The evaluation of the strategic research areas is now underway

The strategic research environments that we have been commissioned by the Government to evaluate were established in 2010 and were last evaluated in 2015. Their purpose was to increase Sweden’s ability to compete internationally and raising the profile of Swedish research.

Originally, 43 research environments received support across 20 research areas. In 2016, funds were reallocated from two research environments that were not deemed to have sufficient quality. The activities at the 41 strategic research environments now to be evaluated amount to a total of around 2 billion SEK per year.

Ahead of the evaluation, we will invite all relevant research environments and higher education institutions to a dialogue this spring.

The evaluation will provide an overall picture of quality and impact

The Swedish Research Council’s assignment is to produce a basis on which the Government can make its decisions. In addition to the assessment of the activities at each Research environment during the period 2016–2025, we will also conduct a comprehensive analysis showing how the initiative has developed as a whole.

The evaluation, which is carried out by scientific experts, will not include proposals for the redistribution of funds.

The following aspects will be assessed for each research environment:

• Scientific quality from an international perspective
• The impacts the initiatives have had on society and industry
• The results and impacts of the higher education institutions’ efforts

We are carrying out the assignment in collaboration with Forte, Formas, the Swedish Energy Agency and Vinnova.

The assignment is to be submitted to the Government by 20 December 2027 at the latest.

At the end of March 2026, the Swedish Research Council recommended that a further 16 research environments within eight new strategic research areas should receive support. It is the Government that decides on funding.

See the list of the 41 research environments to be evaluated