Appointment of Formas’ Scientific Council
Every three years, new members are appointed to Formas’ Scientific Council. Seven are appointed by the research community and the Government appoints the other six members, including the chair and Formas’ director general.
The election process by the research community begins with higher education institutions appointing electors that represent Sweden’s researchers. The electors then choose members of the Scientific Council.
The process of appointing electors is defined by the Ordinance on electoral assemblies for research councils and subject councils (förordningen om elektorsförsamling vid forskningsråd och ämnesråd) (2012:520).
External link.
Formas electors are appointed by the higher education institutions
The higher education institutions are divided into six regions, which appoint 55 Formas electors. Together, they form the electoral assembly that represents Sweden’s researchers. Each of the 55 electors has a deputy appointed in the same process.
Region | Responsible higher education institution | Other higher eductaion institutions in the region |
|---|---|---|
Region 1 | Uppsala University | Dalarna University, University of Gävle, Mälardalen University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU, Örebro University |
Region 2 | Lund University | Blekinge Institute of Technology, Halmstad University, Kristianstad University, Linnaeus University, Malmö University |
Region 3 | University of Gothenburg | Chalmers University of Technology, University of Borås, University of Skövde, University West, Karlstad University |
Region 4 | Stockholm University | Swedish Defence University, Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences GIH, Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institutet KI, Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Royal Institute of Art, Royal College of Music in Stockholm, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University of Arts, Södertörn University |
Region 5 | Umeå University | Luleå University of Technology‚ Mid Sweden University |
Region 6 | Linköping University | Jönköping University |
The 55 electors are divided across Formas’ areas of responsibility. The number of electors appointed by each region depends on how many active researchers there are within each subject area at the higher education institutions in the region. The Government decides on the number of electors each region will appoint based on official employment statistics for the higher education institutions.
Who may appoint electors?
Only persons with scientific or artistic competence at those higher education institutions mentioned in the table above may appoint electors.
Who may be appointed as electors?
To become an elector, you must have scientific or artistic competence and have at least a 40 per cent position within Formas’ areas of responsibility.
The electors choose members of Formas’ Scientific Council
Formas’ electoral assembly meets online twice during the autumn of the last year of the mandate period for the Scientific Council. At the first meeting, the electors appoint a nominating committee that meets and accepts nominations for new members to Formas’ Scientific Council. Nominations come from the electoral assembly. Once the nominations have been received, the electoral assembly meets again and chooses who to appoint as a Scientific Council member. The members are elected for three years and may be re-elected for an additional three-year period.
Current Scientific Council members serve for the 2022–2024 period, and the next election of electors for new members will be in autumn 2024. New for this year is that Formas’ electors and deputies will meet online for an information meeting before the first meeting when the nominating committee will be appointed.
Who can be appointed as a member?
Appointment as a member in Formas’ Scientific Council requires a high level of scientific and artistic competence within one or more of Formas’ areas of responsibility.