Centres for research on returning to work

Forte funds three research centers that together aim to strengthen the knowledge on how people on sick leave can receive better support in returning to work.

The centers conduct interdisciplinary research that integrates knowledge about individuals’ health and work ability with studies of workplaces, healthcare interventions, and the structural conditions that shape the return‑to‑work process.

By combining clinical studies, workplace‑based interventions, and analyses of policy and coordination, the centers develop and evaluate new approaches that can help reduce long-term sickness absence. The work is carried out in close collaboration with people on sick leave, healthcare professionals, employers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to ensure relevance and societal benefit.

Together, the centers build a knowledge base that can strengthen organizations’ capacity to prevent ill health, support return to work, and promote a more sustainable working life.

The Centers for Return to Work are funded by Forte’s national programme for mental health, but have strong links to the national programme for work‑life research.

Research centres within the field

• The RELATE Research Center – Return to Work Later in Life:
  Person‑Centered and Co‑Creative Health Interventions for a Sustainable Working Life
  Mathilda Björk, Linköping University
• Center for Return to Work – Interdisciplinary Primary Care‑Oriented Research at the University of Gothenburg
  Maria Åberg, University of Gothenburg
• Stockholm Center for Return to Work
  Theo Bodin, Karolinska Institutet