Starting grants 2026

About the grant

The purpose of starting grants is to support the development of junior researchers’ academic careers. The grant is intended to promote independence and establishment in their own research field by providing an opportunity to lead their own defined research project. The purpose of starting grants is also to stimulate mobility among junior researchers.

Scope of the call

The call for proposals welcomes applications within Forte’s areas of health, working life and welfare. The research that receives funding shall be of high scientific quality and have good potential to benefit society in the short or long term. For a more detailed description of the research areas that we support and do not support, please see the page Fields of research.

Project duration

Funding may be sought for either two or three years.

Funding amounts

You may apply for a maximum of SEK 2.5 million for two-year projects and 3.75 million for three-year projects. Please note that the maximum amount includes so called indirect costs/overheads (OH). Applications that exceed the specified limit will be rejected.

Staffing

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

Number of applications

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

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

Collaboration in research

Collaboration in research is a key tool for increasing the quality, relevance and societal impact of the projects funded by Forte. By involving societal stakeholders in the research process, research results can achieve greater impact and practical application. Forte therefore encourages researchers to plan for collaboration where it is relevant and to clearly describe their collaboration plans in their applications.

Forte’s perspective on collaboration in research

International research

Projects in this call for proposals may be carried out fully or partially abroad. Please note, however, that the project leader must be employed by a Swedish organisation that will serve as the administrating organisation. The research must also be relevant to Sweden and Swedish conditions, and this must be explained and justified in the application.

Applications with an international element must follow Forte’s guidelines for international research.

Guidelines for international research

Funding of additional expense allowance when staying abroad

In this call for proposals, you can receive funding for increased living costs when staying abroad, known as an additional expense allowance. The allowance is paid out for you, an accompanying cohabiting partner and children under the age of 19 who you are obliged to support. See the document “Instructions for the application form” on the call’s web page for information on how to apply for an additional expense allowance. Forte does not provide accompanying spouse allowance, meaning compensation for the loss of income for the accompanying partner.

If your application is granted funding, any additional expense allowance will be calculated based on the need and information provided by you in the application. Decisions on funding for additional expense allowances will be made later after dialogue with Forte.

More information and the current table for the additional expense allowance can be found at the Swedish Agency for Government Employers’ website, arbetsgivarverket.se.

Guidelines for the additional expense allowance (In Swedish) External link.

Funding for increased accommodation costs when staying abroad

Forte covers potential increased accommodation costs during a stay abroad. In your application, state your potential need for this as well as an estimate of and justification for your increased accommodation costs. Calculations must be based on actual increased accommodation costs in connection with your stay abroad. Forte only reimburses the difference between your current accommodation cost and your accommodation cost abroad.

If your application is granted, funding for potential increased accommodation costs will be calculated based on the information you provided in the application. Decisions on funding for increased accommodation costs will be made later after dialogue with Forte. Forte may request additional documents and calculations if necessary.

Eligibility requirements

Doctoral degree and career age

You may apply for a starting grant up to three years after receiving your doctoral degree. To apply for a starting grant in this call for proposals you must have had your doctoral degree issued at some point during the period 2023-03-19 to 2026-03-19.

If you have been prevented from conducting research for extended periods it is possible to apply for an exemption from the career age requirement. You do this by invoking so-called deductible time. If you have invoked deductible time, Forte may request certificates or documentation to confirm the grounds for the specified absence. See grounds for deductible time that Forte accepts here

Deductible time

Activity level

You must have an activity level in the project of at least 50 percent of full-time. You should also be paid in the same proportion as the activity level. Applications where the activity level is below 50 percent will be rejected.

Employment

The project may be carried out at a Swedish organisation or university, or at an organisation in another country. Please note, however, that you must be employed by a Swedish organisation that will manage the funds (the administrating organisation).

Parallel application in Forte's annual call for project grants

You may not be the main applicant for an application in this call if you are also applying for a grant in Forte's annual call for project grants. You may apply in this call and at the same time be a participating researcher in an application in the annual call for project grants.

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.

How do I apply?

Before starting your application, please read the information on this webpage carefully and ensure that the following conditions are fulfilled:

• You have created a personal account in the application system Prisma External link..
• You have stored your CV and details of your publications in your personal account in Prisma
• 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
• If you have a Swedish doctoral degree, you must validate it in Prisma by retrieving your degree information from Ladok. Read more about Ladok in Prisma’s user manua External link.l
  

What must be included in the application?

For information about the contents of your application, please see the document Instructions for the application form under the application heading below.

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.

The use of AI tools

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

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.

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).

Since this call aims to provide junior researchers with funding for their own employment, it is not possible to include participating researchers in the application.

However, other participants may be involved in the project to a limited extent. In the category other participants, both support staff and doctoral students may be included. Doctoral students can be salaried for their work up to a total of 30 per cent. If two doctoral students work on the project, they can each be salaried up to 15 per cent, and so on. Support staff refers to non-research personnel, for example assistants and statisticians. Researchers with a doctoral degree can thus not be salaried as support staff in the call starting grant.

The main applicant can 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.

Requirements for different types of participants External link.

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 and meets the career age requirement
• 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 of health, working life and welfare (this is assessed on the basis of the abstract and 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 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.

Forte's processes for assessment and final decision

Assessment criteria

Requirements

• Relevance to Forte: The research must be relevant in relation to Forte’s areas and the scope 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.

Skills and career development

• The importance of the research and the choice of host institution to the development of the applicant’s skills, career and research network.

Independence

• The importance of the research and the choice of host institution to the applicant’s ability to independently conduct their research and contribute to the research field.
  

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 the 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

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.