Mer av det samme? En studie av tildelingspraksiser i Program for psykisk helse, Norges
forskningsråd i perioden 1995-2015
Sammanfattning
The objective of this paper is to examine the funding practices of The Research Council of
Norway’s Programs for Mental Health during the time period from 1995 to 2015. The paper’s foci are
on funded research groups and professions, main topics, and research questions. The empirical data
consists of 138 project abstracts. The findings reveal a discrepancy between the national policies
and funding practices during the program periods, where narrow knowledge development like
biological, genetic, and neurological is given priority. Research focusing on community mental health
and living conditions is rarely funded. The paper discusses decision-making practices, revealing that
new research groups and projects that attend to more comprehensive mental health issues are rarely
funded. This is a paradox in our modern days with innovation, originality, and service user
involvement on the agenda.