The instructions for applications 2024 are available

The instructions apply to five forms of support: two- and three-year projects, postdoctoral projects, research networks, conference grants and publication grants. Calls for grand projects are announced every two years. The call is suspended in 2024 and the next call will be announced in 2025.

The instructions are separate for each form of support. The instructions, an overview of the forms of support, questions and answers, as well as a tables explaining who can apply for which grant are available in both Swedish and English. See For researchers.

Important changes in the instructions

New rules

• Relevance to society as a new assessment criterion
  A new assessment criterion ‘relevance to society’ has been added to the instructions for all forms of support. The criterion is defined as follows: “The relevance of the research to society, where it can be applied, is another key criterion in the assessment of a funding application. The findings from such research may bring practical benefits to the communities or societies under investigation and/or help to solve current problems there. Alternatively, the results may provide a background theoretical or empirical explanation for these problems.”
• Composition of the research network as a new assessment criterion
  A new assessment criterion ‘composition of the research network’ has been incorporated into the instructions for research networks. The criterion refers to the composition of the core group of participants within the research network.
• Modification of requirements for research networks
  Within research networks, the previous requirement that the great majority of participants must come from research environments outside Sweden has been shifted from a requirement to a preference.
• New rules for employment rate in projects
  The limitation of the maximal employment rate within two- and three-year projects (previously 75% of a full-time annual position) is removed. From 2024 it will be possible to apply for 100% research time in projects.
• Increase of the standard grant for results dissemination
  The standard grant amount for dissemination of the project’s results increases for two- and three-year projects to SEK 120,000 and for postdoctoral projects to SEK 60,000.

Practical changes

• E-signing of applications
  The Foundation has updated procedures for signing applications. Applications for two- and three-year projects and postdoctoral projects in stage 2 as well as for research networks, conference grants and publication grants are signed digitally with BankID via a new function in the Foundation’s application system Apply. The Foundation accepts e-signing only through Apply (no external e-signing services). Applications must, as before, be signed by the project manager and the grant administrator’s authorised representative (usually the head of the department (prefekt) for the department where the project is intended to be based). Applicants who do not have a BankID sign the application manually on paper by means of a signature form that is downloaded from the application system, signed, scanned and uploaded into the application form. More information will be available in the Foundation’s application system Apply once the calls for applications open.
• Calculation of social security contributions and overheads
  Within applications for two- and three-year projects, it will be possible to specify different values for payroll overhead in the form of social security contributions (lönekostnadspålägg, LKP) and for indirect costs (overheads) per project participant in the application. For project managers, the Södertörn University’s LKP still applies.

See detailed information in the instructions for each form of support.

Key dates

All the calls open on Monday 8 January 2024 at 9:00 am.

The last application date for two- and three-year projects and postdoctoral projects in stage 1 as well as research networks is Wednesday, 31 January 2024 at 3:00 pm.

Applications for conference and publication grants may be submitted on ongoing basis until 29 November 2024 at 3:00 pm. Decisions are taken four times annually: in March, June, September and December. Deadlines for submission of applications before respective decision are: 29 February, 31 May, 31 August and 29 November 2024.

Information meeting

An information meeting about the 2024 calls for applications will be held online on Monday, 27 November 2023 at 9:00-11:00 am. The meeting will be held in English. More information will be published on the website.