International postdoc grant within artistic research

Please refer to the application form in Prisma in parallel with reading the instructions below, which describe the call-specific content of the application. More information on what to do in practical terms is available in our Guide for applicants. Opens in new window.

Language

We prefer that you complete your application in English, but you may also use Swedish.

Sections of the application

The application form includes the following tabs:

• Descriptive information
• Research description
• Budget and research resources
• Publications
• Appendices
• Administrating organisation
• Participants (only administrators in this call)
• CV

The information we request under each tab is described below.

Descriptive information

Host department

State the country and the host HEI and department where you will be spending your stay abroad. State also the number of months you intend to spend at the host department. You may state more than one host country/host department.

Abstract

In the abstract, please describe in brief the following:

• What is to be done: purpose and aims
• How the research will be carried out: project organisation, time plan and methods
• What is important about the planned research
  

The abstract shall provide a summary picture of the purpose and implementation of the research. 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.

Popular science description

Describe the project 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. Explain also in what way the new knowledge may be important.

The popular science description is an important tool when we inform about the research funded by the Swedish Research Council. If we grant your application, we reserve the right to use the description for information purposes.

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.

Note: The popular science description must be written in Swedish, unlike the rest of the application.

Deductible time

Please state any longer interruptions in your active research time after your doctoral degree caused by any of the grounds recognised by the Swedish Research Council. Please state the interruption calculated as a full-time equivalent and rounded up into full calendar months. Please see the recognised grounds for deductible time under the heading “Career age” above.

Research description

Ethical considerations

Describe the ethical issues raised by your project or corresponding. You must also describe how you plan to address ethical dilemmas that may arise. Please justify why the research should be carried out against the background of the ethical issues you have identified. How do your research 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.

Sex and gender perspectives

Please state whether sex and gender perspectives are applicable in your planned research, and justify your decision. Please note that we are not asking for information about the composition of the research team (men/women). Read more about sex and gender perspectives in research content. Opens in new window.

The following applies:

• If you answer “Yes”: Justify your answer, and describe also how you take account of sex and gender perspectives in the research plan (see further instructions under “Research plan”). If you have stated that sex and gender perspectives are applicable, but still choose not to include them in your research plan, you will need to justify this here.
• If you answer “No”: Please justify your answer.

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 plan

The research plan shall be forward-looking and consist of a brief but complete description of the research task. 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 plan must include the following headings and information, listed in the following order:

• Purpose and aims: State the overall purpose and specific aims of the research project.
• State-of-the-art: Summarise briefly the current research frontier within the field or area covered by the project. State key references.
• Significance and novelty: Describe briefly how the project relates to previous research within the area, and the impact the project may have in the short and long term. Describe also how the project moves forward or innovates the current research frontier.
• Preliminary and previous results: Describe briefly your own previous research and pilot studies within the research area that make it probable that the project will be feasible. If no preliminary results exist, please state this.
• Project description: Describe the project design under the following headings:
  • Theory and method: Describe the underlying theory and the methods to be applied in order to reach the project goal.
  • Time plan and implementation: Describe summarily the time plan for the project during the grant period, and how the project will be implemented.
  • Project organisation: Clarify the contributions of yourself and any other researchers and/or key persons to the implementation of the project, including a description of competences and roles in the project.
• Results: Describe the results you expect from the project
• Independent line of research: If you are working or will be working in a larger group, please clarify how your project relates to the other projects in the group. If you are continuing a project that was wholly or partly started during your doctoral or postdoc studies, you must also describe the relationship between your project and the research of your former supervisor.

Provide the following information also. If a heading is not relevant to your application, please state this under the heading.

• Equipment: Describe the basic equipment you and your team have at your disposal for the project.
• Need for research infrastructure: Specify the project’s need for international and national research infrastructure. In the first instance, you should use the research infrastructures supported by the Swedish Research Council, Opens in new window. which are open to all. If you choose to use other infrastructure instead, please justify this need (also applies for local research infrastructure).
• Other applications or grants: If you are applying for or intend to apply for other grants from the Swedish Research Council, please clarify the relationship between the projects. This applies also if you are receiving ongoing grants from the Swedish Research Council with grant periods that wholly or partly overlap with the grant you are now applying for. You should also justify why you are submitting one or several further applications. Describe also the relationship with other applications to or grants from other funding bodies for the same project concept (from you or another researcher).

Relevance for artistic research

Describe how your project is relevant for the focus artistic research (see the introduction to the call text) and how the project promotes the development of this field.

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

Budget and research resources

Because the grant is in a standard amount, you do not need to enter any budget applied for in the application form.

Project personnel

State the activity level (per cent of a full-time equivalent) of all personnel active within the project. We assume that your activity level as project leader corresponds to a full-time equivalent during the grant period.

Grant for accompanying family

Please state if you are applying for the standard grant for accompanying family members.

Justification of the budget applied for

Describe very briefly how you intend to allocate the grant (in percentages) to salary costs (including additional costs for you and any accompanying family), research expenses and indirect costs. Please note that the management of indirect costs varies between different higher education institutions. It is therefore important that you talk to your administrating organisation to find out what applies for your project.

The description may cover a maximum of 1 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately one fourth of an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Publications and artistic outputs

Please attach your 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 and artistic outputs under each heading in reverse chronological order, so that the latest published work is at the top of the list. Please only include articles or equivalent that are published or accepted for publication at the time of applying. The author name order shall be identical to that of the published work, and your name shall be highlighted in bold. The application cannot be supplemented with publications or artistic outputs after the deadline for the call.

1. Selection of publications and artistic outputs: List the 5 publications or outputs of the greatest importance for your application. Describe how you contributed to each publication or output, and its relevance to your research project (maximum 4 lines per publication). Highlight your name in bold in the author list. State “Part of PhD thesis” in bold in brackets for the publications or outputs included in your doctoral thesis.

2. All publications and artistic outputs: Sort the publications, with your name highlighted in bold in the author list, under each heading (publication type) in the following order. State “Part of PhD thesis” in bold in brackets for the publications or outputs included in your doctoral thesis.

• Exhibitions, concerts, performances, etc.
• 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

Appendices

Invitation from the administrating organisation

The invitation from the Swedish HEI where you will be employed shall show that you are welcome to conduct your planned research there. By signing the application in Prisma, the administrating organisation confirms this undertaking.

The invitation shall be addressed to you as applicant, cover the period shown in this call and include:

Applicant’s profile

Description of:

• how the applicant’s proposed research relates to the research conducted at the department or research team involved
• the applicant’s research independence in relation to the department or research team involved
• how the results from the research project will contribute to the department’s future activities.

Commitment of the administrating organisation

Information/description of:

• the planned start and end dates of your employment at the Swedish HEI, the applicant’s employment form, and any additional funding or support required to conduct the planned research
• how the HEI/department will fulfil the project’s needs for premises, equipment and other infrastructure
• the department’s plan for how the applicant can continue to develop their research merits and competence during and after the grant period.

The document may cover no more than 2 A4 pages, and shall be in English. Download the template invitation from the administrating organisation here. Word, 40.4 kB, opens in new window. (Word, 40.4 kB)

Invitation from host department abroad

The appendix shall include a formal invitation from the host department abroad showing that you are welcome to carry out your planned research there. The invitation shall be addressed to you as the applicant from the head of department or equivalent of the host department abroad where the research will be carried out. The name and contact details of the person signing the document shall be included. The invitation shall apply for the period shown in this call and shall include the following:

Description of:

• the reason for inviting and hosting the applicant
• how the applicant’s proposed research fits into the research and expertise of the department or research team involved
• the applicant’s proposed role in the research team and/or in the department.

In addition, the invitation shall also describe the host department’s undertakings in the form of a description of:

• the support required to conduct the proposed research and how this will be provided for the applicant
• how the department will fulfil the applicant’s need for premises, equipment and other infrastructure
• how the research environment will support the development of the applicant’s research career, networks and competence.

The invitation shall include information on the host department, including the period/s of the stay/s, and contact person at the host department abroad (first name, last name, telephone number and email address). Please also state the faculty of the host department and the postal address.

The document may cover a maximum of 2 A4 pages (2 pages per invitation in the event you will be staying at more than one host department abroad). Download the template invitation from the host department abroad here. Word, 40.4 kB, opens in new window. (Word, 40.4 kB)

Description and justification of the host department chosen

The document may cover no more than 1 A4 page and shall include the following:

• A description of how the research at the host department abroad relates to the research at the Swedish department.
• A justification of your choice of host department abroad and description of your opportunities to develop your skills as a researcher.

Administrating organisation

Please state the administrating organisation and project site.

Participants

Here you as applicant may invite participating administrators to your application.

CV

Under this tab, please upload your relevant CV information from your personal account in Prisma.

The following information, where available, must always be included in your CV, taking into account the stated limitation in numbers:

• Education: First, second and third cycle higher education and specialist degrees. Please note that if you will be completing your doctoral degree after the call has closed, you must provide information about the planned examination in the Research education you upload to the application.
• Work: Current employment (including whether permanent or not) and longer relevant employment held, postdoctoral visits (also included as employment if relevant), research exchanges relevant to the research described and any longer interruptions in the research that have impacted on your opportunity to gain merit as a researcher.
• Merits and awards: Supervisees (doctoral students and students; state the number of persons in each category and list the names of the up to 10 most relevant to you), up to 10 of your most relevant grants awarded in competition, up to 10 of your 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 you; state up to 10 of your most relevant.

Quality is the fundamental criterion when the Swedish Research Council allocates grants to research. Your application is assessed in competition with the other applications on the basis of the following assessment criteria.

Assessment process

Your application is assessed by a review panel consisting of Swedish and international members who are active in artistic research.

At least three members review and grade your application individually. The entire review panel then meets at two review panel meeting, one during the spring and one during the autumn, to discuss and prioritise the applications, and finally to make a proposal for a decision to the Committee for Artistic Research.

Review panel Opens in new window.

In order to enable more in-depth discussions of applications of higher quality that have a reasonable chance of being funded, the applications that received the lowest grades from the panel members during the spring meeting are not discussed at the review panel meeting during the autumn. Ahead of the autumn meeting, all members will have assessed all remaining applications. Following the grant decision, all applications receive a final statement that includes the review panels’ grading of the application. The applications that have been discussed at the second panel meeting receive an individual final statement which, in addition to the grades, also contains a summary of the review panel’s discussion and overall assessment of the quality of the application.

Here you can find a more detailed description of the Swedish Research Council’s assessment of applications. Opens in new window.

Assessment criteria and guiding questions

The assessment of the quality of your application is made based on the Swedish Research Council’s four basic criteria (Quality as artistic research of the proposed project, Novelty and originality, Merits of the applicant, and Feasibility). The purpose of using several criteria is to achieve a multi-faceted assessment. The criteria are assessed on a seven-grade scale, with the exception of feasibility, which is assessed on a three-grade scale.

In addition to the basic criteria, your application is also evaluated using two additional criteria (Relevance, and Internationalisation and research environment). Relevance is assessed on a three-grade scale, and Internationalisation and research environment is assessed on a seven-grade scale. For each criterion, there are guiding questions to support the review panel members’ assessment of your application. These can also function as guidance for you when you write your application.

The guiding questions are intended to serve as a help in interpreting the different assessment criteria. When assessing a project, some questions may address the project in question more or less well.

The projects will be assessed as artistic research. Based on the Vienna Declaration on Artistic Research, this is defined as research through means of high level artistic practice and reflection; an epistemic inquiry, directed towards increasing knowledge, insight, understanding and skills. Artistic research covers all artistic practices, and the result of the research consequently relate to a broad artistic field, either intradisciplinary, or inter- or transdisciplinary. It is thus not necessary for each individual project to contribute to the entire field of artistic research, instead it is sufficient to contribute to your own field.

Quality as artistic research of the proposed project (1–7)

Guiding questions:

Will the project be able to make a significant contribution to artistic research and its future development?

• Are the purpose, method and artistic representation of the research shown clearly?
• How well justified are the choices of investigation area and research question?
• How well integrated are the research problem, approach, methodology and artistic practice?
• How well justified are the project’s presentation forms?
• To what extent can the project be expected to achieve artistic qualities?
• How well integrated is the gender perspective where it is justified? Does the application disregard sex and gender perspectives that could have been relevant?

Novelty and originality (1–7)

Guiding questions:

Does the project ask new questions, and does it focus on original and innovative artistic questions?

• Does the project investigate previously overlooked problems and/or practices?
• Are new approaches and methods for implementing the research project tried?
• Are transdisciplinary and/or other perspectives used, which contribute to further development of the research field and the artistic field?
• Will the project result be presented in a way that allows its innovative contribution to be well expressed?

Merits of the applicant (1–7)

Guiding questions:

Does the project leader have the research competence and artistic experience that is needed to implement the research project?

• Has the previous work of the project leader had impact within the area the research project relates to, both nationally and internationally?

Feasibility (1–3)

Guiding questions:

Is the design and time plan of the project realistic and suitable in relation to what is to be done?

• Is there access to materials, equipment, and other resources required to implement the project?
• To what extent is the proposed research method and the artistic working methods suitable for implementing the project?
• Is the work allocation and collaboration formats described in a satisfactory way?

Have the ethical aspects of the project been highlighted, and to what extent is there a presentation of how any problems will be handled?

• To what extent is there awareness of any risks for the implementation of the project, such as permit reviews, and plans for how any such should be handled?

Relevance (1–3)

Guiding question:

To what extent is the proposed research project relevant to the artistic area and for the development of the artistic research field?

Internationalisation and research environment (1–7)

• To what extent does the foreign host department seem relevant for the artistic research the application relates to?
• To what extent does the host department abroad add something that the applicant’s home department cannot contribute?
• How suitable is the foreign research environment and artistic environment for the applicant’s opportunities to develop new competences, network, and independence as an artistic researcher?
• To what extent does the stay abroad and the project contribute to promoting Swedish artistic research and art?
• How suitable is the Swedish artistic research environment (or artistic environment and research environment) for the applicant’s opportunities to develop their career as an artistic researcher?

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 quality.