In 2009 the Swedish Research Council, Formas (Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning), VINNOVA (Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems), and the Swedish Energy Agency submitted recommendations on financing 43 grant applications for the 20 strategic research areas that the Swedish Government designated in the Government Research Bill A Boost to Research and Innovation (2008/09:50). The overall policy of the Swedish Government is to strengthen Sweden's position as a research nation and thereby increase its scientific competitiveness in a globalised world.
The 43 research environments are financed from 2010 through 2014. This funding is for a 5-year period and reached 1.35 billion Swedish kronor (SEK) in 2012. The funds are allocated directly to the higher education institutes (HEI).
The evaluation
The Swedish Research Council, Formas, VINNOVA and the Swedish Energy Agency have been commissioned by the government to conduct an evaluation of the strategic research areas. The evaluation will be reported to the government on May 1st 2015. A working group consisting of representatives from the Swedish Research Council, Formas, VINNOVA and the Swedish Energy Agency, and Forte as a consultation partner, was formed in 2013 to plan and implement the evaluation.
The evaluation will be conducted by an expert panel with experience and expertise within these five dimensions, and having an academic profile that matches the broader themes of the strategic research areas.
The panel will utilize the applications from the research environments, the follow-up studies from the strategic research areas (2010–2013), self-evaluations, bibliometric data and conduct hearings with university pro-chancellors and representatives of the research environments.
The evaluation focuses on five dimensions:
1) Management and planning of the research 2) Output and quality of the research
Striving for scientific excellence was the fundamental criterion for the review of all submitted applications for strategic research areas.
The assessment of research output in the evaluation will include the potential for development of the scientific environment, the prioritisation made among activities to generate conditions for research excellence, and strategies to increase international scientific competiveness in the research area.
3) Utilization and benefit of the research for society and industry
The research is expected to be of strategic importance for society and the business sector. The assessment includes the research environment’s capacity to generate benefits from research findings.
4) Collaborations
The research is expected to be of strategic importance for society and the business sector. This includes strategies for the engagement and participation of the business sector, industrial research institutes and other community organisations in problem formulation and implementation. The assessment in the evaluation includes strategic collaborations that aim to strengthen the research, its importance for society and the business sector and to further advance the research environment’s international standing.
assessment in the evaluation includes the research environment’s capability to provide the industry and society with qualified personnel and research based knowledge.
Aim and expected outcome
The overall aim is to evaluate the development of the quality of the research made at the HEIs and in the designated research areas and environments in relation to their own unique starting point and pre-requisites.
The financed research is expected to not only represent research of the highest quality but to be part of the international scientific frontline. The object of the evaluation is to illuminate and clarify whether this is the case and the possible added value of the 2008 government initiative.
The self-evaluation
The self-evaluation is part of the background information for the evaluators in their assessment of the increased support to strategic research areas and the included research environments. The self-evaluation is distributed to each one of the 43 research environments included in the government’s investment in strategic research areas.
The focus of this self-evaluation is 1) Research Output
2) Strategic value for society and the business sector 3) Collaborations
4) Research and Education Integration
The following should be considered when you are carrying out the questionnaire:
• The self-evaluation should be answered in consultation with co-applicant(s).
• When answering the questions, the original grant application and the previously reported information provided in the annual follow-up studies should be considered.
• There is limited space for your answers, use it to give as detailed and to-the-point information as possible.
OUT: Research Output
OUT 1a) Publication profile (includes questions 1a-b).
Please fill out the proportions of different kinds of publications from the strategic research environment (numbers should correspond to the number of publications reported in the 2010–2013 follow-up studies) Output type Number of
outputs 2010
Number of outputs 2011
Number of outputs 2012
Number of outputs 2013
Total outputs % of total outputs Books
Book Chapters Journal Articles Conference Publications Other Total
OUT 1b) Please comment on the publication profile and its development over time (Out 1a) (1600 characters) OUT 2) What research results from the strategic research environment have had the most significant academic impact? Describe briefly the development and standing of the research compared to the research performed internationally. (1600 characters)
STR: Strategic value for society and the business sector
(Compare to question B6 in the follow-up focusing on the industrial and/or societal problems and needs that have been addressed in the research.)
STR 3) Elaborate on your strategic research environment’s capacity and capability to transfer research results for utilisation in society or the business sector. (1600)
STR 4) Elaborate on the impact of your research to society. (1600)
STR 5) Elaborate on the impact of your research to the business sector? (1600)
STR 6) Exemplify how industrial and societal needs have been identified and how it has influenced the choice of research problems addressed. (1600)
COL: Collaborations
Collaboration with co-applicant(s) universities/research institutes
COL 7) What is the long term plan for the collaboration between host-university and co-applicant(s) regarding the strategic research environment? (1600 characters)
COL 8) What has been the major challenges in the collaboration between host-university and co-applicant(s) regarding the strategic research environment? (1600 characters)
Collaboration with other strategic research environments
COL 9) To what extent have you collaborated with other research environments included in the strategic research areas? (500 characters)
Strategies and support regarding collaborations
COL 10) Describe the purpose of different kinds of collaborations to reach the intentions of your strategic research? (Please make use of Table B3 in the annual follow-up studies) (1600 characters)
COL 11) Describe the development, since the start of the funding, of your international collaborations with partners in and outside academia (including the EU Framework programme). (1600 characters)
Collaboration Case Study
We have chosen a case study format. This to create the possibility for you to focus on one successful (‘best practice’) project that includes collaboration as an example of when it has served the purpose of conducting research of high international quality with relevance for society or the business sector.
COL 12) Choose one of your research projects that include collaboration with one or several non-academic organizations or companies to illustrate how collaboration a) has improved the research quality and b) has improved the prerequisites for society and the business sector to utilise the research.
When describing your case we would like you to consider the following aspects:
• A description of how the collaboration has been organised (contracts; division of labour;
• meetings; financial or in-kind contributions etc.).
• If and in what way the research collaboration has led to advances or alterations in higher education programs associated with the strategic research at the university
• If and in what way the research collaboration has led to an improved international status of the strategic research environment.
• The major challenges in this research project with regard to its collaborative aspects.
Name of Project: (100 characters)
Short description of the project: (500 characters) Project Period:
Collaboration partners (maximum 2). Please enter confirmed contact information.
1. Organisation: 2. Organisation:
Contact person: Contact person:
E-mail: E-mail:
In total you have 6000 characters at disposal for your case study (including the space given for the name of the project and its short description above).
INT: Research and Education integration
INT 13) Exemplify how research within the strategic research environment is integrated with different levels of education (1600 characters).
INT 14) Explore to what extent the educational programs associated with the strategic research environment provide the industry and society with qualified personnel and research based knowledge. (1600 characters).
INT 15) Explain to what extent you use international recruitment of students (including research training of PhD students and post-docs) to achieve the goals for the strategic research environment? (1600 characters).
OTHER:
OHT 16) What are the major changes made in the research program since 2009? Please describe and motivate (1600 characters).
OTH 17) Describe your long-term strategy for the supply of competence to the research environment, both in terms of research capacity and leadership. How are succession, equality and diversity dimensions incorporated in this? (3200 characters).
OTH 18) Have you applied for, and/or received EU-funding within the scope of the research environment?
Please list the number of applications and received grants respectively. (500 characters).
OTH 19) Elaborate on how your research environment ensures that also future industrial and societal needs are identified and incorporated in the research (1600 characters).
OTH 20) What has the specific funding from the strategic research grant meant to your research environment?
(1000 characters).