News

News

PublISHED ON

UpDATED ON

New report: What has the Linnaeus grant meant for Swedish research?

The Swedish Research Council and Formas have funded 40 Linnaeus Centres with a total of 2.7 billion SEK during the years 2006–2018. We have now conducted a final evaluation. Did the Linnaeus grant have the effect intended? What has it meant for Swedish research?

A panel of international experts conducted the evaluation and give the initiative high marks. The Linnaeus grant made it possible to build up successful research environments, and contributed to internationalisation at Swedish higher education institutions through the recruitment of doctoral students and postdocs from other countries. Furthermore, several Linnaeus Centres have been successful in obtaining external funding from bodies such as the European Research Council ERC. The ten-year funding period also enabled more adventurous research, which has led to some ground-breaking discoveries.

—It is gratifying to read the international panel’s very positive statement about the research conducted within the framework for the Linnaeus grant, and what this type of support has meant to Swedish research. The experts’ views on the importance of strong research environments are also in line with what the Swedish Research Council expresses, both in our Future Choices report and in our input to the Government’s upcoming research bill. The recommendations presented in the report will also be important for our continued strategy discussions, says Sven Stafström, Director General of the Swedish Research Council.

The final evaluation of the Linnaeus grant is presented today, at The National Centre of Excellence Investments Conference. The final evaluations of the Government’s strategic research support for the research environments Forte Centres of Excellence, Berzelii Centres and Vinn Excellence Centres will also be presented at the conference.

Watch a video broadcast from the conference.

Download the report with the final evaluation of the Linnaeus grant

The Linnaeus grant

The Linnaeus grant was presented as a new grant format in the Swedish Government’s research policy bill in 2004. The grant aimed to develop strategic and internationally competitive research teams at Swedish higher education institutions. A total of 40 research environments at 10 higher education institutions were funded in two waves, 2006–2016 and 2008–2018. Each environment received 5–10 million SEK per year.

PUBLISHED ON

UpDATED ON

Pdf / Printout

MORE WITHIN THE SAME SUBJECT AREA

  1. Promising junior researchers given different preconditions for career development

    Many promising junior researchers awarded grants from the Swedish Research Council have good preconditions for career development at their higher education institutions, a new report shows. But this does not apply to all. This risks making research c...

  2. New law on research databases creates new opportunities for Swedish research

    The Government’s proposed new law on certain research databases creates new opportunities to collect and handle personal data without ethical approval. The law is proposed to come into force on 1 January 2025.

  3. The Swedish Research Council’s recommendations for the EU’s framework programme FP10

    The EU’s process of developing the research and innovation framework programme that will follow Horizon Europe has begun. In 2025, the European Commission will present its proposal, which will then be negotiated between member states and the European...