Closed call
16 January - 19 February 2019
Doctoral programme grant within register-based research
The purpose of the grant for a national doctoral programme within register-based research is to strengthen the recruitment base and quality within research areas that use register-based data, and to create added scientific value by educating doctoral students in fundamental and ground-breaking methods that are relevant to interdisciplinary register-based research.
With this priority area within register-based research, the Swedish Research Council wishes to strengthen and develop interdisciplinary and intersectoral research that is based wholly or partly on micro-data, for example from public authority or quality registers, and that can be linked to data from other sources, such as researcher-generated data, biobank data or survey data. The Swedish Research Council rewards research of the highest scientific quality in national competition.
Support form
Research environment and collaboration support
Area
Humanities and Social Sciences, Medicine and Health
Focus
Register-based research
Applicant
Organisation. The coordinator of the doctoral programme at the host organisation shall be
invited to be the project leader for the application
Participating researchers
In addition to the organisation applying, a minimum of two further higher education institutions (HEIs) shall participate in the application. One contact person per collaborating HEI shall be invited as a participating researcher
Grant period
4 years
Grant amount
Maximum 3 million SEK per year
Publication of grant award
No later than end of September 2019
Start of grant period
January 2020
Note!
- Please read and follow the instructions: In addition to this specific call text, you
also need to read our Guide for applicants
Opens in new window.. - Please do not state anybody’s full personal identity number in the
application. - Please read the information on how the application will be assessed under “How
the application is assessed” and refer to this when writing the application.
Call text in full
The following conditions must be fulfilled in order for the organisation to be duly qualified to apply for the grant. We carry out checks to ensure unqualified applications are rejected from further processing.
Framework for the doctoral programme
The Swedish Research Council invites Swedish higher education institutions to apply for funds for a national interdisciplinary doctoral programme in register-based research. To get a grant from the Swedish Research Council, the doctoral programme must fulfil the following general requirements:
The doctoral programme shall
- be linked to a HEI with main and coordinating responsibility
- be run by several Swedish HEIs in cooperation
- be closely associated with well-functioning and stimulating research environment/s with international connections
- offer a structured programme, with joint courses and seminars of high scientific and educational quality which have to be available nationally and preferably internationally
- have a clear organisation and leadership, including a board or governing body with overarching responsibility for quality assurance of the activities of the doctoral programme in collaboration with the participating institutions
- have a sufficient national supply of research students.
Focus
The Swedish Research Council is issuing a call for funds to support research in the field of register-based research. The priority area aims to strengthen and develop interdisciplinary and intersectoral research that is based wholly or partly on micro-data, for example from public authority or quality registers (data collected primarily for purposes other than research) and that can be linked to data from other sources, such as research-generated data, biobank data or survey data. In this context, interdisciplinary and intersectoral research refers to when researchers with genuinely differing scientific backgrounds work together and in parallel to investigate and solve research problems.
In addition to this grant for a national doctoral programme, we are also issuing a call for grants for research environments within register-based research Opens in new window.. The priority area is based on a Government mandate from the Government Bill on Research and Innovation 2016.
The Swedish Research Council’s aim for the grant for a doctoral programme is to develop knowledge of how register-based research is conducted in Sweden, and to support a new generation of researchers and research leaders within interdisciplinary and intersectoral register-based research. The doctoral programme shall have a national catchment area, be active throughout Sweden and offer education relevant to all research fields that use register-based data. The added scientific value from the planned activities of the doctoral programme must be clearly shown.
The doctoral programme is expected to stimulate and contribute to internationalisation of register-based research by developing knowledge about register-based research abroad, and by cooperating with international researchers and research institutions.
The doctoral programme is also expected to
- offer relevant education of high scientific and pedagogic quality that is not otherwise included in the HEIs’ regular doctoral programmes
- include both theoretical and practical elements relevant to register-based research
- offer doctoral students within register-based research opportunities to develop general skills and knowledge that are necessary for research
- educate doctoral students about good data management of relevance for register-based research
- disseminate information on and enable doctoral students to participate in courses of relevance for register-based research outside of the doctoral programme’s programme
- give doctoral students the opportunity to present and discuss their own research.
Applicant
The applicant for the grant shall be a Swedish HEI that is approved as an administrating organisation Opens in new window. by the Swedish Research Council. The HEI shall coordinate the national doctoral programme, and shall also be responsible for activity reporting and for scientific and financial final reporting of grants awarded. The doctoral programme shall be operated by no less than three HEIs in cooperation. The participating HEIs do not have to be Swedish.
The application shall include one named researcher, who shall be the coordinator of the doctoral programme and responsible for coordination and follow-up of studies. The coordinator shall be employed by the administrating organisation at the start of and throughout the grant period and any further additional availability period, unless the Swedish Research Council approves an exception. The employment must equal at least 20 per cent of a full-time equivalent. The coordinator does not have to be employed by the administrating organisation at the time of applying. The coordinator must hold a Swedish doctoral degree or a corresponding foreign degree, awarded no later than the deadline for this call. The degree award date we use is the date of fulfilment of all the requirements for a doctoral degree, such as mandatory courses, oral defence and an approved doctoral thesis. For applicants with Swedish doctoral degrees, the award date listed in Ladok applies.
A named representative from each of the participating HEIs shall be listed (see instructions under “Research programme” below), and shall be included as a participating researcher in the application.
Number of applications and previous grants
There is no limit to the number of applications a single HEI may submit or participate in, provided the applications from the same HEI are not headed by the same project leader.
Participating researchers
A representative for each of the HEIs participating in the doctoral programme shall be included as a participating researcher in the application (a minimum of 2). The participating researchers shall be researchers with a doctoral degree or corresponding competence, whose scientific competence will be crucial for the implementation of the proposed doctoral programme’s activities.
Participating researchers shall provide the necessary information themselves in Prisma, and upload these to the application.
Costs and grant amounts
Grants may be used to finance the costs of implementing a doctoral programme. Grants may not be used to pay salary to any doctoral student or for scholarships. The amount applied for may be for a maximum of 3 million SEK per year, including indirect costs.
The Swedish Research Council assumes that the administrating organisation will cover any costs in excess of the amount received.
Grant period
The grant period is four years, starting in January 2020. The first payment will be made no earlier than October 2019.
No later than 1 January 2022, the project leader shall submit a report to the Swedish Research Council that focuses on the collaboration between the participating organisations and the added value from the doctoral programme, as well as on how the doctoral student programme fulfils the required focus on interdisciplinary and intersectoral register-based research.
Requirement to create a network within register-based research
The doctoral programme is expected, along with the research environments awarded grants within the focus on register-based research, to establish a network where they will constitute nodes. The network shall form a coordinating group, where all research environments and the doctoral programme are represented. The network will be coordinated by a network coordinator, nominated by the coordinating group and appointed by the Swedish Research Council. The network coordinator may be one of the project leaders, one of the participating researchers or the coordinator of the doctoral programme. The Swedish Research Council may award further funds for the position of coordinator, and for the activities this person will be responsible for, such as a recurring international conference within register-based research.
The doctoral programme is expected to stimulate scientific collaboration nationally, for example by enabling participation in the research environments networking activities by the doctoral students attending the doctoral programme.
Please refer to the application form in Prisma in parallel with reading the instructions below, which describe the call-specific contents of the application. More information on what to do in practical terms is available in our Guide for applicants. Opens in new window.
Language
Foreign experts are involved in the scientific evaluation of the applications. To ensure fair and equitable assessment and efficient processing, please therefore complete the application in English.
Sections of the application
The application form includes the following tabs:
- Descriptive information
- Research description
- Budget and research resources
- Publications
- Letter of support
- Administrating organisation
- Participants
- CV
Descriptions of the call-specific information requested under each tab follow below.
Descriptive information
Abstract
The abstract shall include a brief description of the following:
- the focus of the doctoral programme
- the organisation planned for the doctoral programme
- the significance of the doctoral programme to the research area.
The abstract shall provide a summary guide to the purpose and implementation of the doctoral programme. Please use wording to ensure persons with another subject specialisation can understand the information.
The description may cover a maximum of 1 500 characters including blank spaces (approximately one third of an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing).
Popular science description
Describe the activities of the doctoral programme in such a way that a person who is not familiar with the subject can understand it. Describe what is to be done and why, and explain in what way the doctoral programme will support register-based research.
The popular science description is an important tool when we inform about the research funded by the Swedish Research Council. If we approve the application, we reserve the right to use the description for information purposes.
Note: The popular science description must be written in Swedish, unlike the rest of the application.
The description may cover a maximum of 4 500 characters including blank spaces (approximately one A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing).
Research description
Ethical considerations
Describe the ethical issues raised by the doctoral programme. Also describe the plan to address ethical dilemmas that may arise. Please also state whether the doctoral programme involves any handling of personal data, or experiments on animals or human subjects. If no ethical issues are raised, please justify this.
Research programme
The research programme shall consist of brief but complete information of the design of the doctoral programme, and shall cover a maximum of ten page-numbered A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing, including references and any images.
The research programme shall include the following headings and information, listed in the following order:
- Objective: Describe the theme and focus of the doctoral programme.
- Research environment: Describe the research environment/s that support the doctoral programme. Describe the environment/s in terms of focus and management, and the focus of research in progress. Describe in particular how the environment/s may contribute to the development of the doctoral programme.
- Programme description: Summarise the planned educational activities of the doctoral programme, and describe the recruitment basis.
- Organisation: Describe in detail how the doctoral programme will be organised and administrated (courses offered, seminars, course development, coordinating, study follow-up, work allocation between supervisors, examiners and course providers). Describe also the planned dimensioning of the doctoral programme in terms of number of doctoral students.
- National coordination: Describe the Swedish HEIs that are participating in the operation of the doctoral programme, and list the person/s (name, position, organisational unit) who will be responsible for this participation at each HEI. Describe summarily the planned allocation of roles, tasks and responsibilities for the operation of the persons participating (including the coordinator), and what specific competences each participant will contribute.
- International and other national collaboration: Describe the collaboration with Swedish and foreign research environments and/or other doctoral programmes.
Report the following under separate headings if relevant to the application:
- Equipment: Describe the basic equipment relevant to the programme that the doctoral programme has at its disposal.
- Need for infrastructure: Specify the doctoral programme’s need for international and national infrastructure. Specify also the need for local infrastructure, if depreciation costs for this is included in the application. Read more about research infrastructure supported by the Swedish Research Council Opens in new window..
Added value of collaboration
Added value of collaboration for the doctoral programme refers to both the added value provided by the doctoral programme over and above the ongoing doctoral programmes in Sweden within the relevant subjects for register-based research, and the added value provided by the collaboration between the participating organisations to the doctoral programmes.
The description of the added value shall include
- how the proposed constellation of participating organisations makes it possible, together and in close collaboration, to undertake research tasks within the doctoral programme that are more comprehensive and challenging than would be possible if the organisations worked individually
- how the collaboration will be built up and developed, and how the resulting doctoral programme will supplement the existing doctoral programmes in Sweden
- how the doctoral programme will be integrated with the activities of the HEI/s, and how the work will be organised to achieve the goals of the doctoral programme in as efficient a way as possible.
The appendix shall cover a maximum of three A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing, including references.
Budget and research resources
Graduate school personnel
State the activity level (per cent of a full-time equivalent) of all personnel active within the operation of the doctoral programme, that is to say the project leader/coordinator, other researchers responsible for participation in the doctoral programme at other HEIs, and other personnel.
Please also state the salary applied for, for the project leader/coordinator or other personnel active within the doctoral programme, both as a percentage of a full-time salary and as actual annual amounts (including social security contributions). Please state rounded amounts in SEK. Grants towards salaries for doctoral students are not allowed.
Other costs
Describe any other costs of the project (premises costs, running costs and depreciation costs). Please state rounded annual amounts.
Depreciation costs for equipment to be used in the operation may be included, provided that
- the equipment has an economic life of at least three years
- the equipment has an acquisition value exceeding a certain amount (please contact your administrating organisation for information about the amount that applies to your department)
- the equipment needs for your proposed project cannot be satisfied through use of national or international infrastructure open to all.
Only the proportion of depreciation costs that corresponds to the use of the equipment in the proposed operation may be included. Depreciation costs for equipment that is wholly financed via other grants may not be included.
Total costs
Prisma will automatically add up the budget items listed in a table. The total amount applied for shall also include indirect costs. These shall be added to the table by the applicant according to the calculations that apply for the HEI. The applicant shall also add here any further costs covered by the doctoral programme (for which funding is not sought in this application).
Justification of the budget applied for
Justify briefly each cost applied for in the budget stated. The description may cover a maximum of 4 000 characters including blank spaces (approximately one A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing).
Other funding
Please state any other funding (applied for or already awarded) for the doctoral programme over and above what is applied for in this application. Please state rounded amounts in SEK.
Publications
Project leader’s/Coordinator’s publications list
Please attach the publications list drawn up according to the headings and information below. The list shall cover a maximum of 5 page-numbered A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.
Please sort the publications under each heading in reverse chronological order, so that the latest publication is at the top of the list. Please only include articles or corresponding that are published or accepted for publication at the time of applying. The author order in the publication list shall be identical to that of the published work. The application cannot be supplemented with publications after the deadline for the call.
- Selection of publications: List the maximum 10 publications of greatest importance to the application. For each publication, please state how the researcher contributed to it, and its relevance to the doctoral programme described (maximum four lines per publication). Highlight the researcher’s name in bold in the author list.
- Relevant publications from the last 8 years: Sort the publications, with the researcher’s name highlighted in bold in the author list, under each heading (publication type) in the following order:
- Peer-reviewed original articles
- Peer-reviewed conference contributions, the results of which are not included in other publications.
- Peer-reviewed edited volumes
- Research review articles
- Peer-reviewed books and book chapters
- Other publications including popular science books/presentations
Participating researchers’ publication lists
Attach all participating researchers’ publication lists joined up into one file. The list for each researcher shall include a maximum of 10 publications, in the form of the most relevant publications for the doctoral programme described, and shall cover a maximum of 1 A4 page. The name of the researcher in question shall be highlighted in bold and also be included in the page header of each list.
Please only include articles or corresponding that are published or accepted for publication at the time of applying. The author order in the publication list shall be identical to that of the published work. The application cannot be supplemented with publications after the deadline for the call.
The publications shall be of the types: Peer-reviewed original articles, conference contributions, edited volumes, research review articles, books and book chapters, and other publications including popular science books/presentations.
Letter of support
Please attach a letter of support from the administrating organisation (applicant’s organisation) and all participating HEIs. The letters of support from the participating HEIs shall be merged into a single file. The letters of support shall be written in English, cover no more than 1 A4 page and include the following information:
- the name of the person representing the HEI in the collaboration
- a brief description of the way in which the organisation will participate in the collaboration
- the number of doctoral students from the HEI that are expected to apply to the doctoral programme.
Administrating organisation
Please state the location of the doctoral programme.
Participants
Under this tab, the project leader/coordinator shall invite the participating researchers and any participating administrators to the application. Participating researchers are the named representatives of each collaborating HEI.
CV
Under this tab, the project leader/coordinator shall upload the relevant CV information from their personal account in Prisma. Participating researchers must upload their own CV information to the application.
The following information, where available, must always be included in each CV, taking into account the stated limitation in numbers:
- Education: First, second and third cycle higher education and specialist degrees.
- Work: Current employment (including whether permanent or not) and longer relevant employment, postdoctoral visits (including whether employment or not), research exchanges relevant to the research described, teaching relevant to the doctoral programme described, and any longer interruptions in the research that have impacted on the researcher’s opportunity to gain merits as a researcher.
- Merits and awards: Docentship/associate professorship, supervisees (postdoctoral and doctoral students; state the overall number of each category and list the 10 most relevant), up to 10 of the researcher’s most relevant grants awarded in competition, up to 10 of the researcher’s most relevant prizes and awards, and up to 20 other merits relevant to the application.
- Intellectual property rights: For example, patents and open access computer programs developed by the researcher; state up to 10 of the most relevant.
Scientific quality is the fundamental criterion when the Swedish Research Council allocates grants to research. Your application is evaluated in competition with the other applications on the basis of the following evaluation criteria.
The purpose of the call is to strengthen and develop interdisciplinary and intersectorial register-based research education.
Evaluation process
Your application is evaluated by a review panel where the members are Swedish and international researchers.
At least three members review and grade your application individually. The entire review panel then meets at a review panel meeting to discuss and prioritise the applications, and finally to make a proposal for a decision to the Director General.
Review panel Opens in new window.
All applications receive an individual final statement that reflects the review panel’s discussion and overall assessment of the scientific quality of the application.
Evaluation criteria and guiding questions
The evaluation of the scientific quality of your application is made based on four basic criteria (Novelty and originality, Scientific quality of the project, Merits of the applicant, Feasibility). The purpose of using several components is to achieve a multi-faceted evaluation. The criteria are assessed on a seven-grade scale, except for feasibility, which is assessed on a three-grade grade scale.
In addition to the basic criteria, your application is also evaluated using the additional criterion Added value on a seven-grade scale. For doctoral programme grants, the scores for Scientific quality of the project and Added value are given a greater weight in the overall grade.
For each criterion, there are guiding questions to support the panel members’ evaluation of your application. These can also function as guidance for you when you write your application.
Scientific quality of the project (1–7)
Guiding questions:
- Is the proposed doctoral programme based on relevant and up-to-date theoretical, methodological and pedagogical research which is of high quality, on an international level, and from several genuinely different disciplines and sectors?
- Do the goals, contents and organisation of the doctoral programme contribute to added scientific value for research education for the research areas in question?
- Do the international aspects of the doctoral programme contribute to establishing the doctoral programme at the cutting edge of research on an international level?
- Does the doctoral programme adequately emphasise developing the doctoral students’ basic scientific competence?
Novelty and originality (1–7)
Guiding questions:
- Will the doctoral programme introduce novel and original research education in the area on a national and international level?
- Do the goals, contents and organisation of the doctoral programme contribute to developing originality and innovation, and reinforcing interdisciplinary and intersectorial approaches in the doctoral students’ scientific work?
- Will the doctoral programme contribute to exposing more doctoral students to strong national and international research environments?
- Does the doctoral programme contribute to national and international networking?
Merits of the applicant (1–7)
The evaluation should concern the overall merits of all project participants and their ability to carry out the proposed doctoral programme. Merits of project participants are always assessed in relation to their career age and to the proposed programme.
Guiding questions:
- Is the main applicant and their host institution scientifically strong, with solid experience of organising research education?
- Do the project participants from the participating organisations have pedagogical competence and experience of providing research education?
- Do the project participants from the participating organisations have a high level of competence within their scientific areas?
- In addition to the project leaders, are nationally and internationally prominent researchers with high pedagogical competence involved in the doctoral programme?
Added value (1-7)
Guiding questions:
- To what extent does the doctoral programme complement the existing doctoral education in the relevant fields in Sweden?
- Is the doctoral programme more ambitious and challenging, for instance in terms of its interdisciplinary and intersectorial ambitions, than what the participating organisations could achieve separately?
- Does the collaboration between the participating organisations create synergies and added value for the doctoral education?
- Will the proposed doctoral programme strengthen and enhance the quality of research education at the participating research institutions?
Feasibility (1–3)
Guiding questions:
- Does the doctoral programme have a clear organisation and management structure?
- Are the contributions of the participating institutions to the doctoral programme made
clear? - Does the doctoral programme have access to the necessary personnel and infrastructural and other resources?
- Is the recruitment process of doctoral students to the national programme clearly described and appropriate?
- Is the organisation of the international aspects of the doctoral programme made clear?
Overall grade (1–7)
The above subsidiary criteria are weighed together into an overall
grade, which reflects the review panel’s joint evaluation of the application’s scientific quality.