Who can sit on our review panels?
We appoint members to our review panels based on what is required to assess the applications we receive. The review panels are international and consist of experts in Formas’ areas of responsibility.
The members of our review panels are either active researchers or people who use research results in their operations. Most of the panel consists of researchers.
Together, the members have the expertise required to assess applications within the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, health and engineering sciences. They also have the qualifications to assess multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research.
Length of tenure of members and chairperson
We divide our calls into two main categories: recurring and targeted calls.
For Formas’ recurring calls, such as the annual open call and the communication call, we appoint members each year. They can get a new appointment for up to four years. The appointment is always based on the qualifications required in relation to the applications received. The chaiperson can sit on the panel for an additional year, that is, five years.
Someone who has previously been a member for four years on one of our recurring review panels can be reappointed as a member after five years pass since the end of the previous period.
For targeted calls, we appoint a review panel that is qualified to assess the theme in question. This appointment is valid until the review of the application is completed.
Guidelines for the composition of Formas’ review panels
The review panels consist of the chairperson, vice-chairperson and several members. The number of members varies with what is appropriate for the call. There must be enough members to cover the qualifications required to assess the applications.
Qualifications and mandate of the review panel
The review panel as a whole should be qualified to assess the applications distributed to the group and thus cover all the topics the applications span. So together, they should have broad subject-matter expertise and be qualified to assess both basic research and needs-driven research as well as user value and societal benefit. The final decision on the composition of the review panel will therefore be made after we receive the applications.
If necessary, external expert reviewers can be included to complement the qualifications of the review panel.
Each review panel should have a gender balance and consist of both women and men. This also applies to the chairperson and vice-chairperson.
The chairperson is a researcher who is a professor or equivalent, with broad subject-matter expertise, experience of strategic work, and insights into the societal value of research for sustainable development. The chairperson leads the work of the review panel together with the vice-chairperson, but does not assess the applications.
The vice-chairperson is a representative of the people who will use the research results in their operations. The vice-chairperson must have a broad understanding of the user value and societal benefits for sustainable development as well as significant experience of strategic work. Together with the chairperson, the vice-chairperson leads the work of the review panel but does not assess the applications.
Members have a mandate to assess both the scientific quality of applications and the potential for societal impact.
A majority of the members are researchers working in Sweden or abroad. They are selected primarily based on their qualifications to assess applications from the perspective of scientific quality. The researchers should have broad subject-matter expertise, at the associate professor level or equivalent, and have the ability to work strategically.
A minority of the members are people who use the research results in their operations. They are selected primarily based on their qualifications to assess applications from the perspective of societal impact potential. They can work either in or outside Sweden. They should have documented research experience, such as a doctoral degree or proof of previous reviews or strategic knowledge building. They should be able to provide an overview of society’s knowledge needs in both the short and long term and have experience of strategic work.
Obligation to follow our guidelines and work impartially
The chairperson and vice-chairperson on the review panels are, with Formas’ support, responsible for ensuring that the work of the panel is done in accordance with Formas’ general mandate, conflict of interest rules, guidelines for reviewing applications and otherwise proper ethical conduct.