PRIO has secured several new external research grants, underscoring strong confidence in the Institute’s work and its relevance to urgent global challenges. The funding supports five major research areas, including displacement, Nordic security, societal preparedness, the human impacts of the war in Ukraine, and gender, peace and security. Together, these initiatives strengthen PRIO’s capacity to deliver interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research on conflict, security and human resilience.
One project focuses on protracted refugee situations and international bargaining. Led by PRIO Research Professor Jørgen Jensehaugen and funded by the Research Council of Norway, the research examines how host countries use large refugee populations as political and economic leverage in negotiations with international donors. By comparing Lebanon and Turkey’s responses to Syrian displacement, the study sheds light on power dynamics, responsibility-sharing and decision-making as international aid declines and pressure for refugee returns increases.
Another newly funded project addresses growing pressures on Nordic security cooperation. PRIO Senior Researcher Stine Bergersen will lead PRIO’s contribution to a NordForsk-funded study exploring how Nordic security actors respond to antagonistic threats such as disinformation. The research assesses whether shared responses can sustain Nordic security collaboration at a time of increasing geopolitical strain.
PRIO has also received funding from the Swedish research foundation Östersjöstiftelsen for HUMAN-UKR, a five-year interdisciplinary project co-led by Research Professor Henrikas Bartusevičius. Bringing together researchers from Norway, Sweden and Ukraine, the project examines how the war affects everyday life, democratic engagement, wellbeing, misinformation, veterans’ reintegration and long-term recovery. Through surveys, interviews, experiments and spatial data, the research aims to generate evidence that supports resilience in Ukraine and neighbouring regions.
In the area of defence and preparedness, PRIO has secured funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Defence for a project led by Research Director Marianne Dahl. The research explores how trust, legitimacy and perceptions of threat influence civilians’ and conscripts’ willingness to defend the state. By analysing potential military and civilian responses in a war scenario, the project will contribute policy-relevant insights to Norway’s total defence planning and long-term security strategy.
Finally, PRIO’s Centre on Gender, Peace and Security has obtained renewed multi-year funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This agreement reaffirms Norway’s commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda and strengthens the Centre’s role as a leading hub for research-based policy development. Since 2015, the Centre has played a key role in shaping national policy and advancing gender perspectives in peace processes, and the new funding will further expand its impact.
