Gender equality in the Swedish Research Council's research funding 2006-2008

Original title: Jämställdhet i Vetenskapsrådets forskningsstöd 2006-2008, Rapport nr 3:2010

Summary in English

Female researchers have proved to be just as inclined as male researchers to apply for grants from the Swedish Research Council. The gender composition of the expert groups who review applications was broadly satisfactory.

The Research Council strives to ensure that men and women who seek its support are equally successful. When it comes to Project Research Grants, which are by far the Council´s dominant form of support, female applicants´success rate was lower than that of male applicants in all the Scientific Councils and Committees throughout the years 2006−08. However, when their research experience (in terms of the number of years after gaining their PhDs) is taken into account, the gender gaps diminish. Among those that remain, the widest gap was in the Scientific Council for Medicine.

In the Research Council´s view, supporting researchers at the outset of their careers is vital. The forms of grant for this category are applied for by a relatively large number of female PhD holders. In applying for these types of support, men and women achieved roughly equal success. For forms of grant available to more established researchers in particular, on the other hand, women were less successful than men.

In terms of gender equality, Linnaeus Grant awards were satisfactory in 2008, unlike the first time this grant was awarded, in 2006. The Linnaeus Grant is a form of support designed to provide long-term support for outstanding research environments.

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