New call – Grant for centre of excellence

The centre of excellence shall be based on a theme, or an issue. Around this, a centre for research and teaching activities shall be built up. The call is open for applications relating to pioneering and multi-disciplinary issues in all scientific disciplines.

Mattias Marklund, the Secretary General for Natural and Engineering Sciences, has designed the new grant, together with the Swedish Research Council’s board, scientific councils and committees.

"The support is for long-term, thematic programme operations, where researchers from different disciplines can gather around a joint major issue. Compared to previous excellence initiatives, such as the Distinguished Professor programme or the Linnaeus Grant, a greater focus will now be placed on the thematic idea and the organisation", says Mattias Marklund.

The review process will therefor be carried out in two stages. During the first stage, the design of the programme operation, along with recruitment processes, management and organisation, are assessed. During the second stage, the scientific description of the central theme or issue will be assessed.

The call will be open between 7 September and 8 November. The grant period is five years, and the grant amount will be 4–6 million SEK per year. The decision on which applications are awarded grants will be made in June 2023. The initiative is based on a Government mandate in research bill for 2021–2024.

Read more about the upcoming call