Research grants

• On research grants
• Terms
• Grants awarded
• Accounting
• Forms

The main purposes of the Crafoord Foundation are to promote scientific training and research and also the care, upbringing and education of children and young people.

Moreover, but only insofar as not to contravene the main purposes of the Foundation, the Foundation also promotes charitable, social, artistic, sporting or other purposes of public benefit.

The purposes of the Foundation include promoting Swedish scientific training and research without a view to making a profit for a given individual person or organization. Grants for research are primarily awarded to applicants at Lund University, Linnaeus University, Malmö University, Kristianstad University College, the University of Halmstad, Blekinge Institute of Technology, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences at Alnarp.

Applications for grants for scientific research and training shall be submitted at the beginning of February. Notice as to who has received grants is given in June.

In 2010, the Crafoord Foundation gave approximately SEK 55 million for scientific research and training, approximately SEK 2.9 million for the care, upbringing and education of children and young people and approximately SEK 8.6 million for other grants.

The Crafoord Foundation invites applications for support for primarily one-year research projects. For some of the funds at its disposal, the Foundation may also grant more long-term support in accordance with B below.

Outdated forms must not be used. Applications shall be filled in using a computer or typewriter. Applications sent in by telefax or e-mail will not be processed, neither will hand-written applications or such that reach the Foundation after the expiry of the application period.

Applications for grants for the above-mentioned purposes shall be submitted on the Foundation’s form Research Grant Application V12 in two copies and shall reach the Foundation no later than 4.00 pm on Thursday, 2 February 2012

A. One-year research support

The Foundation will make one-year research support grants. These will normally be of up to SEK 500 thousand. The Foundation welcomes applications relating to equipment, but may also grant support for other project costs such as running costs, technical staff, postdoctoral staff, conference travel (active participation is required), translation and printing costs, exchange of research scientists and research stays. Grants may also relate to the planning of major project applications or research programmes with national/international participants but coordinated within the Foundation’s field of activity. Support may be granted for arranging high-quality conferences at the home institute of higher education or university.

The application shall make clear whether or not the project is part of or is linked to a larger project.

Larger grants may also be granted, primarily for
- medium-heavy equipment
- more extensive projects of an interdisciplinary and/or interfaculty nature of strategic importance to the university or institute of higher education.

When applying for support to invite a guest research-worker, the applicant should also attach a brief CV for the proposed guest research-worker to the application. In this connection, support for the salary costs for the guest researcher may also be granted.

An application for support for the purchase of medium-heavy equipment may also consist of a somewhat shorter description of a main project supplemented by briefer descriptions of projects (with the names of those responsible for the research) that may actively utilize the instrument.

Grants may normally be applied for by a department or by individual or several researchers for one year. However, where several researchers apply, one of them shall be the main applicant.

Grants for the financing or partial financing of the applicant’s own post, other academic posts or postgraduate studentships will not normally be made and should therefore not be included in the application. However, support may be granted for short-term salary assistance for young researchers in order to allow the planning of major project grants.

The Foundation will be pleased to see applications from younger researchers at an early stage of their careers, but may also grant support to more senior researchers. The projects for which grants are sought should be of a high scientific quality.

Applications shall consist of:

The form “Research Grant Application V12” in two copies with a summary, preferably in Swedish (max. 2,000 characters, comprehensible for a non-specialist), on the back of the application form and mandatory appendices in one copy of each:

• a specification of costs
• a list of other grants made to the applicant (on an annual basis)
• a project appendix (max. 15,000 characters or max. 5 pages if the application contains pictures/figures)
• the applicant’s CV (max. 2 pages)
• the applicant’s published works during the past 5 years.

The project appendix shall clearly show:

• a brief background description
• the problem
• the news value of the project
• methods that the applicant plans to use
• results expected
• planned publication of results
• ethical considerations (if relevant to the project)

The CV shall clearly show:

• academic degree/diploma below doctorate (discipline/subject area)
• doctorate (year, discipline/subject area)
• relevant postdoctoral stays (year and placement)
• qualification as associate professor (year)
• present position and period of appointment, proportion of research in position
• previous academic positions and appointments (specify type of position)
• any parental leave etc.
• supervisory experience in relation to doctoral studies

An applicant may be granted repeated support (normally not more than three consecutive years) but the Foundation may priority to new applicants.

Applications that fail to meet the above-mentioned requirements will not be processed.

B. Support for two-year and four-year research projects

Support will be granted for projects that primarily run for two years but which may be extended over a further two years. The Foundation will grant funds for two years at a time.

The Foundation welcomes applications for up to SEK 1 million per annum for the financing of running costs, minor equipment, and costs for postdoctoral staff from other universities/countries, other costs in connection with the applicant’s own project and for technical staff. Applications may also be made for the partial financing of postgraduate studentships and study grants for doctoral studies. In this case, funds will be granted only for costs that are directly related to the research activities within the project.

For this type of project, the Foundation will only consider applications from younger researchers whose activities are in a build-up phase. In prioritizing applications, the main emphasis will be laid on scientific quality, but the potential of the project to promote the constitution and development of a strong research environment at the university or institute of higher education will also be taken into consideration. The application shall show whether or not the project is part of or is linked to a larger project. The Foundation may reassign applications for 2-year support as applications for one-year support in accordance with A above.

The financing or partial financing of the applicant’s own post or other academic post (except for postgraduate studentships) will not be granted and should therefore not be included in the application.

Applications shall follow the template for 1-year research support (see above).

In addition, the project appendix shall include:

• any pilot studies and preliminary results
• planned collaborations, national and international
• why the applicant and the applicant’s environment are suitable to implement the project

Applicants should also show their published work for the past ten years.

Applications that fail to meet the above-mentioned requirements will not be processed.

Ahead of year 3, the opportunity may be given to apply for support for a further two years at the corresponding financial level for a project for which a grant has been approved for the first two years. For such an application, the directions above apply, but the application must also contain a report on the work done within the project (max. 10,000 characters).

C. Other matters

General speaking, the Foundation will not normally grant support to doctoral students (printing assistance for doctoral theses is an exception; applicants must enclose a certificate from a supervisor) nor to emeriti. Nor will grants be given for study trips or for commemorative volumes or costs for education. Grants for personal computers will be awarded only with the greatest restrictiveness.

Applications may not be made for grants for costs incurred prior to 1 June 2012.

The Foundation allows overheads (including rent) of not more than 35% that are directly attributable to the research project.

Oral references will not be considered. Applicants are aware of and accept the fact that the Foundation will publish applicants’ names on the Internet in connection with approval of their application. Applicants accept that all information in the application may be stored on an ADP medium for the use of the Foundation. Under the Personal Data Act, applicants are entitled to study the registered information.

Notice as to whether or not a grant has been awarded will be given by letter in June 2012. Appendices to non-approved applications will be returned if a fully stamped addressed envelope was appended to the application. Appendices to approved applications will be retained by the Foundation.

Payment will be made after written requisition in close conjunction with the use of the grant.

Grants must not be used for purposes other than those approved by the Foundation. The grant must not be requisitioned until the recipient needs to make payment. The Foundation pays grants against a written requisition within two weeks, but not earlier than in August 2012. Equipment financed by the Foundation becomes the property of the recipient institution.

No later than nine months after payment, recipients of grants are obliged to submit an account of how the amount has been used. Failure to make an account, completely or partly, will result in an obligation to make repayment to a corresponding degree. The award notification letter specifies how the account shall be completed. The Foundation may give respite for the account if respite is requested in advance and if the Foundation finds this reasonable.

Grants that have not been requisitioned by 30 June 2013 at the latest will not be paid out.

The Foundation presumes that when the results are published it is clearly apparent that support has been received from the Foundation. The name of the Foundation in Swedish is Crafoordska stiftelsen and in English it is The Crafoord Foundation.