Table 9: Swedish Research Council’s types of funding and grants – funding to one or more researchers
Type of funding
Purpose of type of
funding Type of grant and purpose
Research project funding
Funding to one or more researchers to conduct a specified research project in line with the intentions described in the
application.
Project grant: Aimed at giving researchers the freedom to formulate their own research idea, method and implementation, and to solve a defined research task within a specific period of time. Rewards research of the highest scholarly quality in national competition. Funds all types of costs related to the project. Led by a researcher who is the project leader/principal investigator.
Proof of Concept: Aimed at giving (previous) holders of research grants from the Swedish Research Council the opportunity to refine their research findings and conduct activities that pave the way for innovation or
commercialisation
Career support funding
Funding to individual researchers aimed at strengthening their academic career opportunities. Career support grants focus on the researcher as an individual in different stages of their career.
International postdoc: Aimed at giving researchers who have recently received their PhD (0-2 years after public defence of doctoral thesis) the opportunity to expand their network and enhance their skills by working abroad under secure employment conditions. At least two-thirds of the time must be spent abroad.
Starting grant: Aimed at giving junior researchers (2-7 years after public defence of doctoral thesis) an opportunity to establish themselves as independent researchers.
Consolidator grant: Aimed at giving the most prominent younger researchers (7-12 years after public defence of doctoral thesis) the opportunity to consolidate their research and broaden their activities.
Research time grant: Aimed at giving people in a specific professional group the opportunity to conduct relevant research and establish themselves as independent researchers while concurrently developing their professional skills.
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Type of
funding Purpose of type of
funding Type of grant and purpose
Grant for employment as a half-time researcher in a clinical environment: Aimed at giving clinically active persons the opportunity to conduct research on a half-time basis while concurrently developing their clinical skills.
Source: Swedish Research Council
Table10 Swedish Research Council’s types of grants – research environment and collaboration funding
Type of funding
Purpose of type of funding Type of grant and purpose
Research environme nt and collaborati on support
Aimed at providing long-term support to a research objective or research domain. Funding to activities in excellent research environments, networks and doctoral programmes, or to build up such activities.
Research environment grant: Aimed at creating added value from collaboration in larger groupings than in a normal project, and can be applied for by a constellation of several researchers who are working towards a common research goal in the long term.
Collaboration may be demonstrated through research connected to a national or
international infrastructure, cooperation between researchers at different universities, or an interdisciplinary focus. The grant is generally larger than those awarded to individual projects.
Doctoral programme: Doctoral programme grants aim to build up a new research area, strengthen competence within a specific area or increase cooperation nationally and internationally by contributing to doctoral programme activities. Costs that can be applied for under this grant are costs related to third-cycle education such as new courses, coordination, etc. Doctoral student salaries are not normally included. Doctoral programmes can, for example, be connected to a research environment grant.
Distinguished professor: Aimed at building up a larger research environment, with coherent funding, around a leading researcher.
Visiting researcher: Aimed at providing universities the opportunity to develop a research area by recruiting an internationally renowned researcher for a short period of time.
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Network grant: Aimed at providing researchers the opportunity to create or develop networks in a research domain for a specific period of time.
Conference grant: Aimed at promoting research collaboration and exchange of experience. Conference grant calls are normally focused on internationalisation and are then a way of giving researchers in Sweden the opportunity to arrange a conference with internationally recognised speakers.
Exploratory workshops: Aimed at supporting the development of new research areas, research programmes or collaborations. The grant can be used to explore the possibility of creating new research areas or to explore common areas in connection with bilateral agreements.
Source: Swedish Research Council
Table 11 Swedish Research Council’s types of grants – infrastructure and operational support
Type of funding Purpose of type of funding Type of grant and purpose
Infrastructure support
Aimed at supporting the coordination, development, construction and operation of research infrastructure of national interest, including Swedish participation in international research infrastructure of national interest. Support for national and international research infrastructure. Can relate to the construction, operation and decommissioning of infrastructure.
Research infrastructure: Aimed at supporting the coordination, development, construction and operation of research infrastructure of national interest, including Swedish participation in international research infrastructure of national interest
Operational support
Aimed at contributing at both national and international levels to the other necessary structures and mechanisms that support research.
Operational grant for research coordination and institutions: Aimed at enabling national coordination within a certain area or contributing to an (internationally leading) research environment focused on programme activities.
Scientific journal grant: Aimed at supporting the development of
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quality open access journals based in Sweden.
Source: Swedish Research Council
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