International Postdoc

The purpose of this grant is to promote international mobility for researchers who have recently been awarded a doctorate from a Swedish university. The young researcher should be given the opportunity to conduct research at a foreign university or research institute.

Terms and conditions of the grant

Who may apply?

Individual researchers with s doctorate from a Swedish university or from the European University Institute (EUI) may apply for International Postdoc.

In order to apply for an International Postdoc, your degree must not be more than two years old. Your PhD must have been awarded no earlier than  July 1, 2010, and no later than the closing date for  this call. The date your PhD was awarded means the time when all requirements for the PhD were satisfied (e.g. compulsory courses, oral public defence, and approved doctoral thesis). Even if you were awarded your doctoral degree earlier, you may nevertheless apply if there are approved circumstances.

If you request a time deduction you must clearly specify the reasons, dates, and amount of time to be deducted in your cv.

Grant period

The grant period is 18-36 months. At least two-thirds of the time must be spent abroad, and no more than one-third of the time in Sweden. The research period abroad can be divided up into shorter periods. The stay must begin during the first half of 2013.

Costs and grant amount

The amount of the grant is SEK 1,050,000 per year, of which SEK 900,000 is salary costs, and SEK 150,000 is meant to cover research costs. 

Administration

The grant will be administered by a Swedish University or Swedish higher education institution, or by another public sector organisation that fulfils the requirements of the Swedish Research Council for an administrative entity.

The Swedish Research Council requires that financial final accounts be submitted for all grants within the stipulated time. We will verify that all financial accounts are submitted by the applicant for any grants completed. If financial final accounts are missing, the application in question will be rejected. If you are uncertain as to whether final accounts have been submitted, contact the administrative entity in charge of this.

Employer and terms of employment

The recipient of the grant must be employed by a Swedish university or higher education institution. The institution determines the type of employment. You do not need to be employed at the time of your application. By signing Appendix S, the administrative entity´s representative confirms its commitment.  

Instructions for applying

Apply electronically via the Swedish Research Council's application system (VR-Direct) by completing an application form, and including the appendices required. Indicate your name, personal identity number and the appendix designation on each page of the appendices. A signed paper copy of Appendix S must be sent to the Swedish Research Council.

You are responsible for ensuring that the application is complete, which means that the application form and appendices have been filled out correctly. The Swedish Research Council will not process incomplete applications. However, attach only material that we expressly request. Other material, such as letters of recommendation or off-prints will not be evaluated. Failure to comply with the instructions will be taken into account in the evaluation.

We do not allow additional information after the closing date for applications, except for information we expressly request.

Font, size and pictures

Write the appendices in A4 format, using a 25 mm margin and a Times New Roman 12 font.

When we print out the application, we use a resolution of 200-300 dpi, and possibly grey scale. You should therefore adapt your images to this standard. Remember that pdf files must not be password-protected.

Content of application

The application, including appendixes, should be written in English. The Swedish Research Council uses international reviewers. Applications must contain the following:  

• Summary
• Popular science description
• Research programme (Appendix A)
• CV (Appendix B)
• Publication list (Appendix C)
• Miscellaneous (Appendix Z)
• Signatures (Appendix S)  

Summary

The summary of the research programme should be written in English and contain a brief description of:  

• What will be done
• How the research will be conducted, what scientific methods will be used
• What is important about the planned research?

The text should provide a brief orientation regarding the purpose and implementation of the research. Write in a style that enables people from other research backgrounds, as well, to easily comprehend the information.  

Fill in the summary on the form in the application system.    

Popular science description

Describe the project in a popular science style so that even those who are not familiar with the topic can understand.

• Describe what will be done and why.
• Highlight the basic research.
• Explain in what way the new knowledge can be important.

The popular science description is an important tool for the Swedish Research Council to inform others about the research we finance. If we award funding for your application we have the right to use the description for informational purposes.

You should write the popular science description on the form in the application system. You are required to write the popular science description, as well as your address, in Swedish.

Research programme (Appendix A)

Appendix A must present a brief but complete description of the research objective (maximum of eight A4 pages, including references). Please note that any pages beyond the number allowed will not be considered in the evaluation. The research programme, as well as other exhibits, should be written in English. 

The research programme must include the following information, under separate headings:  

• Purpose and aims. Present the overall purpose and specific goals of the research project (or equivalent).
• Survey of the field. Summarise your own and others´ research and previous findings in the research field. Provide key references.
• Project description. Summarise the project´s design. Describe theory, methods, timetable, and implementation. Also describe the significance of the project to the research area, as well as describing your own experiments and preliminary studies.
• Significance and usefulness. Describe the significance and usefulness you expect of the international postdoctoral grant.
• Results. Describe the results you expect the projects to have.

Present the following under a special heading, if relevant to the application:

• Equipment. Describe the basic equipment for the project that you and your group have at your disposal.
• International and national collaboration. Describe the collaboration that you and your group have with foreign and Swedish researchers and research groups. Report on international collaboration that you participate in, or are associated with, through your research.
• Ethical considerations. Present the ethical issues that the project (or equivalent) faces, and describe how they will be addressed in your research.

CV/Scientific qualifications (Appendix B)

You must submit a CV (maximum of two A4 pages). List your publications separately in Appendix C. Specify under the following numbered headings, in this order:

1. Higher education degree(s) (year, subject area)
2. Doctoral degree (year, discipline/subject area, dissertation title, and supervisor).
3. Current position, period of appointment, share of time spent in research.
4. Previous positions and periods of appointment (specify type of position). State here if you have previously held a postdoctoral position, and if so, in what subject area.
5. Deductible time. Indicate any interruption in your active research period that has affected your opportunities to acquire qualifications. Circumstances approved are illness, parental leave, military service (total defence), positions of trust in trade unions organisations and student organisations, medical residency (up to 24 months), a maximum of 24 months of continuing education/specialist training for categories of clinically active professionals. Other special circumstances may also be accepted. However, we do not accept unemployment, annual leave or employment that does not relate to research as approved circumstances for deduction of time.

Then, provide other information of importance to the application. Items that do not apply to you should be left blank.  

Example:

Publication list (Appendix C) List your publications. Mark the five publications most important to this project with an asterisk (*).  Categorise the publications under the numbered headings, in the following order:

1. Peer-reviewed articles
2. Peer-reviewed conference contributions (the results of which are not in other publications)
3. Review articles, book chapters, books
4. Monographs
5. Patents (include date of registration)
6. Open access computer programs or databases that you have developed
7. Popular science articles/presentations

Note! Include only articles (or equivalent) that have been published or accepted for publication.  

Appendix Z— Miscellaneous

Appendix Z should contain information about the host institution in Sweden (the administrative entity), as well as the host institution abroad.

Host institution in Sweden (Administrative entity).

• Indicate the date when you intend to begin and end your employment at the Swedish higher education institute.
• Indicate the contact person at the host institution (first name and surname, telephone number, and e-mail address). Also indicate the host institution´s faculty and postal address (in the following order: host university/institute, department, address).
• Attach a formal invitation from the Swedish host institution that shows that you are welcome to conduct you planned research there.

The invitation must also contain:

• A presentation of the host institution
• A description of the group´s current area of activity, research quality and expertise
• The research group´s reasons for hosting you. 
• Your participation in the research group

Host institution abroad

• Indicate the period or periods of your stay at the foreign host institution.
• Indicate the contact person at the host institution (first name and surname, telephone number, and e-mail address). Also indicate the host institution´s faculty and postal address (in the following order: host university/institute, department, address).
• Describe how the research at the host institution relates to research at the Swedish host institution.
• Describe why you selected this particular host institution (describe your opportunities to develop your expertise as a researcher).
• List the research group´s most relevant publications and patents within the research area.
• Attach a formal invitation from the foreign host institution that shows that you are welcome to conduct you planned research there.

The invitation must also contain:

• A presentation of the host institution
• A description of the group´s current area of activity, research quality and expertise
• The research group´s reasons for hosting you. 
• Your participation in the research group

Signatures (Appendix S)

Appendix S is generated automatically when you register your application. Print out Appendix S and sign it. It should also be signed by the Head of Department or similar official of the institution where the research will be carried on in Sweden.

The signatures confirm that:  

• The described research, position, and equipment will be allocated space in the institution.
• You have reported your side-line occupations and commercial ties, and nothing has emerged that would conflict with good research practice.
• The necessary permissions and approvals have been granted to the project, such as regarding ethical review.

You are required to have already discussed the above matters with the representative of the administrative entity before that representative approves and signs the application. The administrative entity is responsible for ensuring that the project satisfies any conditions and requirements contained in Swedish law.

Send Appendix S by regular mail to the Swedish Research Council.  

Remember! Appendix S, complete with signatures, must be received by the Swedish Research Council not later than three working days after the closing date for applications.  

You will find the address and closing date for applications in the section, "When and how should the application be submitted". 

Evaluation and decisions

Active researchers conduct the scientific evaluation of applications. Using the assessment criteria of the Swedish Research Council, these researchers evaluate your application in competition with other applications.

The application will be evaluated based on:

• The innovativeness and originality of the project
• The scientific quality of the applicant
• The scientific quality of the project and practicality of the project
• The scientific quality of the two recipient environments.

You can suggest on your application form (by order of priority) the evaluation (review) panel or panels you wish to review your application. The following panels are available:

• VR-hsPDh the panel for humanities and social sciences
• VR-mhPDh the panel for medicine and health
• VR-ntPDh the panel for natural and engineering sciences
• VR-uPDh the panel for educational science/gender/artistic research

The final placement of the application is done by the Swedish Research Council.

Evaluation panels
Addressing conflicts of interest at the Swedish Research Council  

Decisions

In late November, the Swedish Research Council will publish its grant funding decisions on the website. Notice of decisions and comments will be sent to all applicants. Disbursement of awarded funds will begin in January 2013 at the earliest. 

When and how should the application be submitted?

Submit your application electronically via the application system no later than midnight (24.00) on Tuesday, 28th of August 2012. The Swedish Research Council is open until 4 p.m. (16.00) on the closing date for applications.  

You are responsible for the completeness of your application.  

Send Appendix S (paper form), complete with your signatures, to the address below. Appendix S must be received by the Swedish Research Council by 31 August three working days after the closing date for this call.  

Swedish Research CouncilBox 1035
101 38 Stockholm

Contact

Questions about the content of the application can be directed by e-mail to vrpostdok@vr.se, or by telephone to:

Annika Johansén, +46 (0)8-546 44 251
Janet Eltebo, +46 (0)8-546 44 290
Nina Glimster, +46 (0)8 546 44 215