Explore – Innovative research for the environment, agricultural sciences and spatial planning 2026

Through Explore, we aim to promote scientific breakthroughs in the fields of environment, agricultural sciences and spatial planning. We strive to do this in ways that strengthen society’s ability to address national and global challenges, in both the short and long term. Research funded through Explore must therefore be innovative, of the highest scientific quality, and have the potential to contribute to long-term sustainable development.

To respond to diverse needs and societal challenges, research must draw on a broad range of ideas and perspectives. Explore therefore welcomes both basic research and needs-driven research, across all disciplines and combinations of disciplines.

Explore is Formas’ recurring call for innovative research projects. In this call, you are free to formulate your own research question within the fields of environment, agricultural sciences and spatial planning – or with a focus on overarching perspectives on sustainable development.

Innovative research differs from other types of research in that it aims to significantly advance or challenge the current state of knowledge and the state of the art. This may involve generating empirical knowledge in underexplored areas, developing entirely new methods or models for data collection or analysis, challenging assumptions, theories or concepts, or adopting radically new perspectives on otherwise well-studied issues. What all innovative research has in common is that it involves elements of both creativity and relevant risk-taking. This applies whether the research aims to solve current problems or to contribute primarily to the long-term development of knowledge in society.

Formas is tasked with promoting and funding both basic research and needs-driven research within three areas of responsibility: environment, agricultural sciences and spatial planning. The research funded must be of the highest scientific quality and relevant to these areas. This is stipulated in Formas’ government mandate.

How Formas is governed. External link.

Three areas with many points of intersection

Formas’ areas of responsibility are described under three separate headings below, but they should not be viewed as entirely distinct. Knowledge needs often concern complex issues that lie at the intersections of environment, agricultural sciences and spatial planning, or are of a cross-cutting nature.

Environment

This area of responsibility concerns the interaction between humans and the environment, and the promotion of sustainable societies and resilient ecosystems. It includes topics such as climate, environment, oceans and water, biodiversity, ecosystem services, resource efficiency, and a future free from hazardous chemicals. It also covers issues related to Earth systems and processes in soil, air and water.

The climate topic includes, for example, the climate system and its changes, measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improved knowledge of climate change impacts, and/or adaptation strategies. This area also includes questions related to more environmentally and socio-economically sustainable use of existing resources, as well as sustainable products, processes, materials and patterns of consumption. It includes how people relate to nature and its values, and how these relationships evolve over time. It also concerns society’s capacity to assess and manage environmental pollution, climate risks and environmental change.

Agricultural Sciences

This area of responsibility encompasses forestry, agriculture, land use, food systems, and animal health and welfare – viewed from multiple perspectives. Topics include various uses and values of forests, and the trade-offs and synergies between them. Agricultural and food-related topics span the entire food system, from production and processing to distribution, preparation and consumption, as well as the management of by-products. It also includes access to safe, nutritious, healthy, tasty, and environmentally sustainable food for different groups in society.

Within animal health and welfare, the area includes companion animals, sport animals, laboratory animals, and food-producing animals on land and in water – and their health and wellbeing. It also includes the spread of infectious diseases between animals, and between animals and humans. The area also covers land use, soil health, and land-related issues concerning the extraction of strategic minerals and raw materials.

Spatial Planning

This area of responsibility covers urban, rural, and regional planning, design, and construction, as well as the use, management, reuse and demolition of buildings, dwellings, spaces, landscapes and infrastructures. It also includes the relationships between places, buildings and societal functions – and how they are used, as well as how people move through them.

Spatial planning encompasses both cultural and natural environments, and how the built environment can be made inclusive, safe, and resilient to future challenges. It includes all aspects of sustainable development with a focus on ensuring good living environments for all, now and in the future. This also involves navigating competing interests and value conflicts – about which priorities should guide planning, construction and management of a sustainable society for both people and nature.

Overarching perspectives on sustainable development

Formas’ areas of responsibility should not be viewed as three separate domains. Knowledge needs often concern complex issues that lie at the intersections of environment, agricultural sciences and spatial planning, or are crosscutting in nature.

This may involve how people relate to sustainability challenges, and how these are expressed in everyday life, cultural expressions, organisations and politics – in the past, present and future. It may also concern norms, practices and values at individual, group or systemic level, or issues relating to policy instruments, regulations and political decision-making.

How we assess whether a project falls within our areas of responsibility

Formas can only fund research that contributes to our areas of responsibility. When assessing whether a project falls within our remit, we look at the contribution the expected contribution from the project. For a project to be considered within our scope, this contribution must be both clear and substantial. Thus, it is not sufficient for a minor part of the project to relate to our areas, or for the relevance to be indirect. The application must clearly describe how the project contributes to one or more of our areas, and in what way. If the application does not demonstrate sufficient relevance to our areas of responsibility, it will be rejected.

Technical solutions for sustainable energy

This call does not fund projects whose primary purpose is to develop technical solutions for the extraction, conversion, transmission and/or storage of energy; for improving energy efficiency; or for carbon capture and storage (CCS) or carbon capture and utilisation (CCU). This includes components, materials, models, and control and regulation systems for such solutions, as well as both bio-based and nature-based technical solutions.

Utilisation and implementation of research

Explore funds projects where the primary aim is to generate new scientific knowledge. This call does not fund projects primarily aimed at utilising research results or scientific knowledge.

This includes, for example, feasibility studies, pilot facilities and demonstration projects. Other types of projects that do not aim to develop new scientific knowledge – or where this is only a limited part of the project – are also not eligible for funding under this call.

This call is aimed at those who wish to contribute to scientific breakthroughs and societal benefit through innovative research.

To be the project leader, you must hold a doctoral degree and have a career age of at least four years. You must also be able to dedicate at least 20 percent of a full-time position to the project throughout the entire project period.

You may apply on your own or together with others. Other project participants may include participating researchers, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers or other staff. Participating researchers must have been obtained a doctoral degree no later than the call deadline.

All project participants must be employed by a Swedish organisation whose main activity is research. This includes higher education institutions, certain research institutes and foundations, and government agencies with a research remit that are approved under this call.

In this call, the following requirements apply to administrating organisations, main applicants and project participants:

General requirements for administrering organisations

The administrating organisation is the entity that receives the funds that Formas disburses to an awarded project. To be approved as an administrating organisation for a call, you must both meet certain general requirements and the specific requirements set out in the call.

More information on what is required to become an administrating organisation:

Who can become an administrating organisation? External link.

Requirements for administrering organisations for this call

Grants under this call may only be administered by a Swedish organisation whose main activity is research. This includes higher education institutions, certain research institutes and foundations, and government agencies with a research remit.

We have listed the research institutes, foundations and government agencies with a research remit that are approved as administrating organisations for this call. If your organisation is not included in this list, and you consider that research is the organisation’s main activity, please contact the staff responsible for the call.

Swedish higher education institutions include all Swedish universities and university colleges.

Research institutes and foundations include organisations over which the state exercises legally decisive influence, directly or indirectly, or foundations in which the Government appoints one or more members of the board. These include:

• Institutet för Framtidsstudier, IF
• IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet AB
• Nordregio
• RISE Processum AB
• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
• SIS svenska institutet för standarder
• Stiftelsen Skogsbrukets Forskningsinstitut, Skogforsk
• Stiftelsen Östekonomiska Institutet
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)

Government agency with a research remit refers to all central government agencies that, under their instructions, are required to conduct research. These include:

• Naturhistoriska riksmuseet
• Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
• Polismyndigheten
• Rättsmedicinalverket
• Statens geotekniska institut, SGI
• Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt, SVA
• Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut, VTI
• Sveriges meteorologiska och hydrologiska institut, SMHI
• Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut, FOI
• Universitetssjukhus i de regioner som ingår i ALF-avtalet. Klinisk forskning i ALF-regionerna External link.

Requirements for the project leader

• The project leader is the person who initiates and submits the application.
• The project leader must have a career age of at least four years (48 months) at the time the call closes. Career age is defined here as the time that has elapsed since the doctoral degree was awarded.
• The project leader must have an activity level of at least 20 percent in the project. This may be financed through the grant applied for, from other sources, or through a combination of these.
• The project leader must be employed by the administrating organisation from the project start date until the project has been completed and reported to Formas.
• There is no upper age limit for the main applicant; however, researchers who are fully retired cannot receive funding for salary costs.
• A project leader may submit no more than one project application.
• A project leader may not be the project leader of an ongoing project funded under any of Formas’ calls Explore, Career Support, the Annual Open Call, or Mobility Support. A project is considered ongoing if the grant period includes 2027. Information on the grant period can be found in the project terms and conditions, which are available in Prisma.

Requirements for participating researchers

• Each application may include a maximum of four (4) participating researchers. The project leader is not counted as a participating researcher.
• Participating researchers are researchers who hold a doctoral degree, have actively contributed to drafting the application, and whose expertise and experience are essential for the project to be carried out. Participating researchers contribute to the implementation of the project throughout the entire project period. Individuals who contribute to a lesser extent or on isolated occasions should not be listed as participating researchers but instead be included under another role.
• Participating researchers must have been awarded a doctoral degree no later than the call deadline.
• There is no upper age limit for participating researchers; however, researchers who are fully retired cannot receive funding for salary costs.

Project participants based outside Sweden

Formas’ funding may be used to cover costs for project participants based outside Sweden, but only to a limited extent. The research must be initiated and led from Sweden. Any contributions from project participants based in other countries must be well justified and may only constitute a minor part of the project. The administrating organisation is responsible for hiring any foreign staff or paying for activities or services outside Sweden in accordance with the administrating organisation’s guidelines.

• A limited extent is defined as a maximum of 15 per cent of the requested grant, averaged across the project period.
• Project participants based in other countries than Sweden are defined as project participants that have their employment in another country than Sweden.
• Project participants include the main applicant, participating researchers and other participants salaried through the requested grant.
• Individuals engaged via purchased services are not considered project participants.

Project participants employed at companies or other organisations engaged in economic activities

Individuals employed by companies or other organisations engaged in economic activity cannot receive funding from this call.

• This applies to all project participants and all types of project participants.
• This applies to persons employed by companies or other organisations with economic activities, if they participate in the project through this employment.
• For persons with several jobs, it needs to be clearly stated through which job they are participating in the project.
• Persons employed by companies or other organisations with economic activities, and participating through this employment, can only participate in the project if their participation is funded from other sources, such as in-kind.

Exceptions to this rule are made only for those organisations that are approved as administrating organisations for the call Explore 2026.

Due to the war in Ukraine, it is not possible to receive funding for projects involving research co-operation with state or federal research institutions in Russia and Belarus.

When applying for funding for a project, you can apply for both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are, for example, salaries, equipment and travel costs incurred as a direct result of the project.

Indirect costs are costs shared with others in the organisation, such as administration, IT and rent for premises. Sometimes indirect costs are called overheads. The conditions for indirect costs differ between organisations.

What you can apply for funding for - Formas External link.

Your application may not include costs for purposes that are already funded by Formas or any other funding body. Applications that are wholly or largely the same as an application that has been granted funding from Formas or another funder will be rejected.

The call sets the following requirements for the grant amount and project duration:

• You must apply for a minimum of SEK 5 million and a maximum of SEK 6 million.
• The project must run for four years (48 months). It is not possible to apply for shorter or longer projects.
• The project start date in Prisma will be pre-set to 1 September 2027. This date cannot be changed.

The review panel assessing your application will be international. You should therefore write your application in English, unless otherwise stated. If you write your application in Swedish, only the section titled “Project description” will be translated into English. You will not have the opportunity to review or edit this translation before the application is submitted for assessment.

However, the popular science description must be written in Swedish, while the summaries must be provided in both Swedish and English.