulations and Norwegian regulations the export of dual-use technology and the related provision of support assistance is prohibited to Russia and Belarus. The Sigma2 resources Betzy, Fram, Saga, NIRD and NIRD service Platform, NIRD Toolkit, Research Data Archive and easyDMP fall under this regulation.
Implications
Researchers in Russia and Belarus or affiliated with Russian or Belarusian organizations are not allowed to use any Sigma2 resources and Norwegian research infrastructure services, and access from Russia and Belarus to these services is forbidden.
Export of all the computing results and research data is forbidden to researchers in Russia and Belarus or affiliated with Russian or Belarusian institutions.
Consequences
- If you are a Principal Investigator of a project with members working from or affiliated with institutions from the sanctioned countries, you have the responsibility to inform them about the restrictions.
- If you are a user residing in the sanctioned countries or affiliated with institutions from the sanctioned countries, you should stop utilizing the resources; if you continue accessing and utilizing the resources, your account might be closed.
- Export of results obtained using Sigma2 resources and the Norwegian research infrastructure services to collaborators in the sanctioned countries is not allowed; if you export computing results and research data to the sanctioned countries, your account might be closed.