Manjana Milkoreit receives EU funding for five years for the research project "CAMELOT - Capacities for More Effective Long-Term Climate Change Governance". The project advances theoretical debates on effective governance, intertemporal agency, and science-policy-society relations in an era of long-term environmental and socio-political risks.
– It is an extraordinary honor and a real vote of confidence in the importance of rethinking how societies can govern long-term climate and Earth system risks. It gives me the freedom to pursue questions that are both scientifically challenging and urgently needed for society, says Manjana Milkoreit.
She wants to understand how to enable leaders, institutions, and communities to think and act on time horizons that match the pace of Earth system change. In short: how do we build the capacities needed for genuinely long-term, responsible governance?
– These capacities refer to cognitive abilities, tools, and institutional practices that help different actors to think beyond short-term pressures, understand complex risks, and make decisions that protect multiple generations. These include imagination, systems thinking, long-term risk assessment, and the ability to act on futures that feel distant or uncertain.
– Why is it important?
– Many of the most dangerous climate risks – like tipping points – unfold over decades or centuries, but our political and institutional systems are focused on the short term. This mismatch creates real blind spots and serious risks to human wellbeing, development, and security. If we want to protect the current and future generations, we need governance that can anticipate and respond to long-term, non-linear change.
– Who do you want to bring with you?
– I hope to work closely with policymakers and civil servants across scales, scientists across disciplines, and members of the public who are already thinking deeply about the future. Building long-term governance capacities is a collective effort, and it benefits most from diverse perspectives and experiences.
Be bold in the application process
– What advice do you give others who are about to enter an application process?
– Be bold about the questions that genuinely inspire you and make the case for why they matter now. Don't be afraid to propose something ambitious or unconventional and give yourself the time to carefully craft the story you want your proposal to tell.
– Do you have someone you would like to thank for their support?
– I am deeply grateful to the colleagues and mentors who have supported my research and helped shape the ideas in which the project is grounded. I also want to thank the research support staff in the Department of Sociology and Human Geography who helped navigate the application process with such skill. And finally, I'm thankful to my husband whose patience and support made it possible to devote the time and energy this proposal needed.
Important research
Head of he Department of Sociology and Human Geography Anniken Hagelund congratulates Manjana Milkoreit with the Consolidator Grant:
– At the department we are very pleased that Manjana Milkoreit has been given the opportunity to carry out this project. This is important research into how we can increase political actors' capacity to think long-term in order to address the climate challenges. Methodologically, it is a demanding project to carry out, but Manjana has exactly the expertise, commitment and drive needed to complete such an ambitious and innovative project, says Hagelund.
Success rate well above average
Associate Dean and Research Dean Lars Tjelta Westlye at the Faculty of Social Sciences emphasizes that the faculty leadership is very happy and proud that researchers at the Faculty of Social Sciences have once again been awarded ERC funding.
– These grants are highly prestigious and demonstrate that the research at the faculty is at a top international level. ERC funding gives our researchers a unique opportunity to carry out ambitious, long-term curiosity-driven research, and it provides both the project leaders and their academic environments with visibility and recognition far beyond the country's borders. This is very pleasing and important for the faculty, and we congratulate both the project leaders and their teams, says Westlye.
He highlights that ERC projects are considered among the most prestigious awards in Europe, and the competition for the funds is extremely strong.
– The Faculty of Social Sciences has so far received 37 ERC projects and has a success rate that is well above average both in Norway and at the University of Oslo, and is comparable with the best institutions in Europe, says the Research Dean.
He attributes some of this success to a long-term effort to build strong and resilient research environments and to an increasingly competent and professional research administration with a strong focus on external funding.
– That our groups also research highly topical issues with great societal relevance, have access to high-quality research infrastructure, and can make use of data that are internationally unique – for example Norwegian population and health registers – are also important contributors to our researchers' international success, Westlye emphasizes.
Will continue to nurture internationally competitive environments
He is keen that the faculty continue this positive development and be able to strengthen already strong environments so they can retain their competitive edge by thinking holistically and long term, focusing both on strengthening infrastructure for social science research, recruitment and talent development, and creating conditions for robust groups that can collaborate and make each other stronger.
– The Faculty of Social Sciences has an academic portfolio of impressive breadth and diversity. We will take care of that. Norway is a small country, and we cannot be world-leading at everything, but we should aspire to cultivate more environments that can compete internationally so that we can utilize and strengthen the full range of our expertise. It is important that we learn from the environments that are already succeeding, while also preserving the diversity that is essential for creating robust research communities capable of addressing society's challenges in the future, says Lars Westlye Tjelta
The ERC Consolidator Grant is worth €2 million and funds projects that run for five years. The Faculty of Social Sciences had eight applicants in this round, which had a deadline in January 2025. Four were invited to interview, and two have now been awarded funding. That corresponds to a success rate of 25% – in line with the high level the Faculty of Social Sciences has maintained for several years. The success rate for ERC at UiO overall, and in Norway, has in previous years been about 13%.