Frequently Asked Questions
How can I get a job/fellowship at PRIO?
Simple answer: All vacancies at PRIO will be announced on our vacancies page, as well as in the local press and other relevant networks and career services. Each announcement will instruct you how to apply, as this varies depending on the position.
Detailed answer: PRIO receives a lot of enquiries about job opportunities. Though we’re interested to learn about other scholars’ research, and of possibilities for collaboration, we receive too many unsolicited enquiries to be able to respond to all. We therefore recommend that you do not send in an ‘open’ application, and instead apply directly to a suitable announced position.
If you do send your CV to info@prio.org, we can only to a limited extent circulate it among relevant people at PRIO who may be interested in your research/expertise. We do not as a matter of course keep individuals’ CVs on file for future consideration. If you wish to be considered for a future position, then please keep an eye on our vacancies page for any announcements and apply to the appropriate deadline.
As an independent research institute, all of PRIO’s research projects are funded through external funds. All of the researchers at PRIO have to actively engage in securing funding for their research projects. If you are interested in undertaking, or contributing to, a research project at PRIO then you must also consider how you might get the necessary funding to cover your part (including overhead). If you are to be included in a project proposal to a funder, then the relevant researchers at PRIO need first appreciate what you could bring to the project already at the development stage, which could be many months before funding for a new position is actually gained.
Check out PRIO’s list of ongoing projects to see if there are any active research projects going on with relevance to your own expertise and research background.
Does PRIO provide funding to projects/individuals?
PRIO is not a grant-giving body. PRIO is an independent research institute that relies on external sources for funding all of its research projects. Projects some times award student scholarships, which are then announced on our Vacancies page.
Does PRIO provide educational courses/training/scholarships?
PRIO is not an educational body, and as such does not directly provide any educational courses or training. PRIO is, however, involved in a Research School (on PhD level, in collaboration with the Universities in Oslo and Trondheim) and the International Summer School at the University of Oslo. Read more about this on Education and Courses.
Does PRIO accept interns?
Simple answer: PRIO does not formally offer internships or work placements.
Detailed answer: PRIO has occasionally accepted interns in the past, and we are still in principle willing to consider open applications that are sent to us. There are no application forms or deadlines, and candidates (or the academic institute to which they are affiliated) will ideally have made contact with the leader of a specific project that they are interested in working with. The website holds a list of ongoing projects.
Our ability to take on an intern depends on the availability of office space, the capacity and interest of a relevant programme or project manager who would provide them with supervision, and the overriding issue of funding, as with the other positions. Internship positions are also subject to an overhead charge which needs to be covered by external sources.
Please note that as internships fall outside the regular scholarships and staff positions available at PRIO, it is recommended that candidates present their applications through the academic institutions to which they are affiliated, and that steps taken to cover expenses (plus our overhead), through grants or otherwise, are clearly explained.
Does PRIO accept guest researchers?
Simple answer: Occasionally.
Detailed answer: Our ability to host a guest researcher (including doctoral students) depends on the availability of office space, available funds, and the capacity of a relevant PRIO researcher who could be their contact person. In principle, PRIO is willing to consider hosting guest researchers whose projects are generally of relevance to our own research, more specifically of relevance to an ongoing project, research group or centre. The better fit, the more likely it is that a guest researcher’s stay at PRIO will be mutually beneficial.
Guest Researcher positions are, just like with regular positions, subject to an overhead charge which needs to be covered by external sources. Usually the guest researcher’s home institute or research grant would be expected to cover it. Occasionally, projects at PRIO will build funding for guest researchers into the project budget, but this must be done already at the development stage. If you do not already have funding available, it is therefore recommended that you first contact an appropriate researcher at PRIO to make them aware of your research and how it might be of benefit to their current and future projects.
Is it possible to do a PhD at PRIO?
Simple answer: PRIO does not grant degrees, but the institute employs a number of researchers who are enrolled in PhD programmes at universities, usually in Norway. Some have PRIO as their full-time employer while others are affiliated on a part-time basis.
Detailed answer: There are three ways of doing a PhD in Norway. First, the universities have doctoral positions for carrying out independent doctoral research. These are advertised by the relevant faculties or departments. A few university-based PhD candidates are affiliated with PRIO and spend part of their time at the institute. The funding requirements in such cases are the same as for interns.
Second, large research projects financed by the Research Council of Norway or other funding bodies can include one or more positions for doctoral researchers. These projects can be carried out at universities or at research institutes such as PRIO. The PhD will, in this case, not be an individual project, but integrated in a project led by a senior researcher. The project leader may have applied for funding with a specific PhD candidate in mind, or decide to advertise the PhD position after the grant is received. When there are vacancies of this kind at PRIO, they are announced on the Vacancies section of PRIO’s web site.
Third, individual PhD projects are, on rare occasions, undertaken with funding from other sources. In PRIO’s case, this has primarily been done with funding from the Ministry of Defence, and been limited to research in the ministry’s field of interest.
The funding for a PhD must not only cover the candidate’s salary and operating expenses, but also all indirect costs for the host institution. Unlike in many other countries, it is not possible to start a PhD on the basis of personal savings and/or part-time work. Full funding must be secured in advance, in one of the three ways described above. Regardless of the funding arrangement, candidates must be enrolled in a PhD programme at a university. This usually requires a two-year master degree in the same discipline as the PhD.
Questions about PRIO's library
What are the library's opening hours?
From 09:00 to 15:30, Monday to Friday.
Do I need to make an appointment to consult the PRIO library, or can I just drop by during opening hours?
You do not need to make an appointment, but we recommend that you do so because the library is small and lightly staffed, and consequently there is a slight danger of coming to a closed door if you show up unexpectedly.
May I consult the PRIO library database via the internet?
No.
How can I know if PRIO's library owns one specific document/journal that I am looking for?
If it’s a book you’re after, look it up in SAMBOK, the Norwegian union catalogue of monographs, and check the holdings data there (“Location codes”). PRIO will be on the list if we have the book. But this information is not quite reliable, because if it is a new book we may still have the book even if PRIO is not on the list. If it’s a journal you’re after, look it up in SAMPER, the Norwegian union catalogue of serials, and check the holdings data there. PRIO will be on the list if, and only if, we have the journal. This information is quite reliable.
May I borrow material from the PRIO library?
Yes, if you have a permanent address in Norway you may borrow books except reference works. The loan period is four weeks. Also be aware that if you are affiliated with an institution which has a library, you may have that library perform interlibrary loans from PRIO’s library.
