Assessment and final decision
When you have submitted your application to Forte, it undergoes several stages of review. Here, you will find information about Forte’s assessment processes and criteria.
Verification of your application
Forte checks if your application fulfils the conditions laid down in the call for proposals. For example, we check whether your application falls within the scope of the call and that the applicant is eligible. If the application does not fulfil the conditions, it will be refused or rejected.
Assessment by researchers and community representatives
All applications that fulfil the conditions in the call for proposals are given to Forte’s review panels for assessment. The review panels are made up of researchers and community representatives. Based on their assessment, Forte’s board makes the final decisions on which applications will be granted funding.
The reviewers read and assess all applications individually, and then meet up to hold a joint discussion. At this meeting, the review panel makes a joint recommendation on which projects should be granted or rejected. The review panel also prepares a statement on each application to justify the panel’s recommendation.
Which review panel will assess your application?
In the annual calls for project grants and starting grants, there are a number of review panels with different focus areas. The members of the panels are appointed annually. For other calls, there are specially appointed review panels.
Review panels in the annual call for project grants »
Review panels in the annual call for starting grants »
Assessment criteria
To be eligible for funding from Forte, applications must meet the requirements, be of high scientific quality, societal relevance and feasibility. Applications are assessed against a set of criteria set by Forte. The assessment is an overall assessment that weighs up all the criteria and relates them to the call and its objectives. Key to the assessment is how the applicant has justified the various choices made in the application (of the research question(s), theory, method, etc.).
Which assessment criteria are used varies depending on the call and grant type.
If several applications are judged equivalent
In cases where two or more applications are judged to be equivalent in the overall assessment, the review panel may give priority to applications from applicants of the under-represented gender. By under-represented gender, Forte refers to the gender that has a lower success rate in relation to the number of applicants. In the second instance, the review panel may give priority to applications that contribute to a greater variety of research questions and themes among the funded projects.
Final decision by Forte’s board
Forte’s board decides which applications to grant funding and which to reject, based on the recommendations of the review panels. In some cases, the board can delegate decisions to our Director General. Forte’s grant decisions cannot be appealed.
Objective and impartial processes
Gender equality
An important condition for objectivity in the assessment process is gender equality. No applicant or application should be assessed differently based on gender or other factors that are not included in the assessment criteria.
How we handle conflicts of interest
To ensure that our assessment process is always as objective as possible, we have a conflict of interest policy in place for Forte’s staff, board, and review groups. A person who, according to the policy, is considered to have a conflict of interest may not participate in the assessment or decision-making regarding the relevant application.
Forte’s conflict of interest policy »
Guidelines for conflicts of interests »
General information
International research
Forte views international research collaborations positively. Forte’s areas of research cover complex societal challenges in which international research collaborations and researcher mobility can provide important contributions.
Guidelines for international research »
Collaboration in research
Forte sees collaboration between research and the surrounding community as an important tool to fulfil our mission. The goal of the collaboration is to enhance the quality and relevance of the research.
