Eligibility varies between different types of grants and between different calls for proposals. A basic requirement, however, is that the main applicant must have a doctoral degree and be affiliated to an organisation that is approved by Forte as an administrating organisation. Information about the eligibility criteria for a specific call and/or grant type can be found on the call’s web page on Forte.se.

Administrating organisation

The administrating organisation is the Swedish organisation where the project leader is employed and which receives the funds disbursed by Forte. To be approved as an administrating organisation, the organisation needs to meet certain criteria and create an organisation account in Prisma.

Forte’s criteria for administrating organisations »
Prisma’s user manual for organisation accounts

Main applicant

The main applicant is the person responsible for the application who will lead the project. If the application is granted, the main applicant must be employed by a Swedish organisation that is approved as an administrating organisation. However, the main applicant does not need to be employed by the administrating organisation at the time of application. The main applicant must have a doctoral degree and a personal account in Prisma.

Participating researchers

The application specifies the researchers who will participate in the project. Participating researchers must have a doctoral degree and a personal account in Prisma, which are linked to the application.

Other participants

In addition to participating researchers, it is also possible to include other participants in the project, and to apply for salary funds for these. These participants do not necessarily have to be researchers, but can include all the people needed to complete the project. This also means that they do not need to have doctoral degrees. This category includes any doctoral students who will participate in the project.

Other participants can, but do not have to, be named. Their role and contribution to the project must be explained in the application. They do not need personal accounts in Prisma, and they do not need to provide a resume.

Deductible time

Some of Forte’s grants carry special requirements regarding career age. This entails restrictions on how much time may have passed since you completed your doctoral degree. For those with a Swedish doctoral degree, the degree date registered in Ladok applies. For those with a foreign doctoral degree, the date on which the diploma is issued applies. If you have not had the opportunity to work as a researcher for longer periods after your doctoral degree, it is possible to apply for an exemption from this requirement by invoking so-called deductible time.

Forte accepts the following grounds for deductible time:

  • Parental leave (during days you would otherwise have worked)
  • Care of a sick child (eligible for temporary parental benefit)
  • Care of a relative (eligible for benefit for care of closely related persons)
  • Sick leave (eligible for sick pay/sickness benefit)
  • Positions of trust in trade unions (carried out during working hours)
  • Service under the law on compulsory military service

Examples of grounds for deductible time that will not be accepted include other employment, unemployment or vacation. General service (AT), specialist service (ST) or practical service as a psychologist (PTP) will not be accepted because Forte equates it with other employment.

Applicants who want to invoke deductible time may add up single days of absence for the entire period between the date of the doctoral degree and the closing date of the call. The break must total at least two weeks and be rounded up to whole calendar months (i.e. 0-13 days of absence does not entitle to invoke deductible time while 14-31 days of absence is rounded up to one month’s absence). The break should be calculated as full-time.

Organisation applications

Most of Forte’s grant forms are aimed at individuals. However, there are special grants that can only be applied for by organisations. One example of such a grant is graduate schools. Calls for applications from organisations are only visible to persons who are logged in via an organisation account in Prisma.