Network grant for research collaboration between China and Sweden

About the call and application procedure

The network grant is open to a joint application made in collaboration between a project leader based at a university or other research institution in Sweden and a project leader based at a university or other research institution in China. The researchers should have complementary skills within the transdisciplinary areas for the call.

The Swedish project leader submits the application in Prisma (the application system used by the Swedish Research Council). It is the Swedish project leader´s responsibility to ensure the application is complete. The Chinese project leader shall submit a parallel application to NSFC according to the instructions given at the NSFC website. External link.

Requirements for applicants

The following requirements must be fulfilled for you to be eligible to apply for the grant. We carry out checks and reject applications that do not fulfil the requirements.

Please note that “Swedish” and “Chinese” in this call text refer to the researcher’s country of affiliation and not nationality.

Focus

The objective of the network grant is to support internationalisation and mobility between research teams in Sweden and China through the development of new or ongoing research collaborations on disease prevention. While the term disease prevention is generally applied to human health and wellbeing, the principles also apply to plants, animals and environmental research making this call a cross disciplinary call. It includes both individual and population based research.

The call relates to collaborative cross-disciplinary research on disease prevention, focusing on:

Lifespan Health Management, aiming to develop approaches involving risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment of major chronic diseases, aging and multimorbidity, including animals, plants and environmental research.

The proposal should focus on the prevention of any human disease or research on animals/plants that may potentially affect human health. Research expertise for each network shall include some of the following: human health, animals/plants/environment, engineering, information and management sciences, to ensure the interdisciplinarity.

Collaboration

The Swedish-Chinese team should jointly hold at least one interdisciplinary workshop/seminar on the topic proposed. The format should be in-person and last for a minimum of 2 days. Also, the project leader on each side should visit the other at least once for in-depth exchange. The duration of the visit should be no less than 1 week (5 working days).

Swedish applicant

The Swedish applicant (the Swedish project leader) for a network grant must be an individual researcher together with their organisation (a Swedish higher education institution (HEI) or another Swedish organisation that fulfils our criteria for administrating organisations for Swedish Research Council grants). We must have approved your organisation as an administrating organisation for you to apply. The administrating organisation must sign your application in Prisma no later than 7 calendar days after the deadline for this call.

You must hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, awarded no later than the deadline for this call. For applicants with Swedish doctoral degrees, the award date registered in Ladok applies.

You shall be the project leader and scientifically responsible for the research activities described. The time you set aside for the project (your activity level, that is the percentage of a full-time equivalent) must be suited to the task and its implementation throughout the grant period.

You do not have to be employed by the administrating organisation at the time of application, but you must be employed at the start of and throughout the grant period and any further additional availability period. The employment must equal at least 20 per cent of a full-time equivalent.

Requirements for the Chinese project leader, please see the NSFC website. External link.

Number of applications and previous grants

The requirements described in this section only apply to the Swedish applicant (project leader).

General information about overlaps between applications and grants

Your application must not cover costs for purposes that are already funded by the Swedish Research Council or by any other funding body. Also, it must not concern the same purpose/project that you know another researcher is applying for from the Swedish Research Council. Overlaps with other grants or applications may impact on the grant amount you are awarded, or be a reason for us to reject your application.

What grants may I apply for simultaneously from the Swedish Research Council?

You may only submit one application for this grant under this call. There are no other restrictions regarding grants you can apply for simultaneously.

What requirements apply if I already have a grant from the Swedish Research Council?

Please note that you may apply for this grant if you already have an ongoing network grant, but not for the same collaboration. There are no other restrictions for other ongoing grants from the Swedish Research Council.

Note: If you have been the project leader for previous grants from the Swedish Research Council that have ended, final financial reports for all of these must have been submitted within the permitted time frame in order for you to apply for a new grant. Please contact your administrating organisation if you are unsure whether all your final reports have been submitted. If you are the project leader for an ongoing grant that ends at the end of the year, you may apply for a new grant without having submitted the final report, as long as the deadline to submit the report has not passed.

What applies for applications to or grants from other funding bodies?

If your application to the Swedish Research Council relates to the same project that another funding body has already awarded funding for, or that you are applying for from another funding body, please describe this.

Participating Swedish researchers

The Swedish researcher can include a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4 participating researchers in your application. Participating researchers are other researchers with a doctoral degree or equivalent competence (not doctoral students) whose scientific competence will be crucial for the implementation of the planned collaboration.

Participating Swedish researchers shall provide the necessary information themselves in Prisma, and upload these to the application. The Chinese project leader and Chinese participating researcher and their roles shall be described in the collaboration plan (please see instructions under “Collaboration plan” below). Any doctoral students and other collaboration partners including in the collaboration shall also be described in the collaboration plan.

Costs and grant amounts

The grant covers the Swedish and Chinese budgets separately. The part of the grant covering the Swedish budget costs will be financed by the Swedish Research Council and the part of the grant covering the Chinese budget costs will be financed by NSFC.

Swedish part

The grant is a standard amount of 250 000 SEK per year, and may be used for project and coordination-related costs, such as

• premises, joint workshops and network meetings (such as travel)
• minor project-related costs for joint studies

You cannot apply for a grant to buy equipment or for depreciation. Grants may not be used for salaries, scholarships, or other research expenses either.

The Swedish Research Council assumes that the administrating organisation will cover any costs in excess of the amount received.

Chinese part

The Chinese project leader may apply for maximum 175 000 CNY per year. For other rules

and regulations regarding costs and grant funding for the Chinese project leader, please see the

NSFC regulation on grant management.

Grant period

The grant period is 2 years, starting in January 2027. The first payment will be made during January 2027 at the earliest.

What must the application contain?

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.

International 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, apart from the popular science description, which you must write in Swedish.

The information we request under each tab in the application form is described below.

Descriptive information

Abstract

The abstract shall include a brief description of the following:

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

The text shall provide an overview of the purpose and implementation of the research collaboration. 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 planned research in such a way that a person who is not a researcher can understand it. Do this by answering the following questions:

• What is the research about?
• Why is it important to research this?
• In what way may the new knowledge be important?

The popular science description is important when we inform about the research funded by the Swedish Research Council.

The text must be in Swedish and may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Other applications or grants

Describe briefly the different projects and their relationship if

• you are applying for, have applied for or intend to apply for other grants from the Swedish Research Council in the year in question
• you are receiving an ongoing grant from the Swedish Research Council with a grant period that wholly or partly overlaps the grant you are now applying for
• there are applications or grants relating to the same project with other funding bodies (from you or another researcher).

In all cases, you should also justify why you are submitting one or several further applications. If there are no other applications or grants, please state so. Also verify that you are not applying for the same project that you know another researcher is also applying for, or has already been awarded funding for, from the Swedish Research Council.

Each description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Research description

Ethical aspects

Legal and formal requirements

State whether the research covers the handling of personal data, experiments on animals and/or studies involving humans.

If the research covers any of the above, you must also describe/state the approvals and permits your research project requires, and how you plan to obtain these. Describe any other permits that affect your application, such as whether parts of the research will be done in a country other than Sweden. If no approvals or permits are needed, please state so.

The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Further information is available on the page “Conducting ethical research”.

Ethical considerations

Reflect on the ethical issues that may arise for your project, and describe these. 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. Examples of issues to reflect on:

• How do your research questions and expected results measure up in relation to the ethical issues that you have identified?
• What (direct) risks (physical, mental, or integrity) will research persons or animals be exposed to?
• What long-term risks may arise from the research? Is there any risk that the research may be used in a way that is detrimental to animals, nature/the environment, or society (whole or parts of the same) in other respects?
• Is the research expected to contribute to other values over and above the knowledge gain? If so, to whom?
• How do you weigh up the risks (in particular short-term risks) against the value (which is often more long-term) of the research?

If no ethical issues are raised, please justify this. 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.

Responsible internationalisation

The call requires compliance with National Guidelines for Responsible Internationalisation pdf, 690.6 kB. (pdf, 690.6 kB) and, where applicable, your institution’s own guidelines on responsible internationalisation. Failure to confirm adherence to these guidelines will prevent submission of the application in the system.

Sex and gender dimensions

State whether sex and gender dimensions are applicable to your planned research, and justify your position. Please note that we are not asking for information about the composition of the research team (women/men). Read more about sex and gender dimensions in research content.

The following applies:

• If you answer “Yes”: Please justify your answer, and describe also how your take account of sex and gender dimensions in the collaboration plan. If you have stated that sex and gender dimensions are applicable, but still choose not to include them in your collaboration plan, you will need to justify this here.
• If you answer “No”, and thereby do not consider that sex and gender dimensions are applicable for your planned research, you do not need to justify your decision.

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.

Collaboration plan

The plan may cover a maximum of 3 page-numbered A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2.5 cm margins, including references and any images. References may be provided either throughout or at the end of the plan. All sources must be provided with complete information; links alone are not sufficient.

The collaboration 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 collaboration.

Research concept

Describe the research theme and the joint research questions within the collaboration. If you have stated that sex and gender perspectives are applicable, please describe how these will be included in the research concept.

Network description and mode of cooperation

Describe the following:

• actual collaboration projects and how these contribute to strengthening research on disease prevention
• the contributions of the participating parties in relation to the research theme, and how they complement each other
• the collaboration structure, that is, leadership and role division among the participating parties.

Forms for collaboration

Specify planned activities, for example:

• coordination of research questions
• coordination and joint use of research data or infrastructure
• knowledge sharing and mobility between research teams
• joint seminars, courses or workshops.

Planned results

Specify clearly the planned result of the collaboration, for example the following:

• the added value of the network collaboration for the research and the research environments
• the planned dissemination of results and new knowledge, co-production of publications and other contributions
• how the collaboration will continue after the end of the grant period.

Relevance

A. Objective and focus of the call including cross-disciplinarity

Describe how your project is relevant for the objective and focus of the call on Disease prevention and Lifespan Health Management (see the definition in the introduction to the call text) and how the project is cross-disciplinary.

Please note that the relevance to the objective and focus of the call and its cross-disciplinarity constitutes an absolute requirement for this call.

B. Added value from the research collaboration (complementarity)

Describe how the expertise and capacity of the participating researchers and HEIs

cooperate to benefit the quality of the research. How will the collaboration generate mutual added value to the research of the applicants? In which ways are the collaboration based on equal participation and how will it lead to mutual exchange of knowledge? In the event the gender balance among the project participants is unequal, please explain how this will not impact negatively on the quality of the research.

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

Description of merits

Describe how the merits you state in your CV and list of publications and other research outputs confirm your competence as project leader and responsible for implementing the proposed activities.

The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Publications and other research outputs

The Swedish applicant’s publications and other research outputs

Please attach your list drawn up according to the headings and information below. The list may cover a maximum of 5 page-numbered A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2.5 cm margins.

Sort the outputs under each heading in reverse chronological order, so that the latest publication 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. You cannot supplement the application with outputs after the deadline for the call.

1. Selection of research outputs

List the 10 publications or other outputs that are the most important for confirming your competence as project leader and responsible for implementing the proposed research activities. Describe how you contributed to each output, and its relevance to the research project described (maximum 4 lines per output). Highlight your name in bold in the author list/corresponding.

2. Relevant peer-reviewed research outputs from 2018–2026

In this part, the outputs listed under Item 1 shall also be included if they were published during the period in question. Sort them with your name highlighted in bold in the author list/corresponding under headings (type of output) in the following order:

• Original articles
• Conference contributions, the results of which are not included in other publications
• Edited volumes
• Research review articles
• Books and book chapters
• Artistic work
• Other outputs that do not fit under any of the headings above. Please note that intellectual property rights shall be shown in the CV section of the application.

3. Relevant non peer-reviewed research outputs from 2018-2026

In this part, the outputs listed under Item 1 shall also be included if they were published during the period in question. Sort them with your name highlighted in bold in the author list/corresponding under the respective headings (type of output) in the following order:

• Artistic work
• Publications including popular science books/presentations
• Preprints
• Other outputs that do not fit under any of the headings above. Please note that intellectual property rights shall be shown in the CV section of the application.

4. Number of publications

Specify how many publications you have under each heading (type of publication) below.

• Total number of peer-reviewed original articles. Please note that preprints shall not be included.
• Total number of peer-reviewed research review articles. Please note that preprints shall not be included.
• Total number of other publications including patents. Please note that preprints shall not be included.
• Number of peer-reviewed original articles from 2018–2026. Please note that preprints shall not be included.
• Number of peer-reviewed research review articles from 2018–2026. Please note that preprints shall not be included.
• Number of other publications including patents from 2018–2026

Please note that no further bibliometric information shall be stated in the application.

Chinese project leader and participating researchers’ (both Chinese and Swedish) publications and other research outputs

Attach all the participating researchers’ lists, merged into one file.

The list for each researcher shall include the 10 publications or other research outputs that are the most relevant for the implementation of the research activities described and shall cover a maximum of 1 A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2.5 cm margins. The name of the researcher in question shall be highlighted in bold and also be included in the page header of each list.

The outputs may be of the following types and must be published or accepted for publication at the time of applying. The author name order shall be identical to that of the published work. The application cannot be supplemented with publications after the deadline for the call.

Peer-reviewed research outputs

• original articles
• conference contributions
• edited volumes
• research review articles
• books and book chapters
• artistic works
• other outputs

and

Non peer-reviewed research outputs

The CV´s of the Chinese Project Leader and the Chinese participating researchers

Attach the CV:s of the Chinese Project leader and any other Chinese participating researchers, merged into one file. Each CV must not exceed 2 A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2.5 cm margins.

The following information must be submitted in each CV under the numbered headings below, in the given order (leave not applicable fields empty):

1. Higher education qualification(s): year, subject field and HEI
2. Doctoral degree or equivalent: year, discipline/subject field, HEI, title of the theses and the name of the doctoral supervisor.
3. Postdoctoral position(s): year and location(s).
4. Qualification required for appointments as a docent.
5. Current position: term of appointment and research portion.
6. Previous positions and period of appointment: type of position and appointment periods.
7. Supervision: Doctoral and postdoctoral students that you have supervised in the capacity of main supervisor; (name(s) and years).
8. Interruption in research: In this section, you may describe any longer interruption in your active research time, which has affected your qualifications opportunities, e.g. interruptions due to parental leave, medical internships or medical residencies (applies to clinically active professionals), positions of trust, or similar circumstances. Specify the extent of each interruption.
9. Other information of relevance to the application.

Budget and research resources

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

Justification of the joint budget

Describe briefly the primary costs you intend to cover within the framework for the grant budget. 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 administrating organisation and project site.

Participants

Here you invite the Swedish participating researchers and any participating administrators to your application. You cannot invite the Chinese Project Leader or any other participating Chinese researcher. All information concerning them must be provided in accordance with the instructions outlined above.

CV

Under this tab, please upload your relevant CV information from your personal account in Prisma. The information/merits shall confirm your competence as project leader and scientifically responsible for implementing the proposed research activities. Swedish participating researchers must upload their own CV information to the application.

The following information (where available) must always be included in your CV:

Education

First, second and third cycle higher education and specialist degrees.

Work

• Current employment (including information on employment format)
• Longer relevant employment
• Post-doctoral visits (state also as employment if applicable)
• Researcher exchanges of relevance to the research described
• Any longer interruptions in the research that have impacted on your opportunity to gain merit as a researcher.

Merits and awards

• Docentship/associate professorship
• Persons you have supervised (postdoctoral and doctoral students; state the number of persons in each category and list the names of the maximum 10 most relevant)
• Relevant grants you have received in competition (list maximum 10)
• Your most relevant prizes and awards (list maximum 10)
• Any other merits of relevance to the application, such as invitations to lecture, leader assignments, representative assignments, membership of scientific organisations and similar.

Intellectual property rights

For example, patents and open access computer programs developed by you; state up to 10 of your most relevant.

How your application is assessed

Scientific quality is the fundamental criterion when the Swedish Research Council allocates grants. Your application is evaluated in competition with the other applications on the basis of the following evaluation criteria.

Evaluation process

Your application for Network grant for research collaboration between China and Sweden is evaluated by a review panel where the members are Swedish and international researchers.

The Network Grant for research collaboration between China and Sweden involves two separate, parallel panel reviews: one Swedish and one Chinese. At least three members review and grade your application individually. If extra competence is needed, your application might also be evaluated by an additional, external, reviewer. The Swedish panel (not including any external reviewers) then meets at a review panel meeting to discuss and prioritise the applications, and to make a proposal for a decision. The Chinese panel conducts its review in parallel. The process concludes with a matching of the review results from both panels in order to agree on the final funding recommendations. The Director General makes the funding decision.

Review panel

In case of unexpected high number of applications and to allow for more in-depth discussions of applications with higher quality and a reasonable chance of being funded, not all applications are discussed in detail at the review panel’s meeting. The applications that are not discussed thoroughly are those that the panel members during their individual review have assessed having the lowest quality among the panel’s applications. Following the grant decision, all applications receive a final statement that includes the review panel’s 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 joint 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

Evaluation criteria and guiding questions

The evaluation of the scientific quality of your application is made based on three basic criteria (Scientific quality of the proposed collaboration, 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 scale.

In addition to the basic criteria, your application is also evaluated using two additional criteria: Complementarity of the collaboration (the added value and synergy of the research collaboration) on a seven-graded scale and Relevance to program objectives/interdisciplinarity on a three-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 collaboration (1-7)

• To what extent does the proposed collaboration address important scientific questions within the field of disease prevention, and have the potential to advance scientific knowledge?
• To what extent is the collaboration grounded in current research and likely to contribute to scientific activities of the highest quality?

Merits of the applicant (1-7)

• How significant is the applicant’s scientific productivity, impact and other merits in a national and international perspective, and in relation to the applicant’s career age?
• To what extent do the collaborative partners have unique complementary expertise with potential of creating synergy and added scientific value?

Feasibility (1-3)

• Does the applicant adequately consider relevant legal and formal requirements for the proposed project, such as ethical permits and guidelines?
• To what extent is the general design, including time schedule, optimal for implementing the proposed project?
• Is the budget reasonable?

Complementarity of the collaboration (1-7)

• To what extent does the cooperation bring mutual added value to the future collaborative research; compared to if the partners were not working together?
• To what extent can the cooperation lead to transfer of knowledge between applicants?
• To what extent can support for the proposed research collaboration lead to the establishment of a long-term research partnership?
• To what extent is the collaboration based on principles of co-design, mutual benefit and equality?
• To what extent does the project partnership have an appropriate gender balance?
• To what extent will the proposed project strengthen and enhance the quality of research in the area in question at the higher education institution(s), as well as in Sweden and in China and internationally?

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 overall grade is not the same as an average grade or a summary of the subsidiary evaluations; instead, it shall reflect the scientific quality of the application as a whole. It is not a condition that the quality concept covers all aspects of the various criteria, nor that they have the same relative weight for all applications. In normal cases, however, a strongly positive evaluation of only one criterion cannot outweigh other weaknesses of an application when weighed together. For this grant, the Scientific quality and Complementarity of the collaboration-scores should be given a greater weight in the overall grade.

Relevance to program objectives/interdisciplinarity (1-3)

Relevance to the objectives is evaluated separately from the scientific quality and is not included in the overall grade. The grant should strengthen knowledge exchange and research collaborations between Swedish and Chinese researchers. The objective of the call is to support network building on disease prevention. While the term disease prevention is generally applied to human health and wellbeing, the principles also apply to plants, animals and environmental research making this call a cross disciplinary call. It includes both individual and population based research.

The focus of the call is collaborative cross-disciplinary research on disease prevention: Lifespan Health Management, aiming to develop approaches involving risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment of major chronic diseases, aging and multimorbidity, including animals, plants and environmental research.

It is important that the interdisciplinary nature of the application is clearly stated. The grade primarily reflects the relevance to development of long-term research partnerships and the general relevance to the objectives stated in the call.

• To what extent does the collaborative research contribute to the establishment of new researcher-to-researcher relationships within interdisciplinary fields?
• If principal investigators have collaborated before, is the proposed collaboration based on a new interdisciplinary research topic? What were the experiences of that previous collaboration?
• To what extent does the application refer to a new interdisciplinary group of researchers, with genuinely different scientific backgrounds?