Closed call
11 September - 09 October 2019
Needs inventory of research infrastructure of national interest
The Swedish Research Council carries out a prioritisation of new needs for research infrastructure in a recurrent cyclical process over two years. The first stage of the process consists of a needs inventory, aimed at highlighting areas where the needs for new research infrastructure of national interest are clear. The outcome of the needs inventory is then used as the basis for the Swedish Research Council’s targeted call for applications for funding of research infrastructure, and is part of the Swedish Research Council’s strategic work with research infrastructure. Please note that the Swedish Research Council does not publish an open call for research infrastructure grants.
Support form: Infrastructure support
Subject area: Research infrastructure
Focus: Needs inventory
Submitted by: Representatives of HEI managements, public authorities with research responsibilities, research funding bodies or researcher groupings (from at least two different organisations).
Inventory deadline: 9 October 2019 (14.00/2 p.m.)
Publication of decision: No later than June 2020
Please note:
- Please read and follow the instructions: In addition to this specific instruction, you can also obtain practical help with completing the proposal (application) in our Guide for applicants
Opens in new window.. - Please note that you can only reach the inventory via the following link
External link, opens in new window..
Follow these steps:
- log out of Prisma
- enter the name of your proposal in the box that appears
- click on the link and log in with your Prisma password (not Swamid)
This will take you to the form.
Call text in full
General information about the needs inventory
The purpose of the needs inventory is to identify areas where the needs for new research infrastructure of national interest are clear. The proposals sent to the Swedish Research Council shall either cover needs for entirely new research infrastructure, or needs for bringing together and significantly developing existing resources into a research infrastructure where all component parts are of national interest and the bringing together of them results in clear added value for research within the field.
Proposals for needs for comprehensive development within existing infrastructures with funding from the Swedish Research Council may also be submitted to the needs inventory. The aim of the development shall be to create a comprehensive change to the scientific production, or a significant change to the technical approach. Routine maintenance or gradual improvements may not be included, however.
Needs for new international infrastructure may also be submitted to the needs inventory. This relates to both Swedish participation in the construction of new international infrastructure and Swedish participation in existing organisations.
Please note that the Swedish Research Council does not publish an open call for research infrastructure grants. In order to submit an application within the Swedish Research Council’s targeted call for research infrastructure grants in 2021, the need must first have been identified and prioritised in the needs inventory.
The needs inventory does not cover infrastructure with ongoing grants from the Swedish Research Council, for which the grant period ends no earlier than 31 December 2021. These will have the opportunity to apply for continued grants in the ordinary calls. However, if the application for a continued grant involves needs for more comprehensive development as described above, the application shall be preceded by a proposal in the needs inventory.
How research infrastructure is managed at the Swedish Research Council Opens in new window.
How the Swedish Research Council funds research infrastructure Opens in new window.
Result of the 2017 needs inventory Opens in new window.
Please read the assessment criteria Opens in new window. used by the reviewers to assess proposals received.
Who can submit a proposal?
The needs inventory is open to all higher education institutions (HEIs), public authorities with research responsibilities, research funding bodies and researcher groups (that is, research teams from at least two different HEIs/organisations). Proposals submitted shall relate to research infrastructure according to the Swedish Research Council’s definition and criteria (see below), and shall cover one of the needs listed above under “General information on the needs inventory” (that is, consist of new national infrastructure, international infrastructure, or comprehensive development of existing infrastructure).
The proposal shall be drawn up, formulated and submitted by you as representative of a HEI, a public authority with research responsibilities, a research funding body or a researcher grouping. The proposal shall include the participating proposers, that is, the persons or organisations backing the proposal.
Definition and criteria for research infrastructure
The Swedish Research Council uses the following definition of research infrastructure of national interest:
Research infrastructure of national interest is intended to provide resources that enable the research of several research teams and different projects within one or more research fields.
In addition to the definition, the Swedish Research Council applies a number of additional criteria intended to clarify and delimit the type of infrastructure funded by the Swedish Research Council via the Council for Research Infrastructures (RFI). RFI makes the decision on funding of research infrastructure that
- enables research of the highest scientific quality, which thereby contributes to the development of society
- is openly accessible primarily to researchers, but also to industry and other relevant actors operating in Sweden. When access is limited, prioritisation shall primarily be on the basis of scientific quality
- is of broad national interest, which in most cases means that the research infrastructure is used by several research teams and researchers from several research organisations, and that the Swedish Research Council’s funding [KH1] [TO2] [JWS3] creates national added value
- has long-term planning for the scientific activities
- has long-term planning for management and control, funding, competence accumulation and development
Please refer to the proposal form in Prisma in parallel with reading the instructions below, which describe the specific content of the proposal. More information on what to do in practical terms is available in our Guide for applicants Opens in new window..
Language
Foreign experts may be involved in the scientific assessment of the proposals. To ensure fair and equitable assessment and efficient processing, please therefore complete your proposal in English.
The sections of the proposal form
The form includes the following tabs:
- Descriptive information
- Description of infrastructure need
- Administrating organisation
- Participants
- CV
Descriptions of the specific information requested under each tab follow below.
Descriptive information
Under this tab, please fill in the Swedish and English proposal title, which in this case should be a working name that briefly describes the need for new research infrastructure, or, if the infrastructure already exists, the name of the infrastructure. Here you should also state who the proposer is (type of proposer), select SCB codes and key words (at least one SCB code; state the most relevant code first and at least three key words that describe the need/infrastructure).
Abstract
The abstract of the infrastructure need in the proposal shall include a brief description of the need that the research infrastructure is expected to meet for research of national interest, and how the need can be fulfilled.
The abstract shall provide a summary guide to the infrastructure need. Please use wording to ensure persons with another subject specialisation can understand the information.
The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces (approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing).
Description of infrastructure need
Here you should attach a description of the infrastructure need, which shall cover a maximum of four A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing, including any images.
The following information shall be included in the description under separate headings, listed in the following order:
- Science case (approximately two A4 pages): What are the specific scientific questions that need new or significantly developed research infrastructure? How will the new or significantly developed infrastructure contribute to answering these questions? Describe in summary how the proposed infrastructure/development could promote research of the highest scientific quality and provide opportunities for new scientific discoveries. Describe how the proposal fulfils the Swedish Research Council’s criteria for research infrastructure of national interest.
- User base (approximately half an A4 page): Describe what research groupings could constitute the potential users, both national and, if relevant, international, and also the overall geographic distribution of the Swedish users. For international research infrastructure, a list of participating countries shall also be included.
- Survey of the field (approximately half an A4 page): State briefly whether there is any existing infrastructure within the research area. If so, what is this, and where is it located? What is the relationship between the proposed research infrastructure/development and other infrastructure within the area? Why is the infrastructure need as described in this proposal not fufilled by existing infrastructures?
- As applicable: Implementation (approximately one A4 page): For proposals relating to needs for research infrastructure that exists or has well-developed plans: What is the current state of the proposed infrastructure/development? If it is not already existing, at what stage of planning/implementation is it now? What central steps are required to achieve finished implementation of infrastructure in operation/development? Is there any collaboration with other infrastructure organisations?
Administrating organisation
In order to register the needs proposal, the administrating organisation and project site must be stated. Usually, the administrating organisation and project site correspond to the organisation or the department or corresponding organisational unit where you, as the proposer responsible, are employed.
Signing
The needs inventory shall not be signed by the administrating organisation.
Participants
Under this tab, you, as the proposer responsible, may invite other participating researchers/proposers and participating administrators to your proposal. Participating researchers/proposers refers to other researchers or representatives of HEIs that back the proposal, and who may be invited to participate in formulating the proposal. If a proposal is submitted by a researcher grouping, one representative from each constituent research team (apart from the research team of the proposer responsible) shall be invited as a participating researcher/proposer. A participating administrator is a person who can help you to input and edit information in the proposal.
Participating researchers/proposers shall provide the necessary information themselves in Prisma, and upload these to the proposal. Any further participating partners and their roles shall be described in the description of infrastructure needs (please see instructions under “Description of infrastructure need” above).
CV
Under this tab, please upload CV information about your current employment from your personal account in Prisma. Any participating researchers/proposers shall themselves upload CV information about their current employment to the proposal. No further CV information is requested.
The scientific and strategic evaluation of your proposal is carried out by active researchers. These peer reviewers evaluate the proposal in competition with the other proposals on the basis of the assessment criteria Opens in new window. set by the Swedish Research Council. A final assessment decision is made by the Council for Research Infrastructures.
Review panels (Advisory groups to the Council for Research Infrastructures) Opens in new window.