This is our role in clinical research


Clinical studies
The Swedish Research Council supports and develops the conditions for clinical studies in Sweden. An important part of this work is the collaboration known as Clinical Studies Sweden, where Sweden's six collaboration/healthcare regions cooperate through designated regional nodes. By promoting the opportunities for these nodes to collaborate, learn from each other, and find solutions to common challenges, the conditions for conducting clinical studies in Sweden are strengthened. This contributes to the ability to conduct clinical studies more efficiently, with the participation of more patients, regardless of where they live in the country.
The nodes offer various types of support in the field of clinical studies. This can include issues related to study protocols, permit applications, data management, and statistics, as well as infrastructure for implementation and training in clinical research methodology. The nodes also have extensive knowledge about and can facilitate contact with relevant regional resources, such as research units, quality registry centers, biobanks, and cancer centers.
The Swedish Research Council processes and monitors funds, activities, and results related to the financial support received by the nodes within Clinical Studies Sweden, in the form of operational grants and national development initiatives.
The Swedish Research Council also works with statistics on clinical studies and maintains ongoing contacts with other authorities and organizations related to clinical studies, both nationally and internationally.
Statistics and information on clinical studies
The regions’ reporting of ALF payments (in Swedish) External link.
Bibliometric statistics for publications in clinical research (in Swedish) External link.
Infrastructure with links to clinical research
The Swedish Research Council works to improve accessibility to and facilitate the use of register and health data for, among other things, research purposes.
The Swedish Research Council helps to fund the Biobank Sweden biobank infrastructure External link.. The aim of Biobank Sweden is to make it easier for researchers to access biological samples and the data linked to those samples. The Swedish Research Council helps to fund a number of research infrastructures linked directly and indirectly to clinical research and life sciences.
Klinisk behandlingsforskning
Tillsammans med Sveriges regioner finansierar Vetenskapsrådet kliniska behandlingsstudier. Vi utlyser bidrag för klinisk behandlingsforskning varje år. Ett krav för att få finansiering är att behandlingsstudierna utgår från behov som finns i hälso- och sjukvården. Studierna förväntas också leda till patient- och samhällsnytta inom en relativt kort tidsperiod. Det är Vetenskapsrådets kommitté för klinisk behandlingsforskning som beslutar vilka ansökningar som får finansiering.
Forskning inom medicin och hälsa
Via utlysningar inom medicin och hälsa finansierar Vetenskapsrådet även annan klinisk forskning än den som gäller behandlingsstudier. Varje år utlyser vi ett antal bidrag till anställning som forskare på halvtid i klinisk miljö. Inom ramen för särskilda satsningar från regeringen utlyser vi också exempelvis bidrag till vårdforskning och forskning inom psykiatri, åldrande och hälsa samt infektion och antibiotika. Det är Vetenskapsrådets ämnesråd för medicin och hälsa som beslutar vilka ansökningar som får finansiering.
Clinical therapy research
The Swedish Research Council funds clinical therapy studies together with Sweden's regions. We issue calls for funding for clinical therapy research every year. To be awarded funding, therapy studies must be based on needs in health and medical care. These studies are also expected to lead to benefits for patients and society within a relatively short period of time.
The Swedish Research Council's Committee for Clinical Therapy Research decides which applications will receive funding.
Medicine and Health
The Swedish Research Council also uses calls in the fields of health and medicine to fund clinical research other than research relating to therapy studies. Every year, we announce a number of grants for half-time researchers in a clinical environment Within the scope of special Government initiatives, we also issue calls for grant within healthcare research and research in the fields of psychiatry, ageing and health, and infection and antibiotics, for example (link to the call page.
The Swedish Research Council's Scientific Council for Medicine and Health decides which applications will receive funding.
ALF is an abbreviation for an agreement between national government and seven regions. This agreement regulates matters such as the amount of state funding received by the regions to help with the training of doctors, implementation of clinical research and development of health and medical care.
The Office for ALFat the Swedish Research Council provides administrative support to the national steering group for ALF and coordinates the Swedish Research Council's evaluations of clinical research in the regions covered by the ALF agreement.
Publications and positions
Here you can find the Swedish Research Council’s publications and positions in clinical research and life science (in Swedish).


