From research to implementation for a sustainable society 2022

WHAT CAN YOU APPLY FOR?

Projects that translate research results, knowledge and experience of actors in society into an implementable solution that can contribute to a sustainable society. The solution can be either commercial or non-commercial. Projects should fall within one or more of the themes and perspectives highlighted in the national research programmes for sustainable spatial planning, food, climate, and oceans and water.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Research practitioners, public organisations, companies (not sole proprietorships) and other organisations that meet Formas’ requirements for administrating organisations. At least one researcher who has completed a PhD must participate in the project. Only multi-party applications, with participation from at least one business or public sector partner and at least one party from a university, college or research institute.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU APPLY FOR?

The project duration should run for 1 or 2 years, and you can apply for a maximum of 2 million SEK per 12-month period.

Given decision: 2022-10-26 13:40

Fund­ed pro­jects

Preliminary decisions. Please note that only decisions published in Prisma is a guarantee of granted funding.

Sweden faces major challenges in its transition to socially, environmentally and economically sustainable communities. A key in this transition is multi-stakeholder collaboration that enables research results, together with knowledge and experience among stakeholders, to be translated into solutions that help achieve the transition.

The purpose of the call is to stimulate utilisation of research results so that it is translated into a solution for the intended target group and contribute to increased sustainability throughout society. The solution can be either commercial or non-commercial and should be a result of co-creation between researchers and one or more actors in society. Formas therefore requires that there are at least two applying parties, at least one from a university, college or research institute and at least one actor in society, such as the public sector or business sector. Participating parties must have a clear need and interest in the new proposed solution and participate actively in the project.

Projects should fall within one or more of the themes and perspectives highlighted in the national research programmes for sustainable spatial planning, climate, food, and oceans and water.

Funding can be sought for projects that run 1 or 2 years (12 or 24 months) and for a maximum of 2 million kronor per 12-month period, meaning a total maximum amount of 4 million kronor. Co-funding is not required in the projects. Private companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity that want to apply for a grant from Formas are subject to EU's rules for state aid in which the requirements and level of co-funding are stated.

Formas has allocated 60 million kronor under the call for the period 2022–2023.

We face major challenges that must be solved as we transition towards giving up fossil fuels, adapting to climate change, and creating the conditions for socially, environmentally and economically sustainable communities.

The national research programmes for sustainable spatial planning, food, climate, and oceans and water have been initiated by the government with the aim of taking a comprehensive approach for a better overview and coordination of each research area. The programmes run for 10 years and are expected to create the conditions for interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral collaboration. A clear aim of the national research programmes is to contribute to transitioning to a sustainable society, for which utilisation of research results is central. Each programme has a strategic research agenda that serves as the basis for the actions the programme chooses to implement. The appendix at the end of the call briefly describes the themes and perspectives that the programmes have chosen to prioritise and contains links to each agenda.

Research is an important means for enabling the transition to a sustainable society, but the challenges that need to be solved lie in our communities. Hence, stakeholders and citizens have

important knowledge and experience to bring to the process of developing applicable solutions.

With this call, Formas wishes to lay the groundwork for value creation, whether commercial or non-commercial. In partnership with other stakeholders, researchers should utilise the research results and other knowledge and experiences to develop solutions that can be applied and contribute to a sustainable society. A key prerequisite for the success of such a process is a joint commitment on the part of researchers and other stakeholders, such as citizens, municipalities or industry players. All project participants must understand the contexts and systems in which the proposed solution will be applied. This can involve needs, requirements and obstacles that must be understood and addressed in order to develop impactful solutions that enable long-term sustainable development.

The purpose of this call is to translate research results, knowledge and the experience of both researchers and other stakeholders into real-world use by the intended target groups and help to achieve a sustainable society in the long term. Therefore, the call places great emphasis on multi-stakeholder collaboration between academia (universities, colleges, research institutes or other organisation primarily engaged in research) and other stakeholders to enable them to jointly develop relevant solutions with a focus on increased sustainability. Solutions may be of a technical nature or pertain to policy development or other activities that influence attitudes, drivers or norms.

The call focuses on the areas described in the strategic agendas of the national research programmes. In the projects, research practitioners and stakeholders should use a common process to significantly develop the research results into implementable solutions. The projects should contribute to solving global challenges related to the themes and perspectives described in the appendix at the end of the call and in the research agendas of each national research programme.

The participants’ complementary skills and level of involvement in a specific project must be based on that project’s needs. It is vital for participants to have a systems understanding of the context in which the solution will be applied and a shared interest in the expected outcome. The project activities must be designed in relation to the specific maturity level and challenges of each individual project.

The project’s proposed solution must (where relevant) be, or have the potential to become, scalable and be disseminated to relevant stakeholders in order to make a lasting contribution to the national research programme objectives. A scalable solution is one that can be scaled up for implementation and use in society, and if possible, used in the same type or similar applications nationally or internationally. For the project to be considered, the application must clearly show that the sustainability perspective is an integral part of the project, as well as how this is followed up.

The project should be able to clearly demonstrate that the solution meets the needs of stakeholders and contributes to the transition. The composition of the project team and the participants’ activities should provide the project with the best conditions for developing the described solution and potential for its implementation.

The overall research that underpins the solution should be of high quality. This means that it rests on a solid scientific foundation, the proposed solution is novel or has a high level of innovation, , and fills a gap for solutions within or outside Sweden.

Results from funded projects must, as far as possible, comply with the FAIR principles External link. around open access to publications and research data.

The call is aimed at individuals who work in academia, the public sector, non-profit associations, the business sector and other organisations. Participants from at least two parties must be part of the application: at least one from academia (universities, colleges, or other organisations that primarily engage in research) and at least one party from outside academia. The project manager can come from a private company, public-sector organisation, academia or institute. Any application where a sole proprietorship is a party will be rejected.

For organisations engaged in economic activity, such as municipal companies, private companies and other organisations, Formas applies EU state aid rules. Read more under the State aid rules for companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity heading in this call document.

It is not permissible to be the main applicant for more than one application in this call.

Before you apply

All information on what should be included in your application, as well as the application and assessment processes, is included in the sections below.

Note that this application procedure and application form differ from Formas’ regular calls for research projects. Learn more under the heading “How to apply”.

Print-friendly version of the call text. External link.

Any changes to the call text will be listed below Revision history.

Employees at Swedish higher education institutions, research institutes, public organisations, companies and other private organisations can apply for a grant in the call. Sole proprietorships will not be awarded a grant, so any applications with a sole proprietorship as a party will be rejected.

It is not permissible to be the main applicant for more than one application in this call.

A PhD degree is only required for participants from academia, i.e., from universities, colleges, research institutes or other research practitioners.

Several different types of organisations must participate in the project and be represented by both research practitioners and stakeholders from the wider society. It is up to the project to put together the most suitable project team. This is part of the assessment criteria for Implementation and Project Organisation (see those criteria under “How does the assessment process work?”).

There must be at least two (2) but no more than five (5) project participants.

Formas strives for an equitable, gender-balanced and inclusive development of society. Applicants should therefore design the project so that its results can benefit a diverse group of people, and the team should consider the gender distribution of project members. How influence is distributed in the team should also be considered.

Co-funding is not required for this call. Note that organisations engaged in economic activity that want to apply for a grant from Formas are subject to state aid regulations in which, requirements for co-funding are detailed. See the section “State aid rules” for companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity”.

The organisation that will receive and administer the funds Formas pays out to an awarded project is called an administrating organisation. Formas distinguishes between administrating organisations that can receive funds in all Formas calls, and administrating organisations that can be approved to receive funds in an individual call. Higher education institutions, government agencies with research assignments and most research institutes are approved as administrating organisations in all Formas calls. Most other public and private organisations must receive individual approval as an administrating organisation.

Who can become an administrating organisation?

All projects must have a responsible project manager and must be carried out by the persons listed in the application.

When applying for project funding, you can apply for the grant too cover both direct and indirect costs. Direct expenses include costs for salaries and operating costs that are directly attributable to the project. Indirect expenses are those shared with others in your organisation, such as administration, IT and renting of premises. Indirect costs are sometimes called overhead.

The total amount of salary received for an individual researcher, PhD student or other participant must correspond to the level of activity in your project and must not exceed 100 percent of a full-time position. This means that additional salary funding cannot be granted to staff who already have full salary funding. Participants who receive a full-time pension cannot receive funding for their own salary.

The Formas grant can be used to fund research practitioners (researchers from universities, colleges and research institutes) who operate outside Sweden. However, the project must be initiated and managed from Sweden. The administrating organisation must be located in Sweden and approved by Formas and is responsible for hiring any foreign staff or paying for activities or services outside Sweden in accordance with the administrating organisation’s guidelines.

Funding can be sought for 1 or 2 years (12 or 24 months) and for a maximum of 2 million SEK per 12-month period, meaning a total maximum amount of 4 million kronor

The project start date is set to 1 December 2022 and cannot be changed. The budget in your application must state how you plan to use the funds, and applicants should record the budget based on how the actual costs are expected to be incurred for each financial year. For administrative reasons, Formas can apply a pay-out plan that differs from the application’s allocation of the budget over time.

Applications with a different requested amount or a project duration that does not fall within the above range will be rejected.

Private companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity that want to apply for grants from Formas must follow specific regulations on state aid. The regulations are based on the principle of EU law, which states that aid to private enterprises normally distorts competition but that certain exemptions are allowed.

The aid intensity that Formas can offer depends on the size of the organisation and the type of activities in the project. The organisation’s size is assessed using the EU definition of small and medium-sized enterprises. Activities will primarily be assessed on the basis of Article 25 of the General Block Exemption Regulation EU 651/2014. Under the call, state aid is granted only to projects which, under EU state aid rules, are grounded in “industrial research”. Aid intensity depends on the eligibility and the size of the company; learn more in Aid intensities and definitions for grants under Formas’ aid scheme , 216.6 kB. (pdf, Swedish only).

If you are applying for 100% in aid intensity and your organisation is defined as engaging in economic activity according to Formas, the aid basis must be de minimis aid, i.e. be accommodated within the framework of a maximum of received aid of € 200,000 over three consecutive fiscal years. This is based on the rules laid down in Commission Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid. Certificates of de minimis aid can be attached to the application by filling in the certificate template, signed by an authorized representative of the organisation, and scanning and uploading it into Prisma as a pdf (Formas’ de minimis aid certificate , 39.9 kB. – only in Swedish).

Note that sole proprietorships cannot be awarded a grant under this call or participate as a party in projects that are applying in Formas’ calls. Any application where a sole proprietorship is a party will be rejected.

Companies that do not have a Swedish corporate identity number cannot be awarded a grant in this call but can instead participate in-kind.

The Formas website contains more information about state aid: Rules for state aid.

You should write your application in English, since the review panel that will assess your application is international. If you do write your application in Swedish, a professional translator will translate into English only the section describing the research programme. You will not be able to amend the translation before the application proceeds to assessment. In addition, the popular science description must be written in Swedish, while the abstract should be in both Swedish and English. Your budget specification and CV will not be translated. So, please write these in English, even if you write the other sections in Swedish and submit your application in the Swedish version of our application system.

Please note that if you have installed an automatic translation plugin in your browser, you risk having your text translated into the language that you have set as default when you paste your text into Prisma. We recommend that you check the language in the text well in advance of your final registration.

According to Swedish law, your application and its appendices are considered as general public documents after they are 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 to Information and Secrecy Act (2009:400).

As an applicant, you can mark the parts you believe should be treated as confidential, but it is Formas’ assessment during the confidentiality review that determines what is disclosed. The law provides limited possibilities to keep personal data confidential. Therefore, your application should not contain the personal data of anyone who is not a participating applicant.

If the project is granted funding, the popular science description and project abstracts, written in both Swedish and English, will be published in open-access project databases without a confidentiality review. Therefore, the contents of these sections should not contain sensitive information.

It is of great importance to Formas that the projects we finance are carried out in a way that maximises positive impacts and minimises negative impacts on the environment and climate. Therefore, we encourage grant applicants to design their projects to prioritise collaboration that takes place primarily through online meetings and ensure any necessary travel is as climate-smart as possible. We also suggest that measures for minimising energy use and other resource consumption, emissions and waste are included in your project planning. However, this will not be a part of the application assessment.

Please read about Formas’ own sustainability work.

Formas is tasked with working to achieve sustainable societal development. Crucial to such development is that it is equal and inclusive. Formas, therefore encourages grant applicants, to design projects so that they can contribute knowledge that reflects and is relevant to different groups in society. Formas also encourages applicants to consider that the project group has an even gender distribution and that it includes participants with different backgrounds and experiences.

How to apply

You apply for a grant in our application system, Prisma. This is where you input all necessary information for your application.

Please read the instructions carefully, even if you have previously applied for a grant from Formas.

The information and instructions that follow address organisation and personal accounts in Prisma.

Personal account

The main applicant filling in the information must create a personal account in Prisma. If the main applicant does not have a personal account, they must apply for it in good time before the call closes.

Apply for a personal account in Prisma External link..

Organisation account

The organisation that will receive and administer the funds Formas pays out to an awarded project is called an administrating organisation in Formas’ application system. At the time of application, the organisation must have an organisation account.

Formas distinguishes between administrating organisations that can receive funds in all Formas calls, and administrating organisations that can be approved to receive funds in an individual call.

Main applicants from administrating organisations approved for all Formas calls

Higher education institutions, most research institutes and government agencies with research assignments are approved as administrating organisations for all Formas calls and already have an organisation account.

Main applicants from organisations that can become administrating organisations for an individual project

Most other public and private organisations must be individually approved as administrating organisations in this call. These organisations must have an organisation account with Formas.

  • If the organisation already has an account in Prisma, contact the responsible research officer Kerstin Röver by email kerstin.rover@formas.se to add the organisation to the list of possible administrating organisations in the call. This applies even if the organisation has sought funding in other Formas calls.
  • If your organisation does not have an account in Prisma, an appropriate representative should apply for the organisation account on the Prisma website. Apply in good time before the call closes, by 20 May at the latest. State in the motivation of the application that you want to apply in Formas’ call From research to implementation for a sustainable society 2022, and state the type of organisation and the organisation’s corporate identity number.
    Apply for an organisation account in Prisma. External link.
  • If you do not know whether the organisation has an account, contact research officer Kerstin Röver by email kerstin.rover@formas.se before you apply for a new account. Include your corporate identity number.

Project site - create a structure to describe the organisation

To be able to register an application, a project site within the organisation must be specified. This can be an institute or a department, for example. The person who manages the organisation account must create a structure of units and sub-units (domiciles). If the organisation does not have departments, specify a sub-unit that has the same name as the organisation. For information on how to do this, see Prisma’s user support External link..

Read more about creating project sites and show levels for domiciles in Prisma External link.

All limits for the maximum number of characters refer to characters including spaces. We recommend that you use Arial font in size 12 for all information entered into the text boxes.

Tables and figures with advanced formatting or formulas should be uploaded as an attachment to avoid losing valuable information.

Your application must include a clear description of the project under the following sections:

Basic information

  • Number of years applied for.
  • Starting month December 2022. The start date is predefined in Prisma and cannot be changed.
  • Project title in Swedish and English (max. 200 characters including spaces).
  • Popular science description in Swedish (max. 4,500 characters including spaces). If the research project is awarded a grant, this will be published within open-access databases without a confidentiality review. The contents of this field should, therefore, not contain any sensitive information.
  • Abstract in Swedish and English (max. 1,500 characters each, including spaces). If granted funding, project abstracts will be published in open-access project databases without a confidentiality review. Therefore, the contents of these sections should not contain sensitive information.

Project description

Read the background and the call’s purpose and focus carefully. The project description should clearly describe the project based on the assessment criteria set out under How the assessment process works. Address all the criteria in your application.

The following must be described in detail in the application:

Project relevance and potential (max. 8,000 characters including spaces)

 

Background

Describe the context to which the project belongs and why the project is of importance from a larger perspective. Your description is vital for providing Swedish and international evaluators with an understanding of how the solution the project aims to achieve relates to various parts of society.

Purpose and objectives

Describe how the project can contribute to the purpose and focus of the call. Describe the long- and short-term objectives of the project. Clearly describe the challenges the project addresses and which themes and perspectives in the research agenda for the relevant national research programme(s) the project addresses. Describe how the project’s expected results or solution meet the current needs of the business sector, public organisations or civil society, as well as how they contribute to sustainable development. Describe the conditions for dissemination and scalability of the expected results or solution.

State-of-the-art

Describe the research and knowledge on which the project is based. Describe the context of the project and the novelty or level of innovation of the results or solution. Compare the project’s solution with any other relevant national or international solutions. Describe the importance of the project for implementing the proposed solution, i.e., how central the project is and whether it may be dependent on other results from outside the project. Describe obstacles/challenges and risks in the project to implementing the proposed solution. Describe what consequences the identified obstacles/challenges and risks may have and how these will be addressed in the project.

Implementation (max. 12,000 characters including spaces)

Describe and justify what methods, activities, work plan, schedule, etc. will be used in implementing the project. Also describe on how gender equality and diversity have been integrated into the project.

Project organisation (max. 5,000 characters including spaces)

Describe and justify the choice of project participants, their skills, roles and participation, and how you will leverage their expertise and the interests of end users. Also reflect on the team’s composition (key persons) with regard to gender and the distribution of influence among women and men.

List of references (max. 5,000 characters including spaces)

List references that corroborate the project description. This may include publications, previous works relevant to the project and similar.

Budget and other information

You state the project budget and other information about all participating organisations in Prisma. Note that the budget (specification) should always be written in English; any budget specification written in Swedish will not be translated but will instead be assessed as is by the international review panel. In Prisma, write out the total amount you are applying for in kronor using digits. For example, 1 million kronor should be written as: 1,000,000 kronor.

Note that the first payment to funded projects will be made in December 2022 but that your budget must be for 2023 and 2024.

Information about the main applicant’s organisation and other project parties

This is mandatory information and must be completed for each party in the project. The information should be collected and filled in by the main applicant. The main applicant’s organisation must be the same as the one specified as the administrating organisation.

  • Name of the organisation
  • Corporate identity number
  • Address, postal code, city, country
  • Annual turnover (the total sales or turnover of the higher education institution, research institute, company or organisation during the previous fiscal year), stated using digits. Example: 3,500,000.
  • Balance sheet total (the sum of either the assets page or liabilities and equity from the company’s or organisation’s balance sheet), stated using digits. Example: 5,500,000.
  • Number of employees
  • Contact person
  • E-mail of contact person
  • Name of the workplace, address, postal code, city and country where most of the work will be carried out.

Costs

  • Personnel costs: Eligible personnel costs for companies and other organisations conducting economic activity may be estimated at a maximum of 800 kronor per hour. Universities, colleges or research institutes are not subject to this limitation. The amount that employees of higher education institutions or research institutes may be awarded must not exceed 100% of full-time employment. This means that someone with a fully funded salary during the entire project period cannot receive additional funds for salary. Full-time retired researchers cannot receive funding for their own salary.
  • Equipment, buildings and land: The maximum amount you can be granted for equipment and equipment depreciation costs is SEK 500,000.
  • Consultancy and licensing costs: For the costs of consultancy services and licenses to be eligible for funding, they must be purchased or licensed from external actors at market prices, and their services and scope must be stated in the project description.
  • Other direct costs: Other direct costs can include the cost of consumables, travel, conferences and publication fees for open-access journals and databases.
  • Indirect costs: Higher education institutions and research institutes may charge a markup for indirect costs according to the applicable full-cost pricing method. Other project participants may charge a markup for indirect costs of up to 30 percent of their eligible personnel costs. Formas does not allow overhead for equipment depreciation costs or costs of premises.

Financing

There are four types of funding an applicant can specify in the application:

  • Applied funding from Formas: Indicates the amount applied from Formas under the call. The amount cannot exceed the total costs. If the amount sought is less than the total costs, the remaining amounts will be automatically calculated and reported under “Self-finance”.
  • Other funding (state): If Formas or another public funder has provided funding for related projects.
  • Other funding (private): If another private company or organisation contributes funding to the project.
  • Self-finance: If the project party contributes its own funding, this is calculated automatically and displayed in the field for self-finance.

Justification of budgeted personnel costs

Here, you specify the average hourly cost for budgeted personnel costs. Personnel costs refer to salaries including social security contributions and other mandatory charges associated with salaries. (Maximum 500 characters including spaces.)

Justification of the budget for the whole project

In the main applicant’s own words, they should explain the budget and state the overhead costs included in the application. Formas does not grant funding for overhead costs that are written off for equipment or facilities.

You also specify any consultancy costs and the scope of the consultant’s participation. Also specify which project participants will pay for the consultancy costs. The applicant is encouraged to clearly describe all costs related to the project activities. (Maximum 9,000 characters including spaces.)

Ethical considerations

Specify if there are any ethical concerns with the research project. If so, state what they are and how you plan to manage them. Examples include research that uses personal data or research involving experiments on humans or animals.

If you are conducting research on people, human tissue or are processing sensitive personal data, you must obtain ethical approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. Additionally, if you are conducting research on animals, you must also obtain ethical approval. You can apply for approval through the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s online service.

You should state in your application whether or not you have obtained ethical approval. If you have not, but are awarded a grant, then you must obtain approval before the study in question begins.

Even if your research is not expected to warrant ethical concerns, this should be stated and briefly explained within the application (maximum 4,000 characters, including spaces).

Classifications

Formas uses the project’s classifications in analyses and supporting documentation at an overall level. These classifications are made when the applicant states the subject area, research subject (SCB code), at least one SDG the project can contribute to, and keywords.

  • Subject area
    Select the project’s subject area and add a sub-heading.
  • Research subject (SCB code)
    Select at least one research topic and two sublevels that together form the entire code.
  • Keywords
    Enter a minimum of one and a maximum of three keywords describing the project.

Administrating organisation – the organisation receiving the grant

The organisation that will receive and administer the awarded funds that Formas pays out is called the administrating organisation.

  • Select the administrating organisation from the dropdown list. If you cannot find the organisation that will be the main applicant, see the “Organisation account” heading under “How to apply”.
  • Select the project site from the drop-down menu. If you cannot find your project site, see “Applicants from administrating organisations who must be individually approved” under “How to apply”.

Project participants

State all project participants with their name, organisation and role in the project. Fill in the information in any table format, save the document as a PDF file, and upload under the mandatory appendices in Prisma. You can only upload files in PDF format in Prisma.

CVs

The CVs of all project participants should be added to the application as a single PDF attachment (maximum size 4 MB). We recommend a maximum length of two A4 pages for each CV.

In this call, researchers at generally approved administrating organisations (approved for all Formas calls) cannot link to CV information that is already entered in Prisma. This is done to enable an equal assessment of applications and CVs.

Appendices

Mandatory appendices:

  • List of project participants
  • CVs of all project participants (max. 2 A4 pages per participant)

Optional appendices:

  • Illustrations and figures (max. 4 MB)
  • Certificate for de minimis aid (Formas’ de minimis aid certificate , 39.9 kB.). The form must be filled out, signed by an authorised representative of the organisation and scanned as a PDF before being uploaded into Prisma.

After submitting your application

Formas verifies that the application meets the procedural requirements set out in the call. If the application does not meet these requirements, it is rejected.

The following requirements will be verified in this call:

  • The administrating organisation has signed the application. This must be done within seven calendar days after the call closes.
  • The application has been approved by the administrating organisation.
  • The application’s focus falls within Formas’ areas of responsibility.
  • The focus of the application falls within the call’s areas.
  • The application is complete and contains all mandatory information.
  • The requirements for project managers, project participants and organisations under “Applicant and organisation requirements” are met.
  • The main applicant who is responsible for other projects or activities funded by Formas has submitted any requested reports by the stated deadline.

All applications are assessed by an external review panel of national and international evaluators based on the contents of the application. It is therefore important to write the application as clearly as possible and include all important and relevant information. Formas will consider the project portfolio in order to fund projects that together address a wide range of themes within the call’s framework.

The applications are assessed based on the following criteria:

Relevance

  • The project can significantly contribute to the purpose and focus of the call.
  • The design of the project and the expected results have taken into consideration the relevant needs and conditions of different groups in society.
  • The application clearly states how the impact of the proposed solution would benefit society.

Potential

  • The problem formulation and purpose of the project are clear, logical and in line with the purpose and focus of the call.
  • The research that forms the basis of the project is of high quality.
  • The expected results of the project and/or proposed solution are at the forefront of the field, and the novelty or innovation level is substantial.
  • The project has significant potential for scalability and/or dissemination.

Implementation

  • Planned activities and methods are appropriate for achieving expected results.
  • The time frame and budget are realistic and appropriate in relation to the purpose and objectives of the project.
  • The plan for how the results of the project are to be utilised is well described and appropriate.
  • Ethical considerations are well described and the plan for how to handle these is appropriate.
  • Gender perspectives are well integrated into the implementation of the project.

Project organisation

  • The project’s organisation and overall competence of the project group are appropriate for the implementation of the project, including the utilisation of the project’s results.
  • The project is carried out in collaboration with relevant stakeholders or end users. The involvement of the project participants is well described and appropriate for the objectives of the project.
  • The project group (key actors) as well as the distribution of influence is well balanced between women and men. Relevant for project groups of more than 3 people.

A decision on which projects are granted funding is expected to be taken on 23 November 2022. We will publish our decisions the following day at the latest on the Formas website and later by email from Prisma. Grant award decisions cannot be appealed.

All granted projects must submit a financial and scientific reports to Formas within three months of the end of the availability period. An annual financial statement must be submitted to Formas for projects that are longer than 18 months. All reports are submitted in Prisma.

Financial reporting in Prisma , 187 kB.

Formas may impose requirements on how projects must be reported in terms of content and results to enable distribution and utilisation. In such cases, more information will be presented with the award decision. Formas may also require you to participate in conferences and similar events in order to create synergies and platforms for learning and knowledge sharing.

Results of research funded by Formas must be published using 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 develop such a plan. This plan should not be submitted to Formas but should be presented on request. By signing our grant terms and conditions, you certify that a data management plan will be available before the research begins and that it will be maintained.

Open access to research results and data

Formas shares information about awarded grants to SweCRIS External link., a national database of grant-funded research instituted at the request of the government.

Definition

Term

Definition

Coordinating project party

An organisation that coordinates the project and is administrating organisation i.e. receives the grant funds from Formas and distributes the funds to other organisations that are beneficiaries in the project, reports the project according to instructions and notifies any changes to Formas.

Note that only Swedish administrating organisations may be coordinating project party.

Project party

An organisation that implements the project - regardless of whether it receives a grant or not, ie. contributes in-kind. A subcontractor is not a project party.

Please note that private companies or other organisations engaged in economic activity outside of Sweden cannot receive funding in this call. However, they can participate as project parties if they contribute in-kind.

Main applicant

A person appointed by the coordinating project party as project manager.

Project participant

A person who participates in the project, can be a participating researcher or a participating non-researcher.

Administrating organisation

The administrating organisation is the organisation that receives the grant funds from Formas and distributes the funds to other organisations that are beneficiaries in the project, reports the project according to instructions and notifies any changes to Formas.

Administrating organisation for all types of calls

Organisation that can apply for all types of calls at Formas. These are universities, colleges, research institutes and authorities with research assignments.

Administrating organisation for an individual project

Organisation that can apply for funding in individual calls from Formas and receive funding for an individual project. These are companies, associations, industry associations, boards, funds and municipalities.

Project site

A domicile can, for example, be an institute, a department or a project specialisation.

The national research programme for food was established to strengthen needs-driven research, promote the dissemination and commercialisation of research results, and increase knowledge in order to educate food system actors. Its purpose is to help increase productivity and innovation across the food chain as well as achieve sustainable food production and consumption.

The programme aims to contribute to transforming the food system into a more sustainable system from environmental, social and economic perspectives. In which long-term competitiveness is founded on scientifically based knowledge and strengthened innovation for sustainably produced, nutritious, tasty and safe food for all.

The national research programme’s agenda aims to provide a direction for knowledge building and innovation in order to achieve a sustainable and competitive food system. Four themes have been defined that require interplay and interaction. The programme’s four themes and six perspectives are listed below and are described in the programme’s strategic agenda, Towards a Sustainable and Competitive Food System. , 577.1 kB.

  • Sustainable production systems
  • Tasty food for healthy people and planet
  • The meal and the consumer
  • Innovative and safe food

The intersecting perspectives highlight key areas of development that can simultaneously act as drivers in the transition to a sustainable, competitive Swedish food system. The perspectives are: a system perspective, knowledge and skills development, governance and leadership, digitalisation and technology development, regionally and globally, and gender equality and diversity.

The national research programme on climate should create favourable conditions that enable research and innovation to contribute to climate change adaptation efforts, the transition to a fossil-free society, and attainment of climate goals nationally and worldwide. The programme will fund research and innovation within six key themes described in the climate programme agenda, Knowledge for a climate transformation.

The challenges posed by climate change are complex. Greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced in all parts of society and we need to hasten our ability to go from words to action through governance and various types of measures, behavioural changes and innovations. Citizens and intended users of new knowledge must be involved in climate efforts, which in turn must be perceived as just and inclusive. At the same time, knowledge of climate development, the relationship between climate efforts and other SDGs in Agenda 2030 and initiatives for adapting communities to a changing climate must increase.

In the agenda, six themes have been defined as central:

  • Sustainable innovations for climate efforts
  • System-integrated knowledge of climate change, ecosystems and society
  • Production and consumption in line with the climate goals
  • Governance for meeting climate challenges
  • Economic and financial drivers for climate action
  • A democratic and just climate transformation

In addition, each of these themes should be highlighted using the key perspectives of international climate actions, digitalisation, synergies and goal conflicts in the sustainable development agenda and equality, equity and diversity.

The national research programme for sustainable spatial planning funds research and innovation that can contribute to a transformative, sustainable planning and built environment. We face major challenges, such as transitioning to a fossil-free society, adapting to climate change, and creating better conditions for socially, environmentally and economically sustainable cities and communities. Boosting the transition capability of all stakeholders is central to achieving more sustainable spatial planning in practice.

The national research programme for sustainable spatial planning agenda, Research for transformative and sustainable spatial planning, has identified a number of central themes and perspectives that must be prioritised. These themes and perspectives are based on the various challenges that the built environment and spatial planning currently face. More knowledge and new solutions are needed in these areas so that society can shift to transformative, sustainable spatial planning. The six identified themes are:

  • Sustainable Residential and Public Environments
  • Sustainable Mobility Systems for All
  • Human Health and Well-Being
  • Security and Safety for People and Societies
  • Sustainable Consumption and Production
  • Sustainable Land and Water Use

Each of these themes must also be highlighted using the following five intersecting perspectives: Governance, Policy and Economics; Organisation, Collaboration and Leadership; Accessibility, Equity and Gender Equality; Democracy and Participation and Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence.

On 2 September 2021, Formas was formally tasked by the Government with establishing a national research programme on oceans and waters. A strategic research agenda, entitled “Mobilization for healthy oceans and waters”, is under development (it is based on two reports: Government input to the research bill External link. and Sweden's contribution to the UN decade of ocean science External link. – both in Swedish). A number of central themes and perspectives have been identified in the agenda that can contribute to resolving prioritised societal challenges in the area of oceans and waters. These should also be viewed as complementary parts and provide direction for research calls and activities within the national research programme.

The themes included in the agenda are:

  • Strengthening aquatic ecosystem resilience through increased understanding of complex and dynamic ecosystems and better environmental observation systems
  • Develop a sustainable management of water resources that applies to the water resources that we share, to the essential groundwater, and that enables future water supply in a changing climate
  • Accelerating action from society to reach sustainable oceans and water highlighting society´s engagement and focusing on making planning and governance more efficient.

The societal challenges we face require us to increase our knowledge, raise our innovation capabilities and build more collaborations and partnerships to increase the understanding of water cycles and find sustainable ways of using our water resources. The need for healthy oceans and waters must become an integral part of other societal issues we see today.

To enable a transformation within the oceans and waters area, more efficient regulations and permit review systems are needed, as well as a stronger and more efficient water management. The program must therefore be a unified platform that facilitates close collaboration between researchers and various actors in society.

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Updated:26 October 2022