We are strengthening our commitment to excellence

The idea behind the programme for excellent research environments is to provide long-term support for researcher-initiated research at the absolute forefront of research and to create conditions for collaboration in new constellations and for new research questions and approaches.

This support will enable researchers to form groups around ground-breaking and interdisciplinary issues in all areas, in collaborations that can drive forward excellent research and, in the long term, lead to national added value and benefits. We also see them as an opportunity to attract and retain key expertise in Sweden,” says Teresa Ottinger, head of the Grant Application Unit at the Swedish Research Council.

More centres of excellence

The first call for proposals for grants to centres of excellence was made in 2022. Fifteen centres of excellence were awarded support for establishment and development for an initial period of five years, starting in 2024. From next year, we plan to issue calls for proposals for grants to centres of excellence every three years. We expect to be able to fund at least 10 new centres in each call. All centres of excellence – including the 15 that have already been granted funding – will also be able to apply for a continuation grant of 10 million Swedish kronor per year for five years.

The framework for the 2026 call for proposals is the same as last time, with two differences. New is that the grant amounts will be increased to SEK 8 million per year per centre, and that the assessment of gender equality aspects will be strengthened.

Distinguished institutes for exceptionally well-developed research environments

In addition to funding more centres of excellence, from 2027 we will also announce funds for so-called distinguished institutes every three years. The initiative is aimed at exceptionally well-developed research environments – centres of excellence or other similar centres – which will have the opportunity to receive very extensive and long-term support in national competition. We will be able to fund three institutes within each call. Each of them will receive SEK 15 million per year for five years, with the possibility of continued funding at least at the same level for five-year periods after application and review.

The grant for distinguished institutes shall be open to both basic research within individual disciplines and interdisciplinary themes. The research environments that are awarded grants must be able to demonstrate added value for Swedish research in general and for the research area in question. One requirement is that there must be a clearly formalised organisation, management and governance for the activities. The grant is applied for by the organisation that will host the distinguished institute, not by an individual researcher.

The plan is for both centres of excellence and distinguished institutes to be announced alternately every three years, at least until 2033.

“Recurring initiatives within the same programme mean predictability for researchers, higher education institutions and other organisations. Previous evaluations and other experiences show that this provides clear incentives for higher education institutions, among others, to invest in excellent environments,” says Lucas Pettersson, Head of the Department of Research Funding at the Swedish Research Council.

More initiatives in the pipeline

In parallel with the initiative for excellent research environments, the Swedish Research Council is also announcing several other new grants, such as grants for excellence clusters for groundbreaking technologies. The initiative for recruiting distinguished visiting researchers from outside Europe will also continue, and we will also be announcing special support for groundbreaking research in new forms.

“The initiatives have different purposes and complement each other. We will return a little later with a clearer presentation of the whole picture,” says Lucas Petersson.