The scientific programme at Centre for Youth and Life Course Research (TRACE) is built on long-standing partnerships with Nordic qualitative longitudinal research teams, international cohort study environments across several continents, and national data owners and funders.
Centre leader
Core environment
NOVA – Norwegian Social Research, Oslo Metropolitan University, provides the administrative and scientific base, including project leadership, data infrastructure and coordination.
Core participants and partners
- Research Professor Ingunn Marie Eriksen (PI)
- Professor Tilmann von Soest (uio.no)
- Senior Researcher Frøydis Enstad
- Research Professor Lars Roar Frøyland
- Research Professor Michal Kozák
- Research Professor Jon Rogstad
- Research Professor Kari Stefansen
Collaboration
These collaborations underpin the Centre’s comparative, longitudinal and interdisciplinary research programme: TRACE collaborates with Norwegian, Nordic and international research environments, as well as with public authorities. The Centre has a close collaboration with the PROMENTA Research Center at the University of Oslo (uio.no), contributing to shared methodological and analytical development in longitudinal life course research.
Together, these collaborations support TRACE’s comparative, longitudinal and interdisciplinary research programme.
Associated researchers
PhD and training
TRACE aims to provide an advanced research environment for doctoral training in longitudinal youth research and life course theory. The Centre supports PhD recruitment, offers access to unique data resources, and develops dedicated PhD courses embedded in ongoing research.
Funding and foundations
TRACE is built on substantial long-term investment. NOVA has provided both funding for early data waves and the institutional continuity that long-term longitudinal research requires. Funding from the Norwegian Directorate of Health has supported the large-scale data infrastructures Ungdata and Inequality in Youth (Ungdom i endring).
The Research Council of Norway has funded a series of projects, including Lifechances, that have deepened the analytical use of these data. The Nordic qualitative longitudinal programme FUNORE (futurenordics.org), funded by the private foundation Challenges in the Nordics, has demonstrated the scientific value of coordinated qualitative longitudinal research across countries.
Alongside these major investments, a wide range of research projects using TRACE data have been funded by Norwegian directorates, ministries and public authorities, reflecting the policy relevance and broad societal use of the Centre’s research infrastructure.
