Conference grants 2026

Scope of the call

Forte wants to stimulate conferences where Swedish researchers can present and discuss research within our research areas. Read more about Forte’s fields of research

The grant relates to financial support for arranging conferences hosted by a Swedish institution of higher education or scientific/scholarly organisation. The intention is to facilitate contacts and exchange of experience between researchers, and to contribute to the dissemination of research. The financial support is intended for national conferences held in Sweden, open to all researchers in the field.

We encourage to include international elements (such as invited speakers or similar). However, international conferences and congresses are not financed via this call. Forte can contribute to the financing of Nordic conferences within our research areas. In these cases, the added value of the Swedish hosting must be made clear.

For network meetings, research workshops for smaller groups and working meetings, Forte's call for network grants is more appropriate.

About the grant

The purpose of conference grants is to strengthen the research fields within Forte’s areas by arranging national scientific conferences, where researchers and practitioners can exchange experiences and knowledge and develop collaborations. The conference must be held within 15 months from the start of the project, be arranged in Sweden and with at least 40 participants.

Project duration

State one year in the application. All grants have a three-month period for utilisation after the project period, which means that there is a total of 15 months to arrange the conference.

Funding amounts

The amount granted may amount to a maximum of SEK 300,000.

Please note that all grant limits are including indirect costs (OH). Applications exceeding the specified grant limit (300,000 SEK) will be rejected.

Forte only finances costs for invited speakers (costs for travel, food, accommodation and a reasonable remuneration), grants for participation for doctoral students and for work with planning and implementation of the conference (working hours for planning and costs for premises, technology, digital invitations/programs, etc.). Refreshments of a simpler kind (excluding alcoholic beverages) may be included in the amount applied for from Forte. Incidental arrangements such as excursions are costs that may not be included in the amount applied for.

Costs that are not covered by Forte's appropriations will be cancelled. If there is no clear information about what kind of costs the amount applied for is to cover, cost items may be deleted or the application rejected in its entirety.

Number of applications

No more than one application per main applicant is permitted within this call for proposals.

Budget

For this call a budget of about SEK 6 million is available.

Staffing

You are sole applicant for this grant type. You may not invite participating researchers to join the application.

Eligibility requirements

To apply for a grant under this call for proposals, you must have obtained a doctoral degree no later than the closing date of the call for proposals.

The main applicant must have submitted the final report for any previously approved grants from Forte within the reporting deadline. This only applies to grants where the deadline for final reporting has passed. Any previously granted extensions of project duration, and consequently of reporting deadlines, will be taken into account.

Open access and data management plan

Results from research funded by Forte must be published with immediate open access. However, Forte does not cover the costs of open access publishing within the research grants we award. Instead, Forte contributes financially through the Bibsam consortium to the joint funding system for publications. In cases where publication costs are included in the application, such costs will be deleted from any grant awarded.

Forte's guidelines for publication with open access

In all Forte funded projects that generate research data, a data management plan has to be established in accordance with the recommendations of the administrating organisation.

Open access to research data

How do I apply?

Before starting your application, please read this document and ensure that the following conditions are fulfilled:

• You have created a personal account in the Prisma application system External link..
• CV and details of your publications have been saved to your Prisma account.
• The administrating organisation for the grant has an organisational account in Prisma and has been approved as an administrating organisation at Forte. Forte's criteria for administrating organisations

All applications are to be submitted via the Prisma application and review system External link.. Please bear in mind that it takes time to complete an application. Therefore, start the application process well in advance. You can start filling in your data, then save and continue at another time.

What must be included in the application?

For information about the contents of your application, please see the document Instructions for the application form pdf, 242.2 kB..

The application form includes both mandatory and non-mandatory information. The application cannot be submitted if mandatory information is missing. Ensure that the non-mandatory information you wish to include is also included in the application upon registration.

Language

Applications under this call for proposals can be written in Swedish or English.

Types of project participants

The person who creates the application in Prisma is the main applicant and is intended to be the project leader for the research project. The project leader must be employed by the administrating organisation at the start of the project. The employment must at least cover the time set aside for the project (activity level).

The main applicant may also invite a participating administrator to help them complete the application form.

Requirements for different types of participants External link.

The use of AI tools

The use of AI in the application must comply with Forte’s guidelines for the use of AI tools.

Principle of public access to official records

According to Swedish law, your application is considered a public document once it has been submitted to Forte. This means that anyone can request and read your application. Information may only be kept secret if it is covered by the secrecy provisions in the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (2009:400).

If your application is granted, abstracts in Swedish and English will be published in open project databases without a confidentiality assessment.

Translations of information in the call for proposals

Call texts, application forms and instruction texts are available in English translation, but in case of ambiguity in the translation, the Swedish versions take precedence.

How is my application assessed?

Verification of your application

Forte checks if your application fulfils the conditions laid down in the call for proposals. If the application does not fulfil the conditions, it will be refused or rejected. The following conditions will be checked in this call for applications:

• The main applicant has been awarded a doctoral degree.
• The main applicant has submitted the final report for any previously approved grants from Forte within the reporting deadline.
• The content of the application does not obviously fall outside Forte’s areas and/or the scope of the call (verified in consultation with the chair of the review panel).
• The budget in the application is within the maximum grant amount specified in the call for proposals.
• The application has been signed by the administrating organisation within 7 calendar days of the closing date of the call for proposals.

Review

All applications are prepared by an internal review panel at Forte. Based on the review panel's assessment, Forte's Director General decides which applications are to be approved.

The assessment focuses on the relevance of the conference to Forte's areas, the described benefits for researchers in the field and any other target groups, as well as the nature and reasonableness of the costs.

The different criteria have the same weight in the assessment. The extent to which the criteria are met is part of the review panel's overall assessment.

Forte's processes for assessment and final decision

What happens after the decision has been made?

Decision and statement

When a decision has been made in respect of your application, it will be published in your Prisma account. You will receive an email when the decision is published. Applicants will also have access to the statement written by the review panel about their application. This can be found in Prisma on the “Applications” page under the “Details” button. You will also find the statement on the “Grants” page.

Terms and conditions for grants

In order to receive a grant from Forte, both the main applicant and the administrating organisation must sign the terms and conditions laid down in the call for proposals. The signing takes place in Prisma after a decision on the grant has been made. Forte’s general terms and conditions apply to this call for proposals.

Forte’s general terms and conditions for grants