Four grant types are available within this call – project grants, programme grants, practice-oriented research fellow and collaboration grant. In total, SEK 182 million is reserved for the period 2024–2029.

The call aims to strengthen client and practice-oriented research within the social services sector through collaboration between academia and practice.

Focus areas

The focus of the call is based on eight prioritised areas, presented in the strategic agenda of the programme:

  • The effects of interventions
  • Methods for needs assessment for individuals
  • Early/preventive measures of the social services
  • Implementation and change management
  • Coherent service provision initiatives
  • User participation
  • Digitalisation and welfare technology
  • Non-profit and entrepreneurial providers of social services

Grant types

Four grant types are available within this call:

Project grant

Project grants support individual research projects to investigate and answer a defined question. The research projects should be planned and carried out in collaboration with the social services.
Amount: There is no maximum amount for this type of grant, but the requested budget must be justified in the application.
Time period: Grants can be provided for a period of two to four years.
Eligibility: You are eligible to apply for a project grant in this call if you have been awarded a doctoral degree by the date on which the call closes. The main applicant must be connected to an approved administrating organisation.

Programme grant

Programme grants strengthen and promote the expansion of research environments and enable research groups to address new issues and work with them over a longer period of time. The research programmes should be planned and carried out in collaboration with the social services.
Amount: Maximum of SEK 24 million
Time period: The grants are approved for six years.
Eligibility: You must have completed a doctoral degree when the call closes and the main applicant must be linked to an approved administrating organisation.

Practice-oriented research fellow

The grant aims to promote the link between research and social services practice and gives persons with a PhD working with social services issues outside of the academy the opportunity to carry out research and translate their research experience into practice.
Amount: There is no maximum amount for this grant type, but applied salary for the main applicant may not exceed more than 50 percent of full-time employment.
Time period: The grants are approved for a period of two to three years.
Eligibility: You must have completed a doctoral degree when the call closes and the main applicant must be linked to an approved administrating organisation.

Collaboration grant

The collaboration grant is a new type of grant that can be used to finance activities that contribute to a knowledge-based and knowledge-developing practice within the social services or to strengthen the conditions for practice- and client-related research. The activities should be carried out in collaboration between research and practice and the grant can be applied for by a constellation consisting of at least one researcher and one representative from practice.
Amount: Maximum of SEK 1 million per year for two years.
Time period: The grants are approved for a period of one to two years. The level of activity may vary during the grant period.
Eligibility: The main applicant must be linked to an approved administrating organisation.

The administrering organisation must have an account

To be able to apply for a grant, a Swedish university or another research funding body must administrate the funding and have an organisational account in Prisma. The administering organisation should apply for this in due time via Prisma.

Forte’s criteria for administering organisations »

Limitations

The same person may only submit one application as the main applicant for one of the three grant forms project grant, programme grant and practice-based research fellows. In addition to this, it is also allowed to submit an application as the main applicant for the collaboration grant. There are no restrictions for applicants who also apply for, or already hold, grants in Forte’s other calls.

Time plan

The call opens: 7 September 2023 10.00 CET
The call closes: 25 October 2023 14.00 CET
Forte’s board decides on funding: February 2024
Project start: April 2024