How infrastructure is prioritised

Cyclic process

At the Swedish Research Council, infrastructure is prioritised by means of a recurrent two-year cyclical process. The process starts with an inventory of needs. This is followed by calls for proposals and decisions concerning the initiation of new and continued funding of existing infrastructure. Then the process starts all over again with a new inventory of needs.

The Swedish Research Council's Guide to Infrastructures

Every fourth year the national infrastructure guide the Swedish Research Council's Guide to Infrastructures is updated. This guide is an important tool in the prioritisation of infrastructure. An appendix to the guide is published every second year. The appendix governs subsequent calls for applications and is based on an open inventory of needs with input from various interested parties.

For more information on the inventory for needs 2017 read here.

Only the infrastructures prioritised in the appendix to the guide are eligible to apply for grants in the succeeding call for applications.

National infrastructure

A guideline for applications for grants for national infrastructure is that they should be made jointly by several universities (or other organisations). Grants can be approved for a period of maximum eight years. At the time the application is made, such aspects as a funding plan must be included. An equal distribution of the total costs between the host organisation/consortium and the Swedish Research Council is desired.

International infrastructure

Proposals for needs of membership in, or participation in development of, new international infrastructure shall as a first step be submitted to the inventory of needs.

Model for the prioritisation process

Acronyms: RFI (Council for Research Infrastructures), RÅG (advisory group of RFI)

Timetable for prioritisation process

2017

• Spring: Call for applications on infrastructure of national interest.
• Autumn: Inventory of needs.
  

2018

• Autumn: The Swedish Research Council's Guide to Infrastructures 2018 is published.
• Autumn: An appendix to the Swedish Research Council's Guide to Infrastructures 2018, based on the inventory of needs, is published.
  

2019

• Spring: Call for applications on infrastructure of national interest.
  
• Autumn: Inventory of needs.2020

2020

• Autumn: An appendix to the Swedish Research Council's Guide to Infrastructures 2018, based on the inventory of needs, is published.