Visiting researcher programme within climate and environment

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
• Nominated visiting researcher
• Budget and research resources
• Administrating organisation
• Participants (only administrators in this call)

The information we request under each tab is described below.

Descriptive information

Abstract

The abstract shall include a brief description of the following:

• name, university and country of the proposed visiting researcher
• time (dates) for the visit
• brief justification for the visit
• planned programme.

The abstract shall provide a summary picture of the visiting researchers stay. 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. This is approximately one third of an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Research description

Ethical considerations

Describe the ethical issues raised by the research. Also describe the plan to address ethical dilemmas that may arise. Please justify why the research should be carried out against the background of the ethical issues identified. How do the questions and expected results measure up in relation to the ethical issues? Please also state whether the research involves any handling of personal data, or experiments on animals or human subjects. If no ethical issues are raised, please justify this.

The justification may cover a maximum of 4 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately one A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Research programme

The research plan shall consist of a brief but complete description of the visiting researcher, the planned visit and the research project the visiting researcher will contribute to. It shall cover a maximum of 8 page-numbered A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2.5 cm margins, including references and any images.

The research programme must include the following headings and information, listed in the following order:

• The researcher and their research: Present the nominated researcher and their research.
• Justification: Justify the visiting researcher’s visit.
• Contribution to research: Describe how the visiting researcher may contribute to the development of both the activities of the host department and Swedish research in general within the area in question during and after the visit.
• Research project: Describe the type of research the visiting research will be conducting at the host department, and whether it is part of a larger ongoing research project or a newly started project.
• Plan for department participation: Clearly specify the planning of the visiting researcher’s participation at the host department and other departments in the country during the visit.

Nominated visiting researcher

Please state the following:

• the name, title, current position and workplace for the nominated visiting researcher
• which competency the visiting researcher is expected to bring to the host department
• details on the length of the visit, and whether it is divided up and, if so, how
• the department(s) or corresponding where the visiting research will be active, and the name of the representative (head of department or corresponding) of the department(s)

Nominated visiting researcher’s CV

Please attach a brief CV with full address details (including email address) and current position

of the nominated visiting researcher. The CV shall cover a maximum of 3 page-numbered A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2.5 cm margins.

The following headings shall be included, in the following order (leave any heading that is not applicable blank):

1) Higher education qualification(s): Year, subject and HEI.

2) Doctoral degree: Year, discipline/subject, HEI, title of the thesis and supervisor.

3) Postdoctoral positions: Year and location.

4) Qualification required for appointments as a docent: Year.

5) Current position: Appointment period, percentage of research in the employment.

6) Previous positions and periods of appointment: Type of employment and appointment periods.

7) Interruption in research: Here you can account for any longer interruptions in the active research time after the doctoral degree that has impacted on the ability to earn merits. Please state the scope of each interruption.

8) Supervision: PhD students and postdocs for whom the researcher has been the main supervisor; names and years.

9) Grants awarded in competition: Please state relevant grants; funding body, year, type of grant.

10) Other merits of relevance to the application

The nominated visiting researcher’s publication list

Please attach a publication 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 and 2.5 cm margins.

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 shall be identical to that of the published work. The application cannot be supplemented with publications after the deadline for the call.

1. Selection of publications: List the maximum 10 publications of greatest importance to the application. The name of the nominated visiting researcher shall be marked in bold in the author list.

2. Relevant publications from 2012–2020: Sort the publications, with the nominated visiting researcher’s name marked 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
• Patents: Please state date of registration
• Open access computer programs or databases you have developed
• Other publications including popular science books/presentations

Please note that no CV data or publications shall be entered elsewhere in the application.

Budget and research resources

Salary including social security contributions

Please state the salary applied for the nominated visiting researcher (select the role “Participating researcher” in the table), both as a percentage of a full-time salary and as actual annual amounts (including social security contributions). Please state the amounts in Swedish krona, rounded to the nearest 1 000 SEK.

Running costs

State the costs for the nominated visiting researcher’s rental of housing, insurance and travel to and from the US on separate lines. Describe also any project-related costs linked to the visit (according to amount limits under “Budget and research resources” above). Please state the amounts in Swedish krona, rounded to the nearest 1 000 SEK.

Total budget

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 (project leader). In the column “Other costs”, the applicant shall also add here any further research-related costs arising from the visiting researcher’s stay (for which funding is not sought in this application but instead covered by the administrating organisation).

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. This is approximately one A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Administrating organisation

Please state the site of the visiting researcher’s stay.

Participants

Here the person invited to be the project leader for the application may invite participating administrators. Please note that participating researchers may not be invited in this application.

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.

Evaluation process

The assessment of the applications considers the proposed visiting researcher’s scientific merits and position internationally together with the relevance for the call, especially regarding how well the visiting researcher can contribute to the development of the research at the host institution and to Swedish research in general in the scientific field.

Your application is evaluated by a review panel where the members are international researchers. At least three members review and grade your application individually. If necessary, statements from external experts may also be obtained. The entire review panel then gathers at a review panel meeting to discuss and prioritise the applications, and finally to make a proposal for a decision to the Scientific council for Natural and Engineering Sciences.

Review panel Opens in new window.

Evaluation criteria and guiding questions

The evaluation of the scientific merits and position internationally of the visiting researcher as well as the relevance to the call is assessed on a seven-grade scale. In addition, the feasibility is also evaluated on a three-grade scale. The purpose of using several components is to achieve a multi-faceted evaluation.

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 merit and position internationally of the visiting researcher (1–7)

The merits of the proposed visiting researcher is assessed in relation to the visiting researcher’s stage of career and active time for research.

Guiding questions:

• How significant are the scientific merits of the visiting researcher in relation to the suggested research project?
• How significant are the academic achievements, the impact and other qualifications of the visiting researcher from a national and international perspective seen in relation to the research area and the applicant´s career age?
• Do the merits of the visiting researcher display a distinct and independent line of research that can contribute to the development of the scientific field in Sweden?
• Has the visiting researcher shown ability to successfully disseminate research findings?

Relevance to the call: motivation for the expected contribution of the visiting researcher (1–7)

Applications financed within the framework of the visiting researcher programme climate and environment shall be relevant based on the focus of the call.

Guiding questions:

• Is the visit a continuation of a previous collaboration or a start of a new collaboration and research project? Does the visiting researcher have a key role in the research project?
• Does the visiting researcher contribute with specialist competence not present in the research project and/or the host institution? Does the visit contribute to an interdisciplinary research environment?
• Does the visit contribute to defining new, compelling scientific questions within the scientific area of the call? Does the research project have the potential to substantially increase the knowledge within the scientific area of the call? (For example novel concepts or theories, new directions for research and advancement of the field).
• Does the visit have the potential to create lasting collaborations within the research area of the call?
• Is the research project in which the visiting researcher will take part scientifically significant? Does the project extend or challenge current understanding, opinion or practice in the advertised field?
• To what extent does the research project contribute to tackling global challenges relating to the scientific area of the call?
• How does the visit and proposed research strengthen Swedish research within the area of the call in a broad sense?

Feasibility (1–3)

Guiding questions:

• How well motivated is the stay of the guest researcher at the host institution? Is there a plan for the guest researcher’s participation and integration at the host institution?
• Is the arrangement around the visit, including time schedule, appropriate for the visiting researcher to participate and contribute to the research project?
• Is there a plan for the visiting researcher to participate in other activities and collaboration outside the host institution?
• Does the research project include the availability and accessibility of relevant personnel, skills, equipment, facilities/infrastructures and other necessary resources?

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.