Research quality evaluation in Sweden – FOKUS

The commission is regarding a model for resource allocation to universities and university colleges involving peer review of the quality and relevance of research.

In March 2013, the Swedish Government commissioned the Swedish Research Council, in consultation with the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Social Research (Forte), the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas), and Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, to develop and propose a model for allocating resources to universities and university colleges involving peer review of the quality and relevance of research.

This report presents the principal features of the Swedish Research Council’s proposed model, called FOKUS (Forskningskvalitetsutvärdering i Sverige – Research quality evaluation in Sweden).

The Swedish Research Council proposes that the new model for quality-based resource allocation should replace the current indicator-based research funding model.

The ultimate objective of FOKUS is to be a driver of quality i.e. to promote improved quality of research carried out at Swedish universities and university colleges and also to promote the contribution of high quality research to societal development. Furthermore FOKUS can identify nationally strong research areas and areas for further improvement, and is expected to improve the basis for national and discipline-based overviews and comparisons.