International postdoc within medicine and health (spring call)

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 External link..

Language

Foreign experts are involved in the scientific assessment of the applications. To ensure fair and equitable assessment and efficient processing, please therefore complete your application in English.

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 will the research be carried out: project organisation, time plan and scientific 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 1/3 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 1 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.

Special area

If your project relates to health care science or infection and antibiotics according to the definitions below, please mark this here.

Health care sciences

Health care sciences aim to explain and study effects of interventions in healthcare, personal care, and rehabilitation, and the effect of various individual and contextual factors. Research in health care sciences is closely linked to health and medical research into healthcare processes and systems. The area is broad, and the research is often multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary in character. Health care sciences covers theory formation, method development and intervention studies relating to human health, quality of life, and functional and activity ability. They also study patient-centred care and methods for increasing patients’ abilities to care for themselves and knowledge about managing their own health and disease. Research in this field also focuses on the importance of interaction between patients and the care professions, as well as environmental factors (such as family, social networks, and work, as well as health and medical care as organisations) for the emergence and development of ill health.

Infection and antibiotics

The area of infection and antibiotics includes both basic and clinical research in areas such as immunology, microbiology and health care and public health research. Examples of important research topics are studies on molecular mechanisms in bacterial infection, development of new antibacterial agents and efficient new diagnostics methods, mechanisms for resistance development, healthcare-associated infections, vaccines and other infection prevention and control measures, how antibiotics are processed within humans and animals, health economics and the effects of antibiotics on the environment.

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 also.

The justification may cover a maximum of 4 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately 1 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”, and thereby do not consider that sex and gender perspectives are applicable for your planned research, you do not need to justify your decision.

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 goals 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 scientific 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 too.
• 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 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.

• Data analysis and statistics: Modern methods often generate complex data. Describe how you plan to analyse data collected in the project, and the statistical methods you will be using. If the project covers clinical studies, please include a power analysis.
• 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 infrastructures 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 idea (from you or another researcher).
• Clinical significance: Explain how the results of the project may be transferred into practical clinical use within the area medicine and health.

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

Please state your activity level (per cent of a full-time equivalent) in 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 1/4 A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Publications

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.

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 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 after the deadline for the call.

1. Selection of publications: List the 5 publications of greatest importance to your application. Describe how you contributed to each publication, 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 included in your doctoral thesis.

2. All publications: 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 included in your doctoral thesis.

• 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 scientific independence in relation to the department or research team involved
• how the results from the research programme 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 scientific career 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, 40.2 kB, opens in new window. (Word, 40.2 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 scientific 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, 40.3 kB, opens in new window. (Word, 40.3 kB).

Description and justification of the host department chosen

The document must 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 in 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.

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

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 Scientific Council for Medicine and health.

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 are not discussed in detail at the review panel meeting. Following the grant decision, all applications receive a final statement stating that includes the review panels’ grading of the application. The applications that have been discussed in more detail at the 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 scientific quality of the application.

Here you will find a more comprehensive description of the Swedish Research Council's assessment of applications Opens in new window..

Evaluation criteria and guiding questions

The evaluation of the scientific quality of your application is made based on four basic criteria (Scientific quality of the proposed research, Novelty and originality, Merits of the applicant, Feasibility). The purpose of using several components is to achieve a multi-faceted evaluation. In addition to the basic criteria, the applications are also assessed using an additional criterion, Internationalisation and research environment. The criteria are assessed on a seven-grade scale, except for feasibility, which is assessed on a three-grade grade scale.

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 proposed research (1–7)

An assessment of the quality of the project’s research question and methodology, including its potential for future research.

Guiding questions:

• Will the project, if successful, significantly advance our understanding of the field?
• Is the research proposal relevant for medical research?
• Is the definition of the problems and proposed solutions clear and compelling?
• Do the study design, research questions and hypotheses meet the standard of the highest scientific quality?
• Are the hypotheses clearly defined and based on the appropriate literature and/or preliminary data?
• Are potential problems and alternative strategies identified and presented?
• Are methods, including data analysis and statistics, appropriate for the project and well described?
• Are the ethical considerations for the proposed project described and addressed properly?
• If sex and gender is described as relevant to the research project, has the applicant considered sex and gender in the description of the proposed work, for instance as part of preliminary data, the choice of samples or study population, or data analyses?

Novelty and originality (1–7)

An assessment of how well new theories, concepts, methods and questions are implemented and developed.

Guiding questions:

• Does the project significantly extend or challenge current understanding, views or practice in the field?
• Is the project built on a unique combination of ideas, preliminary data, and methodologies to create novel approaches to address the question at hand?
• Is there potential to generate new knowledge, novel technologies, or new directions for research and advancement of the field?
• Will completion of the aims improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice?
• Does the proposed line of research have the potential to significantly advance current knowledge in the field or will it only add minor details to existing knowledge?

Merits of the applicant (1–7)

An assessment of the applicant’s merits and competence in relation to the proposed project.

Guiding questions:

• How strong are the applicant’s merits and competence in relation to career age, research area and previous research environment?
• To what degree does the applicant’s previous experience and scientific competence strengthen the project?

Feasibility (1–3)

An assessment of the feasibility of the proposed project. An application must have a grade 2 or 3 in Feasibility in order to be funded.

Guiding questions:

• Are adequate resources available for the project’s research question, including supervision and relevant equipment?
• Is the general design, including the time-frame, realistic for implementing the proposed project?
• Are the materials, methods (including statistics and/or power calculations), experimental models, and when appropriate, patient/study cohorts adequate and well adapted to the hypothesis or research question?

Internationalisation and research environment (1-7)

An assessment of the opportunities for the applicant to develop their research network and competence as a researcher, as well as an assessment of the contribution to future Swedish research.

Guiding questions:

• To what extent does the foreign host institution seem relevant for the research the application concerns?
• How suitable is the foreign research environment for the applicant’s ability to expand their research network, develop new competences and their independence as a researcher?
• How suitable is the Swedish host research environment for the applicant’s ability to develop their career as a researcher?
• Will the applicant have the opportunity to acquire and bring new concepts, ideas, technologies, methods and/or model systems to Sweden?
• To what extent could the project and the stay abroad contribute to Swedish research in a long-term perspective?

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. The scientific quality of the project has the greatest importance when evaluating a project proposal, thereafter Internationalisation and research environment, then Novelty and originality and the Merits of the applicant.