The legislation governing approval for research principals to receive visiting researchers (SFS 2008:290) is based on the European Council’s “Visiting Researcher Directive” (2005/71/EC). The purpose of the Directive is to make it easier for researchers from countries outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland to enter, stay and move around the EU, and for the EU in this way to attract more researchers from the rest of the world.
The legislation states that the public agency, physical person or legal entity that conducts research activities and plans to receive a researcher from a third country for more than three months must get approval to do so. The Swedish Research Council is the public agency that tries issues relating to approval according to the ordinance governing approval for research principals to receive visiting researchers (SFS 2008:353).
The law entails a three-stage procedure
- To receive a visiting researcher, the research principal has to be approved by the Swedish Research Council.
- The research principal (a higher education institution or research institute, for example) and the visiting researcher shall enter into a reception contract that specifies the research project and certain other issues relating to the visiting researcher’s employment and other areas. As from 1 January 2020, the Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for regulations governing visiting researchers’ ability to support themselves during stays in Sweden.
- The reception contract forms the basis for the visiting researcher’s application for a residence permit to the Swedish Migration Agency.
Forms for reception contracts and applications for residence permit can be downloaded from the Swedish Migration Agency’s website.
How to apply to the Swedish Research Council
The application shall be made using a form to be sent to the Swedish Research Council. The application shall include information showing that the research principal is conducting research. Different types of documentation showing this exist:
- One document can be an assignment according to legislation, ordinance or statutory purposes, from a foundation, company or not-for-profit association for example, where the purpose of the organisation is described. This can be shown using excerpts from the Business Register, Foundation Register or the Swedish Tax Agency.
- Other examples of documentation are publication lists, annual reports, excerpts from the Swedish Patent and Registration Office/corresponding for patents, or documentation showing secured funding (such as a certificate showing research funding awarded).
Please note that there is also other documentation that can show that the operation is conducting or will conduct research.
Send the application via email to: registrator@vr.se, or by standard post to:
Vetenskapsrådet
Box 1035
101 38 Stockholm
What happens next?
Once we have received the application, we will assess it. If any information is lacking so that we cannot made a decision, we will contact the applicant and ask for supplementary information.
We usually send out the decision via post within one week. If the applicant has stated an email address in the application, then we send the decision by email.
Once an application has been approved, we will update our list of approved research principals with the name of the new research principal, see the heading below.
If an application is rejected, we will inform the Swedish Migration Agency.
The approval’s period of validity
The practice is that an approval as a research principal is valid for 5 years at a time for minor research actors. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have permanent approvals. If the application for approval covers a period of less than 5 years, then the validity of the decision will be limited to the period applied for.
To extend an approval, a new application has to be submitted with updated information showing that the organisation conducts research.
List of approved research principals according to Act (2008:290) and Ordinance (2008:353) on Approval of Research Principals to Receive Visiting Researchers.
Applicant | Validity of the decision |
|---|---|
3N Bio AB | Up to and including 28 March 2028 |
ABB AB | Until further notice |
Astra Zeneca AB | Until further notice |
Atlas Antibodies AB | Up to and including 28 january 2026 |
BioReperia AB | Up to and including 9 August 2028 |
Blekinge tekniska högskola | Until further notice |
CBI Betonginstitutet AB | Until further notice |
Chalmers tekniska högskola AB | Until further notice |
Double Bond Pharmaceutical AB | Up to and including 2 December 2027 |
Ericsson AB | Until further notice |
European Spallation Source ERIC | Until further notice |
Equa Simulation AB | Up to and including 3 October 2027 |
Försvarshögskolan | Until further notice |
Göteborgs universitet | Until further notice |
Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan | Until further notice |
Hot Disk AB | Up to and including 11 January 2028 |
Hälsohögskolan i Jönköping AB | Until further notice |
Handelshögskolan i Stockholm | Until further notice |
Högskolan Dalarna | Until further notice |
Högskolan i Borås | Until further notice |
Högskolan i Gävle | Until further notice |
Högskolan I Halmstad | Until further notice |
Högskolan i Skövde | Until further notice |
Högskolan Kristianstad | Until further notice |
Högskolan på Gotland | Until further notice |
Högskolan Väst | Until further notice |
The institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy (IFAU) | Until further notice |
Ilya Pharma AB | Up to and including 3 February 2026 |
Innventia AB | Until further notice |
Institutet för Finansforskning (SIFR) | Until further notice |
Institutet för framtidsstudier | Until further notice |
Institutet för Livsmedel och Bioteknik AB | Until further notice |
Institutet för rymdfysik | Until further notice |
Institutet för Säkerhets- och Utvecklingspolitik | Until further notice |
Internationella Handelshögskolan i Jönköping | Until further notice |
In vitro Plant-tech AB | Up to and including 29 September 2025 |
IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet AB | Until further notice |
Johannelunds teologiska högskola | Up to and including 5 October 2028 |
Karlstads universitet | Until further notice |
Karolinska institutet | Until further notice |
Konstfack | Until further notice |
Kungl. Konsthögskolan | Until further notice |
Kungl. Musikhögskolan | Until further notice |
Kungl. Tekniska högskolan | Until further notice |
Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien | Until further notice |
Landstinget Blekinge, Blekinge kompetenscentrum | Until further notice |
Landstinget i Uppsala län | Until further notice |
Lavivo AB | Until further notice |
LinkoCare Life Sciences AB | Up to and including 31 October 2024 |
Linköpings universitet | Until further notice |
Linnéuniversitetet | Until further notice |
Ludwiginstitutet för cancerforskning Ltd | Until further notice |
Luleå tekniska universitet | Until further notice |
Lunds universitet | Until further notice |
Mälardalens högskola | Until further notice |
Malmö högskola | Until further notice |
MinervaX AB | Up to and including 4 July 2027 |
MIP Technologies AB | Until further notice |
Mittuniversitetet | Until further notice |
Modelon AB | Until further notice |
Molecular Attraction AB | Up to and including 22 February 2028 |
Moligo Technologies AB | Up to and including 9 January 2029 |
Nanologica AB | Until further notice |
Naturhistoriska riksmuseet | Until further notice |
Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Until further notice |
Offspring Biosciences Sweden AB | Up to and including 11 November 2024 |
Pelago Bioscience AB | Up to and including 25 April 2026 |
Pfizer AB | Until further notice |
Prostista Biotechnology AB | Until further notice |
QureTech Bio AB | Up to and including 12 January 2026 |
Qualisys AB | Up to and including 22 November 2026 |
Raoul Wallenberg Institutet | Until further notice |
Red Glead Discovery AB | Up to and including 9 November 2025 |
RISE Energy Technology Center AB | Until further notice |
RISE Interactive Institute AB | Until further notice |
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB | Until further notice |
RISE SICS Västerås AB | Until further notice |
RISE Viktoria | Until further notice |
Rättsmedicinalverket | Until further notice |
Röda Korsets högskola | Until further notice |
S2Medical AB | Up to and including 3 February 2025 |
Sankt Ignatios | Up to and including 8 November 2028 |
Saveggy AB | Up to and including 28 September 2026 |
Scandinavian Institute for Policy Studies | Up to and including 6 October 2025 |
Skånes universitetssjukhus | Until further notice |
Skogforsk | Until further notice |
Smittskyddsinstitutet | Until further notice |
Södertörns högskola | Until further notice |
SpinChem AB | Up to and including 15 November 2026 |
Statens meterologiska och hydrologiska institut (SMHI) | Until further notice |
Statens Musikverk | Until further notice |
Statens väg-och transportforskningsinstitut | Until further notice |
Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt | Until further notice |
Stiftelsen Chalmers Industriteknik | Until further notice |
Stiftelsen Högskolan i Jönköping | Until further notice |
Stiftelsen Institutet för Näringslivsforskning | Until further notice |
Stiftelsen Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute (SIPRI) | Until further notice |
Stiftelsen The Stockholm Environment Institute | Until further notice |
Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) | Until further notice |
Stockholms universitet | Until further notice |
SureCapture Technologies AB | Up to and including 8 march 2027 |
Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet | Until further notice |
Swedish Institute of Computer Science AB (SICS) | Until further notice |
Swerea IVF AB | Until further notice |
Swerea KIMAB | Until further notice |
Swerea SICOMP AB | Until further notice |
Swerim AB | Up to and including 22 June 2025 |
Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping AB | Until further notice |
Tobii Technology AB | Until further notice |
Totalförsvarets Forskningsinstitut | Until further notice |
Umeå universitet | Until further notice |
| Uppsala universitet | Until further notice |
Utrikespolitiska institutet | Until further notice |
Volvo Technology AB | Until further notice |
WahTsui Biotech AB | Up to and including 11 November 2027 |
World Maritime University | Until further notice |
Ytkemiska Institutet AB | Until further notice |
Örebro läns landsting | Until further notice |
Örebro universitet | Until further notice |
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