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Grant for postdoctoral positions in Sweden
1. Type of grant
The grant will enable researchers with Swedish or non-Swedish doctorates (PhDs or equivalent) to work at Swedish higher education institutions or research establishments. The application form "Grant for postdoctoral positions in Sweden" should be used.
Conditions
- Applicant: Individual researcher
- Grant period: 6-24 months. The grant has to start during the last six months of 2010. The maximum fellowship period of 24 months is reduced by the length of time for which the applicant, since obtaining a doctorate, has held a postdoctoral position, a similar grant or a fellowship, at a higher education institution or faculty or company other than the one where the doctorate, or equivalent, was awarded.
- Amount: Standard grant depending on faculty area.
- Cost categories: Salary costs.
- Other conditions: The host university/institution or equivalent is the employer and determines which form of employment the position will have. A certificate from the intended host institution must be enclosed. The host institution must be a Swedish higher education institution or faculty other than the one where the doctorate or equivalent was awarded. The proposed research project must be essentially different from the applicant´s previous research. Essentially different means a new direction, new ways of thinking and/or new orientation of the research.
2. Who can apply?
Required qualifications
Swedish doctoral degree or foreign degree equivalent to a doctoral degree. The doctorate must have been awarded within three years before and latest at the same day as the deadline for applications. Date of awarded doctoral degree refers to the date when the doctoral degree certificate was issued. The degree certificate must have been issued latest at the same day as the deadline for applications.
If the applicant has had an intermission in the active research time since the PhD was awarded, for special grounds, the time may be deducted. Special grounds include leave of absence because of sickness, total defence duty, positions of trust in trade union organisations and student organisations, parental leave, doctor's employment as a pre-registration house officer and no more than two years of specialist training for other categories of clinically active professionals, and other similar circumstances.
There is no age limit for applicants to the Swedish Research Council. However, the Swedish Research Council has a directive from the Swedish Government to support young researchers in particular.
Employers and employment conditions
For research positions decided by the Swedish Research Council, the host HEI will assume responsibility as an employer, and will decide on the employment conditions and carry out day-to-day staff administration.
The European Charter for Researchers; The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. 
Administration
Grants are normally administered by a Swedish university/institution or another Swedish public organisation with research as its purpose.
A signature on the application (Appendix S) is required not only from the applicant but also from the authorised representative of the host university/institution (normally the head of the department or establishment where the research is to be conducted).
3. Form of application
A complete application comprises the filled-in online form and appendices (see under the heading Appendices). Please observe that a signed appendix S must be submitted to the Swedish Research Council in paper form.
General conditions for the application
Applications to the Swedish Research Council must be made entirely electronically, by means of an online form reached in the application system, VR-Direct.
Detailed technical instructions are provided with the online form. The online form requests automatically the appendices required for the type of grant selected. Applicants should then enclose the appendices, preferably as pdf files, or convert them into pdf files according to the instructions accompanying the form. It is the responsibility of the applicant that the application, converted to a pdf file by the application system, is complete and that all appendices are enclosed.
- Applications should be submitted electronically.
- Incomplete applications will not be processed.
- Divergences from the instructions will be considered in the assessments.
- Additions to applications after the last application date, excluding additions that are explicitly specified in the instructions, are not approved.
- If funding from another funding agency is granted for the same purpose as is applied for in this application, the project leader should report this to the Swedish Research Council as soon as possible.
- Materials not explicitly requested should not be enclosed and are not included in assessment of the application. An example of such material is a letter of recommendation.
- If a grant has already been approved for a project or equivalent for the years that the application refers to (as stated in the contract/decision issued by the Swedish Research Council for the grant concerned), no new application for this project or equivalent should be submitted.
- Only one application for a single project or equivalent and grant type may be submitted to the Swedish Research Council.
- The applicant must specify the primary scientific field and/or subject area of the proposed project. An applicant who considers that the project involves more than one field or area should state this in the beginning of the research programme. Within the Swedish Research Council, the decision is thereafter taken where primary responsibility for the review should lie and whether one or more other scientific councils or committees should make a supplementary assessment.
Applicants with Swedish Ph.D.s should submit the name and e-mail address of the faculty opponent for their doctoral dissertation. Other applicants should submit the name and e-mail address of one member of the committee which examined their Ph.D. dissertation.
Language
The application may be written in Swedish or English. The project title should be written in both Swedish and English. The Swedish Research Council may use international peer reviewers. The applicant should therefore consider suitable language for the application (Swedish/English).
Note that the compulsory popular science description and the applicant's address must be written in Swedish.
Applications concerning databases - Swedish National Data Service (SND)
One initiative of the Swedish Research Council seeks to make existing data more accessible and increase its use. Part of this initiative is the establishment of the Swedish National Data Service (SND) at Göteborg University. The main functions of SND, which is a national strategic resource for research, are to provide information on data relevant to research in the Humanities, Medicine, Social Sciences and Educational Sciences and to make databases available to the research community.
Applicants are therefore requested to assist in this initiative by consulting and collaborating with SND to build new databases and to maintain, operate and discontinue existing ones.
See http://www.snd.gu.se/ 
for further information.
Open Access to Results of Research Financed by the Swedish Research Council
Starting in 2010, researchers who receive funding from the Swedish Research Council must guarantee that their forthcoming findings will be accessible to all (open access) within 6 months after publication. So far, the rules on open access apply only to scientifically assessed material in journals and conference reports, not monographs or book chapters. Research results published with open access on the Internet are free to read and download. Researchers may either archive published articles in large, open databases, or publish directly in journals on the Internet that practice open access.
Early in 2005 the Swedish Research Council signed the international Berlin Declaration to promote greater accessibility to scientific findings. Signers of the Declaration aim to encourage researchers to publish their results with open access on the Internet, develop methods to assure standards of quality in online publications, and advocate that open access publications be recognised in appointment and evaluation processes (e.g. hiring, promotion, and tenure).
Instructions to input fields in the online form
The following instructions apply to some of the headings found in the online form. When the online form in VR Direct is filled in, further information and help are obtainable at any point by clicking on the text marked in blue for the item concerned.
Applicant
The applicant is scientifically responsible for the research project. The applicant is responsible for equipment and its scientific use, if equipment is also applied for.
Deducted time, if applicable
If the applicant has had an intermission in the active reaearch time since the PhD was awarded, for special grounds, the time deducted may be given in the online form. See Who can apply?/Required qualifications.
Abstract
The abstract of the project plan in the online form should include a description of:
- What will be done
- How the research will be carried out, scientific methods used
- What has previously been done
- What is important about the research
The text is intended to provide a quick orientation of the purpose and feasibility of the suggested research and should be written in such a way that someone from another research area than the applicant's may understand the information.
Popular science description
The popular science description on the Web form shall be in Swedish and be written so that someone who is not familiar with the subject can understand what the project/equivalent is about. Describe what is going to be done and why. Emphasise the basic research. Explain how the new knowledge could be important.
The popular science description is a an important tool for The Swedish Research Council´s work towards informing about the research being supported.
If the application is awarded a grant, the Swedish Research Council reserves the right to use the popular science description for information purposes.
Participation in/association with international collaboration
If the research entails participation in or association with international collaboration, this should be stated in the application. This applies, for example, to projects in the European Science Foundation (ESF) and also collaboration within the framework of, or in connection with, international collaboration agreements, such as those concluded by the Swedish Research Council with South Korea and Taiwan.
Project Research Grants from the Swedish Research Council are available for cofunding similarly oriented EU projects within the Sixth and Seventh Framework Programme. If such coordination is planned, it should be reported in the research programme.
Public access
Applications to the Swedish Research Council are public documents. Please note that, for an applicant who intends to apply for a patent, the Swedish Research Council is unable to treat applications for research support as classified. An application containing material that is also to be included in a projected patent application should therefore not be submitted to the Swedish Research Council until after the patent application has been submitted and when the next call for applications occur.
Information on grants approved will be posted on the Swedish Research Council´s website.
Ethics
The principal investigator (the administrative entity) has the responsibility to ensure that research conducted with funding from the Swedish Research Council complies with the terms and conditions specified in Swedish law. For certain research you must ensure that approval has been obtained from the Regional Ethical Review Board or the Ethical Committee on Animal Experiments in compliance with the law and regulations issued by the Government. Other permits might also be required, e.g. for research on drugs, genetically modified organisms, or ionising radiation. Furthermore, you must ensure that the project (or equivalent) is conducted in accordance with good research practices. You and the representative of the administrative entity affirm your responsibility when you agree to the terms of the grant.
Present the ethical issues in your application
In your application you must present the ethical issues that the project (or equivalent) raises and describe how they will be addressed in the research. Present this information under a separate heading (Ethical Considerations) in the application. To be able to judge the feasibility of a project (or equivalent) fairly, it is essential that the application clearly present the ethical aspects.
Do not send approval of ethical review to the Swedish Research Council
Note that certain research may be conducted only after it has been approved via ethical review. The Act on Ethical Review of Research Involving Humans aims to protect people who are subjects of research, addressing physical, mental, and integrity-related concerns. Correspondingly, the Swedish Animal Welfare Act requires that an Ethical Committee on Animal Experiments approve the use of animals in experiments from an ethical standpoint prior to the commencement of research.
Approval from ethical review must be obtained prior to commencing research, but does not need to be sent to the Swedish Research Council. We assume that approval has been obtained before work commences on the research.
References concerning ethical review
· Codex
— research rules and guidelines· Ethical Review Board website
· Website on animal experiments
Gender research and research with a gender perspective
Applications concerning gender research or research with a gender perspective should be indicated by writing "gender" as one of the keywords in the application form. These applications will be evaluated by the Swedish Research Council´s ordinary evaluation panels.
4. Appendices
The following appendices must be enclosed:
- A - Research programme
- B - CV/Scientific qualifications
- C - List of publications
- P - Additional documents requested (not compulsory)
- Q - Grant for postdoctoral position i Sweden
- S - Appendix with signatures
Appendix S, complete with signatures, must be submitted to the Council in paper form. The envelope must be clearly marked with 'HS'.
The Times New Roman typeface, 12 points, is recommended. Illustrations and text should fit on an A4 page, with a margin of 25 mm. Printout of the application, e.g. by a reviewer, will be made in tones of grey with a resolution of 200 - 300 dpi. Figures should therefore conform to this standard. The appendices constitute the basis for the Swedish Research Council's evaluation of the application, and are filled in along with the online form. The online form requests automatically the appendices required for the type of grant selected. Some grant types also have optional appendices which must be marked with a check on the application form so that they can be attached to the application. On each page of the appendix, at the top, the applicant's name and Swedish personal identity number and the alphabetical code for the appendix should be written. All PDF files must be free of password security protection. Please observe that the reviewers will receive black and white paper copies of the applications, if they so wish. The reviewers also have access to the applications as pdf-documents.
Appendix A — Research programme
This appendix should comprise a brief (max. eight pages, including references) but complete description of the research task, in the order of the following numbered headings:
- Specific aims, an account of the purpose of the proposed research project (or equivalent).
- Survey of the field, a summary of the applicant´s own and others´ research and previous findings in the field, with key references.
- Project description, a summary plan for the project, including theory, method, timetable and implementation.
- Significance, a brief account of the importance of the research programme to the research field concerned.
Under special headings in the project description, where relevant, an account of or comments on the following should also be given:
- Preliminary results, a description of the applicant's own attempts and/or prestudies in the research field.
- Equipment, a brief account of existing basic equipment relevant to the project that is at the disposal of the main applicant or group
- International and national collaboration, a brief account of collaboration with foreign and Swedish researchers/research groups
- Ethical considerations
- Gender research and research with a gender perspective
Appendix B - CV
The applicant´s CV, not exceeding two A4 pages, must be submitted. Note that a list of publications is provided separately, in Appendix C.
Specify in the order of the following numbered headings:
1. Doctoral degree (year, discipline/subject area, title of thesis, all supervisors)
2. Postdoctoral work (year and position)
3. Qualification as Associate Professor (year)
4. Current position, period of appointment, time for research in the position
5. Previous positions and periods of appointment (state type of employment)
6. Parental leave, service in the Armed Forces etc, and research time deducted for this purpose. Specify the number of months deducted. It is of special importance to include this information to applicants of postdoctoral fellowships and grants for postdoctoral positions in Sweden.
7. People awarded doctorates for whom the applicant has been the main supervisor (name, year of doctorate)
Any item where the information does not apply to the applicant, such as qualification as associate professor or main supervision of awarded doctorates, are left empty.
Appendix C — List of publications
The researcher's up to ten most important publications should be marked with one asterisk (*) and up to the ten most important publications for the project (or equivalent) with two asterisks (**).
Appendix P - Additional documents requested
The applicant must attach the following to this appendix in electronic form:
Up to three publications of less than 35 pages as a pdf-file in appendix P. If an academic work will exceed 35 A4 pages in length (doctoral thesis, essays, or book) it should not be submitted. Please state the link for the publications if they are available electronically. Printed publications should not be submitted unless requested.
Appendix Q - Grant for postdoctoral positions in Sweden
The application must give the following information:Degrees
- State the date of award of the first degree (the ‘first degree' is the degree obtained before postgraduate studies commenced, e.g. a Master's degree).
- State the date of admission to postgraduate studies. State the date when the doctoral degree was awarded.
Host university/institution
- State the contact person at the host university/institution in Sweden (first name and surname, telephone number and e-mail address of the contact person, who is normally the same person who write the letter of invitation).
- State the host university/institution's postal address (in the following order: host university/institution, department, address).
- State how the research at the host university/institution differs from the host university/institution where the applicant engaged in postgraduate studies and obtained a doctoral degree.
- State expected impact and benefit of the requested training to the applicant.
- State expected results of the project.
- State reasons for the choice of the host institution (highlight compatibility with research training needs).
Duration of stay at host university/institution
- State the planned start and ending date of the stay at the host university/institution. This period may be 6-24 months long and has to start during the last six months of 2010. The maximum fellowship period of 24 months is reduced by the length of time for which the applicant, since obtaining a doctorate, has held a postdoctoral position, a similar grant or a fellowship, at a higher education institution or faculty or company other than the one where the doctorate, or equivalent, was awarded.
Similar application
- State whether funds from another research funder are applied for or approved for the same purpose. This should also be stated in the online application form.
The applicant must attach the following to Appendix Q in electronic form:
- Examination diploma for the doctoral degree or a certificate that the degree has been awarded.
- Certificate from the host university/institution in Sweden: the certificate from the host university/institution should specify that the applicant is welcome to conduct the planned research there.
This certificate should also contain:
- Presentation of the host institution/host research group
- Current activities of the group, highlighting research quality and expertise in the project field
- List of most relevant recent publications and patents by members of the group in the project field
- Arrangements to host the applicant (ability to provide specified training, resources to be made available, specialised equipment, etc)
- A statement about the planned research
- Interest for the group to host the applicant.
Appendix S — Signatures
Appendix S is enclosed automatically with the electronic application.
The appendix should be printed out and signed both by the applicant and by the head (or equivalent) of the department or establishment where the research will be conducted. The signature confirms that the department can accommodate the proposed research, position or equipment, that the costing in the application is approved for the department´s part, and that any proposed experimentation on human or animal subjects has been reported, and that the applicant has reported any secondary occupations and commercial ties s(he) may have, and nothing inconsistent with good research practice has thereby emerged. The applicant must have discussed these conditions with the representative of the host university/institution before the latter approves and signs the application.
Appendix S is sent by regular mail to the Swedish Research Council.
Note! Appendix S, complete with signatures, must be received by the Swedish Research Council not later than three working days after the last application date.
5. Evaluation and decision
Criteria and priorities
The Swedish Research Council call is intended for high-quality research initiated by researchers. The scientific assessment of the applications is made by active researchers. Every application is assessed on a competitive basis using the Swedish Research Council's evaluation criteria.
Evaluation criteria
The Swedish Research Council supports basic research in all scientific areas and shall promote quality and renewal of Swedish basic research.
Scientific quality is the fundamental criterion for the Swedish Research Council's allocation of research grants. The grant allocation shall also promote equality between women and men and mobility of researchers.
Applications for grants are assessed in review panels, or in special committees or working groups. As a guidance to the Swedish Research Council's review process, applicants are requested to propose one or more review panel for their applications. A list of options may be found under the scroll menu in the application form.
Conflicts of interest
The Swedish Research Council has a strict internal policy regarding conflicts of interest, which can be found in The Swedish Research Council's Conflict of interest policy
. Proposed members of review panels (including chairmen) are not permitted to be the primary applicants in appplications dealt with by their own panels. Either such members and chairmen of the panels must refrain from taking part in the years's review work or their applications must be dealt with in other panels. Conflicts of interest for other reasons must always be reported by the members of the review panels. The reported conflicts of interest are noted in the meeting protocols and the concerned panel member leaves the meeting while the application in question is discussed.Decisions
In May 2010, the decisions will be made on grants for postdoctoral fellowships and postdoctoral positions in Sweden.
Grant decisions will be published on the Swedish Research Council's website, www.vr.se. Letters rejecting or approving applications, with statements of opinion, will be sent to all applicants.
Disbursement of granted funding can begin starting from July 2010 at the earliest.
6. Contact
Queries about application content and technical questions concerning the application may be addressed by e-mail or by phone to:
Humanities and Social Sciences, and Educational Sciences
Janet Eltebo 08-546 44 290 janet.eltebo@vr.se
Medicine
Paola Norlin 08-546 44 311 paola.norlin@vr.se
Natural and Engineering Sciences
Annika Johansén 08-546 44 251 annika.johansen@vr.se
7. How and when to apply
Applications to the Swedish Research Council for postdoctoral fellowship and grant for postdoctoral positions in Sweden that is to start during the last six months of 2010 must be received by the Swedish Research Council no later than 25 February 2010.
The applicant is responsible for submitting a complete application to the council. Technical support from the Swedish Research Council is provided for until 4 pm on 25 February 2010. Please, make certain to submit your application in time before 4 pm in case that you will need technical support. Appendix S with signatures must be received by the council no later than 2 March 2010.
Appendix S is sent to the address:
Vetenskapsrådet
HS
Box 1035
101 38 Stockholm
Link to the electronic application form
The online form may be found in the Swedish Research Council's application system VR-Direct
.Information
Humanities and Social Sciences
2010-02-25
Apply here
Box 1035, SE-101 38 Stockholm
Fax: +46(0)8-546 44 180
Invoice address: FE 57, SE-833 83 Strömsund