T&C – Terms and conditions for our grants 

Previous years' general terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of the page.

The Swedish Research Council’s general terms and conditions for funding awarded to research and research-supporting activities

The terms and conditions were adopted by the Swedish Research Council on 16 December 2024. The terms and conditions apply for decisions to award funding made as from 1 January 2025. The terms and conditions shall be applied unless otherwise follows from the decision to award funding or from specific terms and conditions. In the event of a conflict between the general terms and conditions and specific terms and conditions issued for a decision, the specific terms and conditions shall take precedence.

Definitions

In these terms and conditions, the following definitions are used with the meaning stated below.

Grant period: The period for which the funding has been awarded.

Availability period: The period during which the funding awarded may be used.

Administrating organisation: A governmental agency or legal entity approved by the Swedish Research Council as a recipient of funding awarded.

Applicant: A natural person (project leader) or administrating organisation that has applied for funding from the Swedish Research Council and is responsible for planning and implementing activities according to the approved application.

Activity: The research or research-supporting activity covered by the Swedish Research Council’s decision to award funding.

Terms and conditions: These general terms and conditions and the specific terms and conditions that follow from a decision or call text.

1. About the Swedish Research Council’s decision and terms and conditions

1.1 Approval of terms and conditions

The Swedish Research Council’s decision to award funding applies on condition that the administrating organisation and applicant agree to the terms and conditions according to the Swedish Research Council’s instructions.

1.2 Responsibility to comply with terms and conditions

The administrating organisation and applicant are responsible for complying with the terms and conditions. As the recipient of the funding awarded, the administrating organisation has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all requirements according to the terms and conditions are fulfilled.

1.3 Period of validity of terms and conditions

The terms and conditions are valid as from their approval up to and including the date when final reports have been received by the Swedish Research Council or, as applicable, unused funds have been repaid and the case has been closed.

1.4 Changed preconditions for the Swedish Research Council’s funding allocation

The Swedish Research Council may change its decision to award funding if the Swedish Research Council’s Government appropriation is not as large as the amount the decision was based on, or if the preconditions for the Swedish Research Council’s allocation of funding are changed in some other way.

2. Implementation

2.1 Implementation according to the decision and the terms and conditions

The administrating organisation and applicant are responsible for ensuring activities are implemented according to the Swedish Research Council’s decision and the terms and conditions.

2.2 Implementation according to applicable legislation

The administrating organisation and applicant are responsible for ensuring activities are implemented according to applicable legislation.

2.3 Implementation according to the application

The applicant is responsible for ensuring activities are implemented as described in the application to the Swedish Research Council. The responsibility includes planning and conducting activities mainly according to the application and plan for implementation submitted. Necessary changes to the implementation are allowed, provided they do not significantly impact on the activities as stated in the application, and they comply with the applicable terms and conditions. Other changes to the implementation require approval from the Swedish Research Council.

2.4 Scientific responsibility

If the activities include research, the applicant has scientific responsibility for the implementation of the research in respect of object and method. As scientifically responsible, the applicant is responsible for ensuring the research is implemented according to the application and research plan as stated in Section 2.3.

As scientifically responsible, the applicant shall also

• ensure that the research is implemented according to good research practice
• ensure that the permits and approvals required have been obtained before the research is started. These may include permits from the Swedish Medical Products Agency or approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority or an ethical committee on animal experiments.
• submit scientific reports according to the Swedish Research Council’s instructions
• publish the results of the research according to the Swedish Research Council’s instructions and terms and conditions (see Section 3.1).

2.5 Organisational responsibility

The administrating organisation is responsible for ensuring there is a fit-for-purpose organisation for implementing the activities.

The responsibility includes

• in its capacity as employer, ensuring that the personnel involved are able to use their working hours to the extent required to implement the activities according to the approved application, which also includes publishing the results
• ensuring the personnel involved have access to premises, equipment, and other resources required to implement the activities
• ensuring that the permits and approvals required have been obtained before the activities are started
• ensuring the activities are conducted according to norms for responsible internationalisation.

If the activities include research, the administrating organisation is also responsible for ensuring that

• the research is implemented according to good research practice
• the research does not have commercial ties that affect its objectivity, independence or openness
• a data management plan is drawn up before the research starts, and the plan is maintained and complied with.

2.6 Reporting on implementation

The applicant is responsible for submitting reports on the implementation of activities according to the Swedish Research Council’s instructions.

2.7 Employment relationship

If the applicant is a natural person, they shall be employed by the administrating organisation stated in the decision to award funding or by another approved administrating organisation that, following a request to change, has been approved by the Swedish Research Council. The employment relationship shall exist at the start of the grant period and last throughout this period and any further availability period.

An exception from the requirement that the applicant must be employed by the administrating organisation may be allowed, after approval by the Swedish Research Council, for applicants employed by a Swedish region but where activities are implemented at another administrating organisation, or otherwise if the Swedish Research Council has approved this.

2.8 Equipment

The administrating organisation shall be the owner of the equipment and other fixtures and fittings procured for the activities. The equipment shall be used for the activities for as long as they continue.

2.9 Changed preconditions for implementation

The administrating organisation and applicant shall inform the Swedish Research Council without delay if circumstances arise that entail the activities cannot be implemented within the grant period and any additional availability period according to what follows from the application, decision, or terms and conditions. The same applies if equipment, for which purchase funding has been awarded, cannot be procured. In this case, the administrating organisation shall also report how the activities are affected by the equipment being impossible to procure.

2.10 Changing administrating organisations

If the activities can no longer be implemented at the administrating organisation due to changed circumstances, the Swedish Research Council may, following a joint request from the administrating organisations and applicant involved, assess the issue of changing administrating organisations. The corresponding applies if the project leader will enter into employment with another approved administrating organisation.

2.11 Changing project leaders

If the activities can no longer be implemented due to changed circumstances for the project leader, the Swedish Research Council may on request approve a change of project leaders.

2.12 Other funding

A precondition for the Swedish Research Council’s decision is that the administrating organisation or applicant has not already received or will receive other funding for the same costs and purposes.

If other funding is awarded for the same costs and purposes, the administrating organisation and applicant must without delay notify the Swedish Research Council of this. The notice shall state what the overall funding for the purpose is, how the preconditions for the application the Swedish Research Council’s decision was based on have been affected, and also to what extent other funding may impact on the implementation of the activities. The notice shall also describe any impact on the analysis, interpretation or reporting of the results, and also who will dispose of these.

The Swedish Research Council may change a decision to award funding on the basis of information about other funding.

3. Publication and dissemination of results and information

3.1 Publication of results

The applicant is responsible for ensuring the results of activities are published according to the Swedish Research Council’s instructions. The obligation to publish results only applies to the extent the publication may be done according to applicable legislation.

The results of research shall be published in scientific journals and books with national and international reach, or made available in another corresponding way. An agreement with a commercial actor or other stakeholder must not limit the opportunity to publish the results of research carried out with funding from the Swedish Research Council. Such an agreement must not delay publication by more than two months. If the purpose is to enable a patent application based, wholly or partly, on the research results referred to above, however, the delay may amount to at most four months.

Publication of research results in scientific journals shall be done according to the Swedish Research Council’s guidelines for publication with open access.

The applicant is also responsible for ensuring research results of general interest are disseminated to recipients outside the research community.

3.2 Information about the Swedish Research Council’s funding

When publishing or otherwise disseminating results, the applicant is responsible for ensuring a notice is included stating that the activities were conducted with funding awarded by the Swedish Research Council. When publishing original scientific articles, the name “Swedish Research Council” and the registration number of the application to the Swedish Research Council shall be stated under the heading “Acknowledgements” or corresponding.

3.3 The Swedish Research Council’s right to disseminate data

The Swedish Research Council may reproduce and disseminate whole or parts of reports from activities submitted to the Swedish Research Council, and also otherwise make available information about the activities.

4. Payment and use of the funding

4.1 Payment and right of disposal

Payment of the funding awarded is made to the administrating organisation. The administrating organisation is responsible for receiving and administering the funding.

The funding awarded is paid out during the grant period according to a payment plan. Unless otherwise follows from the Swedish Research Council’s decision or specific terms and conditions, the funding may be used throughout the grant period and thereafter for one year to compensate for delays in the implementation of the activities.

If there are special reasons, the Swedish Research Council may approve a further extension to the right to use the funding. An extension application shall be submitted by the applicant, and be approved by the administrating organisation if applicable, via the Swedish Research Council’s application system after the end of the payment period, but no later than 60 calendar days before the end of the availability period.

If the Swedish Research Council decides that funding awarded shall be discontinued, or the grant otherwise is terminated early, the funding paid out may be used up to and including the date that follows from the decision.

4.2 Use of the funding

Funding awarded shall be used to cover costs of implementing the activities according to the terms and conditions and mainly in the way stated in the application. For any major change to the use of the funding, approval by the Swedish Research Council is required. A major change refers to one of the following:

• Reallocation of the funding between cost types that constitute more than 10 % of the amount applied for and at least 500 000 SEK.
• Reallocation of the funding to a cost type that was not included in the appllciation, irrespective of the amount.

A request to change the use of the funding shall be made by the administrating organisation and the applicant in conjunction with the need for the change arising.

The funding covers direct costs and indirect costs as a percentage of the direct costs, according to the cost basis decided by the administrating organisation.

The awarded funding may only be used for annual depreciation costs for equipment during the period when the funding is available.

Funding may be transferred to administrating organisations approved by the Swedish Research Council or another legal entity where activities are carried out according to the application. Transferred funding shall be used and reported on according to the same terms and conditions as apply to the rest of the funding awarded.

The funding awarded may not be used

• for scholarships
• for costs that are not directly related to implementing the activities as described in the application
• for costs that are not attributable to the grant or availability period
• to co-fund projects funded by grants from other research funding bodies
• for economic activities within the administrating organisation or another organisation to which funding has been transferred.

5. Financial reporting and accounting

5.1 Annual financial report

The administrating organisation shall submit an annual financial report to the Swedish Research Council. The financial report shall be submitted according to the Swedish Research Council’s instructions.

The Swedish Research Council does not accept costs that are not directly related to implementing the activities as described in the application.

5.2 Final financial report

The administrating organisation shall submit a final financial report no later than three months after the end of the availability period. The financial report shall be submitted according to the Swedish Research Council’s instructions. The Swedish Research Council may decide that the financial report shall be submitted at another time.

The Swedish Research Council does not accept costs that are not directly related to implementing the activities as described in the application.

5.3 Final financial report if funding is discontinued or the grant is terminated early for other reasons

If the Swedish Research Council decides that the funding shall be discontinued or if the grant is terminated early for other reasons, the administrating organisation shall submit a final financial report to the Swedish Research Council according to what follows from the decision.

5.4 Final financial report after changing administrating organisations

If the Swedish Research Council has decided to approve a change of administration organisations, the retiring administrating organisation shall submit a final financial report and repay unused funding to the Swedish Research Council according to what follows from the decision.

5.5 Repayment of unused funding

Unused funding accounted for in the final financial report shall be repaid to the Swedish Research Council within 30 days after the final financial report was submitted via the Swedish Research Council’s application system.

Unused funding corresponding to less than one half of a price base amount for the year the final report is submitted may be retained on condition that it can be used for purposes similar to those to which the funding awarded related. If the unused funding exceeds one half of a price base amount, it must be repaid in its entirety.

6. Follow-up and audit

6.1 Providing information for follow-up, etc.

The administrating organisation and the applicant shall provide such information as is requested by the Swedish Research Council in conjunction with follow-up and evaluation of the activities, both during and after the grant period and availability period.

Accounts and reports relating to the activities funded by the Swedish Research Council shall be submitted according to the information stated in the decision to award funding, or when the Swedish Research Council so requests.

6.2 Audit

The Swedish Research Council or an auditor or corresponding appointed by the Council is entitled to scrutinise the book-keeping and accounting records relating to the activities awarded funding by the Swedish Research Council. For this purpose, the administrating organisation shall give the person conducting the audit full insight, for example by supplying copies of all verifications relating to expenses and income attributable to the activities.

7. Actions if terms and conditions are not complied with

7.1 Demand to comply with terms and conditions and action plan

If the administrating organisation or applicant disregards or otherwise fails to comply with terms and conditions, and the failure cannot easily be rectified, the Swedish Research Council may require correction within a certain period. The Swedish Research Council may also require that the administrating organisation or applicant submits an action plan describing when and how the terms and conditions will be complied with. The Swedish Research Council will assess whether the action plan can be approved, or whether the funding shall be discontinued.

7.2 Decision to discontinue payment of funding

The Swedish Research Council may decide to discontinue the payment of funding wholly or partly if

• the applicant or the administrating organisation caused the funding to be awarded incorrectly or in too high an amount, through providing incorrect information or in some other way
• the funding was awarded incorrectly or in too high an amount for some other reason, and the administrating organisation or applicant should have realised this
• there are insufficient preconditions for implementing the activities according to the application, decision, or terms and conditions
• the funding has not been used according to the terms and conditions
• the applicant, or another person participating in the implementation of the activities, has been found guilty of scientific misconduct according to the Act on responsibility for good research practice and the examination of research misconduct (Swedish Code of Statutes 2019:504)), or in some other way has not complied with good research practice
• the applicant, in or in conjunction with the research, through actions or otherwise has shown themselves to be an unsuitable recipient of funding from the Swedish Research Council
• continued funding is not compatible with Sweden’s foreign, security, or defence policy interests
• terms and conditions have not been complied with in some other way than those mentioned above, and the failure cannot easily be corrected.