The dates for the call are preliminary and may be subject to change. The content will be further developed and refined until the call opens.
Forests cover nearly 70% of Sweden's land area and play an important role for Sweden as a multifaceted natural resource, for Sweden's economy, for biodiversity and as a place for recreation, health and well-being. Almost half (49%) of Sweden's productive forest land is owned by small-scale private forest owners, and their decisions and conditions are therefore crucial to how forests are developed, managed and used. This call for proposals focuses on the interactions between people and forests, with an emphasis on the importance of forests for human health and well-being, as well as how human drivers affect forests and how they are managed.
The purpose of this call is to fund research that deepens knowledge about forests, forestry, forest management and the forest sector from two key perspectives:
(1) the importance of forests for human health and well-being,
and/or
(2) the conditions and drivers of small-scale private forest owners.
The call is also expected to lead to increased collaboration between researchers from different disciplines.
Formas is looking for projects whose research results can clearly and significantly contribute to further societal benefits from forests and the forest sector. The projects funded under this call are expected to generate new knowledge that contributes to a diverse and robust knowledge base for more secure decision-making and improved practices.
The research projects may focus on one or both of the call’s two central perspectives. Below are some examples of relevant areas that may be the focus of projects funded under this call. These examples should not be seen as separate or exclusive: a research project may address several of these areas, as well as other areas that contribute to the call’s purpose.
- The significance of forests for human health and well-being
The call covers research projects that highlight how forestry practices, forest governance or the forest sector as a whole affect and interact with the various values of forests for human health and well-being. This refers in particular to the role of forestry, forest management and the forest sector in actively influencing and steering towards increased benefits for human health and well-being in interaction with other societal goals. This may, for example, concern the significance of forests, forestry and the forest sector for physical activity, mental health, experiences, recreation, recovery, outdoor life, hunting and tourism. It may also involve the interaction between forests, forest management and the forest sector as a whole with social values, culture, identity, indigenous perspectives, traditions, community and existential health.
- Conditions and drivers for small-scale private forest owners
The call covers research projects that contribute to insights into the conditions and drivers of small-scale private forest owners that are relevant to how various societal goals related to forests can be realised in practice. This may involve human factors that influence decision-making regarding forests among small-scale private forest owners, such as values, knowledge, incentives, traditions or expectations, but also aspects such as policy instruments, laws, advice, decision support, digitalisation or organisational aspects. It may also involve the importance of small-scale private forest owners for rural areas and the effects of, for example, generational change, urbanisation and demographic changes on ownership and use.
Delimitations
The knowledge produced must be clearly relevant to a Swedish context, but may include lessons from international examples. For projects focusing on the role of forests in health and well-being, the projects funded must have a clear and significant focus on forestry, forest management, or the forest sector. The call does not include projects that focus solely or primarily on health or well-being. Nor does the call cover projects on the working environment or animal health. This call only covers projects relating to forests as defined by the FAO: it therefore does not cover projects focusing on trees in urban environments, gardens or similar green spaces in cities and towns, nor small groups of trees (<0.5 ha), fruit orchards, agroforestry systems or other plantations primarily intended for agricultural production.
Grants from this call may only be administered by a Swedish university, college, research institute, authority with a research mandate or other organisation whose main activity is research.
Who can become an administrating organisation?
To be eligible to apply for funding under this call, the following conditions must be met:
- The main applicant must have a doctoral degree (no later than the closing date of the call).
- Participating researchers must have completed a doctoral degree (no later than the closing date of the call). Other personnel participating in the project do not need to have completed a doctoral degree.
- The intended grant recipient must be the project manager on the application.
- There is no upper age limit for principal applicants and participating researchers, but full-time retired researchers are not eligible for salary grants.
Formas welcomes a wide range of disciplines and approaches in order to achieve a diversity of research perspectives and different types of knowledge. We therefore welcome applicants from all disciplines and, in this call, are seeking projects that involve interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborations. The longer project period also enables the funding of doctoral students where relevant. The projects are expected to include and engage decision-makers and/or stakeholders in the public sector, industry and civil society in the project work in a manner that is relevant and appropriate to the issue at hand. State aid does not apply in this call.
Funding can be sought for a project lasting three or four years. Each project can have a maximum budget of SEK 2.5 million per year. This means that a three-year project has a maximum budget of SEK 7.5 million and a four-year project has a maximum budget of SEK 10 million. Funding can be applied for for the years 2027–2030, but all projects must start in 2027. You can apply for funding for both direct and indirect costs.
Revision history
If we need to make changes to the call text after it opens, we indicate the changes here.
Contact information
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