Research on person-centred and integrated care 2025

Background and purpose

In January 2018, the Swedish government presented a proposal for a transformation of the healthcare system. The transition to “person-centered and integrated care” introduces a new approach and working methods where primary and outpatient care, together with specialized care, should provide a more person-centered, coordinated, proactive, and health-promoting healthcare. Additional proposals and clarifications were provided in a new bill. Both bills and their legislative changes have come into effect with the decision of the parliament.

The transition includes regions, municipalities, and several authorities that support and monitor the transition. Despite progress being made, analyses by the Swedish Agency for Health and Care Services Analysis show that the goals for the transition have not been reached and that much work remains.

In the latest Research and Innovation Bill, the Swedish Government tasked Forte to carry out an initiative for research to support the transition towards person-centered and integrated care.

The purpose of this call for project grants is to strengthen the ongoing transition through relevant and high-quality research in the field.

Focus of the call

The goal of the transformation is better care for patients and a more efficient use of healthcare resources. A central question for the transformation is how care and treatment to greater extent can be moved from hospitals to primary care and to the homes of patients and users.

Applications within this call should focus on either questions related to organisation, governance, and management and/or questions about new working methods and the need for skills development.

The transition raises important research questions about the governance, management, and organisation of healthcare. It is of central importance that care is coordinated from the patient's perspective; for example, there are challenges with interfaces and responsibilities between different authorities. The transition must also be able to manage patient groups with large and complicated healthcare needs. Therefore, there is need for research at the micro, meso, and macro levels, for example regarding financing, resource allocation, and prioritization, but also concerning the accessibility, effectiveness, and innovative capacity of healthcare.

Several urgent research needs have also been identified in relation to new working methods and the need for skills development, such as the consequences of the ongoing digitalization of healthcare and the development of welfare technology. Demographic changes and access to the workforce will necessitate innovation, efficiency, and system development. Questions related to empowering patients and relatives, for example in self-monitoring and self-care, are also important, as well as issues of accessibility from an equality perspective.

Applications in this call should have an action-oriented approach, and the results should be usable to facilitate the implementation and/or improve the results of the reform. The research should have a clear focus on collaboration with healthcare actors and stakeholders.

About the grant

The purpose of project grants is to create and disseminate knowledge about an identified issue within the framework of a defined research project. Project grants can be applied for by both individual researchers and research groups.

Project duration

Funding may be sought for 3 or 4 years.

Funding amounts

The grant amount you can apply for per project is flexible, but since the funding period is limited, a guideline is SEK 5 million for three-year projects and SEK 6.5 million for four-year projects. Please note that the amounts include so called indirect costs/overheads (OH).

Staffing

For this grant type, you as main applicant may invite participating researchers to join the application.

Eligibility requirements

Doctoral degree
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.

Reporting for previous grants
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.

Important to know before you apply

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

• The main applicant and any participating researchers included in the application have created personal accounts in the Prisma application system External link.
• The main applicant and any participating researchers included in the application have stored their CV and details of their publications in their respective personal accounts
• 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

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

The use of AI tools

AI is a powerful tool that, when used responsibly, can streamline the research process, including the application procedure. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that the content of your application is accurate and that the research can be carried out as described. The use of generative AI may pose risks, such as plagiarism, false, manipulated, or otherwise incorrect information, which must not be included in an application.

If artificial intelligence is used substantially in your research (e.g., for data interpretation or literature reviews), it should be described in the application as you would describe any other research method.

Guidelines for use of AI tools

International research

Applications with an international element must follow Forte’s guidelines for international research. Forte views international research collaborations positively. Forte’s areas of research cover complex societal challenges where international research collaboration and researcher mobility can provide important contributions. Defence and security policy aspects must always be taken into account in international research collaboration.

Forte’s grants may be used to finance research where certain parts are carried out in other countries. However, the research must be initiated, led from and mainly carried out in Sweden or be a part of international collaborative research. The research must also be relevant to Sweden and Swedish conditions, and this must be explained and justified in the application.

Guidelines for international research

Open access

By accepting grants from Forte, the main applicant also accepts Forte’s guidelines for publication with open access. Forte does not cover the costs of open access publication within the research grants we award. 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

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.

Language

Since applications are reviewed by international experts, your application should be written in English (apart from fields where Swedish is specifically requested). If the application is submitted in Swedish, the quality of the assessment may be compromised. Forte is not responsible for the quality of any translations.

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).

In this call, participating researchers may also be invited to join the application. Participating researchers are other researchers who are crucial for the implementation of the project. Both the main applicant and the participating researchers must have a doctoral degree and a personal account in Prisma. It is also possible to include “other participants” in the project. These persons do not need to be researchers. This means they do not need to have a doctoral degree or their own accounts in Prisma.

Requirements for different types of participants

Participating administrators

The main applicant may invite a participating administrator to help them complete the application form. The administrator is not part of the project but has access to the draft application. A participating administrator cannot register the final version of an application and does not have access to the application once the final version has been registered in Prisma.

Assessment

The following conditions will be checked in this call:

• 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 focus 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

If the application does not fulfil the conditions, it will be refused or rejected.

Review

All applications that fulfil the conditions in the call for proposals are forwarded to Forte’s review panels for assessment. Based on their assessment, Forte’s Board makes the final decisions on which applications will be granted funding.

To be eligible for funding from Forte, applications must meet the requirements, be of high scientific quality, be relevant to society, and feasible. Applications are assessed against the assessment criteria described below. The assessment is an overall assessment that weighs all the criteria and relates them to the call for proposals and its objectives. Key to the assessment is how the applicant has explained and justified the various choices made in the application.

Assessment and final decision

Assessment criteria

Requirements

• Relevance to Forte: The research must be relevant in relation to Forte’s areas and the focus of the call.
• Sex and gender perspective: A sex and gender perspective must be taken into account, if applicable.
• Ethical considerations: The research must be conducted in an ethical manner, and any ethical issues must be addressed in an appropriate way.

Scientific quality

• Purpose, research questions, theoretical framework and background: The clarity and coherence in the description and justification of the purpose of the research, research questions, theoretical framework and background, including how well grounded it is in previous research.
• Study design, material and methods: The clarity and coherence in the description and justification of the research’s design, empirical material and methods for data collection and analysis, as well as the appropriateness of these in relation to the purpose of the research and research questions.
• Originality: The potential of the research to contribute to the research front, for example by developing new knowledge, new methods, theories and/or data.
• Multidisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary approach: The relevance of a multidisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary approach to the scientific quality, if applicable.

Societal relevance and utilisation

• Relevance to the wider community: The importance of the research to current societal challenges and how the research will help address these.
• Benefit to the wider community: The short and/or long-term benefit of the research to the wider community, and how this is intended to be promoted.
• Collaboration with the wider community: The clarity and coherence in the description and justification of the plan for collaboration with the actors affected by the research, if applicable.
• Communication of research results: The reasonableness and appropriateness of planned communications for all relevant audiences.

Feasibility

• Work plan: The clarity and reasonableness of the work plan for conducting the research.
• Competence: The competence and skills of the participants in relation to the needs for conducting the research.
• Budgets and staffing: The reasonableness of budgeted costs and participants’ planned activities for conducting the research.

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.