Please note that this text is a translation. The official version is in Swedish.
What is it that makes certain places feel safer than others? And can crime be planned and built away? In the call for proposals Safe Spaces, you can apply for funding to develop new practice-oriented knowledge about how the built environment and spatial planning can contribute to increased sense of safety and reduced crime.
In this call, you can apply for funding to develop new practice-oriented knowledge that contributes to safer and more secure built environments – both in urban and rural areas, and for different groups in society. The built environment encompasses the physical environments that people have created for housing, work, school, leisure and other social functions – from individual buildings or playgrounds to neighbourhoods or villages, to infrastructure and landscapes. The call welcomes both projects that study how the built environment can be designed, used and managed in new ways, and projects that study the conditions for planning, design and management. New practice-oriented knowledge includes both needs-driven projects that evaluate and develop new methods, processes and approaches, and projects that develop or challenge the knowledge frontier within the focus of the call.
The call is being implemented within the framework of the national research programme for sustainable spatial planning External link.. The programme’s direction is set by the strategic research agenda External link., where this call has a particular focus on the goal of access to safe and secure public spaces under the theme Security and Safety for People and Societies, as well as the goals under the theme of Sustainable Residential and Public Environments.
Preventing crime and promoting sense of safety is a complex task involving a variety of factors. The design and use of the built environment are important factors, and the way in which the physical environment is designed can either facilitate or hinder crime and increase or reduce sense of safety. At the same time, the same environment can be perceived differently depending on who you ask. Age, gender, ethnic background and socio-economic status are just a few aspects that affect how safe you feel in a place – but they also affect the risk of being exposed to crime. Measures to increase sense of safety or security can therefore have different effects depending on the location, target group, and context. A measure that strengthens the sense of safety of one group may reduce that of another. Measures can also give rise to both synergies and conflicts of interest with other social objectives, such as accessibility, climate adaptation or biodiversity.
To increase sense of safety and security for different social groups and in different types of places, there is a need for more scientifically grounded and practice-oriented knowledge about safety enhancing and crime prevention measures in the built environment, especially in a Swedish context. This may involve how the built environment can be designed, used, or managed in ways that make it safer and more secure. More knowledge is also needed on how safety and security can be integrated into spatial and urban planning as well as the management of the built environment. More knowledge is also needed on how different actors can work together to increase sense of safety and prevent crime.
The Swedish concepts of säkerhet and trygghet can be defined in different ways, and both concepts can be translated to safety and security in English, depending on the context. In this call for proposals, we use security to describe the actual risk of being exposed to crime or public disturbances in a place, while sense of safety captures the feeling triggered when a person interprets the design and use of a place. In the experience of a place, sensory impressions are combined with personal experiences, as well as with other people’s or the media’s descriptions of risks of being exposed to crime or threatening situations in that place.
The built environment encompasses the physical environments that humans have created. This includes many different types of buildings and places. Different types of residential buildings and their courtyards, roads and bus stops, preschools and recreation centres, and public spaces such as libraries, community centres, parks and squares are all part of the built environment. The built environment can be sparse or dense, monofunctional or mixed, well-maintained or run-down. In other words, there is not one built environment, but several. Nor is it as simple as the built environment alone determining whether people feel safe or whether crimes are committed. Instead, there are a variety of factors that interact.
This call for proposals focuses on public and semi-public built environments. These can be, for example, squares, streets or parks and car parks, stairwells or station areas.
The purpose of the call is to strengthen knowledge development on how the planning, design, use and management of built environments can promote sense of safety and prevent crime in a Swedish context. For the call to contribute to sustainable social development in both the short and long term, there is a need for projects that develop practice-oriented knowledge that is directly applicable, as well as projects that develop, renew and deepen the field of knowledge. The projects may also be based on broadened, critical and new perspectives – to go beyond the knowledge production that is taking place today.
The call places great emphasis on collaboration, and projects must be carried out in close collaboration between researchers, practitioners and stakeholders. This includes both interdisciplinary collaborations and collaborations between different sectors and actors to work together to develop relevant practice-oriented knowledge. For the knowledge to be put to use, it needs to be both relevant and accessible to the actors who plan, design, use and manage the built environment, and to those who work with sense of safety and crime prevention in the built environment. The call therefore places great emphasis on activities for the utilisation, dissemination and upscaling of project results.
The call welcomes projects that address all or parts of planning and management processes, including their conditions such as economics, geography, policy and regulations, ownership, etc., at local, regional or national levels. The call also welcomes projects that address different types of built environments and places, and on different scales – from individual buildings or playgrounds, to neighbourhoods or villages, to infrastructure and landscapes. Not all projects need to address all these perspectives, but we encourage applicants to find new approaches, intersections or angles.
Projects on sense of safety and crime prevention in the built environment and spatial planning may, for example, address:
- Design and spatial perspectives on buildings and public spaces.
- Renovation and conversion of existing environments.
- Use and experiences of different types of places and built environments.
- Different groups’ perspectives, use and vulnerability.
- Designing inclusive places that promote activity and engagement for different groups.
- Collaboration models and organisational conditions, such as collaboration between local actors with the aim of strengthening sense of safety or security in the area.
- Policy and regulatory issues.
- Participation and citizen involvement in planning and management processes.
- Evaluation of methods and theories regarding sense of safety and crime prevention in different types of built environments.
- Methodological development to understand and promote sense of safety and reduce crime in different built environments.
Please note that the above list is only examples, and that the call also welcomes other issues and projects within the scope of the call.
Projects may advantageously link safety and security with other issues and challenges, such as stigmatisation, preparedness, attractiveness or climate adaptation, to create synergies that contribute to sustainable social development.
Limitations
To be eligible for funding, projects must clearly and significantly contribute to the purpose of the call: new practice-oriented knowledge about how the planning, design, use and management of built environments can increase sense of safety or prevent crime. Projects that do not clearly focus on how the built environment or spatial planning can contribute to the above are not covered by this call for proposals. For example, projects that mainly focus on working environments or social initiatives are not covered by the call. The knowledge produced must also be clearly and significantly relevant in a Swedish context but may include lessons learned from international examples.
To achieve the purpose of the call, a diversity of actors is required. The call is therefore aimed at a wide range of organisations, such as municipalities, property owners, companies, industry and interest organisations, non-profit organisations and researchers from all disciplines.
Read about our requirements for the composition of the project group, the coordinating project partner and what is required to be a project partner in the section Requirements for the project group and coordinating project partner.
Before you apply
Those of you who apply together form a project group. A project group consists of several project partners. Each organisation constitutes a separate project partner. The project partners shall jointly design the focus and content of the project, including the implementation plan and budget. All project partners shall have a clear and well-motivated role in the implementation of the project.
To ensure that all project partners are active in the project, we require in this call for proposals that each project partner report personnel costs in the budget. Projects based solely on one-sided implementation or subcontracting relationships between the partners cannot be granted funding in this call for proposals.
The project partner that submits the application is called the coordinating project partner. The coordinating project partner should be the organisation in the project group that is best suited to coordinate the project. This may be a research performing organisation or another organisation that is part of the project group, such as a municipality or a region.
Requirements for the composition of the project group
Number of parties
The project group must consist of at least two (2) and no more than five (5) project partners. The coordinating organisation counts as one project partner.
Type of partners
The project group shall consist of:
- At least one project partner that counts as research performing organisation. This includes higher education institutions, certain research institutes and government agencies with a research mandate.
- At least one project partner that is another type of organisation. This organisation may, for example, be a municipality, property owner, company, industry or interest organisation, or non-profit organisation.
The project shall be carried out by the organisations and individuals listed in the application.
At least one participating researcher from a research performing organisation must have completed a doctoral degree by the closing date of the call.
Project manager
All projects applying for funding from Formas must have a responsible project manager. The project manager must be employed by the coordinating project partner.
Requirements for project partners
To participate as a project partner, the organisation must:
- Be added as a project partner in the application form.
- Have a clear, active and well-motivated role as a project partner.
- Have personnel costs in the project, which are reported in the application budget, and be registered as an employer.
- Be registered for F-tax and VAT if the project partner’s organisational form requires it.
- Have a sufficiently robust economy to receive funds (if the project partner applies for funding from Formas) and implement the project.
Which organisations are not eligible for funding?
- Sole proprietorships are not eligible for funding or to participate as project partners in projects applying for funding from Formas.
- Newly established organisations are not eligible for funding or to participate as project partners under this call. Organisations participating as project partners must have been active for at least three years to ensure their capacity to engage in and carry out activities throughout the duration of the project. An organisation is considered active if 1) it was registered no later than 11 February 2023, and 2) it has been operational during this period.
- International organisations without a Swedish organisation number are not eligible for funding under this call, but may participate as project partners in kind and through self-finance.
Requirements for coordinating project partners
In addition to meeting the requirements for project partners, the coordinating project partner must be able to receive and manage all the funds that Formas awards to the project. This means that the coordinating project partner has the role of project administrating organisation in Formas’ application system.
Formas distinguishes between administrating organisations that are approved to receive funds in all Formas calls and administrating organisations that can be approved to receive funds for a specific project. The coordinating project partner must have an organisation account and be approved as an administrating organisation in one of these two forms.
Read about administrating organisations and how to apply for an organisational account under Administrating organisation and organisation account.
When you apply for project funding, you can apply for funding for both direct and indirect costs. The costs must be clearly linked to the project and finance activities beyond your regular operations.
Direct costs
- Personnel costs for project participants to the extent that they work on the project. Instructions for how to calculate personnel costs
- Equipment, buildings and land to the extent and for the period that they are used for the project. If the instruments and equipment are not used throughout the entire life cycle of the project, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life cycle of the project, calculated on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles, are considered eligible for aid. In the case of buildings, only depreciation costs corresponding to the project’s life cycle, calculated on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles, are considered eligible. For land, costs of transfer on commercial terms or actual capital costs are eligible.
- Costs för consultants, licenses, etc. Costs for contract research, knowledge, consultancy and patents purchased or leased from external sources on market terms. Costs for consultancy and similar services may only be included if they are used exclusively for the project.
- Other direct costs, such as materials, inputs and similar products incurred as a direct result of the project. Other direct costs also include travel and conferences, as well as publication in open access journals and databases. Formas only grants funding for certain author fees.
Indirect costs
Indirect costs are costs that do not arise as a direct result of the project but can still be related to it. Different organisations may have different ways of defining indirect costs, but they include, for example, costs for the organisation’s joint administration, IT and/or premises. Indirect costs are sometimes referred to as overheads or general expenses.
As a rule, each project partner may claim actual indirect costs of up to 30 per cent of its eligible personnel costs. Indirect costs are always calculated per project partner.
The following exceptions to the main rule apply:
- Higher education institutions may add a surcharge for indirect costs in accordance with the full-cost principle they apply.
- Certain research institutes, foundations and government agencies with a research mandate may, when participating in the project with non-economic activities, add a surcharge for actual indirect costs of up to 45 per cent of their eligible personnel costs.
More information about costs that qualify for funding:
To apply for correct costs, it is important that you read the detailed information about which costs Formas can fund:
Project duration
In this call, you can apply for funding for projects lasting two (2) or three (3) years. The projects must start on 1 September 2026.
Total grant applied for
Each project can apply for a maximum of SEK 2.5 million per year on average. This means that you can distribute the amount differently between the years and apply for more in a single year – as long as the average does not exceed SEK 2.5 million per year.
Maximum grant:
- Two-year project: SEK 5 million
- Three-year project: SEK 7.5 million
Aid intensity
Formas funding is governed by state aid rules. These rules determine both which costs can be funded and how much of the costs we can fund. This is assessed individually for each organisation. We therefore distinguish between how much funding the entire project can receive and how much each project partner can receive:
- Organisations that conduct non-economic activities can apply for and be granted funding of up to 100 per cent of their eligible costs. This category includes higher education institutions, government agencies with a research mandate and research institutes that do not conduct economic activities. Other public actors, such as municipalities and regions, may also be eligible if the project is carried out within the framework of their public mandate and does not involve them competing in a market.
- Companies and other organisations that conduct economic activities can apply for and be granted a maximum of 65 per cent of their eligible costs in this call for proposals, regardless of the size of the organisation. Please note that public funds are not approved as co-financing.
Read about state aid rules in the section State aid rules – for organisations engaged in economic activity.
Grants to companies and other organisations engaged in economic activities are subject to state aid rules. For aid to constitute state aid, several criteria must be met. It must involve state resources that gives the recipient an advantage, on a selective basis. The rules are in place to protect competition in the EU internal market.
Before applying, please read about the state aid rules that apply to receiving funds from Formas:
How do I know if my organisation is engaged in economic activity?
An organisation that offers any kind of service or product on a market is considered to be engaged in economic activity under the state aid rules. It does not matter how the organisation is financed, whether it is public or private, or whether it operates for profit. Nor does the legal form of the organisation matter – for example, whether it is a limited company, a cooperative, a non-profit association, or a foundation.
Rules for organisations that partly engage in economic activity
Organisations that conduct both economic and non-economic activities are partially covered by the state aid rules. Aid for economic activities is covered by the rules. Aid for non-economic activities is not covered, if the activities are reported separately and the aid from Formas or funded activities does not benefit the economic part.
Examples of organisations that may engage in economic and non-economic activities include certain research institutes, municipal companies and civil society organisations.
For Formas to be able to grant funding to a project partner without it being covered by the state aid rules, the project partner must certify in the application that they are applying for funding for non-economic activities and that they meet the requirements for separate accounting.
During the processing of applications, Formas may ask additional questions or request certificates or statements to ensure that the project partner is applying for funding for non-economic activities. If the review reveals that separate accounting is lacking, Formas may request additional information or decide not to pay out the grant. If it emerges that the grant has in practice benefited economic activities without there being a valid basis in the state aid rules, Formas may demand repayment of the grant with interest.
Statement of separate accounting and ancillary activities (doc, in Swedish only) docx, 57.8 kB..
Industrial research
In this call, Formas will apply Article 25 of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER, EU Regulation No 651/2014). Based on the purpose and objectives of the call, Formas assesses that the activities supported by the call fall within the category of “industrial research”.
Industrial research is planned research or critical analysis aimed at acquiring new knowledge and skills in order to develop new products, processes or services, or to significantly improve existing ones. Support levels of up to 65 per cent may be applied, as Formas expects all funded projects to meet the requirements for extensive dissemination of results, for example through conferences, publications, open databases or open-source software.
Depending on the project partner’s operations and the activities that the partner will carry out in the project, Formas may decide on a lower maximum support level than that applied for.
Prior to making a decision on grants, Formas conducts credit checks on companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity and that may be eligible for funding.
Transparency reporting
Project partners who may receive state aid if the project is granted funding from Formas, need to be aware that the requirements for transparency reporting of state aid granted have been tightened in 2023. State aid exceeding EUR 100,000 (or EUR 10,000 in the case of primary agricultural production, fisheries and aquaculture sector) must be reported publicly within the EU. Formas is responsible for this transparency reporting. Anyone who submits an application is deemed to have understood this transparency reporting requirement and to have approved such public reporting above the applicable thresholds.
Due to the war in Ukraine, it will not be possible to obtain funding for projects involving research collaboration with state or federal research institutions in Russia and Belarus.
You can write your application in Swedish or English. The popular science description must be in Swedish. The abstracts must be in both Swedish and English.
According to Swedish law, your application and its appendices are considered as general public documents once they have been submitted to us. This means that anyone can request and read your application. Information can only be concealed if it is confidential as defined in the Public Access and Secrecy Act (2009:400).
Formas has limited opportunities to keep personal data confidential. Therefore, the application should not contain personal data for anyone who is not included in the application. You should also avoid including sensitive personal data, both for yourself and others.
The popular science description and project abstracts in Swedish and English will, if the project is awarded funding, be published in open-access project databases without a confidentiality review. Therefore, the contents of these fields should not contain sensitive information.
At present, we see no obstacles to applicants using AI tools to assist in drafting their application. However, it is important to be aware that the applicant remains fully responsible for fulfilling all commitments made in the application. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that the content of both the application and the project plan is accurate, and that the research is carried out as described. You confirm this responsibility when you submit the application. Applicants must follow good research practice throughout the application process. This means that plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of content is not permitted.
At Formas, we are very keen to ensure that the projects we fund are carried out in a way that maximises positive and minimises negative impacts on the environment and climate. We therefore encourage you, as an applicant, to design your project so that collaboration takes place primarily through digital meeting formats and that any necessary travel is carried out in the most climate-smart way possible. We also suggest that you include measures to minimise energy consumption and other resource consumption, emissions and waste in your project planning. However, this will not be part of the assessment of your application.
How to apply
Applications to Formas are made in our application system Prisma. There you enter the information needed for the application. The coordinating project partner is responsible for all administration in Prisma.
The call for proposals is available under Calls for organisations in Prisma. To access this page, you must be logged in to an organisation account. Read about how to find the call for proposals here: Calls for organisations - Prisma support External link..
The application is initiated via the coordinating project partner’s organisation account in Prisma. The person responsible for the account automatically becomes the project manager. If you want to change the project manager, the person responsible can invite another person with their own personal account.
If a new personal account needs to be created, this must be done well in advance of closing date of the call. Read about how to apply for a personal account here: Apply for a personal account in Prisma External link..
The coordinating project partner must be able to receive and manage the funds that Formas pays out to the project. This means that the coordinating project partner has the role of administrating organisation for the project.
Formas distinguishes between administrating organisations that are approved for all Formas calls, and administrating organisations that need to be approved for a specific project. The coordinating project partner must have an organisational account in Prisma and be approved as an administrating organisation in one of these two forms.
Administrating organisations approved for all Formas calls
Higher education institutions, most research institutes and government agencies with a research mandate are approved as administrating organisations for all Formas calls and already have an organisation account.
Administrating organisations that need to be individually approved
Most other public and private organisations need to be individually approved as administrating organisation for the project.
- If the organisation has an account in Prisma, contact research administrator Lina Westlund Hult by email at lina.westlundhult@formas.se to be added as a possible administrating organisation in this call. Remember to state the organisation’s organisation number. This applies even if the organisation has been an administrating organisation in the past.
- If the organisation does not have an account in Prisma, a suitable representative (the main responsible for the organisation account) must apply for an organisation account on the Prisma website. The application must state that you wish to apply for the call for proposals Safe Spaces, the type of organisation involved and the organisation number. It is important that the coordinating project partner applies for an organisation account well in advance, but no later than 3 February 2026. Read about how to apply for an organisation account here: Apply for an organisation account in Prisma. External link.
- If you are unsure whether your organisation already has an account in Prisma, please contact research administrator Lina Westlund Hult by email before applying for a new account. Remember to include your organisation’s organisation number.
Project site – Create a structure to describe the organisation
To register your application, you must specify a project site within the organisation. A project site can be, for example, an institution or a department. The supervisor of the organisation account must build a structure with units and subunits (project site) on two levels. If the organisation does not have departments, specify a subunit with the same name as the organisation. Read about how to create a structure as the supervisor of the organisation account here: Structure - Prisma support External link.
Character set, font and formatting
- All limits for the maximum number of characters refer to characters including spaces.
- Please use the default font and font size for the information entered in the text boxes in Prisma.
- Text that is pasted into Prisma sometimes loses its formatting. Therefore, be sure to preview the application in PDF format before submitting it.
Who you are writing for
The reviewers in the review panel are primarily experts in a field, rather than in a specific subject, theory or method. Therefore, write your application so that a reviewer with generalist expertise in the field understands what you want to do and why. Also, be sure to clearly describe all aspects and contexts necessary for the reviewer to understand the project idea.
The application should contain a clear description of the project in the following sections:
Basic information
- Number of project years covered by the application.
- Start month 1 September 2026.
- Project title in Swedish and English (200 characters including spaces)
- Popular science description in Swedish (4,500 characters including spaces). If the project is granted funding, the popular science description will be published in open project databases without confidentiality assessment. The content of this field should therefore not contain sensitive information.
- Abstract in Swedish and English (1,500 characters including spaces each). If the project is granted funding, the abstracts will be published in open project databases without confidentiality assessment. The content of these fields should therefore not contain sensitive information.
Project description
Read the background text and the purpose and focus of the call carefully. Also, review the assessment criteria in the section How does the assessment process work? The assessment is based solely on what you have written in the application. The project description should therefore clearly address all assessment criteria.
If you wish to attach images, tables or figures to your application, they can be uploaded as an attachment (PDF, max. 4 MB). It is not mandatory to attach such files.
The following sections must be included in the application:
Background, objectives and expected effects (max. 12,000 characters including spaces)
- Describe the challenges, needs, problems or knowledge gaps that the project addresses.
- Describe the research and knowledge that underpin the project. You can also describe previous solutions and experiences that are relevant to the project.
- Describe the purpose and objectives of the project and how the project contributes to the purpose and focus of the call.
- Describe the expected results of the project and explain how these are at the forefront of its field.
- Describe the expected effects of the project, both in the short and long term, and how these relate to the identified challenges, needs, problems or knowledge gaps that the project addresses.
- Describe which social groups that are primarily affected by the project’s results, and in what ways the project responds to their needs and circumstances.
Implementation, participants and actors (max. 12,000 characters including spaces)
- Describe and justify the implementation plan, including timeline and budget.
- Describe and justify the choice of project partners, their competencies, roles, participation and activities in the project. Also describe how the project partners will collaborate.
- Describe how you plan to include the interests and perspectives of stakeholders and others affected by the project.
- Describe the project’s contribution to open science and communication – during the course of the project and/or through the dissemination of methods, databases or results. Specify which audiences these contributions are relevant for, and how.
- Describe how the project intends to ensure the utilisation of its results. Specify, for example, how and by whom the results may be used, and what measures are planned to implement, disseminate, or scale up the outcomes.
- Identify and describe ethical issues, considerations and aspects and how these are addressed in the project. Describe how gender equality and equity have been integrated into the project.
- Identify risks in the project and describe how they are addressed. Describe whether the success of the project depends on external factors or on results from other projects, and if so, how these dependencies are addressed.
References (max. 8,000 characters including spaces)
Here you list the references used to substantiate the project description. These may include research, reports, investigations, previous work relevant to the project, etc. You choose the format in which you write the references.
Budget and other information
Here you specify the project costs, financing and other information about each project partner involved in the project. Write the entire amount applied for in full Swedish kronor (not thousands of kronor).
Companies and other organisations engaged in economic activities may apply for and receive grants corresponding to a maximum of 65 per cent of their eligible costs in this call for proposals.
Read about aid intensity in the section Grant amount and project duration and about the legal basis for support in the section State aid rules - for organisations engaged in economic activity.
Information about the coordinating project partner and each project partner
Here you provide information about the organisations participating in the project. The information must be filled in for each project partner. The coordinating project partner is responsible for collecting and filling in the information. The coordinating project partner shall also be the project’s administrating organisation.
- Name of the organisation
- Organisation number
- Address, postcode, town, country
- Annual turnover (refers to the organisation’s total turnover and sales during the current tax year, stated in figures, e.g. 3,500,000)
- Balance sheet total (refers to the sum of assets or the sum of liabilities and equity in a company or organisation’s balance sheet, stated in figures, e.g. 5,500,000)
- Number of employees
- Contact person
- Email address of contact person
- Name of workplace, address, postcode, town, country where most of the work will be carried out.
Costs
Here you specify the project’s:
- Personnel costs
- Costs for equipment, buildings and land
- Costs for consultants and licences, etc.
- Other direct costs
- Indirect costs
The information must be provided for each project partner, year and type of cost. Please note that all project partners must report personnel costs in the project budget.
Read more about the costs that Formas can finance in the section Costs for which you can apply funding.
Financing
Here you specify how you plan to finance the costs.
You can specify four types of financing:
- Applied funding from Formas: Specify the amount sought from Formas within the framework of the call. The amount may not exceed the total costs. If the amount sought is less than the total costs, the remaining amount will automatically be calculated and reported under “Self-finance”.
- Other funding (public): If funding for the project has been received from Formas or another public funder.
- Other funding (private): If funds from another private company or organisation are contributing to the financing of the project. Please note that a project partner may not finance another project partner within the framework of the project. This means that financing specified under “Other funding (private)” may not consist of support from another project partner within the project.
- Self-finance: If the project partner contributes its own funding to the project, this is automatically calculated in the field for self-finance.
Is the project partner applying for a grant for non-economic activities?
Here you indicate whether the project partner is applying for a grant for non-economic activities.
Indicate whether the project partner:
- Yes, is applying for funding for non-economic activities and only conducts non-economic activities.
- Yes, is applying for funding for non-economic activities and conducts economic activities, but meets the requirements for separate accounting.
- No, conducts economic activities and is subject to state aid rules.
If an audit reveals that separate accounting is lacking, Formas may request additional information or decide not to pay out the grant. If it emerges that the grant has in practice benefited economic activities without there being a valid legal basis under state aid rules, Formas may demand repayment of the grant paid out, with interest.
Budget specification
Here you explain and justify the budget in words and specify the indirect costs that have been applied.
Here you also specify any consultancy costs and the extent of the consultant’s involvement. Also specify which project partner(s) is/are responsible for the consultancy costs. Clearly describe all costs in relation to the activities in question within the project. (max. 9,000 characters including spaces).
Ethical aspects that require ethical review
Some research may only be conducted if it has been approved through an ethical review. If you are conducting research on humans, human tissue, or sensitive personal data, you must submit an application for ethical review to the Swedish Ethical Review Authority and obtain approval. If your project includes experiments on animals, you must obtain approval from an ethics committee for animals. You can apply for this through the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s e-services.
You must state here whether you have a valid ethical approval or not. If you do not have one, and your application is granted funding, you must have ethical approval before starting the part of the research that requires this approval.
If your research is not expected to involve anything that requires ethical approval, you must state this and explain how and why.
Classifications
Formas uses the project classifications in analyses and documentation at an overall level. The classifications are made by the applicant specifying the subject area, research subject (SCB code), at least one global sustainable development goal to which the project can contribute, and keywords.
- Subject area
Select the project’s subject area and add a subheading.
- Research subject (SCB code)
Select at least one research subject and two sub-levels that create the combined code.
- Sustainable Development Goals Select at least one and up to three global sustainability goals that the project can contribute to, in order of priority according to degree of relevance.
More about the meaning of the goals. External link.
- Keywords
Enter at least one and up to three keywords that describe the project.
Administrating organisation
- Select the administrating organisation from the drop-down list. If you cannot find the coordinating project partner in the list, see the section Administrating organisation and organisation account.
- Select your project site from the drop-down list. If you cannot find the correct project site, see the section Administrating organisations that need to be individually approved.
CVs and key project participants
List of key project participants
Here you list all key persons (project participants including project managers) with:
- First and last names
- Organisation
- Any doctoral degrees, including date of graduation
CV
Attach the CVs of all key project participants here. Include experience and qualifications that are relevant to the project. Also explain why the project participant is a key person.
All CVs should be included in one document and attached as one PDF file (PDF, max 10 MB). Use the template provided, maximum 1 page per person.
CV template Safe Spaces 2025.docx docx, 110.7 kB.
In this call, researchers at Formas’s generally approved administrating organisations cannot link to previously submitted CV information in Prisma. All CVs must be submitted in the same way to ensure equal assessment.
Illustrations, figures, maps
If you wish to attach images, tables or figures to your application, they can be uploaded as an appendix (PDF, max 4 MB). It is not mandatory to attach such files.
Once the application is complete, it must be registered, submitted and signed by the supervisor of the organisation account in Prisma.
Signing a registered application can be done in two ways:
- If the supervisor of the organisation account is also the project manager, the application is automatically registered and signed when it is submitted.
- If the project manager is someone else, the project manager completes the application. The supervisor of the organisation account, or a user with the role Organisation supervisor, must then register and submit the application. Signing takes place automatically upon registration.
At any time during the process, the project manager can go to the Register/Overview tab to see if anything is missing or preventing the application from being registered.
Please note: The call closes on 11 February 2026 at 14:00 (CET). All applications must be registered before this deadline, and no additions or late submissions will be accepted (unless specifically requested by Formas). We therefore recommend that you submit your application well in advance.
After you have submitted your application
Formas verifies that the application meets the formal requirements set out in the call. If the application does not meet the requirements, it will be rejected. Decisions to reject cannot be appealed.
The following requirements will be checked in this call:
Requirements for the project team and project partners
- The application must include at least two (2) and a maximum of five (5) project partners with budgeted personnel costs in the project budget. This includes both partners receiving funding and those participating through self-financing or other funding.
- That at least one (1) project partner is a research performing organisation and at least one (1) project partner is another type of organisation. For information on which organisations are considered research performing organisations, see the section Requirements for the composition of the project group.
- All project partners must be legal entities. Natural persons or sole proprietorships cannot participate as project partners.
- All project partners applying for funding from Formas must have a Swedish organisation number.
- All project partners must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency no later than the closing date of the call.
- That all project partners whose organisational form requires it are registered for F-tax and VAT.
- That the credit checks carried out by Formas on the project partners show that they have a sufficiently robust economy to receive funding (relevant for project partners applying for funding from Formas) and carry out the project according to the application and Formas’ terms and conditions for grants. Project partners must not have financial difficulties or be newly established.
- At least one participating researcher at a research performing organisation must hold a doctoral degree by the closing date of the call.
- The coordinating project partner must be selected as the administrating organisation for the project.
Requirements for the application
- That the focus of the application falls within Formas’ areas of responsibility.
- That the focus of the application is within the scope of the call.
- That the amount applied for is within the specified limits. This also applies to funds for indirect costs, which must comply with Formas’ guidelines for the respective organisation. For organisations participating in their economic activity, the funding applied for from Formas may not exceed 65 per cent of the eligible costs.
- That all costs reported in the budget are eligible costs and meet Formas’ terms and conditions for grants.
- The application is complete, i.e. it contains all the mandatory information.
- That no more than one application with the same or similar content has been submitted.
- That the application meets Formas’ terms and conditions for grants.
- That the application and project group comply with the other requirements of the call, including those related to budget, project partners, co-funding level, and project duration.
All applications are assessed by an external review panel based on the information provided in the application. It is therefore important that the application is as clear as possible in its content and that all important and relevant information is included. Each application is reviewed by several reviewers. The review panel is composed of representatives from academia and relevant actors in society.
In this call, Formas may apply a portfolio perspective to enable the call to fund projects that address a broad range of challenges and perspectives within the scope of the call. The portfolio perspective can only be applied after each application has been assessed on its own merits.
Applications are assessed based on the following criteria:
Relevance
- The project can significantly contribute to the purpose and focus of the call.
- The project has identified the key areas where the results or solution can have a positive impact.
- The project is designed with relevant consideration for the needs and circumstances of different social groups.
Potential
- The project’s problem formulation and purpose are clear, logical and aligned with the purpose and focus of the call.
- The research and accumulated knowledge underpinning the project is of high quality and is relevant.
- The project’s expected results or solution are at the forefront of its field.
- The project has significant potential for scalability or dissemination.
Implementation
- Planned activities and methods are appropriate to achieve the expected results. The timeline and budget are realistic and suitable.
- The project’s planned management of any obstacles or risks that may affect its implementation is appropriate.
- The plan for how the project’s results will be utilised is appropriate.
- The project addresses ethical considerations in a satisfactory manner.
Actors
- The project’s organisation and combined competence are appropriate for its implementation, including the utilisation of its results.
- The project includes the interests and perspectives of relevant stakeholders and users in an appropriate and satisfactory manner.
Our reviewers are currently not permitted to use AI tools to support the review of applications. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, there is a significant risk that uploaded information will be disseminated further. There are also risks associated with confidentiality and the processing of personal data. Uploading an application or information from an application to any form of AI tool constitutes unauthorised dissemination of information. This applies not only to AI tools but also to many other services and tools for storing and sharing data.
Decisions on which projects will be awarded funding are expected to be made on 16 June 2026. We will publish the decisions no later than the following day on the Formas website, and you will receive an email when you can view the decision in Prisma. Grant decisions cannot be appealed.
Once a project has been awarded funding, the coordinating project partner must sign Formas’ Terms and Conditions for Grants in Prisma to accept the grant. All project partners must also sign a commitment stating that they undertake to carry out the project in accordance with the decision, including the terms and conditions and the project description approved by Formas. Formas will not disburse funds until all signatures have been received.
All approved projects must report back to Formas on finances and project results three months after the end of the allocation period. For projects longer than 18 months, a financial status report must also be submitted to Formas annually. All reports are submitted in Prisma.
Read about what information is needed for the financial report here: Financial reporting in Prisma External link. (Swedish).
Formas may impose requirements on how the project is to report its content and results, for example by producing a policy brief in the final report. The aim is to promote the dissemination and utilisation of the results. This will be stated in the decision with associated conditions for the project, in the event of funding. Formas may also require the project to participate in conferences or similar activities to promote collaboration, learning and knowledge exchange.
Results from research funded by Formas must be published with open access.
You must also have a data management plan for the data produced in the project. If you receive funding from us, you must draw up such a plan. The plan does not need to be submitted to us, but you must be able to present it on request. By signing our funding conditions, you certify that a data management plan will be in place before the research begins and that it will be maintained.
Formas transfers information about approved grants to the Swecris External link. database, which is managed by the Swedish Research Council on behalf of the government. The following data from approved applications is transferred to Swecris and made available as open data:
- Project title in Swedish
- Project title in English
- Abstract in Swedish
- Abstract in English
- Estimated project duration (start and end dates)
- Total amount granted
- Name of coordinating organisation in Swedish
- Name of coordinating organisation in English
- Organisation number for coordinating organisation
- Research subject SCB code
- Name of applicant and participating persons
- Gender of applicant and participating persons
- ORCID for applicants and participants.
Revision history
If we need to make changes to the call text after it opens, we indicate the changes here.
Support and shortcuts
Information meeting November 18 at 10.00
Information meeting 22 January at 10.00
Contact information
For questions about the content of the call for proposals
For administrative matters and questions about Prisma
